Col. Robert H. Clark

Colonel Robert Hill Clark, Sr. (U.S. Army Ret.) passed away peacefully after a brief illness on May 3, 2024, at Hartwell Health and Rehab. He was the son of William Chandler Clark and Verna Hill Clark and born on January 19, 1932, in Alamo, Georgia. He grew up with his two sisters, Rae Clark Joiner (Charles) and Lee Clark Beckham (Carl) in Griffin, Georgia.
Following graduation from Spalding County High School, he attended North Georgia College (University of North Georgia) and graduated Cum Laude and as a Distinguished Military Graduate. He always said attending NGC was one of his best decisions because he realized his dream of becoming a commissioned officer in the Army and met his future wife, Nancy Temple Clark.
He and Nancy were married on June 12, 1955, and were blessed to celebrate over 68 years together. They were very proud to have a son, Robert Hill Clark, Jr. (Julia); granddaughter, Kaitlyn Callaway Clark Effland (Jordan), and recently great grandson, Cyrus Scott Effland.
During his army career, Robert served two tours in Vietnam. In 1963, his first tour was in Saigon and later in Trung Lap, training Vietnamese Army units in military tactics. In his second tour in 1969, he was Commander of the 4th Battalion, 12th Infantry of the 199th Light Infantry Brigade. He always called his troops, "Brave Warriors."
Robert and his family enjoyed two tours of duty at Ft. Myer, Virginia. The first tour, he served as Executive Officer of the 3rd Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard). The mission of the 3rd Infantry was ceremonial planning and conducting ceremonial events in Arlington National Cemetery, the White House, and the Pentagon, as well as conducting field training. Later, he was reassigned to The Military District of Washington as Ceremonial Events Officer. During this time, he was involved with the funeral of Robert Kennedy in Arlington Cemetery, the inaugural activities in 1969 for President Nixon and the departure of President Johnson, and the death of President Eisenhower. His second tour he felt honored to return to Ft. Myer to serve as commander of The 3rd Infantry, the oldest active-duty unit that predated the 1789 Constitution.
Robert served several tours in the Pentagon; attended Command and General Staff College in Leavenworth, KS; was selected to attend The US Army War College in Carlisle, PA, and earned a Master's Degree in Public Administration at Shippensburg University, in Shippensburg, PA. In 1973, he led a group of US military officers to Palestine, serving with the United Nations as a military observer, during the Yom Kippur war and truce. This US team had a Russian counterpart team led by a Russian Colonel. The UN headquarters was located in Jerusalem, but the teams covered the Sinai, Gaza, Golan Heights, Egypt, and Syria.
Robert received many awards and decorations throughout his army career including three Bronze Stars, but he was always especially proud of his Combat Infantryman Badge and his Senior Parachutist Badge.
During his retirement years, he and Nancy had the pleasure of traveling with friends on cruises, took short trips to the mountains and ocean, and to West Virginia to visit their children. He was honored to serve on North Georgia University's Alumni Council, and he enjoyed his time as a Rotarian. He served a term as President and became a major donor to the Rotary Foundation.
Robert was preceded in death by his parents, his sisters, and their husbands. He is survived by his wife, his son and daughter-in-law, granddaughter, grandson-in-law, great grandson, and nieces and nephews.
A memorial service will be held Friday, May 10, 2024 at 2:00 PM at the First Baptist Church of Hartwell with Dr. Stuart Lang and Rev. Carter Tucker officiating. Military Honors will follow the service.
In lieu of flowers, for anyone who chooses to make a memorial donation, please choose the charity of your choice; First Baptist Church, 81 E. Howell Street, Hartwell, GA 30643 or The Robert H. and Nancy Temple Clark Scholarship, UNG Foundation, 60 W. Main Street, Dahlonega, Georgia.
The Strickland Funeral Home and Cremation Services of Hartwell is in charge of all arrangements