Obituary:
OBITUARY:
John Rodney Clark, Sr. passed away suddenly on March 4, 2017. Born November 30, 1947, in Washington, D.C. to Fannie J. (Clark) Hawthorne and Julius R. Clark, Sr., he graduated from Coolidge High School and went on to earn his Bachelor's Degree from Howard University and Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Cornell University. Mr. Clark had over 35 years of Federal service, beginning as a Management Intern in the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission and rising through various administrative management positions in the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). He ascended to the highest level of the Senior Executive Service (SES) and retired from his role as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Resource Management in the Office of Science in 2004.
Mentorship was a key component of his life. Mr. Clark's initial mentees were his sons, who each attained postgraduate degrees from top universities. He formally and informally guided dozens of men and women at DOE to higher levels of professional achievement. Mr. Clark volunteered thousands of hours to guiding young African-Americans in his church's Boys Rites of Passage Program, to providing valuable advice and direction to young MBAs enrolled in Cornell University's Johnson Graduate School of Management, and to advising/supporting his mentees throughout their lives. Due to his untiring community service efforts and exceptional professional achievements, Mr. Clark was one of the first recipients of President George H.W. Bush's "Thousand Points of Light" Award (1990), and was the second recipient of Cornell University's Wilbur Parker Distinguished Alumni Award (2004). These were two of many recognitions for his service to his country, his profession, and his community.
Mr. Clark is survived by his beloved and loving wife of 43 years, Diane G. Clark (MAT); elder son, John R. Clark, Jr., MD, FAAP and daughter-in-law, Chanelle Clark, MD, FACOG of Houston, TX; younger son, Kevin J. Clark (MBA) and daughter-in-law Udanda N. Clark, CPA (MAC) of Walnut Creek, CA; four grandchildren: Camille, Harrison, Claire (John & Chanelle) and Campbell (Kevin & Udanda); his sister, Jeannette Morsell (Mike); his brother, Roger Clark (Marsha); and numerous Godsons, nephews, nieces, and cousins.
The Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, March 25th, tentatively set at 1pCT, at the Windsor Village United Methodist Church, 6000 Heatherbrook Drive, Houston, TX 77085 (Kirbyjon H. Caldwell, Senior Pastor).
Should friends desire, contributions in Mr. Clark's memory may be directed to the Office of Diversity & Inclusion at Cornell's Johnson Graduate School of Management (
http://www.johnson.cornell.edu/giving). Please annotate your gift with "In memory of John Rodney Clark, Sr." The school plans to honor his memory at its 2017 Diversity Symposium in October. Monetary gifts can also be mailed to Johnson School at Cornell University c/o Ben Davis Office of Alumni Affairs and Development 130 E. Seneca Street, Suite 400, Ithaca, NY 14850.