Harold David Medley

H. David Medley, retired chemical industry executive, sports fan and ardent supporter of higher education, wanted everyone to know that he “loved Rosie more than the game.” Medley — who died in Georgetown, Texas, Oct. 21 after a long illness — was born, May 23, 1927, in Abilene. He moved to Georgetown when his father, R.M. Medley, took a coaching position with Southwestern University. He graduated from Georgetown High School, and entered the Navy V-5, V-12 program at Southwestern in July 1945. He played basketball at the university – lettering three years — including the 1945-46 Texas Conference basketball championship team coached by his dad. Medley met Rosemary — Rosie — Morris at Southwestern. They married in 1949 in Longview. Medley graduated, magna cum laude, with a BS in chemistry, and pursued his doctorate in Austin. After graduating from UT in 1952 with a doctorate in organic chemistry, he joined the Celanese Chemical Co. in Corpus Christi. Medley transferred to New York City in 1959 (the family lived in Weston, Connecticut) and later to Louisville, Kentucky, until the company brought him back to his home state in 1978. He lived in Irving until Celanese called him back to New York to serve as president of Celanese International Marketing Co., the company’s new international initiative. He came home again in 1984, this time to North Dallas behind the Cooper Aerobics Center, where the fitness-loving Medley became a fixture, and later to The Athena on Northwest Highway. In 1987, he retired from Celanese after more than thirty years of leadership roles. “Dave Medley was one of a kind, well-liked as a Celanese representative and by his fellow employees,” said Harry Bartlett, who was president of Celanese Chemical Co. at the time Medley retired. “We were fortunate enough to have worked together in the petrochemical business during what we always referred to as the golden years of our industry, years of great growth and good earnings. As vice president sales and marketing, Dave played a key role in that growth, and was instrumental in Celanese establishing a name for itself in the chemical business world.” A nearly 50-year member of the American Chemical Society, Medley served on the boards of various industry associations. Among his retirement activities, he traveled the world as well as volunteered regularly at his grandchildren’s school cafeteria, where he became known at Robert S. Hyer Elementary School in University Park as the “granddad in the fish hat.” The Medleys were active members of First Presbyterian Church of Dallas, and he was a Rotary member and multiple Paul Harris Fellow recipient. While in Sun City, Medley regularly attended First Presbyterian Church of Georgetown. “Dad always wanted to play sports, but he knew as a teenager that he lacked the skills to become a star athlete,” said his eldest child, Mary Medley, of Denver, Colorado. “Rather than give up, he applied tenacity, commitment, and a team orientation to everything in life. He always talked of putting navel to the grass. He supplied a good life and example for his four children and six grandchildren.” Among his many philanthropic contributions, Medley donated significant funds to both the University of Texas and Southwestern University, where both he and his father are enshrined in the school’s athletic hall of fame. “I feel like my Ph.D. from the University of Texas was my union card to the business world,” Medley told the UTexas Press recently. “It’s important for me, and hopefully other people, to give back some of the things that they receive from the University of Texas.” Mary Ann Rankin, dean of the College of Natural Sciences at the University of Texas at Austin, fondly recalls Medley’s passion for education and UT. “Dave blessed us for decades with his friendship, kind spirit, guidance, and generosity,” Dean Rankin said. “One of the charter members of the College of Natural Sciences Foundation Advisory Council, Dave was always there to help, bringing his wit as well as his wisdom to all of our meetings. We are fortunate to have known him, and future generations are fortunate that he carried such zest for U.T. I miss him dearly, but I am encouraged by his great legacy that will always be a part of this university.” Among his contributions to the university, Medley established the Rosemary Morris Medley Endowment for Excellence in Teacher Training in honor of his deceased wife, a teacher herself. Medley was inducted into the College of Natural Sciences Hall of Fame in 1996. Southwestern University officials also knew Medley as a constant presence, who gave freely of his time and finances. Medley’s letter jacket from the 1945-46 championship team is on display in the university’s Robertson Center today, and his senior letter blanket is displayed in its Alumni Center. Medley, who has served as vice chair of the Annual Giving Board, was a charter member of the university’s Brown Society and member of the 1840 Society. “No graduate represents the best of what it means to be a Southwestern Pirate than did David Medley,” Southwestern University president Jake B. Schrum said. “Moreover, I know of no one connected to this university who loved it more than he. We want our graduates to be bright, moral, and courageous. His life was exemplary in this regard.” Medley both attended the Pirate sporting events and lent his financial support to the athletic program, noted Southwestern director of intercollegiate athletics Dr. Glada C. Munt. “There are few families that have had as great an impact on Southwestern University Pirate athletics as the Medley family, and David Medley in particular,” she said. “David's induction into the Southwestern University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006 was a sincere tribute to the wonderful contributions he made to the Pirates over the years.” Mary Medley remembers as a child watching her father “‘working hard and playing hard,’ as he would say.” “He followed all his favorite teams; exercising every day – except Sunday when church attendance was expected; and contributing whenever and wherever he could,” she recalled. “Paddle tennis was his game when I was a teenager, and jogging was his daily exercise. We all knew his headstone would someday read: ‘He loved the game.’” Among his many fan highlights, he witnessed firsthand Texas’ 1969 win over Arkansas that prompted President Richard Nixon to proclaim the Longhorns national champions, and the Horns’ consecutive dramatic Rose Bowl wins, including what many have called the greatest championship game in college football history, UT’s 41-38 victory over the University of Southern California in January 2006. His favorite of many fishing expeditions involved peacock bass fishing on the Amazon. Rosemary Medley was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease in 1999, and they continued traveling the world until shortly before her death in 2003, after which he moved fulltime to Sun City in Georgetown. He honored her there by helping care for Alzheimer’s patients once a week to give their full-time caregivers a break. “When my Mom was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s Disease in 1999, Dad added a new cause to his list of philanthropic endeavors,” Mary Medley explained. “Not only did he care for Rosie, but also he put his dollars towards finding a cure. And, he let the family know that his headstone would read instead: ‘He loved Rosie more than the game.’ Stop by the Oddfellow Cemetery in Georgetown, and you can see that he stuck by his commitments.” Medley's legacy as a generous benefactor and active volunteer “will long be remembered by all who knew him,” Southwestern University associate vice president for development Kent Huntsman said. “He was a generous, gentle, kind human being.” Medley is survived by his sister, Nancy Rowley, of Georgetown; daughter Mary Medley, son-in-law Bob Cloud and grandson Kellen Smith of Denver; daughter Charlotte Medley of Dallas; daughter Michelle Medley, son-in-law John Ostdick, and grandchildren Hunter and Madeline Ostdick of Dallas; and son Christopher Medley, daughter-in-law Liz Medley, and three grandchildren, Amy, Christopher, and Weston Medley of San Antonio. A memorial service is planned for November 15 at 11 a.m. in Georgetown at The Gabriels Funeral Chapel. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to the Muscular Dystrophy Association, ALS division, 12750 Merit Dr., Suite 1211 , Dallas , TX 75251, in the name of David and Rosemary Medley.