burblestein
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BACKGROUND
Clyda Jean Dulaney was born on 24 August 1944 in Stanislaus County, CA. However, at some point her family moved to Ukiah, CA. Clyda attended Pomolita School in Ukiah,where she served tea in a junior fashion show in 1957. She moved onto Ukiah High, where she is known to have played on the sophomore basketball team in 1959 before graduation. She married a local logger, John Ussery. They quickly had three sons. At some point they moved away from Ukiah. However, Clyda parted from Ussery and returned to Ukiah with her three boys. There are two differing accounts of this: one says she left Ussery “a couple of years” before the murder; the other says she parted from the logger only a few months prior to the murders.
Both her grandparents were prominent in the Ukiah business community. Nancy owned Nancy's Antiques, which was located south of Ukiah on Highway 101. Clyde owned Warren's Trailer Sales on North State Street in Ukiah. By October 1968, 24-year-old Clyda had remarried. Her second husband was a California Highway Patrol Officer, Donald Dulaney, aged 49; he was some years older than Clyda's father.
Clyda was temporarily living in a trailer next to her grandmother's home with her three sons, while Dulaney lived in his own apartment. Dulaney shared his apartment in Ukiah with his teen daughter. A realtor was looking for a four bedroom house for Dulaney to buy so the family of seven could be united under a single roof.
It was a situation with some rancor. John Ussery was suing for custody of his sons; he claimed that Clyda's desertion to marry Dulaney showed that she was unstable and an unfit mother. One source states the Dulaney relationship was a common-law one. Another says Clyda's divorce was still in progress, and that it was a bitter one. However, there were also accusations of domestic abuse by Ussery.
Note: Given the mores of the time and place, it may be that other LE personnel extended a sort of professional courtesy to Dulaney regarding the status of his marriage, so as not to embarrass him.
Clyda Jean Dulaney was born on 24 August 1944 in Stanislaus County, CA. However, at some point her family moved to Ukiah, CA. Clyda attended Pomolita School in Ukiah,where she served tea in a junior fashion show in 1957. She moved onto Ukiah High, where she is known to have played on the sophomore basketball team in 1959 before graduation. She married a local logger, John Ussery. They quickly had three sons. At some point they moved away from Ukiah. However, Clyda parted from Ussery and returned to Ukiah with her three boys. There are two differing accounts of this: one says she left Ussery “a couple of years” before the murder; the other says she parted from the logger only a few months prior to the murders.
Both her grandparents were prominent in the Ukiah business community. Nancy owned Nancy's Antiques, which was located south of Ukiah on Highway 101. Clyde owned Warren's Trailer Sales on North State Street in Ukiah. By October 1968, 24-year-old Clyda had remarried. Her second husband was a California Highway Patrol Officer, Donald Dulaney, aged 49; he was some years older than Clyda's father.
Clyda was temporarily living in a trailer next to her grandmother's home with her three sons, while Dulaney lived in his own apartment. Dulaney shared his apartment in Ukiah with his teen daughter. A realtor was looking for a four bedroom house for Dulaney to buy so the family of seven could be united under a single roof.
It was a situation with some rancor. John Ussery was suing for custody of his sons; he claimed that Clyda's desertion to marry Dulaney showed that she was unstable and an unfit mother. One source states the Dulaney relationship was a common-law one. Another says Clyda's divorce was still in progress, and that it was a bitter one. However, there were also accusations of domestic abuse by Ussery.
Note: Given the mores of the time and place, it may be that other LE personnel extended a sort of professional courtesy to Dulaney regarding the status of his marriage, so as not to embarrass him.
