Biography Chief Petty Officer John Ira Richardson, age 65, a resident of Kingsville, Texas passed away Monday, December 15, 2003 in Kingsville. Born January 21, 1938 in El Paso, Texas to John F. Richardson and Sadie Hale Richardson, Mr. Richardson served in the U.S. Navy for 22 ½ years until his retirement. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of the Vietnam Era. Mr. Richardson was of the Baptist faith. He was preceded in death on August 27, 2002 by his beloved wife, Georgia Mae Richardson; parents, John F. Richardson and Sadie Hale Richardson; sister, Martha “Marcie” Bogle; and son-in-law, Wesley Hankins. Mr. Richardson is survived by two daughters, Barbara Williford of Huntsville, Texas, and Becky Sarver of Houston, Texas; two sons, Ronald (Mary Ann) Sarver of El Paso, Texas, and John (Darlene) Richardson of Canton, Texas; eight grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.    Visitation took place on Wednesday, December 17, 2003 from 2:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. at the Turcotte-Piper Mortuary with the family receiving friends from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. that evening. Graveside service took place at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, December 18, 2003 at Santo Niño Cemetery in Rios, Texas. Military honors provided by the Kingsville Naval Air Station Honor Guard/Drill Team followed the graveside service.    Honorary pallbearers, grandchildren, were Steven, Rhonda, Yvette, Joey, Lisa, Misty, Stefanie and James. Services were entrusted to Turcotte-Piper Mortuary, 205 General Cavazos Blvd., Kingsville, Texas.

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Cecil (Mac) McCloud was born Feb. 27, 1918 in Joilet, IL. and raised in Owen, WI. He joined the CBs at 17 and entered boot camp at Great Lakes, IL. in Jan. 1940. His first assignment was aboard the USS Nevada. At 22 he manned the 5" guns on the ship during the Pearl Harbor attack. In 1944 he was awarded the commendation ribbon with combat distinguishing device by Admiral Conolly (a four star) for enabling the Nevada to maintain course to return fire during heavy bombardment of the fortifications of the city of Cherbourg, France. He later served on the USS Higbee (Korean War) USS Laffey, USS Forrestal (where he was one of the first on the ship to make Chief Petty Officer), and the USS Morton. He was awarded a commendation by Morton Commanding Officer John M. De Largy in Sept 1960 that reads: An examination of the period from pre-commisioning to date indicates that your performance of the duty has been of such surperior calibre and value to the ship and to the navy as to warrant official recognition. Your professional and technical competence are considered directly attributable to Morton's accomplishments and standing today.   After the Morton, Mac was stationed at NAS Lemoore, Ca. until his active duty retirement in 1962.  He stayed in the reserve until 1970, settling in Plainfield, Ct with his wife Evelyn and their five children. He passed away Dec. 7, 1999.

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LTJG William T. Moore (Bill), Jr. was  a 1959 Plankowner, and heir to the Moore-McCormack Steamship Lines.

Melvin E. Huffman, retired BTCS, died on May 21, 2004 after a long bout with cancer. Chief Huffman was a Morton Plankowner and served on board from 1959 - 1962.  He was a resident of Tucson, AZ, at the time of his death.  He leaves behind his wife Rosemary and two daughters Cathy and Janie. Chief Huffman was a faithful member of the Reunion Association and had attended the San Diego reunion in 2001.

"Rear Admiral John M. DeLargy, Morton's Plankowner Commanding Officer, died at his home in Alexandria, Virginia, on May 22, 2005.  Burial was June 3, 2005 in Arlington National Cemetery.  His wife Margaret (Maggie) survives."

Mike McLain,  Fargo, N.Dak.    May 27,1938  to July 20, 1962 Submitted by Dennis Collins a long time Friend of Mike McLain's Please see Morton Message Board. We  lived within  two city blocks distance from each other's house on north Broadway, in Fargo attending the same neighborhood schools 1949-1952  and the local Boy Scout Troop  and worship Church services on Broadway &  9th ave. where Mike's dad, the Rev. JE McLain was also the pastor.      Mike left his shipmates aboard the USS Morton on the early morning of  July 19, 1962  and drove towards Hemet, CA. where he was to meet up with members of the San Diego Sierra Club near Idyllwild. It was a Sunday morning about 10 AM at the  Humber Park trailhead when Mike teamed up with 38 year old Don Rappolee a rock climber  Mike hadn't actually met before this time. They were making their way up the  5.8 Switchbacks  route  28 at the famed  Tahquist Rock  locale with Rappolee in the lead when McLain lost  his footing and/or control  of the rope  after the 3rd pitch and then consequently fell approx. 55  Ft. before striking his  unprotected  head on a protruding ledge during his rapid descent towards the ground some  30  Ft. below.  James Michael McLain  never regained consciousness as a result of  evidentially hitting that protruding ledge and died  14  hrs later on Monday, July 20th [ 1962 ] at Hemet Community Hospital . Respectfully, DENNIS J. COLLINS

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Mike McLain class of 1956 Minot ND high school Graduation photo

William Talman Moore, Jr., 41 (son of William T. Moore), was killed May 14, 1978 in an automobile collision near his home in Minter City, Mississippi.  Mr. Moore had resided on the family plantation, Equen, which he had managed.  In the late 1960s he was vice president of Moore-McCormack Lines, which was founded by his grandfather, Albert V. Moore. Mr. Moore, like his father, was a prize-winning yachtsman. He competed in major sailing events from both coasts, including the Olympic Sailing Class, in which he was among the skippers represented the United States in the British-American team cup races.

Richard A. Wilson, 69, of Westfield, NJ, died July 29, 2006 in Summit, NJ. Born in 1936, Dick attended the University of Pennsylvania, during which time he traveled and sang with the Eugene Ormandy Orchestra.  He graduated with honors in 1958 with a degree in organic chemistry and worked in that field at two different chemical companies after separation from the Navy.  He retired in 1998. Dick served aboard Morton from 1958-1961, and was the Plankowner Communications Officer. _

On January 15, 2007, Thomas G. Slattery, CDR, USN (Retired) passed away.  He was 85 years old.  Captain Slattery was MORTON’s third Commanding Officer, serving in that capacity from 5 September 1962 - 25 July 1964.      Slattery’s feisty leadership skills were honed in the Navy, which he joined soon after Pearl Harbor.  He served as a bombardier in the fleet air arm, aboard the light cruiser U.S.S. Astoria as first lieutenant and the attack transport U.S.S. Cavalier as Boat Group Commander. During the Korean conflict, he participated in amphibious landings at Pohang Dong, Inchon, Wonsan, and was the officer in charge at Red Beach at Inchon when troops were forced to scale the famed “stone wall.”  For his role there, he was awarded the Legion of Merit with the Combat “V“ (for valor).      But he always felt it was as a ‘tin can sailor’ that he came into his own and developed the skills that later served him well as a leader in the business world.  He served as Executive Officer of  the destroyer U.S.S. Blue, Commanding Officer of the destroyer escort U.S.S. Ulvert M. Moore, as well as Executive Officer of the Fleet Air Defense Training Center in San Diego, and Director of Shipping Marine Cargo (MSTS) for the Far East.  He felt the culmination of his Navy career was as Commanding Officer of the destroyer U.S.S. Morton (he dubbed it the “Saltiest Ship in the Fleet" and was himself sometimes referred to as the "saltiest skipper in the fleet").  He wanted to create a new career in the business world and voluntarily retired as Commander in 1964.

Slattery, Thomas G., 85, August 16, 1921 - January 15, 2007. Wichita native Tom Slattery's father (John J. Slattery) came to Kansas from Ireland. His mother (the former Viola May Millar) was the daughter of a blacksmith. He was an All-State Center in football at East High School and held the heavyweight wrestling championship for Kansas high schools. He worked at the Wichita Police Department while attending Wichita University, where he played center on the varsity football squad. In 1940 he went to Sandy Beach and saw the former Bette Mae Israel (a vivacious North High School drum majorette and W.U. cheerleader, and daughter of former Wichita Mayor Robert E. Israel) and told his best friend that she was the girl he was going to marry. He did, and they were married for over 63 years. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, he found his calling as a career Naval officer, with highlights being the award of the Legion of Merit with the Combat "V" in Korea, and as Commanding Officer of the destroyer U.S.S. Morton (dubbed the "Saltiest Ship in the Navy" and he was himself sometimes referred to as the "saltiest skipper in the fleet"). After retirement from the Navy he became a prominent business executive in the San Diego title insurance industry and a civic leader serving on many Boards. Tom was particularly proud of his longtime membership in the Rancho Santa Fe Rotary Club. Tom's Wichita ties were important to him and he returned many times to visit family and friends, including surviving sisters-in-law Janet Bachman and Katherine (Kaki) Jackson and brother-in-law Lloyd C. (Jick) Jackson and their families. He is survived by Bette Mae Slattery, his college sweetheart and wife of 63 years, son Thomas Michael Slattery and daughter Kerry Slattery, daughter-in-law Patti LaJoie Slattery, grandchildren David Slattery and Christine Slattery, and sister Sharon Slattery Beach, also of San Diego. A memorial service and reception will be held on Friday, February 2 at 11 am at The Church of the Nativity in Rancho Santa Fe. Published in the Wichita Eagle on 1/28/2007.