Dr. George L. MacDonald Jr.

MARBLEHEAD, Mass. – Dr. George Lawrence MacDonald Jr., M.D., former chief of surgery at Salem Hospital and high school football official who helped save Marblehead’s football program in the 1980s, died Monday (March 25) of natural causes. He was 85.

A lifelong Marbleheader, Dr. MacDonald practiced general surgery over four decades at Salem Hospital (now North Shore Medical Center), Lynn Hospital and the Mary Alley Hospital in Marblehead. He performed thousands of procedures, many involving abdominal surgery to treat conditions from appendicitis to malignant tumors. He retired in 2000.

On days off during his career, MacDonald officiated Northeast Conference high school football games from Lynn to Amesbury. He was head linesman on a crew that included fellow Marbleheaders William “Esso” Haines, Bradley Sheridan, Herb Carey and Carl Siegel. The crew never officiated Marblehead games because each member was proudly partial toward Marblehead whenever their favorite team, the Magicians, was on the field.

Born at the old Mary Alley Hospital on Franklin Street in Marblehead, MacDonald was the son of George L. MacDonald Sr. and Lillian D. MacDonald (Hills) of Marblehead. He grew up working summers in his father’s shoe factory, MacDonald Brothers, where George Sr. plied his trade as a maker of quality leather slippers.

MacDonald’s involvement in local sports stemmed from his playing days for Marblehead High School in the 1940s and 50s. He played fullback and linebacker for the Magicians during a celebrated high school career that notched multiple championships. He lettered in football, basketball and baseball, and played catcher for various traveling teams, including the Headers and the Elks. His athletic accomplishments helped earn him a scholarship to Harvard, where he majored in physics. He captained Harvard’s baseball team before graduating in 1955.

Upon finishing college, MacDonald was drafted by the Boston Red Sox. He played one season in the minor leagues at the B level (equivalent to today’s AA) in Houlton, Maine. That season of trying to hit professional-level pitching convinced him to pursue his plan B career as a physician and enroll at Tufts Medical School.

After graduating from Tufts, he began his career as a surgery resident at the University of Minnesota Medical Center in Minneapolis. There he met his future wife, Lois, who was then an operating room nurse. They spent a year in Malmo, Sweden before returning to Marblehead to settle and raise a family.

MacDonald believed strongly in giving back to the communities and organizations that had supported him. He served as a vice president of Marblehead Savings Bank (now Marblehead Bank); a trustee at Choate Rosemary Hall, where his son Jeffrey was a student; and a deacon at Old North Church in Marblehead. He was an interviewer for Harvard’s Admissions Office and an active member of the Harvard Club of the North Shore. He enjoyed going back to Harvard frequently to watch games and visit with fellow alumni.

When Marblehead debated dropping football in the 1980s, MacDonald joined with his friend “Esso” Haines in founding the Magicians Gridiron Club as a support vehicle for the program. MacDonald served as the club’s first president. He built its membership by combing through every name in the town phone book and marking all his friends so they could receive invitation letters. Marblehead football has since then enjoyed a resurgence, including eight conference championships in the past 10 years. The Gridiron Club continues as a booster organization.

MacDonald enjoyed fishing and sailing on the waters off Marblehead, and savored many activities with family. He was an avid fan of Boston sports teams and a regular in the stands at Magicians’ football games.

He is survived by his wife, Lois; daughter Bonnie and son Jeffrey; son-in-law Tim Thomas; and granddaughters Olivia Gould and Louisa Gould. He was predeceased by a son-in-law, Dr. Robert Gould.

A memorial service will be held at 1PM Saturday, March 30 at the Old North Church, 35 Washington Street, Marblehead. Calling hours will be Friday, March 29 at Eustis & Cornell of Marblehead, 142 Elm Street from 4-7PM. Donations may be made to the Magicians Gridiron Club, 36 Puritan Road, Marblehead, MA 01945 with “George MacDonald Scholarship” in the memo.