It is with sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. Dan McGill, Fredrick H. Ecker Professor of Insurance Emeritus at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and founder of the Pension Research Council. A giant in the field of private pensions, Dr. McGill wrote eight books, co-authored several more, and authored numerous scholarly papers. His textbook, Fundamentals of Private Pensions, first appeared in 1964 and is now in its 9th edition; it remains the pension industry’s authoritative text. His publication Guaranty Fund for Private Pension Obligations was a precursor of Title IV of the 1974 Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).
Dr. McGill taught at Wharton from 1952 until he retired in 1990. He founded Wharton’s Pension Research Council in 1952 and directed its affairs until his retirement. He also chaired Wharton’s Insurance and Risk Management Department and he was the first Chair of the presidentially appointed Advisory Committee of the Pension Guaranty Corporation. Dr. Olivia S. Mitchell, International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans Professor at Wharton and Executive Director of the Pension Research Council, said: “Dan’s work on pensions, life insurance, health insurance, and long-term care, gave generations of retirees more to look forward during their golden years.”
Memorials may be sent to Clover Hill Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 4877, Maryville, TN 37802; charitable contributions can also be made in his name to the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania, c/o The Pension Research Council, 3000 Steinberg Hall—Dietrich Hall, 3620 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104.
The Wharton School
