Alexander Gray Skutt

Alexander Gray Skutt passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, on the morning of November 6th , 2025. He was 76 years old.

Alex was a passionate entrepreneur, book publishing executive, co-author of sports histories and biographies, and most recently, the author of North Rose 1940, published in July 2025. His pride and joy was his son, Ethan, with whom he shared a love of family, books, learning, gaming, and baseball.

Alex was born in Lyons, New York, in 1948 to parents Jane Flood Skutt and A. Gray Skutt, and had one sister, Marilyn Roberts (1936-2023), with whom he shared a close, lifelong attachment.

His spirit was shaped by the first six years of his childhood, happily spent in the rural hamlet of North Rose, NY, and summering at the family’s lake cottage on nearby LeRoy Island. He and his sister were the sixth generation of Skutts to be born around North Rose. Alex’s grandfather and father owned and operated a commercial apple and cherry orchard, and more importantly, the O.A. Skutt Co., an international dealer and exporter of red kidney beans.

In 1955, when Alex was six years old, he moved with his family to Ithaca, NY. In 1970, he graduated from Cornell University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in engineering physics, a field that he abandoned as he became involved in the Anti-Vietnam War movement, alongside great friend Stef Cassella. Alex then spent several years working in the Finger Lakes region for George McGovern and became co-chair of The Movement for a New Congress.

In 1973 he and two friends opened McBooks Bookstore, (named in honor of George McGovern), thus beginning a lifelong career of selling and publishing books. The publishing company McBooks Press was established soon thereafter, specializing in the publication of nautical fiction and regional photography books.

In 2004, he was proud to be the first recipient of the Miriam A. Bass Award, presented by the Association of American Publishers for “creativity in independent publishing.”

Alex remained a life-long entrepreneur. In addition to McBooks Press he owned three differently themed bookstores, a chain of video stores (Video Ithaca) with partner the late Richie Berg, and Vanguard Games, an Ithaca game store.

Alex was also the co-author, with nephew James B. Roberts, of The Boxing Register, The Official Record Book of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. This definitive boxing history appeared in five editions.

Alex’s abiding affection for his hometown only deepened with time. He spent the last twelve years of his life writing North Rose 1940, a compilation of the biographies of the 192 families who resided in North Rose during that year. Despite the challenges of Parkinson’s disease, with which he had been diagnosed in 2012, he was able to complete the project, supported by a talented and devoted team of assistants, scribes, copy editors, fact-checkers, and graphic designers. The book was published by Globe Pequot in July 2025. At a book release celebration held in North Rose, descendants of the families described in the book read aloud passages from the book. Alex was dedicated to leaving behind a fitting gift to the community that had defined and nurtured his family for over 200 years.

Alex is survived by his beloved son Ethan, Ethan’s partner Rebecca Hellman, former wife Carol Bushberg, nephews James Roberts, John (Aki) Roberts, step-nieces Andrea (Gorman) Beauchamp and Tania Silver, many beloved cousins, and a wide circle of friends and colleagues.

A memorial service in Alex’s honor will be held Friday, November 14th , 2025, 11 A.M., at the First Congregational Church, 309 Highland Road in Ithaca, NY. A reception will follow, beginning at 1 P.M. on the same day, at The Foundation of Light, 391 Turkey Hill Road, Ithaca, NY. Both locations are accessible. There will be a graveside service on Saturday, November 15th , 2025, 11 A.M. at the Rose Cemetery, 4400 State Route 414, Rose, NY.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Alex’s honor to one of the following: The Rose Historical Society, The History Center in Tompkins County, Ithaca Welcomes Refugees, REACH Medical, Doctors Without Borders and The Nature Conservancy.