Clifford Henry Dawson Jr.

Clifford (Cliff to his family and friends) was born 26 June 1950 to Clifford Henry Dawson, Sr. and Patricia Rose Bastian in Washington, D.C. Cliff grew up and attended schools in the Bethesda/Silver Springs area of Maryland. After High School graduation he worked until enlisting in the US Navy in November of 1970. He served aboard the USS Constellation off the coast of Vietnam. He was honorably discharged into the Navy Reserves and returned to Maryland in November of 1972. As a Journeyman painter he worked painting residential and commercial structures in the D.C. until a move to Huntsville, AL to work as a Painting Foreman for NASA at the Marshall Space Flight Center.

Upon hearing about a US Navy installation called the Atlantic Undersea Test and Evaluation Center (AUTEC) located on Andros Island, Bahamas he applied and arrived on Andros in January 1981. Cliff would serve as the Paint Shop Foreman/Supervisor on the AUTEC Project for Andros Ranges for 20 years. During his time at AUTEC he attained his Level III NACE (National Association of Corrosion Engineers) Coatings Inspector Certification in 2014 and also his SSPC (Society of Proactive Coatings) Protective Coatings Specialist Certification. In 2017 he fulfilled all the requirements for NACE International Coating Inspector Training and Certification Program as Inspector #491. These certifications were valuable to all the US Navy and AUTEC facilities on the main base and downrange sites due to the heavy saltwater environment. He maintained the requirements for these certifications until his retirement in 2020.

At AUTEC, Cliff met his beloved wife, Vicky (Bass). They married in 1991 and enjoyed the wonderful life Andros Island afforded them and their son, Alan. Cliff loved scuba diving, deep sea fishing, softball, and GOLF!! He was instrumental in forming the AUTEC Golf Association and planning and maintaining the Andros Driving Range. Hey also helped organize many golf outings and competitions between mainland and island AUTEC golfers.

Vicky and Alan headed to Melbourne, FL for Alan’s schooling in 1998 and in 2001 Cliff finally was able to rejoin them finding work with ITT Industries Systems Division at Patrick Air Force Base (now Patrick Space Force Base) and subsequent contractors. He worked as a System Maintenance Engineer (SME) providing corrosion prevention and maintenance on Radar, Telemetry, Command antennas and associated electronic and mechanical devices for the Space Industry along the Eastern Test Range. Again, his certifications provided valuable expertise for maintaining steel structures and equipment in heavy saltwater environments.

Cliff retired permanently in December 2020 hoping to golf with friends and serve at Faith Fellowship Church in the Melbourne area but family necessities called Vicky and him to Canton, GA to help with Vicky’s mom, Joan. Unfortunately, Parkinson’s began to extract a sad toll on his active body and this last year required 24/7 care. Many thanks to the Diamond Gem Oasis Residential Care Home and its awesome staff and to Affinis Hospice. Both for their compassionate and loving care.

Cliff is already dearly missed by his wife, Vicky; their son, Alan and his wife, Shelley, and their three children; his sister, Daryl Hughes and her husband, Rich; three sisters-in-law and their husbands, Linda (Craig), Cindy (Jeff), and Kathi (Rich); two special cousins, Bill (Alice Anne) and Bob (Barbara); and many nieces and nephews. He will also be missed by his many friends and former coworkers from AUTEC and Patrick SFB. He was preceded in death by both his parents.

Burial will be at a later date at Georgia National Cemetery.