Lynn “Kip” Kippax Jr.
Kip at Walker’s Point in Kennebunkport, Maine.
Lynn “Kip” Kippax Jr., a major influence in film and media in the state of Maine, died at home in York, Maine, on March 4, of complications of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. He was 71.
Kip was raised in Swarthmore and graduated from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, where he studied film and television.
Kip’s career in the arts spanned a half century. He was a founder and the former chair of Maine’s Media and Film Commission and a leading influence in bringing major film projects to the state. He worked as a writer for TV and radio productions and as a media consultant, producer, and location manager for films and TV shows, using locations principally in New England. His still photography won a first place Maine Ad and Design Broderson Award.
In 2005, he changed sides of the camera to become press secretary for Maine governor John Balducci. In 2007, he accepted another challenge: working for the Boston-based Rendon Group teaching broadcast techniques to U.S. Army soldiers in Baghdad during the Iraq War. Teaching in a war zone, Kip wrote, “For a while now, I have believed in the importance of teaching. It’s a way of giving back...Most of the students I’ve taught don’t tote guns: They do here. Here in Baghdad, young soldiers make weekly TV and radio broadcasts. Good writing, good truthful storytelling is important no matter where you are.”
His name appears in the credits of 15 feature films, including HBO’s ”Empire Falls” from Richard Russo’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, starring Ed Harris, Helen Hunt, and Paul Newman, which was filmed in Maine. Other film credits include Steven King’s “The Stand” and James Michener’s “America.” He produced TV programs in the U.S., South America, Europe, and the Middle East. Sidney Walters of CBS wrote, “His creative sensitivity…was in no small measure responsible for my nomination for a directorial award at the Emmy Awards dinner.”
Kip’s still photography appeared in outlets including United Press International, the New York Times, National Geographic, Time Magazine, and Down East Magazine.
As a journalist, Kip filed hundreds of stories for numerous national print and broadcast outlets, including CNN, NPR, ABC, CBS, NBC, and PBS. He was an Associated Press wire correspondent for the state of Maine. Kip knew the Bush family from his many years living in Kennebunkport, where he also served as a volunteer fireman. He covered the goings-on at the “Summer White House” at Walker’s Point, Kennebunkport, during the presidencies of George H. W. Bush and George W. Bush. Kip donated 12 boxes of materials covering his years in the White House press pool to the Brick Store Museum in Kennebunk.
Kip served as president of the Maine Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists. President George H. W. Bush once referred to Kip during his AP years as “one of the honorable ones.”
From 2014 to 2018, Kip was Director of Development and Chief Storyteller for the Maine Concussion Management Institute (MCMI), associated with Colby College.
An avid drummer — having ignored his parent’s early requests to try a quieter instrument — Kip performed in a wide range of gigs, from the Philadelphia Orchestra as a teenager to the All Girls Jazz Band in Maine when they couldn’t find a female drummer.
He is survived by his 97-year-old mother Margaret (“Peggy”) G. Kippax, of Newtown Square; his brother John and family in Larchmont, New York; and his brother Jeffrey in Philadelphia.
Services are tentatively planned for later this spring in Swarthmore and late September/October in Kennebunkport.
His infectious humor, captivating storytelling, impromptu impersonations, caring service to others, love of family and friends, and bright light will be cherished by all those who knew Kip.
