Donald Cameron Clark

1931 - 2020

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Donald Cameron Clark of Lake Forest, Illinois. Don, born in Brooklyn, New York on August 9, 1931, fought a long battle with Alzheimer's disease, and died on November 28, 2020, under hospice care. We celebrate and are thankful for his life.

Don was the beloved husband of Jean Williams Clark for over sixty-six years; loving father of Donald Cameron Clark, Jr. (Ellen), Bonnie LoPresti (Michael), and the late Thomas Robert Clark; cherished grandfather of Bethany Clark Ngo (Brandon), Alexander Hurrell Clark (Lorri), Matthew Michael LoPresti (Amanda), Christopher Clark LoPresti (Camille), and Spencer Scanlan Clark; proud great grandfather of Graham Andrew Clark, Owen Alexander Clark, Keira Jean Ngo, Finley Wade Clark, Andrew John Ngo, Blair Cameron Clark, Maisie Ann Clark, and Ana Cecile LoPresti; dear brother to Christina Cameron Clark (Harry Tietjen) and the late Alexander Cameron Clark (Jean) and George Cameron Clark (Helen), and son of the late Alexander Davidson Clark and Sarah Cameron Clark. He leaves brother-in-law John Murray Williams and his wife Nora and many nieces and nephews, to whom he was very close. He had countless friends.

Don was the former Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Household International, one of the nation's leading consumer financial services corporations. He was a 1953 honors graduate of Clarkson University (Potsdam, NY) with a degree in business administration. After graduation, he served for two years as an officer in the U.S. Army. He earned his Master of Business Administration degree from Northwestern University in 1961.

Don served Household International for 41 years. He joined the company in 1955 as an HFC branch office representative. Subsequently he held managerial and executive positions with the company, including Secretary and Treasurer. He was elected to the Board of Directors in 1974, President in 1977, Chief Executive Officer in 1982, and Chairman of the Board in 1984. In 1994 he relinquished the title of chief executive, and in May 1996, he retired as Chairman of the Board and a Director of Household.

Described by Business Week magazine as "a career executive who knows the company inside and out," Clark was later cited in the magazine's 1989 special issue as one of the nation's corporate elite, "the people who run America's most powerful and most valuable companies."

Don was active in business and civic affairs and was honored by several organizations for his community work. He was a Life Trustee of Northwestern University as well as Emeritus Chair of the Board of Trustees of Clarkson University. In 1990, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Clarkson University and the same year was honored by Junior Achievement of Chicago by being named a member of that organization's Business Hall of Fame. In 1991 he was a recipient of the National Humanitarian Award from the National Conference of Christians and Jews and was named "Citizen of the Year" by the Gateway Foundation, a chemical dependency treatment organization based in Chicago. He served as a governing board member of both the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

He will be remembered for his keen intelligence, quick wit, love of family, and innumerable acts of kindness and generosity to countless individuals.

His cremains will be buried during a private ceremony in the Williamsville Cemetery in Williamsville, Vermont. A celebration of Donald Clark's life will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, Don's family asks you to consider a contribution to the Alzheimer's Association (www.alz.org).