Richard L. McClelland ’50

Dick died July 28, 2016, in Charlotte, N.C. He was a dentist in the Princeton area for 30 years as well as a Navy Reserve captain. 

He enlisted in the Navy at age 17 and was an aerial gunner from 1945 to 1946. At Princeton, he majored in biology and belonged to Campus. In 1954, he earned his dental degree with honors from the University of Pennsylvania. For the next three years, he finished his Navy commitment as a dental officer on two aircraft carriers.  

After active duty, the “lure of Saturday afternoons in Palmer Stadium” prompted him to open an office in Princeton, where he specialized in restorative dentistry. His career included roles as chairman of the Princeton Medical Center dental department and fellow of the American College of Dentists. As a reservist, he was on the dental faculty at Bethesda Naval Hospital. He retired from dentistry in 1991 after a back injury and eventually moved to Charlotte to be near his three sons. 

Dick was past president of the Princeton Rotary Club and a 50-year member of the Nassau Club and the Princeton Club of New York, where in 1957 he had his first date with Elizabeth Michon, whom he married a year later.  

Dick is survived by Elizabeth; sons Scott ’82, Bill ’85, and Craig ’88; nine grandchildren; and his brother, Craig ’56.