More than just numbers; for William Kanaga, accounting is high adventure

Nation's Business, April, 1985 by Mary-Margaret Wantuck

The time he has had to devote to travel has been, Kanaga admits, tough on him, his wife, Sally, and their three children. "When you love what you're doing,' he says, "it takes a lot to keep it in hand and prevent it from overwhelming the rest of your life.'

Kanaga is, however, close to his children--son Christopher, a lawyer on Cape Cod, son Clinton, a graduate student in landscape architecture at the University of Massachusetts, and daughter Ann, who lives on Cape Cod a block from a house her parents built in 1981.

He is also a devoted Christian. These days, when time permits, Kanaga gathers with Donald Siebert, retired chairman of J.C. Penney, and Howard Kauffmann, president of Exxon, for morning Bible study.

Despite time pressures, Kanaga manages in addition to serve on the board of directors of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

With retirement only a few months away, does he have any regrets? "I think that after 13 years in the two top positions, it will be a good idea for me to pull out and retire,' he says. "But I still want to keep close ties with the firm in some advisory capacit.'

There is no question that he will be active.

There will be the centennial celebration of the accounting profession in 1987, for which he is chairman. There are boards of directors to serve on, from hospitals and clubs to educational institutions. He will be able to channel more energy into his church work.

But life will still be very different. After 35 years, Kanaga will be leaving New York for the Cape, to play tennis and stroll the beaches. "No other activity clears the cobwebs from your head like walking the shore,' he says. "It'll be kind of strange, having grown up on my mother's farm [she is 92 and still lives alone], and retiring on the Cape.

"Imagine me, a Kansas farm boy, sitting on First Encounter Beach where the Pilgrims tried to land before attempting Plymouth Rock instead. It's certainly a far cry from the Kansas plains and midtown Manhattan.'

Photo: An international traveler who has logged millions of miles, William Kanaga is a familiar figure at airline counters.