Audley McCain Obituary

MCCAIN, Audley Captain Audley H. McCain, U.S. Navy (Ret.) of Charleston, died Wednesday, December 22 at the age of 85 after an extended illness. Captain McCain had a distinguished career as a Naval Officer. Following his retirement from the Navy, he continued to serve in leadership roles as the Executive Director of the Charleston County Bicentennial Committee and Assistant Director of the Patriot's Point Naval and Maritime Museum. The relatives and friends of Capt. and Mrs. McCain are invited to attend the funeral services of the former, Monday, December 27, 2004, at ten-thirty o'clock in The Episcopal Church of St. Peter and St. John. Interment at two o'clock in Beaufort National Cemetery. Friends may call at J. HENRY STUHR, INC., DOWNTOWN CHAPEL, Sunday, between four and six o'clock. Captain McCain was born in 1919 in McCormick, South Carolina, and was the son of the late Fred McCain and Frances Katherine Marsh. He attended the Citadel for three years prior to accepting an appointment to the Naval Academy, from which he graduated in 1942 with the class of 1943. His service included destroyers in the World War II European/Mediterranean and Pacific theatres followed by service in the Korean War. After which time, his duties afloat were on destroyers, of which he commanded Destroyer Division 21 and Destroyer Squadron Six. In addition to his assignments afloat, Captain McCain had numerous tours of duty ashore in the U.S. and Europe, including research in weapons development and program management in the Bureau of Naval Weapons. He completed engineering graduate studies at the Naval Post -Graduate School and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also completed a graduate course in the filed of political science at the George Washington University and graduated from the National War College. He was head of the Weapons Department (System Engineering) at the U.S. Naval Academy before being stationed in Charleston as Commander of Destroyer Squadron Six. Upon retirement from the Navy in 1972, Captain McCain played an integral role in the creation of Patriot's Point through his involvement with both the Charleston County Bicentennial Committee and the Patriot's Point Development Authority. He was responsible for planning Charleston's Bicentennial Celebration in 1976, and for bringing the aircraft carrier Yorktown to the Charleston Harbor. After four years of planning and three years of operations on the Yorktown, he retired in 1979 as Assistant Director of the Naval and Maritime Museum. After his second retirement, Captain and Mrs. McCain, accompanied by their dogs, enjoyed traveling for 14 years throughout the United States, Canada and Alaska in their Airstream travel trailer. These travels included numerous meetings with their children and families. Captain and Mrs. McCain (Marjorie) have been married for sixty years. Captain McCain was a member of the Charleston Lions Club and the Retired Military Officers Association. Captain McCain is survived by his wife of Charleston, SC; 1 son, Mark McCain and his wife Dene of Dataw Island, SC; 1 daughter, Judy McCain Hubich and her husband John of Winston-Salem, NC; and a granddaughter Amanda Hubich. He was preceded in death by a son, Audley (Lee) McCain, Jr. Memorials may be made to The Episcopal Church of St. Peter and St. John, 1393 Miles Dr. Charleston, SC 29407. Visit our guestbook at www.charleston.net/deaths.