Kenneth M. Claypool; Orange Pioneer

Kenneth M. Claypool, 96, Orange pioneer and member of the city’s Old Town Steering Committee who helped put the town’s plaza on the National Register of Historic Places. Born in Missouri, Claypool moved with his family to San Francisco and then to Orange in 1908. After graduating from Orange Union High School, he served in the Army during World War I. He worked for Standard Oil in Santa Ana, Anaheim and Hollywood and then opened his own business, Claypool’s Bakery, in Orange. Intrigued by radio and television as they developed, Claypool started selling sets from the bakery and then founded Claypool’s Radio. Active throughout his life in the First United Methodist Church of Orange, Claypool organized the XYZ Club in 1970 to organize tours for senior citizens. In his later years, Claypool planned and led more than 700 trips for the group. On Sunday in Orange.