In Memoriam: Marie McDonald

Welcome to the Elevator World News Podcast. Today’s podcast news podcast is sponsored by elevatorbooks.com: www.elevatorbooks.com IN MEMORIAM: MARIE McDONALD Marie McDonald passed away on May 31 at her home in Walnut Creek, California. McDonald spent much of her life in San Francisco, where she made a name for herself in the industry. In the late 1950s, she was instrumental in forming what would become the first National Association of Women in Construction chapter on the U.S. West Coast. After learning she had a knack for sales at Dwan Elevator Co., McDonald in 1958 became the first woman in California to receive an elevator contractor's license. In 1977, she founded elevator-inspection firm McDonald Elevator Co. and was named the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce 1988 Entrepreneur of the Year. Cited by many elevator women as someone they model themselves after, McDonald was the recipient of the National Association of Elevator Contractors (NAEC) William C. Sturgeon Distinguished Service Award in 2001. McDonald earned her QEI certification through NAESA International, and, in 1976, was elected to NAESA's board. In the mid 1980s, she became the first woman certified elevator inspector in the U.S. Through NAESA and other organizations, including NAEC and the Vertical Initiative for Elevator Escalator Women, McDonald forged many lifelong friendships. McDonald sold her company shortly after her beloved husband, John McDonald, passed away in 1989, and worked for Pacific Access Contractors in Redwood City, California, until her retirement in 2013. After retirement, McDonald kept busy campaigning for local Democratic candidates and issues, reading and spending time with her family. Survivors include her children, Kimara, Lori and Adam. Image credit: courtesy by Gerd Altmann for Pixabay To read the full transcript of today's podcast, visit: elevatorworld.com/news Subscribe to the Podcast: iTunes │ Google Play | SoundCloud │ Stitcher │ TuneIn