George (Mac) Brown McClelland, 78, of Blacksburg, passed away March 26, 2022, in Stuart, Fla.
He was born in Melbourne, Fla. on May 13, 1943, and was preceded in death by his parents, George Brown McClelland, Sr., and Clara Stewart McClelland of Melbourne.
Mac is survived by his loving wife, Susan (Absher); his two sons, Todd (Erica) and Brett; his
granddaughter, Olivia Grace; his in-laws, Greg and Janet Absher; a nephew Jason Absher; great-nephews Austin and Tabor Absher; and great-niece Belle Absher.
Mac was blessed to be loved and respected by so many people, from his multitude of friends to his patients to his chiropractic colleagues.
Mac was a local boy, having attended middle and high school in Radford. He lettered in football, basketball, and track at Radford High School. He went on to compete on Davidson College’s golf team.
After Davidson, Mac decided to become a Doctor of Chiropractic (DC). He graduated from the National College of Chiropractic in Illinois and then headed to Vietnam to serve his country, 1970-1971 (US Army, Infantry; Captain). Upon returning from Vietnam, he went into practice with his father, who retired soon after. Mac continued the practice until 2010.
During this time, Mac was heavily involved in his profession, serving in many organizations and achieving the highest office in each one, including Chairman of the Board of the American Chiropractic Association (ACA), the highest office in the profession. He was active in the profession not only within the United States, but also worldwide. He was heavily involved in chiropractic research, and the “ACA Researcher of the Year” award was renamed the “George B. McClelland Researcher of the Year” award in 2005.
Due to his exemplary service in so many ways, his name was read into the United States Congressional Record.
In addition to his service to his country and his profession, Mac was involved in the community, reaching the top levels of those organizations as well. He was President of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce and the Blacksburg Country Club.
Mac enjoyed socializing and military history, but his favorite pastime was golf and anything golf related. He was an outstanding golfer, and was known as such throughout the area, winning many tournaments including several Blacksburg Country Club championships and the Greater Blacksburg Open.
A celebration of Mac’s life will be held sometime in the summer of 2022. In lieu of flowers,
memorial contributions may be made to Blacksburg Battles Cancer, which raises funds for cancer-focused non-profit organizations serving the local community (c/o 1064 Clubhouse Drive, Blacksburg VA 24060 or https://www.blacksburgbattlescancer.org/donate) and/or the NCMIC Foundation, dedicated to funding chiropractic research and education (https://www.ncmicfoundation.org/how-to-give/).
