The National Auto Auction Association shared the announcement about the passing of Ray Clanton, part of the brother tandem that took the lead in running the auction founded by their father and now known as Manheim Darlington. Clanton died on March 15 in Darlington, S.C. He was 89.

Clanton’s Auto Auction began as Dealers Motor Auction in 1943. During the next six decades, the operation grew to be one of the largest in the Southeast, as Manheim Darlington now registers 1,300 vehicles each week for regular sales that happen on Thursdays. Manheim Darlington was one of the honorees highlighted last year among the “Best Auto Auctions to Work For.”

Ray Clanton tried to instill a customer-first approach when he was general manager.

“Clanton’s has grown in multiples since it started in the early 1940s, but it has never grown too big to listen to its customers,” Clanton said in an auction history article published by NAAA in 2013. “Dealers seem to appreciate that because some of them have been coming back to Clanton’s for more than five decades.”

According to the obituary NAAA shared with Auto Remarketing, Ray Clanton became the owner of Clanton’s Auto Auction along with his brother J.C. Clanton Sr. in 1985.

Before getting into the auction business, Ray Clanton was an accomplished athlete. He graduated in 1945 from St. John’s High School and was active in all sports. Receiving a four-year college scholarship, he attended Clemson University and played football as a left guard under legendary coach Frank Howard. After graduation in 1949, Clanton remained at Clemson to serve on the coaching staff and later volunteer coached at St. John’s High School.

As a young man, Clanton served with the Darlington County National Guard in the medical unit. He served as a board member of the Darlington County Board of Education, First National Bank of Darlington, Wachovia Bank of Darlington, and the Darlington Country Club and a member of the Brockington Hunt Club. A faithful and dedicated member of the Presbyterian Church, he served as a Sunday School teacher, superintendent, deacon and on numerous committees.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to the Darlington Presbyterian Church for the Mozambique Bible Project or the Susan Johnson Memorial Fund at 311 Pearl Street, Darlington, S.C. 29532.