C. Arnold McClure (center) is pictured in Bien Hoa, Vietnam, in 1967 alongside fellow Shirley Township natives Bill Rosenberry (left) and Mark Madden (right).
By SYDNEE HARRIS | Journalism Student, Mount Union Area Senior High School
Mount Union, Pa. — C. Arnold McClure is featured in this month’s Alumni Spotlight for his many accomplishments throughout his life thus far. Each monthly alumnus is chosen from the “Wall of Honor,” located by the community entrance at Mount Union Area High School.
Mr. McClure graduated from Captain Jack Joint High School in 1964, before the district became known as the Mount Union Area School District. He describes the time of his graduation as “a tumultuous time in our country’s cultural history.” This period was crucial, as the Vietnam War was being hotly debated and beginning to divide the nation. It was also the era of the Civil Rights Act, which ended segregation and brought racial issues to the forefront across the country. Mr. McClure is currently in the process of writing a book that addresses this era and “the issues of our cultural tumult during the time of the 1960s.”
Graduating during such a pivotal period in American history helped shape Mr. McClure’s perspective, particularly during his years as a student in Mount Union. He says that he was fortunate to attend public schools in Mount Union. He explains, “My teachers were all diligent and addressed their jobs seriously.” From first grade through twelfth grade, he speaks highly of all of his teachers. Although Mr. McClure graduated many years ago, he says that he has stayed connected with his alma mater. He is one of the founders of the Alumni Association at Mount Union and worked extremely hard to earn his place on the Wall of Honor.
His family has also helped him stay connected to the district. His wife, Linda McClure, currently serves as president of the Mount Union Area School District Board of Directors. Mr. McClure says, “I am proud of that. The school is lucky to have her. She is an extraordinary person.” It is also noted that Christian McClure, the son of Arnold and Linda, taught mathematics at MUASD and now serves as an administrator. In addition, their daughter Autumn Fiscus previously served as the business manager for MUASD, and their son-in-law Matt Fiscus is currently a physical education teacher and has served as a coach.
Mr. McClure became very successful after graduation, and when asked how he achieved his success, he says he has given the question a great deal of thought over the years. His response is, “You are looking at a lucky man, and then I add, a blessed man.” He often reflects on why God has been so good to him throughout his life. During high school, Mr. McClure was never voted the smartest student or the most likely to succeed, but he was voted most active. He describes this as “an unusual appellation, but an accurate one.”
Two years after graduating, Mr. McClure enlisted in the Army and requested placement in Military Intelligence with the Army Security Agency. After being accepted, he attended Foreign Language School in Washington, D.C., just one block away from the White House. He then attended code school at Fort Devens, Massachusetts. Mr. McClure volunteered for Vietnam service and arrived in July of 1967. By December, he spent Christmas in a foxhole at the edge of the jungle in Bien Hoa. His twenty-first birthday, on January 18, was also spent in that same foxhole. He recalls that when he left for Vietnam, he weighed 212 pounds, and when he returned, he weighed 170 pounds. He vividly remembers his father seeing him for the first time after his return and recalls, “My dad took one look at me and cried.” Mr. McClure takes great pride in his service in the U.S. Army, stating, “My Vietnam experience is a very big part of who I am.”
After completing his service in Vietnam, Mr. McClure attended Penn State University. At PSU, he majored in social studies for secondary education, focusing mainly on history and political science. His goal was to become a teacher, which he says was “the only good job that I was aware of with my limited life experience.” After earning his degree, he applied for a teaching position at Mount Union but was turned down. In hindsight, this proved to be a blessing in disguise.
A family friend, Tom Snyder, contacted Arnold’s father and explained that there was an opening for a sales position with 3M Company. Mr. McClure admits he was not thrilled about the opportunity, saying, “I didn’t want to be a salesman, but that move turned out to open up a whole new world for me.” He traveled to Philadelphia and Pennsauken, New Jersey, to interview for the position. After giving his best effort during the interviews, he was relieved to learn that he had been offered the job. When he told his father the news, his father responded, “Arnold, I am so glad. If you had gotten the teaching job, you would have been in a room of people who know less than you. Now you will be dealing with presidents of companies—men who know more than you—and you will learn so much.”
After spending time with 3M, Mr. McClure later received a phone call offering him a position that would cover the entire United States. He accepted the opportunity without hesitation and spent many years in that role. In 1980, he learned that 3M needed a dealer in Central Pennsylvania, which gave him the chance to start his own business.
This opportunity led Mr. McClure to found Centre Business Products and The Valley Log. He says these businesses “were and are a big part of my life—personally, economically, and socially.” After dedicating significant time to both ventures, Mr. McClure states, “I had big money for the first time in my life.” He and his wife, Linda, decided to retire and use that money to purchase a farm, as they have always loved farming and farm animals. He adds, “Our businesses would not have been so successful without my wife, Linda.”
Mr. McClure’s life story also includes a strong focus on family. One of his favorite sayings is that “we stand on the shoulders of those who came before us.” He takes great pride in this belief and feels fortunate to be standing on the shoulders of “giants.” He credits not only his parents but also his grandparents for shaping who he is today. His father, Clyde W. McClure, came from a family that had lived in America for many generations, while his mother, Stephania (Stella) Kowalski, came from a Rusyn immigrant family from Ukraine. Mr. McClure reflects that he “had the best America has to offer—old-time America with my paternal family and immigrant America with my maternal family. That is big.”
While Mr. McClure takes great pride in his family history, his life has also included significant challenges. One of the most difficult setbacks in his life occurred when he was twelve years old, when his mother passed away from kidney failure. This loss left his father to raise him and his two sisters on his own. Mr. McClure acknowledges that it was not easy for his father, but he has grown to deeply appreciate the sacrifices his father made for their family.
Looking back on a lifetime of service, work, and achievement, Mr. McClure continues to set goals for himself and remains focused on the legacy he hopes to leave behind. “I want to leave this world proud of my family and my accomplishments,” he says. He hopes that in the future, those who wish to learn about the community’s history will turn to the books he has written. To date, he has published two history books, A History Between the Rivers and Little Known Facts of Pennsylvania History, and continues to work daily on several additional projects. “History is very important to me,” he explains. “I want it to be recorded accurately.”
Above all, Mr. McClure values his family, including his children and grandchildren, whom he speaks about with pride. “I am proud of our five children and eight grandchildren. All of them. Very proud. They are good people,” he emphasizes. It is clear that, more than any accomplishment, family remains the greatest source of pride in Mr. McClure’s life.
This article was published as part of Ms. Dimoff’s Journalism class at Mount Union Area Senior High School.
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