x
Breaking News
More () »

York County author and former journalist to receive Legion of Honor award

The York County History Center is essentially James McClure's second home, where most of his time is spent researching and writing about the county's history.

YORK COUNTY, Pa. — The Four Chaplains Memorial of York County will host its 31st annual prayer breakfast on Wednesday, May 10.  

As they've done for years, the non-profit will award scholarships to local high school students who attended Alexander D. Goode Elementary School in York. 

Additionally, they will present two Legion of Honor Awards to York County natives who have served others. One of these recipients is James McClure. 

The York County History Center is essentially McClure's second home. He has spent the majority of his time researching and writing about the county's rich history. 

"I think that this town appreciates its history [and] wants to know more, that's one of the beautiful things about York County," McClure told FOX43. 

He's authored nine books about York County history including the area's connection to past U.S. wars, much of which was never written about before. 

"It was a challenge to pull together the overall story when it hadn't been done before, so I had to dig really deep," said McClure. 

The book writing is an extension of his time as a journalist. McClure retired after a 30-year career at the York Daily Record, York Sunday News, where he was an editor for 15 years. 

"What was the biggest accomplishment was doing difficult stories on difficult topics, investigative reporting where we did work that revealed wrongs and righted things," he recalled. 

McClure's commitment to York County has shown what it means to serve others and has earned him this year's Legion of Honor award from the Four Chaplains Memorial of York County. 

The organization recognizes the heroism of the four chaplains who gave up their life jackets to save others when the S.S. Dorchester was torpedoed during World War II. 

One of the four chaplains was York Rabbi Alexander D. Goode. 

For over thirty years the group has provided scholarship money to local students and the Legion of Honor award to those who serve others. 

McClure says he was honored and surprised by the news. 

"When you look at past winners, it's just people that really have given [a] sacrifice in the community and it was just a great honor," he told FOX43. 

He remains focused on various history projects, including an upcoming history book. McClure is also the founder of the popular retro-York Facebook group, a community dedicated to York County. 

"We have the beauty here, the history here, the people here. This is home," he said. 

The fellow Legion of Honor award winner will be Sandra Lee Kearse-Stockton, whose story you can read here

The Four Chaplains Memorial of York County prayer breakfast will be held on May 10 at the Wyndham Garden in York.

Download the FOX43 app here. 

Before You Leave, Check This Out