Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Richard ‘Dick’ McClendon was born December 10, 1928, to Roland ‘Dad’ and Bertha McClendon in Turnersville, Texas. He died in Santa Barbara County, California July 8, 2021. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. in Turnersville at the Turnersville Community Center on Aug. 25. He preferred that his ashes be tossed into the ocean because he did not want to be any trouble for anyone. He was born and raised on the Foote Ranch in Texas. He was respected by everyone who ever knew him.
As a farm boy, growing up during the depression, Dick was working the same as all farm children, sun-up to sundown, missing school to pick cotton or working in the grain fields. He did play on some Sunday afternoons with nearby school friends. But, when they were young teens, he was working at the thrashing machine, driving a tractor, hauling hay, whatever needed to be done because all the older men had gone away to fight a war. He was voted most popular student his senior year as well as football and basketball captain under Virgil Jones, coach and superintendent. He attended Tarleton State College in 1947 before joining the Navy. Dick volunteered in December 1948 for his military service and served on one of the first aircraft carriers which flew jet airplanes. McClendon was honorably discharged from the U.S. Navy as an aviation electrician in March 1952 in San Diego, California. The U.S. Commander of the Air Force of the Pacific Fleet recommended McClendon for Reenlistment as well a Good Conduct Medal. After his discharge, he worked for Chance Vought in Dallas for a year before moving several times and ending up in California where he was employed by Lockheed Martin at the Vandenberg Air Force Base on the Missile Launching Tracking Team. He met Jeanette Krause, his forever sweetheart, at a dance in California. They were married on July 31, 1954, bought a home in Lompoc and lived there for the rest of their lives. However, he traveled to many locations worldwide in his career. He and Jeanette were living in New Mexico when he worked with the team on the lunar landing module.
He was employed for work with the National Aeronautics and Space Scout Program from 1960 to 1980. He was awarded a watch by Vought Corporation in 1977 for his 25 years of service from 1952-1977. The McClendons lived a very frugal and simple lifestyle. Their newest car was a 1976 Chevrolet which may be still is in the driveway on Daisy Street in Lompoc. He worked until 1994 and retired as a foreman. He and Jeanette were both treated for a work-related illness for many years. Jeanette died in 2019 and her ashes were tossed into the sea at that time.
Some McClendon family members had nicknames, and some did not. Jeanette was simply call Jay. Roland was always known as ‘Dad’ even as a child; Richard Tucker and H.N., his younger brother, were known by their school friends as Dick and Henry. Professionally, Dick was recognized as R. T. McClendon. His work friends called him “Mac.”
Dick had three sisters and three brothers. Syble, Ralph, Bertha Marie, and Rollene predeceased Richard. All are buried in the Turnersville Cemetery except Bertha Marie Bibb Roam who was buried in Selma, California in 2020. Three of his nephews died at a very young age. Two sisters-in-law died earlier as well as two brothers-in-law.
Dick is survived by his brother, Eugene McClendon of Amarillo and twenty nieces and nephews.
