Edward “Mike” McClendon

Edward J. McClendon, fondly known as Mike, passed away on December 15th, 2023 in Durham NC, where he moved after a stroke so his daughter, Dawn moved him so she could look after him. Mike was predeceased by his father, Frank McClendon, and his mother, Etherland Brevard McClendon.

Mike McClendon was a proud graduate of the 1955 class of Mather Academy in Camden, SC. He moved to Norwalk, CT with the assistance of his cousin, Hansel Boykin, the same year. A champion for the underdog, Mike had a long history of activism and community engagement. He was compelled to give voice to the voiceless and press for all causes to have a seat at the table. Whether for the NAACP, Salvation Army, Price House, Red Cross, Black Caucus of Kershaw County, Relay for Life, council and school board meetings, Mike showed up with passion, endless energy and purpose. He volunteered in schools, visited the sick in the hospitals, and those shut-in at home. He touched many lives with his charm and commitment.

Highlights of Mike’s community engagements:
-Joined the Corinthian Lodge #16 PHA F&AM, Norwalk, CT. 1963
-Founding member of The Sportsman’s Club. This organization sponsored trips for the “underprivileged youth” to go to extracurricular activities and national sports events in the Tri-State—NY, NJ and CT area.
-Founder of the Worcester Minority Newspaper and a TV show, Black Access, on the Access channel in Worcester, MA. Ever the optimist, Mike believed there needed to be “good news” outlets to counter the negative, tragic, and often biased news that bombarded the community. He continued that effort with papers in Camden, SC, and writing for Black News in Columbia SC.
-3rd Vice President of Camden-Kershaw County Branch of NAACP 2000-2006.
-While President of the Camden chapter of Boylan-Haven-Mather Academy, he worked with the Kershaw County Clean Community Commission to establish the African American Campbell Street Corridor and the memorial to Boylan-Haven-Mather Academy.
-In addition to registering 63 voters during the 2008 presidential election on foot, Mike had three missions in the early 2000s:
-Recognition for Frank Wills, the young black security guard who initiated Watergate and yet struggled financially for the rest of his life.
- Recognition for Larry Doby by the City of Camden and with the joint effort of county council members and highway commissioners and Mr. Bobby Jones a highway marker was posted at the Kershaw County lines.
-Finally, that his hero, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., be acknowledged publicly in Camden, South Carolina, and with the joint efforts of the Mayor Mary Clark and others resulted in the naming of Dr. Martin Luther King Square at the intersection of Dekalb and Campbell Streets.

Professionally, Mike worked for Pepperidge Farms as sanitation supervisor in Norwalk, then as sanitation manager at Downers Grove, Ill. He worked for Arnold’s-Orwheat Bakeries as Corporate Sanitarian in Greenwich, CT where he oversaw 14 Plants from California to Florida, then as Director of Sanitation for Table Talk Pies in Worcester, MA, and as Manager of Sanitation for “Tastee” American Bakery in Flushing, NY.

Mike is survived by his only daughter, Dawn McClendon (Jon Ward); aunt, Lottie Poindexter; first cousins, Christine Abraham (Phillip), Boise McClendon, Mazie Moorer, Jenel Turner, Malcolm Poindexter and Darryl Jones; and close friends, James Adamson, Ann Davis and Gary Stanley.

A memorial service will be held on Monday, January 15, 2024, at 11:00 am at St. Paul United Methodist Church in Camden, SC.