The Claude
Dortch family became deeply rooted in Texas, Adventism and Southwestern
Adventist College when his grandmother, Delia Miller Dortch moved to
Johnson County in 1862. His grandfather, J. H. Dortch, accepted Adventism
after attending Elder R.M. Kilgore’s tent meeting in Cleburne in 1876.
His father Claude L. Dortch, Sr., graduated from Southwestern in 1915 and
was on the college faculty at the time of Claude’s birth. Claude attended
school in Keene until 1936. In order to earn tuition he worked with his
grandfather in the Dortch Furniture Factory. While attending Southwestern
he met Lucille Masters and they were married Christmas Eve, 1936.
Lucille came to Keene in 1934, attending Southwestern until 1936 also.
She was born into a Sabbath-keeping family whose foremost goal was to
obtain a Christian education for their three daughters. As a fifth grader
at Ozark Academy she won an essay contest for the state of Arkansas on the
subject of temperance. While in school at SWJC, Lucille worked at the
pecan shellery, the laundry and at the press to earn tuition.
A
few years after Claude and Lucille married they moved to Fort Worth where
she worked as a draftsperson for the Chemical Oil Survey and for McLure
and Co., an architectural firm, while Claude was pursuing a career in
aviation at American Flyers, Inc. of Fort Worth, the nation’s foremost
flight school, specializing in instrument training.
Claude took pride in
working for the first technical school to offer a B.S. degree in aviation,
a school which offered flight training from the private level through air
transport pilot and flight engineer inclusive, plus aircraft type ratings.
“I thoroughly enjoyed the years I spent in the aviation business,”
comments Claude. “It was gratifying to see the young fellows get
their ratings and reach their goal of becoming professional pilots.”
In 1966 Claude was promoted to vice-president, and continued with company
until retiring in 1980 after 38 years of continuous service.
Claude and Lucille
have been active members in the Fort Worth First Seventh-day Adventist
Church since 1942. Their many roles have included Claude as building
committee chairman and Lucille as church receptionist. She serves on
the boards for the Hour of Prophecy and the SAC Museum of Student Life.
Homecoming Weekend Brochure
April 8-11, 1993
