Clark_Henry “R”_28 Jun 1917

Lt. Henry “R” Clark, USN (Ret.), 77, died Aug. 12, 1994, at his home in Boise.

Lt. Clark was born June 28, 1917, in Malad City, Idaho, the son of Thomas and Florence Clark. He attended school in Malad City, and was an outstanding school athlete. He left school at the age of 16 and joined the U.S. Navy during the Depression, when entry into the services was very selective.

Lt. Clark remained in the Navy for 24 years, rising from seaman 2nd to receiving a commission as an ensign, and later earning the rank of full lieutenant. He served in the China Fleet, the Philippines, many stateside assignments, and back to the Philippines at the end of his active service in 1957.

Lt. Clark served in World Ward II in the Philippines, was captured by the Japanese on Bataan, and survived the Death March to remain in prison camps in Japan until the end of the war.

After the war he became a commissioned officer and served as a diver, EOD/UDT officer, OX of the minesweeper Towhee AM 388, and as XO of the Naval Ammunition Depot in Subic Bay, Phillipines Islands.

He also qualified as an expert with both rifle and pistol. He was on the Navy Rifle and Pistol Team, and fired at the Camp Perry matches on a number of occasions. He was an expert on the skeet range. His service-related honors and awards are too numerous to mention.

Subsequent to his naval service, at the age of 40 and without a high school diploma, Lt. Clark decided to attend college and become a teacher. After passing entrance exams, Lt. Clark graduated from Idaho State College with honors in 1961, and later earned a master’s degree in natural science at the University of Idaho.

He taught science at Blackfoot High School, Blackfoot, Idaho for 18 years, retiring in 1979. In addition to being an outstanding teacher who enriched the educational experience for a generation of students, Lt. Clark also served as athletic director for a time, and was a varsity football referee throughout southern Idaho.

While his later years were clouded by ill health, Lt. Clark continued to be an inspiration to members of his family and all who knew him.

He is survived by a son, Henry J. (Hank) Clark, and wife, Jean; a son, Cdr. Roger N. Clark, USN and wife Carole; a daughter, Bernice Scarborough and husband, Dale; a daughter, Joanne George and husband, David; a sister Mae Clark, along with seven grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Ida B. Clark, in 1990.

Services will be held at Cloverdale Funeral Home in Boise at 6 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 20, 1994. Burial will be in Arlington National Cemetery on Wednesday, Aug. 24, 1994.

Memorials in lieu of flowers may be made to scholarship funds at either Idaho State University or the University of Idaho.