(WHDH) — A former editor at the Boston Globe and Berkshire Eagle died Wednesday following a hiking accident on a mountain in Maine.
Donald MacGillis, 75, of Pittsfield, suffered a fall while hiking on Mount Katahdin, the highest mountain in the state, according to his son, Alec MacGillis.
All, I am very sorry to report the death of my father, newspaper journalist Donald MacGillis, after a hiking accident on Mt Katahdin in Maine. He was the consummate local/metro newsman in his career as an editor at the Berkshire Eagle & Boston Globe, and he was my ultimate model.
— Alec MacGillis (@AlecMacGillis) October 8, 2020
“All, I am very sorry to report the death of my father, newspaper journalist Donald MacGillis, after a hiking accident,” Alec said in a Tweet. “He was my ultimate model.”
Donald got lost in the fog on the Knife Edge trail and suffered a 50-foot fall on Tuesday. Rescue crews found him Wednesday, the Bangor Daily News reported.
After leaving the Berkshire Eagle in 1995, Donald joined the Boston Globe as an editorial writer before becoming their national politics editor, according to the Eagle.
“MacGillis regarded journalism as the noblest of professions. A newsman through and through, he loved breaking the news and demanded that journalists dig deep and investigate,” said Kevin Moran, the Eagle’s executive editor. “That we lost such a vibrant man is a painful tragedy.”
Donald was said to be a a passionate hiker.
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