“Sir Arthur” of Mckee

Question: Why is McKee Botanical Garden called McKee? Answer: It is named after one of the founders, Arthur McKee. Question: Who was this man his step-children called “Sir Arthur”? Answer: He was a man with a determined glint in his blue eyes softened by  a wry sense of humor,  a millionaire who made his fortune in the steel business. He was also a man who loved plants and flowers, particularly orchids. A man who loved to watch the patterns made by the sun filtering through the trees in the jungle. A man who wanted to share these pleasures with others.

He was born in State College, Pa., in 1871 and spent his youth in close contact with the outdoors. He developed his love of nature as the result of the many happy years he spent camping with his family in the Allegheny mountains of Pennsylvania. His father was dean of Penn State College, and Arthur graduated from there with a degree in mechanical engineering in 1891.

Read the entire article in the March 2001 issue