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“The world is what it is. Men who are nothing, who allow themselves to become nothing, have no place in it.”
A Bend in the River by V.S. Naipaul
Louis Clark was far from nothing and his tenacious resolve created a wonderful life for him in the town of his birth: Greenville.
Louis was born into a pioneer Texas family. In 1882, Louis’s great grandfather James Madison Clark brought his wife and ten adult children to Hunt County from Union Springs, Alabama. They settled near Kingston where they bought land to farm cotton. Eventually the Clarks established a bank in Celeste. Hard work was the enduring legacy of this patriarch and learned in turn by Louis from his father Irvin. A day job was never enough as there were hours in the evenings or weekends not to be wasted. As farming in Hunt County turned to ranching, Louis found a great passion in raising cattle and horses, in rodeos, in livestock auctions, and anywhere in Texas where cowboys gathered. Through this passion arose a true friendship with Tommy Hill and J.D. Miller. Louis would later find great cowboys -- his grandsons Caleb, Clark, and Weston – and the endless hours they spent together with their horses.
Louis Benton Clark was born 15 July 1931 to Irvin Clark and Genevieve Linehan Clark. He was the second son and the heir to the convivial tradition of his mother’s Irish immigrant family. Christmas with the Linehans on St. John’s Street were fun (after all, they had survived prohibition). It is a family tradition that has endured.
In 1951, at age 20, in short order he volunteered for service in the U.S. Air Force and proposed to his great love Patricia Young. They married on 4 August 1951. After a three -day honeymoon, Louis left for Kadena Air Base in Okinawa where he worked on rescue helicopters. He vividly remembered the planes that nightly bombed North Korea. It was his longest absence from his wife and from Texas. He hated it. So, he never let it happen again and never left his beloved wife Patsy.
Louis completed his military service in San Marcos, Texas and returned to Greenville. He worked nights at Temco (now L-3) until he completed his Bachelor of Business Administration at East Texas State College in 1958. After 23 years, he left E-Systems to join Citizens Bank where J.L. Huffines taught him the business of banking. “Huff” was forever his mentor. Louis loved banking. He rode the highs and lows square in the saddle, and persevered through the boom and bust of Texas during the 1980s and 90s. He retired from JP Morgan Chase Bank in Greenville.
For Greenville, he was a tireless enthusiast. He served two terms on the city council in the early 1970s, as elder in Grace Presbyterian Church, on the E-Systems Credit Union Board, and on the Board of the Land Bank from 1989 through 2007. He believed agriculture – the reason Hunt County was settled – would always play an important roll it its economy.
Louis Clark died Monday, 16 April 2018, at his home. He is survived by his wife of sixty-five years Patsy, his son Louis Irvin, his daughters Tamara and Shauna, his grandsons Clark Brashears, Caleb Clark, Weston Brashears, and his niece Candace Snow. He was pre-deceased by his daughter Catanna, his grand-daughter Jessica, and his brother Thomas.
Memorials may be made in Louis’ memory to the Audie Murphy/American Cotton Museum, P.O. Box 347, Greenville, Texas 75403 or a charity of choice.
A memorial service will be held 2 P.M., Saturday, April 21, 2018 at Coker-Mathews Funeral Home Chapel with Dr. John T. Tate officiating. Visitation will be 1 P.M. until service time.