Melvin Flock Obituary

Former Durango mayor, city councilor, agriculturist, Hollywood location scout and hotel operator Melvin Virgil Flock died Friday, Jan. 9, 2009, in Peoria, Ariz. He was 93.

Mr. Flock was born Feb. 9, 1915, on a farm near Corydon, Ind. He was active in 4-H as a child and won many blue ribbons, including the distinction of "Best All-Around 4-H boy in Indiana" in 1933. This title earned him a four-year scholarship to Purdue University. He arrived in West Lafeyette with less than $10 in his pockets and worked throughout the Depression in corn production for Purdue.

After graduating from Purdue in 1937 with a bachelor of science in agriculture, he worked in the poultry division of Swift and Co. in Taylor, Texas, and later in Waterloo, Iowa.

He next worked at Anderson Box Co. in Indianapolis, a manufacturer of chick-shipping boxes and poultry equipment, in charge of the experimental division.

It was during this time that he met his future wife, Irene Kaufmann. Mr. Flock then accepted a job as assistant county agriculture agent for Clark County, Ind., and soon after, married Ms. Kaufmann on April 20, 1940, in Indianapolis.

In 1941, Mr. Flock took a job as a county agriculture agent for Brown County, Ind., and later worked as a poultry specialist for southern Indiana and turkey specialist for the state at Purdue University.

Mr. Flock next worked with De Kalb Agricultural Association in Sycamore, Ill. He helped lead research into the development of a hybrid chicken.

The Flocks settled in Durango in 1953.

Mr. Flock sold corn to the Navajo Nation shortly after moving to the region. For years, the Flocks operated the Hillside Motel, later renamed the Alpine North. Mr. Flock worked with other members of the Durango Motel Association to build the A-frame house that housed the Durango Chamber of Commerce on Main Avenue.

Mr. Flock served two terms on the Durango City Council in the 1960s, which included two stints as mayor.

"He was a real mentor to me," his grandson, David, said from his home in Peoria, Ariz. "He was well-liked, well-respected. He had lots of friends. I really feel like he helped establish Durango to what it is today. He helped turn a cowboy town into a resort area."

He was also a member of the Governor's Colorado Motion Picture and Television Commission under three governors. One of his duties was to serve as a motion picture and television scout for the Durango Chamber of Commerce.

He worked as a driver for more than 30 motion pictures and television productions. He worked with James Cagney, Jimmy Stewart, Audie Murphy and John Wayne, said his son Robert Flock of Durango.

He talked a movie crew into having Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid jump into the Animas River for a scene from the movie filmed just north of Durango.

He worked on "City Slickers," "Naked Spur," "Night Passage," "How the West Was Won," "Around the World in Eighty Days" and "National Lampoon's Vacation," among many others.

David Flock recalled a story his grandfather delighted in reliving. For the filming of a John Wayne movie, a production company brought in Norman Rockwell to draw portraits of the stars.

After Mr. Rockwell and his wife dozed off in a field behind Mr. Flock's parked car, Mr. Flock went to leave, nearly running over the famous artist in the process.

The Flocks moved to Sun City, Ariz., in 1992 where he was an active member of the Artistic Stained Glass Association and Marinette Clay Corner Club. He was also an active member of the Willowbrook United Methodist Church of Sun City.

Mr. Flock was preceded in death by his wife Irene. He is survived by his sons Robert of Durango and Richard of Hesperus; two grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

A service will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 15, 2009, at the First United Methodist Church in Durango. The Rev. Jeff Huber will officiate. Burial will follow at Greenmount Cemetery.