Clifford Hughes Clark, born January 13, 1927, passed on December 29, 2025, two weeks shy of his 99th birthday.
Cliff, or 'Red' because of his vibrant orange hair, was born and raised in Los Angeles. His father Marcus was a lawyer and his mother India was an aspiring actress. He was the second of five brothers and a sister. Born shortly before the stock market crash, he grew up during the Depression. They moved frequently for lack of rent money, struggling as did so many.
At North Hollywood High School, he studied airplane mechanics, because his only ambition was to fly fighter planes in the war. He joined the army at 17 and was accepted into the Air Corps. Because he was underage, he was sent to universities for training - Stanford and University of Montana—before joining the regular service to begin flight training. He learned quickly that an inner ear problem made flying gut wrenching (literally). And then, to his chagrin, the war ended and he was moved into the regular army.
For his last year of service, he was stationed at Greensboro, North Carolina where he managed several mess halls. This was not his plan, and at one point went AWOL and drove his motorcycle to Canada. He was arrested and sent back to base. His captain kept him out of confinement because Cliff was a very good typist and the only person who was aware the captain had a family in Minnesota and another in England. Near the end of his service, he drove his Model A Ford chassis to a gas station in town where he and his buddies stole a roadster body, which he drove home to California.
Upon arrival in LA he took and passed the entrance exam at USC law school. In his second year the dean told Cliff he shouldn't be there because he had no undergraduate degree. He was mistakenly let in because of the swirl of GIs coming home from service. But they let him stay because his grades were good and upon finishing, took the bar exam and became California's youngest lawyer.
While studying law, he reconnected with a high school friend, Mary Lee Stever, fell in love, got married, and built a life and family with her until her passing in 2012.
He went to work in his father's law practice on 3rd and Broadway. Cliff and Mary Lee lived in a small house in Van Nuys and had three children. They often camped at Oceano State Park. In 1957, they decided to head north and start a life in the South County. They moved to Arroyo Grande, and he opened a law practice in Grover City. While he was not sure there would be enough work to feed his family, the office door opened and the line of clients never ended.
As did so many of his generation, he joined a number of organizations. He led the Civic Association in its quest to make Grover, then a part of the County, a city. On New Years eve of 1959, he piled his wife and kids into the station wagon and drove to Sacramento to file papers of municipal organization. He was asked to be City Attorney (a part time job) and did many projects over several decades.
Among these was representing Grover in negotiations to build Lopez Dam. The land was held by the county, and the Supervisors argued that the South County could have the water for a number of years, then the rights would migrate to the county. The Grover council thought this was a bad idea, and Cliff and Mayor Al Dutra prevailed, thus ensuring the water rights to the impoundment stay with the south county in perpetuity.
Cliff was keenly interested in financial security and pursued many business opportunities, all but one of which failed. With other local businessmen, he started an escrow company, a title company, and a model airplane factory. Not so good. But they also realized that the only financial institution in town was Bank of America. Not liking the service of a giant corporation in a backwater setting, they started their own bank, Mid-State Bank. That succeeded.
He also began acquiring real estate. Grover had recently added a sewer assessment, and many people chose to sell their property. He started buying lots and little houses around his office on 9th Street. He eventually acquired three quarters of that city block, which he and Marylee would donate to the city to develop Ramona Garden Park.
They had other philanthropic desires. In the early seventies, after sitting through a performance in the gymnasium at Arroyo Grande High School, they decided that the school needed a proper auditorium, and after a quarter century of very hard work and fundraising, they ushered in the South County Performing Arts Center, later christened the Clark Center. This was followed by the Exploration Station and Grover Beach Community Library. In addition, they quietly helped many organizations and individuals. Cliff's hero was Andrew Carnegie ("to die rich is to die disgraced"). His children will grudgingly tell you that he successfully achieved the goal of giving away his wealth during his lifetime.
Cliff was an avid sportsman. He hunted with old high school buddies in Idaho for a month every year for two decades. At fifty-five, he attained his lifelong desire to be a pilot. In his tail dragger, he took 17 trips to Alaska. On two occasions, after the fall of the Soviet Union, he joined the Alaska Airmen's Association to fly across the Berring Strait to Russia. On another trip he flew to Point Barrow, made a right turn and flew across the Northwest Territories, down to Hudson Bay and on to the eastern seaboard, a route traversed by very few aviators. He was also a Flying Samaritan, the organization of pilots who carried doctors and nurses to rural clinics in Mexico.
When Grover became too "congested", the family moved to Old Oak Park Road in Arroyo Grande, where Cliff could keep his horse and donkey, and raise sheep and chickens. Mary Lee would lead the county's 4-H program from there. They travelled the world, enjoyed their many grandchildren and continued their civic efforts.
Cliff Clark was predeceased by his wife of 61 years. He is survived by his children Claudia (and Larry), Chris (and Claire) and Corki (and Les), as well as eight grandchildren and six great grandchildren.
A family burial was held. Donations to your favorite children's organizations would be appreciated by the Clarks.
Cliff, or 'Red' because of his vibrant orange hair, was born and raised in Los Angeles. His father Marcus was a lawyer and his mother India was an aspiring actress. He was the second of five brothers and a sister. Born shortly before the stock market crash, he grew up during the Depression. They moved frequently for lack of rent money, struggling as did so many.
At North Hollywood High School, he studied airplane mechanics, because his only ambition was to fly fighter planes in the war. He joined the army at 17 and was accepted into the Air Corps. Because he was underage, he was sent to universities for training - Stanford and University of Montana—before joining the regular service to begin flight training. He learned quickly that an inner ear problem made flying gut wrenching (literally). And then, to his chagrin, the war ended and he was moved into the regular army.
For his last year of service, he was stationed at Greensboro, North Carolina where he managed several mess halls. This was not his plan, and at one point went AWOL and drove his motorcycle to Canada. He was arrested and sent back to base. His captain kept him out of confinement because Cliff was a very good typist and the only person who was aware the captain had a family in Minnesota and another in England. Near the end of his service, he drove his Model A Ford chassis to a gas station in town where he and his buddies stole a roadster body, which he drove home to California.
Upon arrival in LA he took and passed the entrance exam at USC law school. In his second year the dean told Cliff he shouldn't be there because he had no undergraduate degree. He was mistakenly let in because of the swirl of GIs coming home from service. But they let him stay because his grades were good and upon finishing, took the bar exam and became California's youngest lawyer.
While studying law, he reconnected with a high school friend, Mary Lee Stever, fell in love, got married, and built a life and family with her until her passing in 2012.
He went to work in his father's law practice on 3rd and Broadway. Cliff and Mary Lee lived in a small house in Van Nuys and had three children. They often camped at Oceano State Park. In 1957, they decided to head north and start a life in the South County. They moved to Arroyo Grande, and he opened a law practice in Grover City. While he was not sure there would be enough work to feed his family, the office door opened and the line of clients never ended.
As did so many of his generation, he joined a number of organizations. He led the Civic Association in its quest to make Grover, then a part of the County, a city. On New Years eve of 1959, he piled his wife and kids into the station wagon and drove to Sacramento to file papers of municipal organization. He was asked to be City Attorney (a part time job) and did many projects over several decades.
Among these was representing Grover in negotiations to build Lopez Dam. The land was held by the county, and the Supervisors argued that the South County could have the water for a number of years, then the rights would migrate to the county. The Grover council thought this was a bad idea, and Cliff and Mayor Al Dutra prevailed, thus ensuring the water rights to the impoundment stay with the south county in perpetuity.
Cliff was keenly interested in financial security and pursued many business opportunities, all but one of which failed. With other local businessmen, he started an escrow company, a title company, and a model airplane factory. Not so good. But they also realized that the only financial institution in town was Bank of America. Not liking the service of a giant corporation in a backwater setting, they started their own bank, Mid-State Bank. That succeeded.
He also began acquiring real estate. Grover had recently added a sewer assessment, and many people chose to sell their property. He started buying lots and little houses around his office on 9th Street. He eventually acquired three quarters of that city block, which he and Marylee would donate to the city to develop Ramona Garden Park.
They had other philanthropic desires. In the early seventies, after sitting through a performance in the gymnasium at Arroyo Grande High School, they decided that the school needed a proper auditorium, and after a quarter century of very hard work and fundraising, they ushered in the South County Performing Arts Center, later christened the Clark Center. This was followed by the Exploration Station and Grover Beach Community Library. In addition, they quietly helped many organizations and individuals. Cliff's hero was Andrew Carnegie ("to die rich is to die disgraced"). His children will grudgingly tell you that he successfully achieved the goal of giving away his wealth during his lifetime.
Cliff was an avid sportsman. He hunted with old high school buddies in Idaho for a month every year for two decades. At fifty-five, he attained his lifelong desire to be a pilot. In his tail dragger, he took 17 trips to Alaska. On two occasions, after the fall of the Soviet Union, he joined the Alaska Airmen's Association to fly across the Berring Strait to Russia. On another trip he flew to Point Barrow, made a right turn and flew across the Northwest Territories, down to Hudson Bay and on to the eastern seaboard, a route traversed by very few aviators. He was also a Flying Samaritan, the organization of pilots who carried doctors and nurses to rural clinics in Mexico.
When Grover became too "congested", the family moved to Old Oak Park Road in Arroyo Grande, where Cliff could keep his horse and donkey, and raise sheep and chickens. Mary Lee would lead the county's 4-H program from there. They travelled the world, enjoyed their many grandchildren and continued their civic efforts.
Cliff Clark was predeceased by his wife of 61 years. He is survived by his children Claudia (and Larry), Chris (and Claire) and Corki (and Les), as well as eight grandchildren and six great grandchildren.
A family burial was held. Donations to your favorite children's organizations would be appreciated by the Clarks.
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