Michael McCLAIN

1940 - 2022

McCLAIN, Michael Hamilton

Michael Hamilton McClain, age 81, of Middletown, Ohio, passed away on Friday, June 17, 2022. He was born August 30, 1940, in Middletown, Ohio, the son of Thomas and Blanche (Hamilton) McClain. A graduate of Franklin High School, Michael first attended Kent State, and graduated from Miami University with a Bachelor of Arts in history in 1962. He served in the United States Army from 1963 until his honorable discharge in 1967. He earned a Master of Arts in History at the University of Granada in Spain in 1973. After receiving his degree, Michael became a staff columnist for the newspaper "El Correo Gallego" in Santiago de Compostela, Spain from 1974 to 1984. Michael initially started writing because it connected him to his Irish ancestors, which later led to his interest in Spanish and Iranian studies. He has contributed to several scholarly publications in many different countries, in both the English and the Spanish languages, and has had many published essays.

In 1982, when Pope John Paul II made his first pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela, a copy of an essay Michael had written on St. John of the Cross was among the gifts he was given. Not long afterward, he received a letter from the Vatican saying that John Paul II had expressed his thanks and congratulations for Michael's essay. Michael's book, Persian Traditions and the Influence of Shiism in Spain, was published in 2010. Michael was a member of the National Association of Scholars, and maintained his affiliation with Mensa, Catholics United for the Faith, the Council of the Shia Islamic Organization, the Association of Literary Scholars and Critics, and the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

Michael was named a research fellow by the Global Scholarly Publications. He was also selected and included in multiple editions of Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the Midwest, and Who's Who in the World. Michael was presented with the Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award and was featured on the Albert Nelson Lifetime Achievement website. In 2015, Michael accepted an honorary Doctor of Letters from the International Biographical Centre in Cambridge, England. People who have known Michael very well would say that his character and mentality were medieval and not modern, rural and not urban, and that he was an incurable idealist and romantic.

Michael is preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his sister Merry (Chuck) Wells; his nephew Daniel Wells; niece Elizabeth Wells; great nieces, Sierra (Jon) Gibson, Rachel Wells, and good friends Joe and Peter. The private visitation and memorial service was held on Friday, June 24, 2022, at Breitenbach Anderson Funeral Home, 517 S. Sutphin Street, Middletown, Ohio. Burial was at Miami Valley Memory Gardens, Centerville, OH. Memorial contributions may be made in Michael's memory to Sts. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church. Please visit www.breitenbach-anderson.com to leave online condolences for the family.