Obituary of Augusta McClure

Augusta Clemens Tolles McClure, 45 year resident of Orinda, dies at 84. Augusta Clemens Tolles McClure, a long-time resident of Orinda, died in the early hours of Monday, October 1 st at her Sleepy Hollow home surrounded by her loving family. Born in Caldwell, Idaho on July 23, 1923, Augusta was reared in Idaho Falls, Idaho by her parents Faye and Anne Clemens Tolles. After graduating from Idaho Falls High School in 1941, she attended the College of Idaho (now known as Albertson College of Idaho) where she was elected vice-president of the student body. Later, she transferred to the University of Washington where she graduated with a degree in political science. Even after leaving Idaho, Augusta maintained close ties with childhood friends and college roommates that included Bethine Clark Church of Boise, Idaho and Donna Pieper of Idaho Falls, Idaho and Betty Moore, of Pocatello, Idaho. During the final year of World War II, Augusta worked as a welder in the shipyards of Seattle, Washington. Hoping to join the foreign service, she moved to Washington, D.C. in 1945. However, being committed to being married to Frank E. McClure of San Francisco, California, she worked at the Library of Congress as a research librarian and then returned West for her wedding at the First Presbyterian Church in Boise, Idaho on April 12, 1946. After her husband, Frank, returned from Okinawa, Japan where he served as a Civil Engineering Officer, Lt. ( j.g.) USNR in the 101 st Naval Construction Battalion, US Navy (Seabees), they moved near Fresno, California where he worked on an irrigation canal project. Then in 1947, the young couple moved to Berkeley, California, where Frank taught structural engineering in the School of Architecture at the University of California and their first child, Edward Denny McClure, was born. Over the next twenty years, Augusta worked as a homemaker taking care of three more children, Anne, Coke and Julia. Her husband, Frank, became a leading earthquake engineer in the San Francisco Bay Area and established a successful structural engineering practice with his partner, David Messinger. Augusta cherished her Orinda residence that the family purchased in 1962. In 1970, Augusta began working as a part-time administrative assistant at the Pacific School of Religion. She soon moved to the UC Seismological Station on the UC Berkeley campus. She said that those were her happiest years supporting the leading seismology research of UC professors, Dr. Bruce Bolt and Dr. Tom McEvely. Upon retiring from the University of California, she enjoyed developing her large garden at her Orinda home. She cultivated important relationships within her PEO chapter and her book club. She was an avid stamp and coin collector. Before her husband died in 2004, she enjoyed traveling with him to Paris, Barcelona, Costa Rica and extensive tours of South America, China and Japan; in addition, she cherished the memories of attending the World Conferences sponsored by the Earthquake Enginneering Research Institute (EERI) particularly those held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Rome, Italy. She is survived by her four children: Ted McClure of Albany, California; Anne McClure Kaplan (Andrew) of Bel Air, California; R. Coke McClure (Tamara) of Pocatello, Idaho; and Julia McClure Del Guzzo (Luciano) of Scarsdale, New York; and her six grandchildren: Frank Edward McClure, Catherine Anne Marie McClure Smith (Chris), Justin Spencer Kaplan, Matthew Francois Del Guzzo, David Delbert McClure and Christina Anne Del Guzzo. Her great-grandson, Cole Smith, lives in Idaho Falls, Idaho. In addition, her sister, Jane Tolles Whitman, of Boise, Idaho survives her as well as two nieces and four nephews. A memorial service will be held Friday, October 5th at 11:00 a.m. at the Lafayette-Orinda Presbyterian Church, 49 Knox Drive, Lafayette, California conducted by the Rev. Dr. Peter Whitelock. Inurnment will be at a later time at the Canyon Hill Cemetery, Caldwell, Idaho. In lieu of flowers, donations in honor of Augusta T. McClure's life may be sent to the Frank Church Institute at Boise State University, 1910 University Drive, Boise, Idaho 83725; contact (208) 426-2941