Obituary of Robert S. Magee

Robert Stoddart Magee, 90, lost his battle to cancer Friday evening, June 21, 2014, in Santa Barbara, CA. Robert (Bob) was the youngest of three, born September 25, 1923, to James and Ethel Magee and grew up in the Village of Bellerose, Long Island, New York. Bob graduated from Sewanhaka High School in 1941 and briefly attended Admiral Farragut Academy and St. Lawrence University before enlisting in the U.S. Navy Seabees in 1943. As a Seabee, he served two separate tours of duty, 16 months in the Aleutians on the island of Attu and nine months on Okinawa during and immediately following the 1945 invasion. He received the World War II Victory Ribbon, the Asiatic Pacific Ribbon, and the American Theater Ribbon. Upon his return in 1946, Magee again enrolled at St. Lawrence University where he developed a lifelong passion for good hockey while earning a B.A. degree in Business Administration. Robert then launched a successful 35-year career in the newspaper industry starting as a salesman before quickly rising up the ranks, until at the age of 27, he was named publisher of the Farmington, New Mexico Daily Times. Three years later, Magee transferred as publisher to the Gallup New Mexico Independent, where he was instrumental in establishing the Artesia, New Mexico Daily Press, still in publication. In 1955 Robert accepted the General Manager's position with the Hanford, California Sentinel and Morning Journal, and one year later took on the additional duty of General Manager at the Santa Maria Times. In 1958 the Scripps League of Newspapers bought both papers, and Robert S. Magee was named publisher of the Santa Maria Times, a position he held for the next 18 years. Magee's legacy in the newspaper business was marked by his sharp business acumen and innovative spirit. In 1963 the Santa Maria Times became the first western daily to convert from hot metal/letterpress to cold type/offset and was among the first to regularly print in full color. By the end of Magee's reign at the Times in 1976, the paper had realized a seven-fold increase in circulation and had won 65 state and national awards. Bob was not only a successful businessman, but was notably influential in the growth and character of the Santa Maria Valley. In 1964, he was one of the original founders of the Santa Maria Boys [and Girls] Club and served as charter president for more than four years. Additionally, he was a key fundraiser for construction of the club's building on Railroad Avenue. For his dedicated effort he was honored by the National Boys Clubs of America with its highest award, the prestigious Boys Club Medallion. Additional civic contributions included his 30-year membership in the Santa Maria Rotary Club serving as president (1966-67) and as Rotary District 524 Governor's Representative (1967-68). He was president of the Marian Hospital Advisory Board during construction of a new Marian Medical Center, served as two-term president of the Santa Maria Valley Developers (1968-70) and as president of the Santa Maria Valley Chamber of Commerce (1971). In 1978, Robert joined the Mendocino Publishing Company as publisher of the Corona Daily Independent in Corona, California. He remained there until June of 1984 when the newspaper was sold. During this time, Magee also became a licensed yacht broker in the Santa Barbara and Channel Islands communities and from 1985 to 1996 owned and successfully operated Bob Magee Yacht Sales.