Image courtesy: Mayerson JCC
By Ady Manory
Assistant Editor
The Mayerson JCC will gather Tuesday, Oct. 27, to unveil a plaque honoring Rod McKinley, who served on the Jewish Community Center’s staff for nearly two decades and became its athletic director in 1967.
The program begins at 10 a.m. outside the JCC Gymnasium, 8485 Ridge Road, and runs until about 11. It is the first public look at the plaque, which is being installed in his memory.
McKinley died Aug. 2 at age 85. Born in Birmingham, Ala., he graduated from Howard College, now Samford University, in 1963 on a tennis scholarship. He moved to Cincinnati the following year and joined the JCC staff, where he remained until 1982.
Basketball defined much of his tenure. McKinley coached a team to a gold medal at the 1966 Pan American Maccabi Games in São Paulo, Brazil and led many successful Flame Club teams over the years.
Rick Lefton, who is the JCC’s Director of Development, said that “Rod was more than a coach; he was a role model who positively impacted many in our community.”
McKinley earned a master’s degree in education from Xavier University in 1966 and a master’s in social welfare from the University of Cincinnati in 1980. He later worked in elder care, serving as administrator of the Montgomery Care Center and Three Rivers Healthcare Center. He lived in Mason in retirement.
Former players, colleagues and members who knew McKinley are especially encouraged to attend, though the event is open to the public.
