Charles C. McKinney

Charles C. McKinney
'Chick'
RALEIGH -- Charles 'Chick' C. McKinney, a legendary figure in advertising, died today, September 12, 2007, at his home in Raleigh, North Carolina.
He began his advertising career in 1957 at the Howard Merrell agency in Raleigh after graduating from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he received a Bachelor's degree in Business. In 1968, he founded McKinney & Silver in Raleigh. The agency won countless awards for their creative work, surprising many at a time when great advertising was thought to be found solely on Madison Avenue. Today, the agency is known as McKinney and is part of Paris-based Havas, a network of worldwide advertising and media concerns.
Charles, called 'Chick' by most who knew him, had an enduring aspiration to produce world-class creative work. He challenged and inspired the people around him to create engaging, attention-grabbing advertising that was unfailingly strategic and focused. He often said, 'I don't mind being off the wall as long as we're not off the mark.' His aim was always to create advertising so memorable it didn't have to be endlessly repeated to be remembered.
Chick was extraordinarily passionate in his quest for excellence, about taking pride in the work produced, and about gathering people who shared his passion for excellence. He accomplished that not by making demands, but by inspiration and by setting a constant example. His attention to detail remains legendary. In the early days of the agency, long before computers, no agency in the country went through more Exacto knives or paid more attention to typography.
Inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame at UNC's School of Journalism and Mass Communication in 1989, Chick was introduced by the late Watts Hill Jr. of Chapel Hill as the only person he had ever known who was uniquely creative and also a great businessman.
When Chick retired from advertising in 1990, he developed a new passion. He and his wife, Suzanne Reeves McKinney, became engaged in the restoration of an historic property in Surry County, NC, a 1930s mountain estate named Devotion. They restored, rebuilt and repaired facilities that included a dam, lake, fish hatchery, stable and cottages. The period look and integrity of the architecture were maintained faithfully and minutely throughout the project.
Chick was a former member of the Board of Trustees of the North Carolina Symphony, Board of Visitors of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the Board of Visitors of the Kenan Flagler Business School at UNC. He was also a member of the National Trust Council for Historic Preservation, as well as various clubs. He was a member of Christ Church in Raleigh.
Chick was born in 1931 in Newdale, North Carolina to the late Evangeline Hall McKinney and Sherbert Day McKinney. His early years were spent on a small farm near the South Toe River. At age 12, he left Newdale to live with sister, Wilma and her husband, Jimmie Cornwell in neighboring Spruce Pine. It was through their support and encouragement that he attended high school, and later worked his way through college. His brother-in-law, Jimmie taught him to lay type at the printing press for the Morganton newspaper where he was responsible for the classified ads.
Chick is survived by his wife, Suzanne; his three children, Emmy, Ashley and Jason McKinney; a brother, William McKinney; and three grandchildren, Sayre and Lila Olson, and Martha Parrott. His stepsons and their wives, Jimbo and Elizabeth Parrott, and Josh and Hillary Parrott, also survive him.
Funeral services will be held on September 14, 2007 at 11:00 AM at Christ Church, 120 Edenton Street, Raleigh, NC, 27601. The family will receive friends Thursday, September 13 at the home, 1006 Harvey Street, Raleigh, NC from 6:00 to 8:00 PM.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the McKinney Scholarship Foundation, P. O. Box 6478, Raleigh, NC 27628-6478. The foundation provides scholarships to students of Mitchell High School (Chick's alma mater) who might not otherwise be able to afford college. In choosing those students, Chick always said he was looking for those who were 'reaching for the stars.'