Exploration seemed to be in Alec McCrackin's blood. He enjoyed discovering changes in geography, differences in culture and the uniqueness of people as he traveled.
"He was a real humanist," said Kathy Spetz, a family friend who lives in Chamblee. "He was interested in everything, and when you are interested in everything, you are able to live a fuller, happier life, which I think he did."
Charles Alec McCrackin, of DeKalb County, died Wednesday of a suspected heart attack, while hiking with his family in the Wind River Mountains, near Dubois, Wyo. He was 66. His body was cremated and a memorial service is scheduled for 4 p.m., Tuesday at Morningside Presbyterian Church, Atlanta. Davis Funeral Home, Riverton, Wyo., handled the arrangements.
Mr. McCrackin was born in Seattle, but grew up in Atlanta. After graduating from Northside High School, he enrolled in the University of Pennsylvania, where he majored in English and earned a bachelor's degree in 1968. For two years Mr. McCrakin taught school in Maine, before he and his wife, Bobbie Humenny McCrackin, spent a year touring Europe.
Mr. McCrackin returned to the Atlanta area in the early '70s to run his family's millinery business in Forest Park, from which he retired in 1994. It was after the McCrackin's settled in the metro area that they started a family, his wife said.
A seeminly natural outdoorsman, Mr. McCrackin grew up riding horses and competing in equestrian events. As an adult he countinued to enjoy time with nature, from gardening in his DeKalb County yard to climbing Mount Katahdin in Maine -- which he did twice.
Sports were also appealing to Mr. McCrackin, and while in the metro area he was a big supporter, former team member, and past president of the Atlanta Rugby Football Club. One of the reasons he enjoyed the club so much was because it put him in touch with people from all over the world, his wife said.
"He tried to pass his love of different cultures and people on to our children," she said. "He tried to pass on his excitement that came from the meeting and talking to all kinds of people."
Ms. Spetz said Mr. McCrackin had several qualities that made him unique to her, but one of the most remarkable was his ability to talk to anybody.
"He was not afraid of the pretentions of other people," she said. "He had a big loving heart, and could find a way to relate to anyone, no matter the situation."
In addition to his wife of 45 years, Mr. McCrackin is also survived by his son, Jordan Evan McCrackin of Dubai; daughter, Miriam Owen McCrackin of Northern Virginia; and brother, Mark Owens McCrackin of Vermont.
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