Announce the passing of Ian McClure `76

Announce the passing of...

Ian McClure

Class 1976

Passed away 11/3/07 as a result of a solo car accident on 11/2/07 driving to work.

Wife Barbara

2 children, Evan (age 9) and Robert (age 12)

Director of Product Marketing at Interwoven.

Memorial Services

A celebration of Ian's life was held on Friday, November 16th, 11:00a.m. at Moraga Valley Presbyterian Church. A reception at the church followed the service. Ian was laid to rest at Oakmont Memorial Park in Lafayette.

Moraga, CA 94556

Educational Fund:

With education being such a strong part of Ian's and his family's values, an education trust has been created for his sons so they can follow in their father's footsteps.

Contributions may be made to:

Article from Contra Costa Times 11/13/2007:

By Nargis Nooristani STAFF WRITER

Those who knew him say Ian McClure was a devoted friend, a loving husband and a doting father with a taste for Peet's coffee and foreign beers.

When the 49-year-old Orinda resident died Nov. 5 from an injury sustained in traffic accident, few knew him as the face behind a popular local mascot.

In a long-standing tradition, the identity of Oski -- the playful bear who rallies fans at games for the UC Berkeley Golden Bears basketball team -- is always a mystery. McClure carried on the tradition from 1978-80 while working toward a degree in statistics and computer science at the university.

For nearly 30 years McClure harbored the secret known only by a select group of friends and family.

"He was a very animated person, in and out of the suit," said Bill Bryant, a longtime friend.

Bryant was on the Oski spirit committee during McClure's reign and helped Oski pump up the crowd.

Once in costume, Bryant said his friend would march with his white-gloved hands clasped behind his back and then break into a routine of mimicking a chuckle or ogling women, all without uttering a word.

"He loved doing that kind of stuff," he said. "It fit his personality, and he did it well."

McClure's animated nature did not end in the Oski suit.

Bryant said McClure would seize any opportunity to throw on a costume and entertain. Known as an uncle to Bryant's two children, McClure would show up at their birthday parties outfitted as a superhero or Santa Claus to liven up the occasion.

McClure's wife, Barbara, said her husband had a way of making any situation a special one for their two sons.

To keep the boys from getting bored while sight-seeing in Belgium, McClure concocted a story to make the outing more exciting.

"He told them it was the chocolate capital of the world," Barbara McClure said.

Every half an hour, the family would veer into a chocolate shop for a treat.

"He made everything fun for them," she said.

The children learned of their father's college alter-ego a few years ago and were elated at the notion of him as a mascot.

"They thought it was the coolest thing," she said. "Then it became, the three of them, their secret to keep."

Ron Cordes, another friend dating back to McClure's college days, said his jovial personality and willingness to slap on furry suit for the sake of eliciting a few laughs made McClure the top candidate to fill a duck costume for a Children's Hospital fund-raiser at an Oakland A's baseball game several years ago.

A task that others did for 15 minutes, Cordes said McClure carried on for hours, heckling Jose Canseco and working the crowd into excitement.

"It was probably 300 degrees in the costume," he said. "But he did it whole heartedly."

That was just the kind of person he was, Cordes said.

"They don't make 'em like Ian anymore. He was a good man in every sense of the word," he said. "He was still the best Oski I'd ever seen."