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James Warren McClure

b. September 25, 1919 - d. April 7, 2004

James Warren McClure was an avid philanthropist and renowned marketing expert. Born on September 25, 1919, he was raised in Clairton, Pennsylvania by his parents James H. and Elva Hageman McClure. He had two older sisters, Marian Power McClure Zarrett (b. Jan. 22, 1910) and Elizabeth Menk McClure Mahan (b. Nov. 20, 1916). When McClure was 2 years old his mother died at age 38 and his father remarried Lillian Viola Rutter Sheckler, who reared him, and was considered by him to be mother. The family later moved to Athens, Ohio, where they remained until 1952 when his father retired.

Education
J. Warren McClure attended Athens, Ohio Junior and Senior High Schools. After his graduation in 1937, he enrolled at Ohio University where he graduated in August 1940, earning a Bachelor's of Science in Commerce in just three years. That same year, he was accepted into Northwestern University in Chicago, IL, where he earned a Master of Business Administration Degree in 1941.

Personal Life
Free enterprise fascinated McClure even at an early age. After high school, he enrolled as a day student at Ohio University, majoring in advertising. Here he joined the ROTC, as well as the fraternal house of Delta Tau Delta,. In the fall of 1941, McClure enlisted in the United States Navy Reserve with a rating of Yeoman, second class. On May 16, 1942, he married Helen Jane Oppegard. During his time in the Navy, McClure earned many different ranks and was relocated many times. He attended an officer training school at the University of Arizona, became a bomb disposal officer in Washington, D.C., and was later assigned to the aircraft carrier, CVE 112, Siboney, in Tacoma, Washington. After he left the service, while working in Grand Forks, North Dakota, The McClures had two sons, Joel Warren (b. July 31, 1948) and Kip Oppegard (b. June 20, 1950).

On December 20, 1952, after a ten-year marriage, McClure and Helen divorced. After the break Helen and her two sons moved to San Francisco where she later remarried. He remarried Lois Jean Ricker on December 15, 1954, and they bought their first ranch house in South Burlington, Vermont, in 1955. Lois already had two daughters from a previous marriage and later they had a son together born in August of 1956.

Early Work
In 1945, McClure worked as an editor of a statistical magazine, Radio Market Guide in Chicago, IL. After only a year, he was offered another job as an advertising manager by M.M. Oppegard at the Grand Forks Herald. He worked there for six years in Grand Forks, North Dakota, becoming business manager of the paper and also later earning/becoming manager of the radio station KILO. He was honored by the state in 1951, for being North Dakota’s Outstanding Young Man of the Year. In July of 1952, McClure was hired on at Burlington Free Pressin Vermont. McClure and his 2nd wife Lois devoted much of their income to acquiring stock in the Free Press during those years. During the 1950's and 1960's, the Free Press prospered and grew on a national level expanding it's national contacts.

Career Accomplishments
In 1962, McClure assumed the presidency of the Newspaper Advertising Executives Association. He traveled all over the country, giving speeches to boost professionalism in newspaper advertising salesmanship. After a year, he returned to work at Free Press and, in 1963, he became a board member of the Shelburne Museum. Along with investments in the Free Press Association, in 1964, McClure convinced the board to invest in a sister company called McClure Newspapers, Inc. By 1970, McClure was also working as an outside director of the Central Vermont Railway, at Champlain College, The Shelburne Museum, at the radio station WJOY, and The Howard Bank. On April 14th, 1971, McClure Newspapers became a subsidiary of Gannett Company Inc., and J. Warren McClure became the largest individual stock holder of the parent corporation. He then became Gannett's Vice President of Marketing, but after four years, retired early and set up his own marketing firm.

Retirement
McClure decided to retire in 1975 while continuing to serve on the board of directors for Gannett Co,. At age 55, he started a new business and became the owner/president/chief-worker of McClure Media Marketing Motivation Company, which held marketing and motivational seminars throughout the United States and Canada. He developed a popular marketing technique called the Ener/Gem Success System. He continued his self-employment for twelve years. During this time he and Lois built a golf course home and an oceanfront home in Key Largo, FL. He continued to consult for the personnel of over one hundred fifty newspapers.

The EnerGems
In 1977, after creating the McClure Media Marketing Motivation Company, McClure began work on identifying and translating his work experience into 10 core ideas for motivation. This 400-page self-help course, published in 1980, was meant to enable people to live more complete and motivated work lives. He wanted to show how best to apply his theories to real life. McClure writes in his memoir, Hands-On Philanthropy, "The ten Energems are keys to unlocking ourselves; they can stir the chemical in our systems and change us in fundamental ways". The Chapters are listed here:
 * 1. Succeed by helping others succeed.
 * 2. Inspect, don't expect.
 * 3. Bloom where you're planted.
 * 4. Give more to get more.
 * 5. Do something thats different.
 * 6. Take risks to gain rewards.
 * 7. Be a reader to be a leader.
 * 8. Accomplish 2% more.
 * 9. Have a sense of urgency.
 * 10. Believe in a power from out of this world.

Philanthropy
After his daughter, Judy's death from a Wilm's Tumor in 1961, the McClures' first real philanthropy started with large donations to the All Saints' Church in South Burlington, Judy's elementary school library, and the Baird children's wing of their local hospital. Between 1970 and 1995, J. Warren and Lois contributed over $16 million in leadership gifts to non-profit organizations. Listed below are the foundations to which the McClure's most frequently donate their money and services.

School Donations

 * (1970-1973)Champlain College- gifts totaling $324,025.00
 * (1972)St. John Fisher College- $38,000.00
 * (1973)St. Michael's College- $150,000.00
 * (1975)Nazareth College- $10,000.000
 * (1975-1979)Rochester Institute of Technology
 * (1978)University of Vermont- $500,000.00
 * (1986)Athens Educational Foundation- $50,000.00

Medical Contributions

 * (1975)Vermont/New Hampshire Red Cross- $500,000.00
 * (1981)Medical Center of Vermont-set up a million dollar trust fund to be distributed over time-
 * (1983)American Cancer Society/Hope Lodge- $25,000.000

Religious Donations

 * (1975-1976)St. Thomas Episcopal Church- $133,333.00
 * (1987)Trinity Episcopal Church- $33,333.000
 * (1990-1996)Vermont/McClure Respite House for the terminally ill- $600,000.00+

Other Community Projects
Sizable donations were also made to:
 * Shelburne Museum
 * Shelburne Farms
 * Rokeby Museum
 * Lake Champlain Maritime Museum
 * Vermont Ethics Network
 * Wake Robin Aquatic Center
 * Regional Low-Income Emergency Facilities(RELIEF)
 * Vermont Community Center ($5,000,000.00+)
 * Ohio University
 * IUPUI University