Mr. McDaniel, who served on the BCC board for 35 years, was a founding board member of the Association of Community College Trustees.

He was "the driving force behind the establishment of a nursing program at the school" and "a tireless advocate for the college and community colleges across the country," BCC president Robert C. Messina Jr. said.

Mr. McDaniel, who had a master's degree in civil engineering from Harvard University, said in a 1986 Inquirer interview that there was a belief that "Ivy League types" didn't see the necessity of a community college.

"I don't feel that way at all. . . . It's come of age," he said.

Community colleges are cost-efficient and offer flexibility, he said.

"Students travel at their own pace. A community college that is well-run does not want to lose students. We take the position that most people can learn. It's just that some people learn faster than others," he said.

Mr. McDaniel was chairman and principal owner of U.S. Sugar Co. and co-owned a transportation company in Wrightstown. He previously was chief executive officer of All Star Dairies in Delran.

Since 1966, he and his wife, Dorothy Davis McDaniel, had lived on a farm in Springfield Township, Burlington County. They also owned Indian Spring Farm in Darlington, Md. The couple arranged for both farms to be preserved under state programs.

A Democrat, Mr. McDaniel served several terms as mayor of Wrightstown. He was past president of the New Hanover Board of Education, served on the boards of Memorial Hospital of Burlington County in Mount Holly and the New Jersey and Burlington County Historical Societies, and was past chairman of the Burlington County Welfare Board.

He was past president of the Pemberton Rotary Club and district chairman of the Burlington County Boy Scouts of America. He was a founding partner of WJJZ-AM and served on the boards of several corporations and banks. He was a 33d-degree Mason.

Mr. McDaniel was a successful business and community leader because he enjoyed interacting with people, his son William Jr. said.

"He was a good listener," he said. "His mind was a sponge for information, and he always kept his cool."

He was widely admired as a raconteur and public speaker on a variety of subjects, including education, politics, and international peace, his son said.

Mr. McDaniel grew up in Greenwood, Miss., and played clarinet with Johnny Long and His Orchestra in his youth.

During World War II, he participated in the Army Specialized Training Program to provide college courses to future officers. He attended several colleges, including Memphis State College and the University of Oklahoma, before becoming a lieutenant in the Army Corps of Engineers. He later served in the New Jersey National Guard.

After graduating from Harvard in 1947, Mr. McDaniel was an engineer with the New Jersey Department of Transportation and helped design the New Jersey Turnpike. He then had his own engineering firm before joining his father-in-law's dairy company in 1950.

He and his wife, who lived in Wrightstown, met at the riding stables at Fort Dix when he was in the Army. He rescued her from a runaway horse, their son said.

In addition to his wife of 63 years and son William, Mr. McDaniel is survived by sons Lee and Denis, nine grandchildren, and a great-granddaughter.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Nov. 7 at the Burlington County College Physical Education Building in Pemberton Township, where friends may call after 10. The dedication of the college's William K. McDaniel Integrated Learning Resource Center will follow the service.

Memorial donations may be made to the Burlington County College Foundation for the William K. McDaniel Legacy Scholarship, BCC Foundation Enterprise Center, 3331 Route 38, Mount Laurel, N.J. 08054.