Anita McGrath

1929 - 2019

Anita McGrath was born on April 6, 1929, in New York City and raised in nearby Yonkers, N.Y. On scholarship she attended the University of Geneva, Switzerland, and graduated from Mount Holyoke College in 1951. After graduation, Anita worked for several years at foster care organizations in New York. Following this she traveled extensively throughout the Middle East. Upon her return she interned for Senator Jacob Javits of New York in Washington, D.C. During the time of the Cold War she supervised the exchange of scholars between Polish and American universities at the International Institute of Education.
Anita was married in 1957, and moved to what was then the Territory of Alaska where her husband Allen was Assistant United States Attorney in Fairbanks. She became a reporter for the Fairbanks Daily News Miner. Following their move to Anchorage in 1959, Anita worked at the Anchorage School District as Assistant to the Superintendent of Schools. In 1968, she played a key role in the write-in election campaign of Senator Ernest Gruening.
Anita became a mother in 1968, with the arrival of her son Max. As a devoted mother, this most important role and job she loved would take the majority of her time. As Max grew and became more independent, Anita reentered public life, working in television production in the early days of Alaska Public Television at KAKM conducting conferences and communications projects for the Alaska Public Forum and University of Alaska Anchorage. Further in her career she became the Executive Assistant to then-Mayor Tony Knowles.
The McGrath family made many trips to India, Pakistan, South East Asia and the ancient ruins of Mexico. In the 1990s, Anita and her husband Allen transitioned back to their birthplace in New York City, where they enjoyed themselves on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, close to Central Park and Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. Anita would read the New York Times in its entirety on a daily basis and when one were to drop in for a visit, there would be warm greetings, Anita's good humor and the expectations of conversation discussing current events of New York, Alaska, and the world.
Anita passed away in her New York City home on Oct. 9, 2019, at the age of 90.
She is survived by her husband of 62 years, Allen McGrath; her son, Max McGrath; and her three granddaughters, Audrey McGrath, Ariana McGrath and Charlotte McGrath.