Floyd McKay, veteran Pacific Northwest journalist and educator, dies at 86

Floyd McKay, whose long career as a Pacific Northwest journalist and author included working as a news analyst at Portland’s KGW-TV from 1970 to 1987, reporting on politics for The Oregon Statesman (now the Statesman Journal) and teaching journalism at Western Washington University in Bellingham, has died.

As the Seattle website Post Alley reported, McKay’s son-in-law, Ted Wolf, announced the news that McKay had died on March 4 in Bellingham, where he lived. Wolf’s statement said, “Friends, with sadness I share the news that Floyd passed away last Friday at age 86. He was in his Bellingham home with three generations of family present, his beloved wife Dixie beside him, and Whatcom Hospice supporting his comfort. Peacefully, Floyd left us in the dignified manner that he intended."

McKay taught journalism at Western Washington University until he retired in 2004. McKay then returned to journalism, contributing print and online reporting and commentary from 2004 to 2017 to The Seattle Times’ op-ed page and Crosscut.