Jim Myers

jtmyers@tennessean.com

Chapters close when restaurants go dark, but eras fade when the people are gone.

Longtime Vandyland grill chef, biscuit-maker and ice cream slinger Mack "Macky-Do" McGee died on Saturday. He was 78 years old.

Mr. McGee was as iconic as the restaurant itself. He was the face behind the counter for more than 40 years, starting in 1961 as a car-hop when it was called Candyland and owned by Billy Pappas, who opened the restaurant and soda fountain in 1928. He moved to the grill in 1963 and never looked back.

The wood-paneled space was warmer still when lit by Mr. McGee's broad, toothy grin and never-ending stream of encouraging words for the patrons who sat before him. Even when changes threatened, he was the granite-like continuity, from Candyland to Vandyland when Pappas sold the store to Mitchell and Bea Givens, and he smiled right up until the day the neon sign went dark in 2006.

"Growing up, there were two people in this world, Santa Claus and Uncle Mack," said Patricia McGee, Mr. McGee's niece. "There is a big hole in our family. He held us all together."

Clarence Burns, Mr. McGee's stepson, grew up visiting the restaurant. As a grown man working at Maude's Courtyard, Burns remembers calling in an order and his father serving two piping hot double cheeseburgers the moment he walked in.

"No matter how bad my day was, he always let me know it was going to be OK," Burns said.

That optimism forever defined Mr. McGee's spirit, whether serving wide-eyed and lost freshman from Vanderbilt, presidential hopefuls such as George H.W. Bush or pouring coffee for former Tennessean editor and publisher John Seigenthaler who enjoyed power breakfasts on his way to work.

Congressman Jim Cooper relished both the food and Mr. McGee's sincerity.

"Vandyland had the best family lunch in Nashville and Mr. Mack was Vandyland. His hello made you feel welcome, revved up your appetite for his great food, and we always bought chocolates when checking out. They were custom dipped in Belgian chocolate. Mack was the best of old Nashville," he said.

Even Purity Dairies used Mr. McGee's visage for a series of commercials honoring loyal customers.

When Vandyland closed, long-time patron Glenda Higgins' eyes teared up not so much for the place but for the people. She reserved her kindest words for Mr. McGee.

"He knows his regulars, knows what they like and how they like it, and he has it on the counter before they can even ask. He's the lifeblood of this place.''

Mr. McGee is survived by two children, Clarence Burns and Linda Walker; three siblings, Joe (Veronica) McGee, Fannie Mae McGee and Grace Taylor; other relatives and friends.

A public viewing will be held 4-6 p.m. Friday at Lewis & Wright Funeral Home (2500 Clarksville Pike). Visitation is 10-10:30 a.m. Saturday, with services to follow at Lee Chapel AME Church (1200 Dr. D.B. Todd Jr. Blvd.).

Reach Jim Myers at 615-259-8367 on Instagram @culinarity and on Twitter @ReadJimMyers.