James Clark

James H. Clark Director of the University of California Press for twenty-five years (1977-2002), died on January 14, 2013, after a long battle with cancer. He was 81.
Jim Clark was born in Chicago on August 30, 1931, the son of James and Millie Clark. He served in the Air Force during the Korean War, went to college on the G.I. Bill, and graduated from UC Berkeley.
Clark had a lengthy and distinguished career in publishing, starting in 1960 when he began his life's work as a sales representative for Prentice Hall in Northern California. Five years later, he was promoted to editor in the company's New Jersey office. He acquired books in anthropology, sociology, drama, music, and art prior to his subsequent appointment in 1969 as editorial director of the College Division at Harper and Row. One year later, he was named the Division's vice president and publisher.
In 1977, Clark returned to California as director of University of California Press. He spent the next 25 years building what would become one of the top university presses in the country - expanding both the scale and stature of its program. During Clark's tenure, UC Press's annual revenues increased from $3 million to $20 million; the number of new books published each year leapt from 80 to 180; and the journals program grew from 6 to 30 publications annually.
Since his retirement in 2002, Clark has lived in Princeton, NJ with his wife, Isabelle Clark-Deces. In retirement, Jim remained active in scholarly publishing in a cherished new role - working with graduate students to revise and develop their dissertations for publication. He was an avid reader and swimmer, and he audited classes at Princeton for the pure enjoyment of lifelong learning.
Beloved by colleagues, authors, family, and friends, he is survived by his wife, Isabelle Clark-Deces, his children, Jim Clark and Garrette Clark (and son-in-law Robert Gould), his two granddaughters, Lea and Erica Gould, and his sister and brother-in-law Julie and Bob Fouts.