Special Honorary Achievement
In 1927 George McClelland came to Ravenna High School as an Assistant Principal. While serving as an Assistant Principal, he also taught history and was the debate coach for several State Championship teams. George attended night school at Akron University to study law. After obtaining his law degree, he passed the Bar and was admitted to practice in 1933. He was appointed Probate Judge by Governor Martin L. Davey in 1936 and served until his resignation in 1945 to join Ward W. Davis in a law firm. He practiced law actively until he retired in 1985. While in private practice, he ran for the position of City Solicitor in 1948 and successfully held that post along with his law practice for 28 years. In the late 1940’s and early 1950’s he was an active member of a non-partisan organization called the Good Government Group. With his strong leadership that group was successful in ridding Portage County of slot machines and other means of gambling that had ties with many county government officials. In the 1960’s and 1970’s he helped to estabish the Portage County Community Action Council and served as Chairman of their Board of Trustees. The Honorable Judge George McClelland was a brilliant scholar, teacher, jurist, family man and a friend to the common man on the street. His “humanitarian focus” was to improve the living standards of the very poor through education. He helped to establish programs such as Head Start and Literacy classes, and, most importantly, was concerned with preserving the dignity of his fellow man. The “Judge”, as he has always been affectionately known, has always been someone very special to our school district and community as well. For these reasons we accord him this special honor.