Click play on the video player above to view this week’s special episode, the latest installment of our year-long weekly celebration of the firm’s 70th anniversary.
After retiring from the full-time practice of law, firm co-founder Kenneth McAfee enjoyed spending long periods of time in Hawaii. It was on a trip to the Aloha State many years earlier – a trip that, naturally, involved an enterprising business deal – that he first fell in love with the islands. His daughter, Jaci, remembers that, in addition to whale watching and taking in the serene, scenic beauty of Maui and Kauai, he particularly loved to stand on the balcony of his condo every night, watching the sun set and waiting for the orange flash of light right before the sun dipped below the horizon.
But as much as Mr. Mac loved spending time in Hawaii, he always came home to Oklahoma and the beloved law firm that he and Dick Taft co-founded in 1952. And each time did, he brought back macadamia nuts for everyone in the office. The treats were not so much a souvenir from Hawaii, but rather, a conversation starter, as Mr. Mac would walk from office to office and desk to desk, present each person with a sack or jar of macadamia nuts, and spend time catching up with them.
To this day, those who were with McAfee & Taft at the time remember with great fondness those personal visits with Mr. Mac, as well as the gift of macadamia nuts, as they exemplify one of the hallmarks of the firm: the importance of authentic, collegial relationships.