Howard Charles CLARK

Ph.D., Sc.D., Hon Ll.D., F.R.S.C, Hon. F.C.I.C. 1929 – 2024 Passed away peacefully, after a brief hospital stay on August 14, 2024, with family at his side. Predeceased by his soulmate and best friend, Isabel Joy Dickson-Clark; beloved father of Carolynn Clark (Cameron Smillie) and Kristin (Rob) Wilkie; and loving grandfather of John (Kat) Wilkie and Kiri Wilkie. Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Howard began his academic life at Takapuna Grammar School, continuing on to Auckland University College, where he received B.Sc., M.Sc., and Ph.D. (1954). Participation in church and tennis brought Joy (nee Dickson) into his life, and they married in 1954, embarking on 58 years of shared travel, academic pursuits and family life. After two years at the University of Cambridge, UK, where he earned a second Ph.D., Howard and Joy set out on a new adventure, moving to Vancouver in 1957. Having accepted an appointment in the Chemistry Department at UBC, they eagerly began to explore the beauty of the Canadian Rockies, embarking on escapades featuring bears and remote mountain roads in vehicles of questionable roadworthiness. With his academic career blossoming, Howard and his young family moved to London, Ontario, in 1965, taking an appointment as Senior Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Western Ontario and becoming Department Head soon thereafter. Developing an international reputation in chemistry, with over 250 refereed academic articles, Howard delighted in mentoring graduate students and post-doctoral fellows, many of whom became lifelong friends. Appointed in 1976 as Vice-President Academic, University of Guelph, he worked to advance the international reputation of that institution. Having built a home in the countryside near Guelph, he took up gardening and proudly harvested assorted vegetables with grudging acknowledgment that the local groundhogs were successfully outwitting him. In 1986, Howard accepted the invitation to become the ninth President and Vice-Chancellor of Dalhousie University in Halifax, NS, where he led with great distinction and decisive leadership through a period of financial crisis and much reduced funding. He was an outspoken and influential advocate for rationalization of the university system in Nova Scotia. He was eager to strengthen Dalhousie's undergraduate teaching and reinforce major areas of research strength. Truly a citizen of the global academic community, he understood the importance of internationalizing our universities. Valuing wide access to university education, he promoted affirmative action. Guided in his work by kindness and intellectual rigor, and deploying a bit of dry humor along the way, he retired in 1995, leaving behind a financially strong and administratively reshaped university. Howard was extensively involved in the Chemical Institute of Canada, serving as President in 1983/84. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada since 1975, he also served on many committees of NRC and NSERC, and was a member of the National Advisory Board on Science and Technology, 1990-93. He was awarded Honorary D.Sc. degrees from both the University of Victoria and the University Guelph, and an Honorary Ll.D. degree from Dalhousie University. During his Dalhousie years, Howard and Joy took great delight in the beauty of Nova Scotia's seascapes and time with their Haligonian friends, but it was to their country home near Guelph that they retired. His career had provided opportunity for extensive worldwide travel and the sustaining of academic friendships around the globe. That love of travel continued in the early years of retirement, with Howard gracefully accepting his role as chief "carrier-of-luggage and outsized travel treasures" that had been acquired along the way. Although he had become a Canadian citizen, he remained a proud New Zealander throughout his life, always enjoying return trips to renew his Kiwi connection with family and friends. During his retirement, Howard was proud to participate in the planning and creation of Hospice Wellington (Guelph). He authored the 2003 book, Growth and Governance of Canadian Universities: An Insider's View. A longtime member of Dublin Street United Church (Guelph) and always intellectually curious, his later years included study of spirituality. By necessity, his career had required understanding the political landscape of the moment and more than a few family dinners featured his formidable debating skills as the politics of the day were dissected. A steadfastly loyal life partner, Howard cared lovingly for Joy during her declining years at home, where they were nurtured by the rural beauty of their Guelph property and their beloved Sheltie dogs. In his later years, he resided at The Village of Arbour Trails (Guelph), where he remained fiercely independent, remarkably resilient, enjoyed snoozing with his much-loved cat, and took enormous delight in time spent with family. Cremation has taken place, with a private service of remembrance to follow in the weeks ahead. For those who wish, please consider donating to Hospice Wellington or Dublin Street United Church (Guelph). Arrangements entrusted to the Wall-Custance Funeral Home Chapel, 519-822-0051 or www.wallcustance.com. A tree will be planted in memory of Howard C. Clark in the Wall-Custance Memorial Forest.