Services held for former mayor, county agent

He was a man who loved his community, and in return, the community loved him. Last week, the community had to say goodbye.

Homer Morrison “Flip” Breedlove died Friday, March 23, 2001, in Clarendon. He was 91.

Mr. Breedlove was born April 18, 1909, in Smithville, Texas. He was a graduate of Texas A&M and was a three-year letterman on the Aggie football squad. After college, he moved to Clarendon in 1935 and married Dorothy Lois Phelps here on January 21, 1947.

Mr. Breedlove’s lifelong service to this community began as soon as he moved here and became the County Agent of Donley County, a position he filled for 31 years. He spoke of his days with the Extension Service in a 1999 interview with Mary Beth Nelson for the Enterprise.

“One of the most important things to me was my work with farmers, supplying new information and helping them develop new and better farming methods. My 4H club work with the boys was real important to me, too.”

Nelson wrote that Mr. Breedlove also extended his talents and interests to the area of champion livestock and that among his numerous memorabilia of past activities, some of his most treasured are many pictures of boys with whom he worked and the grand champion animals they raised.

World War II interrupted Mr. Breedlove’s county agent service, and he served approximately 2½ years in the 140 Tank Destroyer Division of the United States Army in Virginia

Following his retirement from the Extension Service, Mr. Breedlove was the Agricultural Representative at the Farmers State Bank for ten years and was associated with the Southwest Life Insurance Company for several years before his retirement.

He was a longtime and beloved member of the First United Methodist Church in Clarendon.

For more than 20 years, Mr. Breedlove was in charge of the July Fourth barbecue held on the courthouse lawn. He served several terms as Clarendon’s mayor from 1970 to 1977.

In a 1972 article in The Clarendon Press, the late Boo Lowe wrote: “Flip has more friends than most anyone because of a quality that is an intricate part of his personality. He has considered everyone he has ever met to be his friend. Longtime friends say they have never heard Flip say a bad word against anyone.”

In 1999, Mr. Breedlove was named the Pioneer Man of the Year by the Clarendon-Donley County Chamber of Commerce.

Mr. Breedlove was preceded in death by a son, “Little Flip,” and a brother, Robert L. Breedlove. He is survived by his wife, Dorothy Breedlove of Clarendon; two sons, H. Mack Breedlove and wife, Jeanette, of Austin and Mike McCleskey and wife, Judy, of Mount Pleasant; three grandchildren, Mark Breedlove, Lisa Davis, and Brandon McCleskey; and a great grandchild, Dallas Davis.

Cremation was under the direction of Memorial Park Crematory in Amarillo. Arrangements were under the direction of Robertson Funeral Directors, Inc., of Clarendon.

Memorial services for Mr. Breedlove were held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 25, 2001, in the First United Methodist Church with Rev. James Ivey Edwards officiating.

The service was marked by upbeat singing by the congregation because, as Rev. Edwards said, “Flip hated ‘draggy’ music.” In a salute to Mr. Breedlove’s passion for his university, “The Spirit of Aggieland” and “The Aggie War Hymn” were played at the conclusion of the service.

“Flip Breedlove,” Mrs. Lowe wrote, “brings to mind a quotation from Fuller – ‘The real difference between men is energy. A strong will, a settled purpose, an invincible determination can accomplish almost anything; and in this lies the distinction between great men and little men.”

Surely, Flip Breedlove was a great man.

In memory of his commitment and love of Texas A&M University, a memorial scholarship will be established.  The family requests that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to the Flip Breedlove Scholarship Fund, c/o Herring National Bank, PO Box 947, Clarendon, Texas 79226, or make a donation to your favorite charity in his name.