Baron Cormac MacCumail, m.k.a. David Reed, died July 27, 1999 of natural causes.

He was a formidable presence in the Bardic College and his poetry provided the lyrics to songs made famous by many other bards, including Mikal the Ram. He encouraged talent wherever he saw it, and was a voice of reason when many were not.

In mundane life he was the rare combination of a lawyer and philanthropist. He was the son of a famous clothing designer named Nelly Donnelly, whose innovations in style and manufacturing revolutionized clothing production from 1916 until 1978, and adopted by his step-father, the also famous lawyer and US Senator James A. Reed, but he rarely spoke of these connections with those in the Society.

He came late to the SCA, but he took to it with a relish and his enthusiasm lit the way for many who followed after.

A link to Cormac's awards is here: http://op.calontir.org/index.cgi/populace/729