George Denton CLARK

CLARK, George Denton
Melbourne, Florida - Former president and CEO of RCA Inc. (Canada), George Denton Clark, died Sunday the 20th of August at the Viera Health & Rehabilitation Center. Denton was born in Prince Edward Island, Canada on January 29, 1924. After attending North Bedeque School, he worked both on the family farm and for the PEI Fur Pool. In 1942, he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) and served in the capacity of Sgt Pilot with the allied forces in England as a flying instructor. After WWII, Denton attended the University of New Brunswick (UNB) and received his B.Sc.EE (Electrical Engineering) in 1950. At this time, he joined the Royal Canadian Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (RCEME) as an engineering officer; and while in the army, was granted leave to attend McGill University where he received his Master of Engineering degree in 1952. Denton longed for a career in the private sector, and accepted a position in the latter part of 1956 as a systems engineer with RCA Victor Company Ltd. of Montreal. His first job was to manage the transfer of AVRO's CF-105 'Arrow' Aircraft Fire Control System technology from RCA in Camden, NJ, to the AVRO plant in Canada. Upon the abrupt cancellation of the Arrow Program in 1958, Denton and his team of Canadian engineers were invited to remain with the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) in the United States - which most of them did. While in New Jersey, his work after the Arrow program involved the engineering, installation and operation of RCA's Ballistic Missile Early Warning System (BMEWS) developed for the U.S. Air Force. In 1960, he was relocated to Florida to manage the RCA Missile Test Project at Patrick Air Force Base and 'the Cape.' For the next twelve years, Denton and his family lived in Cocoa Beach at the height of NASA's manned space program. After his success in Florida, RCA promoted Denton in 1972 to the position of Vice President of Operations in Cherry Hill, NJ. Within that same year, he was relocated to Canada when appointed as President and Chairman of RCA Inc (Canada) - the role he fulfilled until retirement in 1987. During his business career, Denton was active as an officer for many businesses, universities, and community service organizations. While in Canada, he was a Director of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce (Chairman 1980-1981); Chairman of the Canada/UK Chamber of Commerce (1981-1986); a member of the Canadian government's Business Council on National Issues (BCNI); a Director on the boards of a number of Canadian companies, including the Royal Bank and Chrysler Canada; and, an elder at Kingsway-Lambton United Church. Upon retirement, Denton and wife Janet divided their time between Florida and PEI. Janet was Denton's childhood sweetheart. They married on August 7, 1946 and reached the rare milestone of a 70th wedding anniversary - celebrated in 2016. Denton enjoyed golfing, so retirement to Florida was ideal - he even hit two 'holes-in-one' over his lifetime. Denton was known for his creative mind and tremendous handyman skills. Over a lifetime, he engineered many DIY projects: built a house trailer and a motorboat; remodeled countless basements; rebuilt his ancestral farmhouse; and, received numerous accolades for the restoration of his 1966 Mustang. Survivors include his wife Janet; a son Bryan Clark; daughters Betty (Tom) Price and Barbara (Randy) Helander; and one grandson Robert Price. Resting at the Davison Funeral Home Kensington, PEI. Visitation on August 31 from 6:30-9 p.m. Funeral Service at the North Bedeque United Church on September 1, 2107 at 10:30 a.m. followed by interment at the North Bedeque Cemetery. If so desired, donations can be made to the North Bedeque United Church, 31 Clark Road, Summerside, Prince Edward Island, Canada C1N 4J9 or to the charity of your choice.