Chronicler of the common man, poet MacDougall dies

Thursday, April 22, 1999 | 10:28 a.m.

Alan Scott MacDougall, a poet whose works reflected his love of the common man of grass-roots America and the uniqueness of Las Vegas, has died. He was 63.

MacDougall, the older brother of blackjack author Peter Griffin, collapsed and died of a heart attack on April 18 while playing tennis in Sacramento, where he was a resident since moving from Las Vegas last year.

A popular poet in Las Vegas venues such as the Enigma Cafe and Borders Books cafes, MacDougall moved to Las Vegas in 1993. For five years he was a tutor at the Educare Learning Center, where he instructed scores of local home-schooled high school-aged students in mathematics, history and writing.

"He was a pleasant man who had great rapport with his students," Educare secretary Jean Smith said. "Families often requested him specifically to tutor their children. He was heads above many people intellectually, but he was able to transfer his knowledge in a way children could understand and learn."

MacDougall, who spoke seven languages, died six months to the day after 61-year-old Griffin, the "Dean of Blackjack," died of prostate cancer, also in Sacramento. Griffin authored "The Theory of Blackjack," long regarded as the bible of the game.

MacDougall's collection of poems entitled "Inland Sailing" extolled the vices and virtues of the so-called every man.

During his many travels MacDougall often took the most common jobs as a means of researching his subjects. On his first visit to Las Vegas in 1969, MacDougall worked for a short while as a porter at the Landmark hotel-casino. For many years after that he regularly visited family members in Southern Nevada.

His travels took him all over the United States and provided material for many of MacDougall's unpublished works, including "Bus Poems," a book he wrote about people and places.

MacDougall had planned to go to Nebraska next fall to take part in a Midwest harvest and write poems about the farmers and farm life.

"He paid tribute to the people who struggle to make a buck," said MacDougall's sister, Barbara Griffin Dan, formerly of Las Vegas and now of Keizer, Ore. "My brother was an adventurer who left behind a lot of work, especially about Las Vegas. I will try to get it published."

Carrie Dan-Post, MacDougall's niece and a Las Vegas resident, said anyone who ever met her uncle would recall "his sense of humor and warm, smiling blue eyes."

Born Alan Colt Griffin on Nov. 30, 1935, in Montclair, N.J., he was the son of Frank Loxley Griffin Jr., and Marjorie MacDougall. He later took his mother's maiden name because he said he shared her gift of intellect.

Alan MacDougall turned down an offer to play pro baseball and instead joined the Army, where he became a German and Russian translator. He also learned to speak Spanish, Polish, French and Italian, and later translated poetry from those languages into English.

Also considered a brilliant mathematician, MacDougall graduated from Portland State University but turned down a full doctoral scholarship to the University of Chicago to pursue what turned out to be a short acting career.

MacDougall performed lead roles in several Shakespearean repertory companies and later worked with noted director Mike Nichols in San Francisco.

In addition to his sister and niece, MacDougall is survived by another niece, Georgia Dan of Portland, Ore.; two nephews, Michael Dan of Las Vegas and Peter Dan of Portland; a stepmother, Myrthle Boos Griffin of Portland; two half-brothers, Chris Griffin of Portland and John Griffin of White City, Ore.; a half-sister, Peggy Griffin Perkins of Missoula, Mont.; two aunts; four great-nephews; and one great-niece.

The North Sacramento Funeral Home handled the arrangements. There were no services. MacDougall was cremated and interred near his brother in North Sacramento.