Angus Loren McQueen passed away on July 16, 2019 in Edmond, Oklahoma, surrounded by his loving and loyal family. He fought hard to beat back the evils of cancer with the iron will that guided him through his entire life. In the end, he was at peace knowing that he would be reunited with his wife, Jodi.
Angus was born to Marvin and Mary Louise McQueen on August 15, 1944 in Superior, Wisconsin. He graduated high school in 1962, and instead of pursuing a degree at Augustana College that would have led him to be a Lutheran minister, he began his career as a producer/director with NBC affiliate television stations in St. Louis and Houston. From 1965 through 1972 he directed coverage of all Gemini and Apollo missions at the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston for NBC News.
Angus was a writer/director with the U.S. Navy Office of Information in Washington, serving two years of active duty during the Vietnam War. As Managing Producer of Broadcast Production with the D’Arcy Advertising Co. in New York, he wrote and produced television advertising for Royal Crown Colas, Lufthansa German Airlines, General Tire, Gerber Foods, SCM Typewriters, Taylor Wines and others. It was during this time that he met Jodi. They met on September 13, 1970 on a Lufthansa airline shoot in Frankfurt, Germany. They both describe that day as the one that changed their lives.
In 1972, he directed network pool coverage of the Republican National Convention in Miami and other election-year broadcasts with President Nixon’s White House staff. He served as Vice President/General Manager of Lewis/Unitas Advertising in New York. Angus joined Ackerman McQueen in July 1973 as Vice President/Creative Director and was elected President and Co-Chief Executive in 1984 and CEO in 1987.
His creative work has been recognized by over one hundred industry awards. His evolution of branded news and media strategies has been presented in three consecutive editions of PUBLIC RELATIONS The Profession and the Practice, the graduate-level textbook published by McGraw Hill. Angus had more than 50 years of communications industry experience and contributed to the strategic direction of all Ackerman McQueen accounts.
He was most proud of the talented teams that came together to consistently create pioneering work for the state of Oklahoma as well as national and global industries. Angus pursued a freedom, quality and passion for art in a uniquely gifted way that provided many opportunities for the artists, writers, musicians, strategists and leaders with whom he loved to work.
With all of his great achievements in business, he never let go of his partnership with Jodi to build what he always believed mattered the most, his family. The McQueen family is led by the clear principles to stay “Constant and Faithful.” No one embodied this more than Angus through his devotion to family. Angus’s love and strength were constant, while his generosity and compassion were faithful gifts to his children, grandchildren and countless friends, whom he loved. In his final weeks, he said, “You gotta have champions in life, small moments when somebody comes through for you.” Angus was and always will be that champion.
Angus leaves his daughter Skye Brewer, of Greenwich, Connecticut; his daughter Lauren Zanotti, of Indianapolis, Indiana; and his son Revan McQueen, of Edmond; their spouses and adored grandchildren. A small memorial ceremony for family and friends will take place in Colorado, amongst the mountains, which Angus and Jodi always wanted to be their final home. A celebration of his life and work will take place in Oklahoma City during the 2019 holiday season; details will be published in the coming weeks.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made to the Duke Cancer Institute Thoracic and Lung Cancers Fund, www.gifts.duke.edu/dci or 710 W. Main St., Suite 200, Durham, NC 27701 in memory of Angus.
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