Miles McKey, AB ’50, STB ’58, and Mary Ellen McKey

Type of planned gift: Bequest

About Miles and Mary Ellen McKey

Miles McKey graduated from HDS in 1958, where he studied under the tutelage of prominent thinkers such as James Luther Adams, Paul Tillich, and others. Following his graduation, Miles served as a Unitarian minister in Massachusetts and Florida and later became a financial planner. Miles and his wife Mary Ellen continue to lead an engaged and active life in retirement, with interests including conservation, bird watching—Miles was the president of his large local Audubon Society—and participating in book clubs that he helped create.

Miles and Mary Ellen established a bequest at HDS and are also long-time donors of current-use support. Below, Miles shares memories of his time at HDS and speaks about their support of the Divinity School.

What memories stand out from your time at HDS?

Miles McKey: I had several wonderful professors at HDS. One of the professors who stands out in my memory was James Luther Adams. Jim was not only a wonderful professor; he made an effort to get to know students. He also had a formative impact on my becoming a clergyman. In college I had become interested in religion and considered the ministry. Having witnessed instances of hypocrisy in the public sphere, however, I had hesitations about pursuing this career path. My interactions with Jim and other faculty helped me work through those doubts. If Jim hadn't been there, I might have still become a clergyman. But in my mind, that really sealed it. 

James Luther Adams also preached your ordination sermon.

Miles McKey: When you become ordained, usually there is a special service, and you get an invited guest to speak. It was clear to me that I would really like to have Jim do that, so I asked him. He was incredibly busy, but he said yes, and I was really delighted with that.

Who were some other HDS professors that stood out to you?

Miles McKey: Paul Tillich was at HDS while I was a student. He was very interesting and impressive to me. George Williams was a professor of religious history, a subject I especially liked. And another important professor for me was Amos Wilder.

Tell me about your career after HDS. 

Miles McKey: I was called to a church in Lexington, Massachusetts called the Follen Church. I was there for about eight very rewarding years. It was really a good congregation. Eventually, I decided I needed to get some experience in another kind of Unitarian Church, and was called to the First Unitarian Church in Orlando, Florida. I was there for about eight and a half years. However, that was not as good a match as Lexington. 

I could have become a minister at another congregation in the denomination, but I thought it would be interesting and useful if I could somehow find a way to work with a large corporation, helping to guide executives around more ethical practices. I traveled around the country for the next six months, talking to people, and came to the realization that the people who are unethical know that they're unethical, and they are not going to want someone coming in to try and talk them out of it. At the time, talking about ethical questions within business was not common. However, in recent years, I have become aware of the fact that business schools have started to talk about these ethical questions much more than they did before.

You were ahead of your time in thinking about the intersection between business and ethics.

Miles McKey: Yes. Now, I feel it would be much more likely that I could have done this kind of work, but I was too early. When I changed careers, the intent was not to do something entirely different. It was to try to bring my former career as a clergyman, and my new career in the business world, closer together. Ultimately, I became a financial advisor and continued doing that work for the rest of my career. 

Why did you decide to make a bequest to HDS? 

Miles McKey: Many clergy don’t make a large amount of money in their careers, so HDS’s alumni population is perhaps not as wealthy as that of other Harvard schools. It was the second part of my career, being in business, that allowed me to make this gift. I wanted to make the bequest because I had a good experience at HDS that helped me in my life. Mary Ellen and I talked about it, and while she didn’t go to Harvard, she knew about my positive experience. We decided cooperatively to make this gift. 

Mary Ellen McKey: We have been not only to Harvard College reunions, but to some special programs that the Divinity School put on, which were really impressive. We could sit in on classes. The Dean spoke to us about what was going on and that was all very exciting. 

You also regularly give current-use support to HDS and have done so for many years. Why is that important to you as well?

Miles McKey: We were giving current-use donations to HDS before we made the bequest. The Divinity School needs money to run, and it can’t just wait until our bequest comes to fruition – it needs those funds now.

—Sarah Rubin, HDS donor relations officer