Robert Gridley Chadderdon
April 24, 1922 – January 03, 2017
Robert Gridley Chadderdon was born April 24, 1922 to Lewis William and Lucille Chadderdon in Slick, Oklahoma. He departed this life January 3, 2017 in Bristow at the age of 94 years, 8 months and 10 days.
Bob Chadderdon was only 14 years old when he headed to the oilfields of Kansas to earn money during the summer of 1936. He wasn’t a kid who walked the streets of Bristow or spent leisurely summer hours swimming in the city park pool.
Chadderdon described his father as a “hard worker” and that is certainly a trait that he passed on to his son. So it might be expected that after graduation, Chadderdon headed to college. He was at the University of Oklahoma when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor and like many of his generation, he immediately signed up for combat.
One of his best friends was Quince Brown, a highly decorated fighter pilot, and it was partially his influence along with Bob’s lust for adventure that led Chadderdon to become a fighter pilot.
His training occurred mainly in Texas at Randolph Field in San Antonio and Moorfield in McAllen. It was immediately clear that Chadderdon was a natural pilot with fearless attitude. He was first assigned to duty in Panama.
Chadderdon, who only reluctantly shared the details of his military career as well as his business success, explained that the protection of the Panama Canal was a major focus of the United States which believed that the Japenese were actively seeking to take control of the canal which would have severely hampered the supply lines to the Far East. Chadderdon flew a P-40 fighter that strafed and dive bombed enemy targets, carrying a 1,000 pound bomb.
His assignment was soon transferred to southern Italy where the Germans were dug in and well-armed. He flew with the 324th fighter group, which served primarily in the Mediterranean, African, and Middle East Theatres. It was a highly decorated organization, earning the French Croix de Guerre with Palm for supporting French forces during the campaigns for Italy and France, 1944-1945.
During his amazing military career, Chadderdon flew 93 combat missions and was shot down twice.
After the war, he again went to work with oilfield equipment and over the next few years built one of the largest oilfield equipment companies in the world. His offices in New York and Houston led him to travel throughout the Middle East, Indonesia and to countries that were rarely mentioned in nightly newscast of the era.
He and his wife of 70 years, Norma always knew they would return to Bristow and when Bob decided to retire, they did.Since the early 1980’s, the Chadderdons made Bristow “home again”. They were quietly responsible for a large number of philanthropic programs ranging from arts to education.
He was a member of the Bristow High School class of 1940, one of the most charitable of all the alumni classes, where many youth benefited from their generosity.
He is survived by his wife, Norma Chadderdon; three children, Lynn Chadderdon, Karen Koop and Robert Chadderdon.
A memorial service will be hosted by the First United Methodist Church for immediate family and close friends.
