Page 12 - Phoenix Vol 11 No 5

LAW FIRM OF THE MONTH
If his life were depicted on the Big Screen, audiences would undoubtedly reject its veracity, chalking it up as just another Hollywood hyperbole. A er all, other than idealized ctional composites such as James Bond, Rambo, or Atticus Finch, how many people do you know capable of gliding between imposing ideologies with the ease of changing from camo to tux? More importantly, how likely is it in “real-life” to meet someone whose personal history includes experiences as dramatically impressive as they
are numerous and varied? Donald W. “Mac” MacPherson is just such an anomaly. With fearlessness and determination, Mac takes on opponents from which most people ee, whether those opponents be furtive enemiesinthejunglesofVietnam ortheseeminglyindomitableIRS. His is a life so full, so abundant, that it’s di cult to believe
Group
DEVELOPING DISCIPLINE
Changing
of the
Guard
BY SUSAN CUSHING
If it’s true that discipline is an essentialelementtosuccess,then Mac’s course was set early in life. His military career began at the ripe old age of six. Mac’s father, Malcolm Douglas MacPherson, attended Admiral Farragut Academy and wanted to attend Annapolis but was not medically quali ed. He died of a heart attack when Mac was just two years old. Without the in uence and guidance of his father’s strong military presence, it’s likely that Mac’s mother determined the best alternative could be found in some of our country’s nest military educational institutions.
When most young lads are trying to master the mechanics of riding a two-wheeler and still occasionally hiding behind
Brigade (Separate).
He was awarded several Air
Medals, numerous Bronze Star Medals and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star. He later served as a Jump Master and Special Forces (“Green Berets”) A-Team Commander.
A er Vietnam, Mac taught ROTC at the University of Cincinnati, coached the ri e team, and was, as in the 2009 movie e Messenger, a Survivor Assistance O cer, responsible for notifying the next of kin of the loss in Vietnam of their husband
these are the experiences and butter y records. With the same
accomplishmentsofjustoneman. dedication that has been the TheMacPhersonhallmark at every juncture in his life, a er earning a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Science at West Point, Mac quali ed Airborne, Ranger, and Infantry and volunteered for 18 months of combat in Vietnam, where he served as an infantry platoon leader and company commander with the famed 173rd Airborne
ATTORNEY AT LAW MAGAZINE · PHOENIX· VOL. 11 NO. 5 12
Mama’s skirts when approached by a stranger, Mac and his older brother were attending St. Aloysius Military Academy in Fayetteville, Ohio, a Catholic boarding school operated by Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati since 1913. When the school closed with 18 sisters and 102 cadets, the brothers attended Millersburg Military Institute in Millersburg, Kentucky, where Mac completed third and fourth grade. Both schools surely helped establish positive, life-long traits.
“From the time I was six years old my dream was to attend a service academy,” says Mac. “I thrived on the regimen and was proud to be following in my father’s footsteps.”
Not surprisingly, Mac won a Congressional appointment to West Point directly from a Cincinnati high school where he played football and was recognized for his performance as a swimmer, breaking several