Posted by Terry Powers on January 22, 2023:

LEON W. MCCRARY 1949 Cullum No. 16992-1949 | April 23, 2011 | Died in Austin, TX Interred in Austin Memorial, Austin, TX Leon Witcher "Lee" McCrary, born Nov 10, 1923 to Emil and Emma McCrary in St. Clair, MO, was called home to his cre­ator on Apr 23, 2011. In pursuit of his life­long dream to be a pilot, Lee accepted an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he found the academic life and military discipline to be particularly rewarding. He enjoyed the sport programs at the Academy but particularly excelled in the extracurricular opportunities of­fered in music. He was an active member of the Cadet Chapel Choir and the Cadet Glee Club and was a soloist with the Cadet Dance Orchestra. Upon graduation from West Point, Lee elected to join the Air Force, which took him to many cities and through many air­craft. Following basic training at Randolph AFB, San Antonio, TX, he attended ad­vanced flight training and received his pilot wings at Vance AFB in Enid, OK. Along with several of his classmates, Lee remained at Enid as an instructor pilot, teaching oth­ers to fly the T-28 and the Mitchell B-25. Lee also spent many hours in the Piper Cub and the Terrible Texan, the T-6. Following three years as an instructor, the Air Force sent Lee back to Randolph AFB for train­ing as an aircraft commander in B-29s. Upon completion of combat crew training, Lee and his crew joined the 307th Bomb Wing at Kadena AB on Okinawa. After the conflict in Korea was settled at Pyongyang, Lee, along with the entire bomb wing, re­turned their aircraft to Davis-Monthan AFB at Tucson, AZ. His next assignment took Lee to Wichita, KS, for training as an aircraft commander in the B-47, the newest, six-en­gine jet bomber. His permanent assignment in B-47s was at Lincoln AB, NE. Although the B-47 was very demanding to fly, Lee en­joyed the aircraft and soon was an instruc­tor pilot. His first overseas assignment from Lincoln took him to Lakenheath AB, north of London. In short order, his crew was des­ignated a lead crew, and he was selected to lead a wing standardization crew. In June 1957, two of the lead crews from Lincoln AB were reassigned to B-52s. After a brief check out in the new aircraft at Beal AFB in Merced, CA, Lee was assigned to Ellsworth AFB in Rapid City, SD. Because of the range of the B-52, the wing did not deploy overseas. Routine training missions, however, lasted eight hours, and airborne nuclear alert missions typically involved 18 hour missions over Canada. In 1960, the Air Force selected Lee to serve at the newly formed Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs. During his five-year tour, Lee initially served as a tactical officer, after which he joined the Commandant's plans division. He particu­larly enjoyed planning cadet trips to South America and other locales. Lee also planned and obtained approval for the Academy's cadet light plane flying program-a pro­gram still in use today. It was during his time at the Academy that Lee married his lifetime love, Ruth Ann Davis, in 1962, in San Antonio, TX. While at the Academy, their first daughter, Merry Ann, was born in 1964. Their sec­ond daughter, Margy, was born in 1967 in Washington, DC. Lee's next assignment was to the Pentagon, with a year in congressional liaison followed by a year as the White House liaison. He was promoted to lieu­tenant colonel during the Pentagon tour and also graduated from the Command & General Staff College, the Air War College, and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. Given Lee's staff experience and B-52 background, his next assignment was at Headquarters, Military Assistance Command, Vietnam, working for General Abrams on B-52 Arc Light bombing mis­sions. Upon his return, Lee was asked to lead the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps program at the University of Louisville. Shortly thereafter, Lee was promoted to colonel and transferred to the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, VA. Lee's final Air Force duty station was as the base commander of Lackland AFB in San Antonio, TX. He considered this a par­ticularly demanding and rewarding assign­ment; however, after two years at Lackland, 25 years in the Air Force, and with young children at home, he decided to pursue a second career. In 1974, Lee retired from the Air Force and entered graduate school at St. Mary's University. After completing an MBA in 1977, the family moved to Austin, TX, and Lee joined an appraisal firm and did residential and commercial real estate appraisals. He soon gained professional appraisal designa­tions, including the commercial designation of MAI, Member of the Appraisal Institute. Lee became vice president of NCNB bank and then, in 2005, formed a new appraisal firm with his daughter. Lee was a 30-year member of Austin's downtown Rotary Club, a season ticket holder for the Austin Symphony Orchestra, and an enthusiastic supporter of Texas Longhorn football and basketball. He also joined the University Longhorn Foundation, Austin Country Club, and Westwood Country Club. Lee never forgot his early life in Missouri and was grateful for the opportunities af­forded him by West Point. He was proud that the Academy developed discipline, integrity, duty and honor as the life-long make up of an individual's character. While on active duty, he found it possible to visit the Academy twice. He also made sure that his wife and children had an opportunity to visit the Plain where he trained and the Cadet Chapel where he spent every Sunday for four years. Until the end, he felt that the principles spelled out in the Cadet Prayer were valuable guides in the search for a fruitful life. He is deeply missed by his family and colleagues.

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