Art McClung was a man in motion. He spent his days working with dozens of groups and organizations, with the goal of helping others succeed, his wife said.
“He seemed to get a kind of personal joy out of knowing he was a part of someone's success, but he never wanted the spotlight,” said Angela R. McClung, his wife of 43 years.
Before he retired in 2008, Mr. McClung was the director of Atlanta operations for Georgia Power Co. Retirement was supposed to bring more time for travel and allow him to spend more time working with some of his favorite organizations.
“That was the plan anyway, but then illness set in,” she said. “And he fought and battled courageously.”
Arthur Joseph McClung Jr., of College Park, was diagnosed with colon cancer two years ago. Even when his body started to slow down, he pushed himself harder.
“It was like he knew it might be his last opportunity,” Mrs. McClung said.
Mr. McClung, called Art by many, died Feb. 6 at Hospice Atlanta. He was 66. A celebration of life was held Friday at Ben Hill United Methodist Church and his body was entombed at Forest Lawn Cemetery. Murray Brothers Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.
Born in Tuskegee Institute, Ala., and raised in Columbus, Mr. McClung graduated from Morehouse College with a degree in business administration. His freshman year Mr. McClung met Al Byrd, and the two remained friends through the years.
“He didn’t just start wanting to help others,” Mr. Byrd said. “He’s been that way and he really wanted to make a difference.”
Mr. McClung was currently a member of nearly a dozen civic and community boards, including Habitat for Humanity, Boy Scouts of America and Georgia Perimeter College’s foundation. He has served on more than two dozen boards and groups in leadership positions over the years, including Atlanta West End Rotary Club, the United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta, Emory University Board of Visitors and MARTA.
His involvement allowed him to pull others into the fold and help broaden the discussion, his wife said.
“He felt leadership should be shared,” she said. “He wanted to bring in different voices so everyone could be heard.”
Though Mr. McClung didn’t seek the spotlight, sometimes it found him. In 2000, while serving on the MARTA board, Mr. McClung voted for a fare increase -- a move that did not sit well with some members of the Fulton County Commission. Because of his vote, he was thrust into a very public battle, between MARTA and the commission, which could have cost him his board seat.
In the end, he was able to complete his term, but the ordeal was a perfect example of one of Mr. McClung’s core principles: “You can disagree without being disagreeable,” his wife said.
“He stood fast when he believed in something,” she said. “But he believed your belief in something didn’t have to alter the relationship you have with someone.”
Additional survivors include a son, Arthur “Trey” Joseph McClung III of Atlanta; and sisters, Audrey McClung Jones of Los Angeles, and Lillian "Bunky" McClung Clark, of Columbus.
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