Mac Whisner - Club Member Biography

Mac Whisner shared his story with his fellow Benzie Sunrise Rotarians.  A long time resident of Michigan, Mac and his wife Marilyn relocated to their cottage on Crystal Lake as full time residents in May of 2015.

 

Mac is the oldest of 3 children and grew up in the Flint area and is a graduate of Grand Blanc High School.  After High School he attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio.  During his time at Miami he met a young lady (Marilyn) from Chicago who was an intelligent, serious student.  At the time Mac was not as serious about his studies as he could have been so meeting Marilyn was the encouragement he needed to focus more intently on his education.  Mac and Marilyn dated while at Miami and after graduating they married.  Upon receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in Business from Miami, Mac had job offers from Armco Steel, General Motors and Proctor & Gamble.  Mac chose the position with General Motors.  While at G.M. he continued his education graduating from Executive programs at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business and also Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Business.  Mac's career at General Motors spanned a period of 41 years working in a variety of capacities in public relations and advertising.  As Director of Advertising for the Chevrolet Truck Division Mac oversaw the long running and successful "Like a Rock" advertising campaign.  Mac retired from G.M. in 2006.

 

Early in his career at General Motors Mac lived in Ludington and visited dealerships throughout Northwest Lower Michigan including Manistee, Frankfort and Traverse City.  As most people do, he fell in love with the area and decided that it would be a great place to own a vacation property.  While visiting dealerships in the area he would take time to explore the area and found a nice a parcel of land in Frankfort overlooking Crystal Lake.  Even though they had a young family and money was tight Mac and Marilyn purchased the land and a few years built a cottage as a vacation home. 

 

Mac's G.M. career included relocating his family to various locations including Detroit, Richmond, VA and Saginaw.  He and Marilyn have been married for 51 years and have 3 children who all have successful professional careers.  

 

To accommodate their visiting children and grandchildren the cottage overlooking Crystal Lake has been renovated and additions have been made and the cottage is now Mac and Marilyn's full time home.  

 

Mac loves living in Benzie County and all the area has to offer.  We are glad that he decided to join our club!