Posted by Cathy Gowdy on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 at 06:30:45 :
Novato Advance
Wednesday, March 29, 1978
STANLEY ONDERDONK
Memorial service was held last night at the Novato Presbyterian Church for Stanley V. Onderdonk, former principal of Novato High School.
Onderdonk, 56, died Saturday afternoon at his home at 13 Washington Street of an apparent heart attack. He had suffered two previous heart attacks in 1974.
Onderdonk had been associated with the Novato Unified School District since 1961. He served first as vice principal and then as principal of Novato High School from 1967 to 1977. At the time of his death, he was the work experience coordinator at San Marin High School.
Prior to coming to Novato, Onderdonk taught high school at Lemoore, Kelseyville and Orinda, California.
He was a native of Greencastle, Indiana, and later moved to Yellow Springs, Ohio. He attended the University of Ohio and Wittenburg University, Springfield, Ohio, where he received his B.A. He earned his M.A. in education at the University of California, Berkeley.
During World War II, Onderdonk served as a fighter pilot aboard the U.S.S. Hornet and received the Distinguished Flying Cross twice and the Air Medal three times. He survived to plane crashes, one aboard the Hornet and the other into the sea near a Japanese island.
He served four tours of duty with the Navy, the last one as lieutenant commander and executive officer of Patrol Squadron 872 that participated in the hydrogen bomb test in 1962. He also received a presidential unit citation and a number of campaign and area ribbons.
He was recalled to active duty twice, in 1953 for the Korean conflict and in 1961 for the Berlin crisis.
An avid sailor, he owned two sailboats, “Big John” and “ Catalina” and was a member of the Presidio Yacht Club of Fort Baker.
Surviving are his wife, Virginia; a daughter, Kerry Mazzoni; both of Novato; his mother, Grace Bryant of Yellow Springs, Ohio, two brothers, Melvin Onderdonk, of Clearwater, Florida and Allyn Onderdonk, Ashville, North Carolina; and two grandchildren, Casey and Peter, both of Novato.
The family prefers donations to the Stanley V. Onderdonk scholarship fund, c/o Hank Moroski, Novato Unified School District, 1_15 Seventh Street.
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