George Clark leaves powerful legacy beyond the classroom
His life of service started in the Memphis schools.
There are many reasons to be proud of my father, George D. Clark Jr.
I mean, everyone loved and admired him! Many of those who hold that admiration are those who were students when he was a teacher or an administrator in the Memphis City Schools system. When I entered high school, my school received students from a junior high (Corry Jr. High) where my father was principal. When I met these students in 10th grade, even as youngsters, they seemed to hold me in some type of “esteem” just because I was Mr. Clark’s daughter. That was pretty cool.
Years later, at high school reunions, I continued to receive inquiries about my dad and friendly “tell him I said hellos.”
When my dad passed last month, at 94 years old, I was so comforted by the kind words people expressed about him:
Gentleman extraordinaire
Exemplified the highest standards in everything he did
Much revered by so many
Expected excellence in our attitudes, athletics, and the arts
Professional at all times, yet approachable
He had a quiet strength
One former Corry student, Denise Keys Johnson, said, “He was our principal at the time of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. While there was unrest in the nation and the communities around us, Corry Jr. High was calm and peaceful.
“My last conversation with Mr. Clark, just before his relocation to Athens (Georgia), took place at the Kroger supermarket. He was just as approachable as he was in 1968. While we were talking, one of my former middle school students approached us and I told her that Mr. Clark had been my principal. He included her in our conversation as if he’d known her all along.”
She added: “I don’t think that we will ever know the full impact of Mr. Clark’s leadership. Many of my classmates were inspired by him and went on to accomplish great things because he expected the best and made us feel valued.”
My dad dearly loved his alma mater, Lemoyne College (now Lemoyne-owen), almost as much as he loved his high school class at Booker T. Washington, many of whom formed what became known as Club 44, so named because they graduated in 1944. Now, Club 44 was a big deal as long as I can remember. They were always meeting, calling each other on the telephone, and socializing together. I think the group has pretty much disbanded now because so many of the class members have died.
As for Lemoyne, my dad always supported the school by attending any fundraising events. Whenever he had out-of-town guests, he would proudly drive them past Lemoyne and brag about his days there. When the school started erecting dormitories and developed the housing community across from the school on Walker Street, he was as proud as could be.
When my dad got a granddaughter and she was a little tyke, he never failed to take her to the Children’s Museum on Central Avenue every time we came home to Memphis. She loved it! Now, when I was a little girl, our hangout was the Memphis Fairgrounds. It was a permanent amusement park at that time. My dad, my cousins and I were frequent weekend guests there and my dad was courageous enough to brave the rickety roller coaster called the Pippin. I will never forget that!
When Southland Mall was brand new, I remember visiting it for the first time. My dad thought this was the finest retail venue ever! Then there was the Mid South Coliseum, that completely round building that none of us had ever seen the likes of. He thought that was pretty remarkable too. My high school graduation was held there, and we thought we were “hot stuff.”
You know, I think my dad was just enthusiastic about anything that was Memphis. He was quite content, however, about moving to Athens to be close to my family and me and he never complained or commented about wanting to go home. But then again, complaining wasn’t his style. Over the years, he bloomed where he was planted and when his family was part of the mix, that made it even better!
Three years ago my dad returned to Memphis for a niece’s graduation at his beloved Lemoyne-college and visited Collins Chapel, which held a welcomehome reception following the service. This was a touching capstone for a life of service that started in the Memphis schools.
Natalie Clark Lett is a retired educator from Athens, Georgia, and the daughter of George Clark.