Lauchlin H. McLean

Lauchlin H. McLean of Bloomfield, Connecticut died July 22, 2016 at the age of 95. Lauch, a member of America’s Greatest Generation, was born August 28, 1921 in Columbia, South Carolina and was raised in Lakewood, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland. After serving in the U.S. Army from 1942 to 1946 in the European Theatre, he returned to college and received an A.B. degree, Phi Beta Kappa, from Ohio State University. In 1949 he received a law degree from Harvard Law School. Lauch moved to the Hartford area from Cleveland to join the Law Department of Aetna Life & Casualty in 1955. There he specialized in real estate, bond and stock investments, tax and corporate law, and public policy issues. He also served as tax lobbyist for the company in Washington, D.C. He was a member of the tax committees of the American Council of Life Insurance, the Insurance Association of Connecticut, the Connecticut Business and Industry Association, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He was also Chair of the tax committee of the American Insurance Association. He retired from the Aetna in 1989 as Assistant General Counsel and Vice President. Lauch had a keen interest in government and politics. His voluntary government service included terms on the West Hartford Board of Assessors and as a member of the West Hartford Town Council from 1969 to 1974. He served his last term on the town council as Deputy Mayor. He was also appointed by Governor Ella Grasso as Secretary-Treasurer of the Governor’s Committee on the Structure of State Government and Chair of the Governor’s Task Force on Driving While Intoxicated. As an active public service volunteer, Lauch made continuous contributions to his community. He served on the Board of Directors of the Connecticut - Western Massachusetts Chapter of the National Conference of Christians and Jews (now the National Conference). He also served for many years as a trustee of the Hartford Conservatory, and as president from 1975-1977. He was particularly proud of his efforts as one of the leaders of the Committee to Save the West Hartford Reservoirs. These efforts successfully led a local grass roots campaign to block environmental destruction of the local drinking water supply and surrounding natural areas from the construction of the proposed I-291 highway. During the decade after his retirement from the Aetna, when the AARP relied on volunteer lobbyists, Lauch served tirelessly on its State Legislative Committee, Capitol City Task Force, and National Legislative Council. He also served in 1995 as Chair of the Connecticut White House Conference on Aging Steering Committee and as a Connecticut delegate to the national White House Conference on Aging. He is still remembered in the halls of the State Legislature for his development of a recruitment and training process within the Connecticut AARP that energized effective volunteer lobbying efforts. The Second Biennial Report on the State of Democracy in Connecticut from 1998, states “Thanks to skilled lobbying by Lauch, his colleagues at AARP and others, Connecticut has put into place laws providing housing, tax relief, heating oil allowances, home care, and prescription drug assistance to help older citizens no longer in the work force.” In addition, Lauch paid particular attention to supporting Living Will and Medical Power of Attorney statutes and rules to protect nursing home residents from arbitrary room transfers due to changes in health or payment status. During the last years, Lauch spent much of his time traveling with his wife, Joelle, and visiting with his children. Beginning with his Army service in France, he was an avid student of the French language and most particularly enjoyed his many trips to Provence. For his family and others, Lauch served as an inspiration. He remains an enduring model for those committed to living a life of strong conviction, active service to the community, and lifelong learning. In addition to his wife, to whom he was married in 1949, Lauch is survived by three children and their spouses: Laurie McLean and Earl Landesman of Detroit, Michigan; Andrew McLean and Michael Burnham of Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and Mary McLean and Rita Cortes of Kansas City, Missouri. He is also survived by two grandchildren: Michael Landesman of Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Amelia Landesman, her husband, Samuel Gustas, and great granddaughter, Persephone Gustas, of Alameda, California. A memorial reception will be scheduled at a later date.