Dr Edward (Ted) Alexander McClatchie, BSc, PhD (died 27 November 2020, aged 79)
Obituary submitted by Ted’s brother, Colin McClatchie
Ted died at his home in Orinda, California on the evening of 27th November. Born in Belfast on 6th October 1941, from 1952 he lived at Lylo in Portadown, where his father James was Senior Cashier at the Ulster Bank in High Street. He attended Portadown College and won a scholarship to Queen’s University Belfast in 1959, having achieved the third best exam results in Northern Ireland. He obtained a First Class Honours degree in Physics at Queen’s and subsequently was awarded a PhD in Nuclear Physics at Westfield College, London.
In 1967 Ted married Adeline Clingan, his Portadown College contemporary (and Head Girl). Adeline’s father owned a well-known grocery and dairy business in West Street. Shortly after their marriage Ted and Adeline moved to California, where their son Iain and daughter Sharon were born. Initially Ted worked as a research scientist in the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory of the University of California, Berkeley. In 1969 he was one of the founders of Andros, which became a world leader in the manufacture of infrared gas analysers. During his time there he represented Andros in visits to more than 80 countries, helping it become a major international company.
He retired in 1996, but having decided within six months that retirement life was not for him, he became involved with another company, Crestline, which he helped to make internationally successful.
In 2013 Ted was diagnosed with Stage 4 bowel cancer and given a maximum of six months to live. That he survived another seven years is testament to his strong character and fighting spirit. He died peacefully with Adeline, Iain and Sharon by his side. He is also survived by his brother Colin, who lives in the west of Scotland, and his sister Niki (Mrs Sam Moore) in Ballymoney.
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