* Alan McElwain; Publicist, Ex-Travel Columnist

Alan R. McElwain, 91, journalist and publicist who once wrote a travel column for The Times. In the 1960s, McElwain wrote a weekly Times travel column about weekend getaways under the pseudonym of George Lowe. The material was compiled and published in a travel guide titled “Where Can We Go This Weekend,” and the book was so popular that it was updated and republished five times. Born in Rockford, Ill., McElwain moved to Pasadena with his family as a young child. During World War II, he served as a naval air intelligence officer aboard the second USS Yorktown aircraft carrier. As the war wound down, he created “The Yorktown University,” an education program helping sailors in the fleet prepare for transition to civilian jobs. McElwain worked his way up from paper boy to reporter at the Pasadena Star News and later worked for other local papers and United Press before moving into public relations with Union Pacific Railroad. For 35 years McElwain served as publicity director of the promotional “All Year Club of Southern California.” On March 7 in Templeton, Calif.