Posted by Terry Powers on March 26, 2023:

USMA Class of 1949 - West Point Mr. Donald Andrew McLean Cullum No. 17102-1949 | October 9, 2006 | Died in Broomfield, CO Cremated. Ashes spread on an overlook above Santa Ynez Valley. Donald Andrew McLean was born on 8 June 1927 at Ft. Mills, Corregidor, Territory of the Philippines, to 2LT Donald McLean '23, Coast Artillery Corps, and Marie Fleming McLean. As an "Army brat," he lived on many posts during his childhood. From the Philippines, the McLeans moved to Ft. Monroe, VA, where younger brother Richard was born, then Ft. Sheridan, IL, and back to the Philippines, where Don en­tered second grade, skipping first. Next, they moved back to Monroe, on to Ft. Barrancas, FL, and then to West Point, where his father was a tactical officer. In 1939 as war clouds gathered in Europe, the McLeans moved to Ft. Leavenworth, which was the last time Don lived on post. After Leavenworth, Don entered high school in Lakewood, WA, but moved to Riverside, CA, where he finished ninth grade and in 1941, began tenth grade. In October, his father was transferred to Ft. Shafter, HI, to command an Anti-Aircraft Battalion defend­ing Hickam Field. The family was to follow on December 12 on the SS Lurline, but Pearl Harbor intervened, and the family remained in Riverside. There, Don finished the tenth grade. Don's father spent the rest of World War II in the Pacific, and Don was forced to mature at the early age of 14. The family moved to Worthington, OH, to be near his mother's sister. There, Don completed elev­enth grade and played on the football and basketball teams. With his father still in the Pacific, the fam­ily moved to Highland Falls, NY. Most of his mother's family lived in Cornwall, near West Point, and Don's mother thought this would help Don receive an appointment to West Point. He was a star in basketball, baseball, and track and played a prominent role in his teams' winning the Orange County champi­onship in basketball and baseball. He was also county champion in the 100-yard dash and pole vault. Don graduated in 1945, and after a year at Braden's Prep in Cornwall-on-Hudson, entered West Point. He was appointed by Hamilton Fish, long-time representative of the Orange County area. At West Point, Don par­ticipated on the swimming and track teams. He graduated in 1949, and in December of that year married Betty Windsor. Their mar­riage brought them a daughter and a son. Upon graduation, Don chose the Air Force and went to the various flying schools to become a fighter pilot in F-84 and F-86 fighters. He flew a hundred missions in Korea, was credited with downing one MIG-15, and awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He had one narrow escape when a 20mm round from a MIG cracked the main wing spar on his F-86, but he was able to limp back to base at Kimpo. Don then served in Germany and the United Kingdom before resigning from the Air Force in 1953. In 1954, Don and Betty's marriage end­ed, and Don went to Burbank, CA, to join Lockheed Aircraft's Test Flight Division as a test engineer. While there, he met Verona Dancer, and they were married in 1957. Verona had a young son, Nicholas, and Don raised him as his own. After participating in several tests in the Test Flight Division, Don transferred to the Missiles and Space Division. He was assigned to the Lockheed team at the Point Arguello launch facility, responsible for the Agena booster as part of the Atlas/Agena Program. Don was responsible for the Lockheed portion of many space fights, most notably the "Spy in the Sky" programs that culminated in the Big Bird program. In June of 1986, Don retired from Lockheed. Don and Verona first lived in Santa Maria, CA, until they bought an acre of land in Santa Ynez. In 1968, he built a ranch house on the land, and they lived there for the rest of his life. He was an excellent farmer and grew a vari­ety of vegetables, fruit, and nuts on half of his lot. Don and Verona were excellent bowlers, and they were a force in the bowling league of Lompoc. He was also known for his annual cookout for his Lockheed team; Don always prepared his famous tri-tip steaks, a cut of beef that was a Santa Ynez specialty. Don was devoted to his family. In 1967, Nick graduated from Santa Ynez High School and embarked on a life of adventure that in­cluded work on the Alaska Pipeline. Nick went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Business Administration degree from California Polytechnic State University and now works as a program manager for IBM in the greater Denver area. Nick is married, has two children, and lives in Broomfield, CO. When Don's father died in 1982, his mother came to live with them until she died in 1993. Verona was especially dedicated to caring for Marie and made her final years as pleasant as possible. Don was exceptionally robust all his life until he was felled by a combination of aor­tic valve malfunction and Parkinson's Plus. His illness made living at home impractical, so on 1 Apr 2006, Don and Verona moved to Colorado to live with their son. Parkinson's continued to progress, and Don was put into hospice care in August. After a couple of weeks, he was brought home again and, on 9 October 2006, passed away peacefully to be with the Lord. He was cremated and his ashes spread on an overlook above his beloved Santa Ynez Valley. Don was the rock on which his family was built. He will be sorely missed by his family and friends. alumni.westpointaog.org/memorial-article?id=95f85b0d-e170-4d24-8d4f-7f4597f9c2b6

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