James E. Clark

James E. Clark or "Mr. Clark" as he was known to thousands of students over the years, died on April 19, 2013. He had a rarely known cancer of the bone marrow known as "Waldenstroms" for 14 years. Graveside services will be held at 3 p.m., Saturday, April 27th at Guarding Angels Cemetery, 2595 Road L N.E., Moses Lake. Please sign the online guestbook or leave a note for the family at www.kayserschapel.com. Arrangements are in care of Kayser's Chapel & Crematory.

April 3, 1927 was a beautiful spring Sunday in the little town of Mutual, Oklahoma. The extended Clark family was planning to meet for dinner as usual at the grandparents' home. On this day, James was born just in time for dinner. He was the first child for his father and mother, Vernon and Catherine Clark.

James and his little brother, Charles, lived a carefree childhood in Oklahoma until the Great Depression and the terrible prairie dust storms of the 1930s drove the family seek a better life in the town of Twisp, WA in 1936. James graduated valedictorian from Twisp High School in 1945 just as World War II was ending.

With the promise of a job while attending college, he hitchhiked to Eastern Washington College of Education at Cheney, WA now known as EWU, and began his jobs of trash collecting and cafeteria dishwasher. In time , he moved up to the job of general handyman. And so James began the next 4 years of college education. Summers found him hitchhiking north and south, east and west hunting for every kind of job to pay for his schooling. No job was too small. He propped apple trees, picked pears, tore down old buildings, bottled grape juice, worked nightshifts freezing peas, hauled coal, watered lawns, packed prunes, etc., etc.

When James was a sophomore, he met a fellow student from Walla Walla, Harriett DeBoer, who became the love of his life. They married in 1948. With his earnings, James paid for both of them to graduate in 1949. With BA degrees and lifetime teaching certificates, they began their teaching careers in Pateros, WA. James taught 7th grade and was assistant high school basketball and track coach. He developed a physical education program for the elementary school. During the summer he worked for the Washington State Parks Department as a lifeguard at Alta Lake State Park. He voluntarily gave swimming lessons to children, who were bussed from the local communities of Pateros, Twisp, Winthrop, Brewster and Bridgeport. After 5 years, he taught history in Brewster high school. Two years later, he accepted a teaching position in social studies at Moses Lake High School where he became head of the department.

Two daughters were born to James and Harriett: Deborah in 1952, and Rebecca in 1956. Twin boys, Richard and Kevin, joined the family when they were adopted as babies from Korea in 1968. In 1967 the family had moved to Dallas, Oregon for a full year when James received a fellowship to study geography education with a federal grant ending with a Masters Degree. He joined 25 teachers from across the United States for the program. He was given a sabbatical leave from Moses Lake with a promise that he would return to teach in Moses Lake for 2 years. He returned to Moses Lake until he retired in 1979.

Retirement did not stop James. For the next 8 years he filled in for teachers who were unable to be at work in every Moses Lake school in grades 4 through 12. As a member of the Central Basin Audubon Society he was president for 8 years, developed and presented classroom programs on birds, the joys of observing nature, the protection of wildlife, and conducted field trips to the Columbia Wildlife Refuge. These were for grades 2 through 6 in Royal City, Othello, Moses Lake, Warden and Ephrata. He was also invited to present nature programs to civic groups and retirement homes.

He is survived by his wife (of 64 years), Harriett; four children; eight grandchildren; brother, Charles Clark, Moses Lake; sister, Dorothy Clark, Cheney.

In lieu of flowers, if you wish to honor James, he would wish you to make a gift to Common Cause at: 1133 19th Street, NW, 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20036 * (202) 833-1200 * www.commoncause.org.