McClelland, George Brown

George “Mac” Brown McClelland, 78, of Blacksburg, Va., passed away on Saturday, 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), and his two sons, Todd (Erica) and Brett, along with his granddaughter, Olivia Grace. Additionally, he is survived by his in-laws, Greg and Janet Absher, as well as 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, Va. He was quite the athlete, lettering in three sports—football, basketball, and track. 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 National College of Chiropractic in Illinois and then headed to Vietnam to serve his country, 1970-1971 (U.S. Army, Infantry; Captain). Upon returning from Vietnam, he went into practice with his father. His father retired soon after and 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. Mac was not only active in the profession within the United States, but also served in capacities 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 country and profession, Mac was heavily involved in the community, reaching the top levels of those organizations as well. He was President of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce and of Blacksburg Country Club (BCC), among other organizations.

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 BCC championships and the Greater Blacksburg Open.

A Celebration of Life for this remarkable man 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/).