Edward B. McMenamin was born in 1912 in Portland, Me., and graduated from Bowdoin College in 1933 with a degree in economics. [He started his career in the FDR administration in the same office as Spike Marlin, who was born three years earlier than McMenamin and died eight months later in 1994.]
During World War II, he served with the United States Marine Corps in the Pacific Theater, and later was in government service in Washington and abroad as an administrator with international economic cooperation programs such as the Marshall Plan, the Mutual Security Agency in Paris and the International Cooperation Administration.
After he retired from civil service and came to Columbia University as associate provost 1957-61 and then director of personnel from 1959 on, and secretary of the University from 1961 until his
retirement in 1972. After retiring from Columbia, he continued to work as a consultant to the federal government, the city of Boston, the Aspen Institute and several environmental agencies. He also worked for St Bernard's School.
He died Apr. 18, 1994 at a Manhattan apartment where
he and his wife were staying. He had been in declining health for
three years. He lived in Bridgehampton, L.I. He is survived by his wife, Joan Stitt McMenamin, who at the time was Head Mistress of the Nightingale-Bamford School.
I attended his 1994 memorial service, which was well attended thanks in part to the participation of many Nightingale students.
Mrs. McMenamin died in 2004. Sources include C
olumbia University Record (19:26), April 29, 1994;
New York Times obit.
