Earl B. Clark ’55
Deceased May 2, 2010
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In Memory
Earl came up from Westfield High School along with Dave Anderson, Bob Grant and me. Mental stretches lay ahead for each of us. Earl took to the life of third floor/Stearns Hall: late afternoon talk-sessions in someone’s crowded room, dinner at Valentine, and—later—taking in the flick uptown. In spring vacation of freshman year, Deane Tank, Brook Born, Bob Herd, Earl and I piled into Earl’s ’47 Mercury convertible and drove through the night to Fort Lauderdale. Who wouldn’t like all this?
Earl made friends readily and cemented even more friendships when he joined Chi Psi. He came back for our sophomore fall but chose not to return after Thanksgiving. He signed up with the U.S. Marine Corps, trained in radio communications and was sent to Korea. The U.S. Marine Corps turned out to be a good match with him. (He stayed in the reserve and flourished in it.) He found structure and purpose that he hadn’t found elsewhere. Back home, Earl worked for Allied Signal. He liked the life around Seventh and Broadway and the camaraderie that went with it. The corporation recognized his gifts as a host. They let him think up stylish excursions—like chartering a launch to view, rail-to-rail, the America’s Cup races off Newport.
Earl’s second marriage was a particularly happy one. In the late ’90s, Earl and Robin left New Jersey and came out to live Northeast of Phoenix. Cancer came upon him. He lived a year under it. Had witty remarks been the cure, he would have beaten the disease. He died at home amid his supportive family May 2. There was a military caste to his final services. 'The soldiers’ music and the rites of war speak loudly for him.
Robert Allen ’55