He was a poor kid from the big city, but he carried a ticket to success which read "public education." For Richard McLean, the son of a widowed immigrant mother, a college education at Cortland in the late 1940's became the key that opened the door to a long and distinguished career as a public educator and administrator. "In this country, our greatest national treasure is public education. We didn't have the money and I wouldn't have gone to college at all if it wasn't for the public education I received at Cortland," admitted McLean, who caught his first glimpse of the College during a visit with Ed Flynn, a high school coach, in the spring of 1939.
By that autumn, McLean, a diminutive tackle, had cracked into the starting Red Dragon varsity football line-up. For the next four campaigns, McLean anchored the Dragon front line. Head coach Carl "Chugger" Davis influenced McLean in his becoming a starter despite his size and age. "Chugger was one of those young, clean-cut guys who believed that a good foundation in competitive sports could help a person in all phases of life," said McLean. "He was always saying 'C'mon Mac, you can do it.' And he was right. Without team sports, my life would certainly have been different. Athletic experiences served me well in World War II and throughout my life since then."
McLean earned a B.S. from Cortland in 1943 and later an M.A. at New York University in 1952. He served with the U.S. Army from April 1943 until June 1946, and was commissioned as an officer in Fontainbleau, France. From 1946 to 1953, McLean taught in Oceanside, N.Y., where he grew up, at the senior high school. During the 1953-54 year, he was the director of Adult Education for the Oceanside Public Schools. From 1954 to 1961, he was the principal of Elementary School No. 8 in Oceanside before becoming the assistant superintendent of schools at Lynbrook, N.Y., from 1961-1964. McLean served as superintendent of schools for the Union-Endicott Central School District from 1964 through 1970. From 1970 until his retirement in December of 1978, McLean served as superintendent of schools for the City School District of Binghamton.
A member of Phi Delta Kappa honorary fraternity, McLean was a 1951 recipient of the Teacher's Medal awarded by the Freedom Foundation of Valley Forge and in 1961 received the Community Brotherhood Award from the Trophy Lodge and Chapter B'nal B'rith in Oceanside. McLean served as chairman of the Binghamton City Bicentennial Happening Town Meeting, in 1976. He has taught graduate students at Hofstra University and Syracuse University.
McLean and his wife, the former Lucille Bettenken, Class of 1946, have three children.
UPDATE: McLean passed away on Sept. 4, 1993.
