Remembering Dr. Joe McDonald
I want to thank Mr. Wyman McDonald for his recent letter commemorating his late cousin, Dr. Joe McDonald. Wyman’s letter referenced their ancestral connection to Scottish trapper Angus McDonald. I want to add my own perspective because just the memory of Joe McDonald brings a smile to my face.
I consider Joe McDonald as Montana’s greatest educator. He helped to create Two Eagle River School and the Salish Kootenai College. As a teacher and coach, he guided individual students to success. But as a college president, Joe McDonald shaped our community, state and nation.
The degrees given to SKC graduates are tickets towards changing and improving the lives of thousands of people. Students from across Montana have earned degrees and returned to their communities as professionals in a field or trade. These gifts to future generations bear a direct link to one man, Joe McDonald.