Awarded the Purple Heart
Henry Benjamin Clark, son of Adelia Church Clark and James Dallas Clark, was born on April 15, 1874 near Walworth, Wis., where his family had moved from New York state about 1860. His mother's family sailed from England and settled in Plymouth, Mass. in 1630. On his father's side, he was a direct descendant of Dr. John Robinson, known as "The Minister to the Pilgrims" due to his activities in organizing the Pilgrims who sailed on the Mayflower. He was named after an uncle, Lieutenant Henry Benjamin Clark, who was an officer and died in the Civil War. His father was a Sergeant in the Wisconsin Volunteers.
When he was ten years of age, his family moved from their farm in the Black Foot Prairie to Harvard, IL., where he could obtain better schooling and his father, a member of the Chicago Board of Trade, could commute daily to the city. Most of his summers were spent at the family place on the shore of Lake Geneva where the boy enjoyed fishing and boating. At fourteen he was sent to the Academy at Beloit, Wis. He took and won a competitive examination for West Point, but was disqualified for physical reasons, as he had injured the tearduct of one eye while on the farm. So he entered Beloit College in 1891. There he joined the national fraternity' of Beta Theta Pi, managed the Glee Club, wrote a column for the local newspapers. After his graduation from Beloit in 1895, he again won the competitive examination for West Point and was accepted for entrance on the condition that his eye be operated on successfully, which was done. He graduated from West Point with the Class of 1899.
His first station was at the "H" Street Barracks in San Diego, Calif., then a town of 15,000 population. While there he met Miss Lena Sefton whom, some years later, he married.
After two months in San Diego, Lieutenant Clark was sent to the Sequoia and General Grant National Parks to be the Acting Superintendent. There he was to command the U.S. Cavalry and stop the encroachment of lumber, cattle, and sheep men. Roads and trails were also laid out. The Sierra Club made him an honorary member in recognition of his work in the Parks. In his Annual Report to the Secretary of the Interior, he made certain recommendations which, when acted upon, resulted in the physical and natural beauty of the parks we know today. He always loved to reminisce about this tour of duty, often commenting that it was the most enjoyable of his career. In 1900 he was sent with the Third Artillery to China with the Boxer Relief Expedition. While there he made a collection of beautiful Chinese embroideries and other works of art which he later presented to Beloit College. His large Cantonese jar of the 18th Century has been given to the Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego in his memory.
The Philippine Insurrection and the Moro Campaign followed, and of that Major General A. H. Sunderland wrote to Mrs. Clark, "Among all my friends and acquaintances, I considered Clark, H. B., the nearest approach to a perfect gentleman and I valued his friendship most highly. Our associations in the old 25th Battery stand out in my memory ahead of any others in my service experiences. Weeks on weeks in the same shelter tent gives one a splendid opportunity to make an evaluation of tne other fellow and mine is stated above."
He graduated in 1903 from the Artillery School at Fortress Monroe, and in 1904 from the Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. Later assignments took him to the Pacific coast and active duty at Fort Baker during the San Francisco earthquake and fire, followed by Staff Duty in Seattle, Manila, Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C.
He married Mrs. Lena Sefton Wakefield in 1912 and lived at Fort Moultrie, S.C., where their first son,James Dallas II, was born. In 1914 he was in command of the New York National Guard, followed by duty with the Militia Bureau in Washington, D.C. Their home was in Chevy Chase, Md., and here the second son, Henry Benjamin, Jr., was born. He was now a Colonel, and during the First World War, he took overseas the 74th Railway Artillery, and was in command of the U.S. Railway Artillery around Verdun at the time of the Armistice. Following the Declaration of Armistice he was with the Civil Administration in Trier, Germany, and there received the Purple Heart in recognition of meritorious service. (That was before the Purple Heart was given for wounds received in battle.) He was selected to be one of ninety officers to form the initial General Staff list, and returned to Washington, D.C. for the War College. Following graduation he was placed on active duty with the War Department General Staff. In 1922 he asked for retirement to become President of the Sefton Manufacturing Corporation in Chicago. When later that organization merged with the Container Corporation of America, he became a Director and held that position for twenty-five years when ill health caused him to retire.
A resolution made at the time of his retirement reads in part: "Whereas, Colonel Clark has served continuously as a director of this company for twenty-five years since his first election by the share-holders at the 1931 Annual Meeting and, whereas, his unfailing and quiet courtesy, his close attention to the business at hand and his grasp of its complexities, due in a large measure to long previous experience in his position of leadership in Sefton Manufacturing Corporation, have been invaluable assistance to his fellow directors in their deliberations."
The family lived on the North Shore of Chicago in Highland Park and Evanston until 1937, when they moved to San Diego. There they took an active part in civic affairs and loaned their home and gardens for large benefits to aid the Red Cross and Crippled Children. Colonel Clark continued to commute to Chicago on business matters.
Lieutenant General Van Horn Moseley, classmate and roommate, wrote: "His greatness in mind and character gave him a rank which far outshown any insignia that might be on his uniform as a soldier." A close friend of fifty years, Colonel Fred L. Dengler, wrote to Mrs. Clark: "A high and rigidly maintained integrity, unquestioned morality of almost saint-like character, clear discrimination between right and wrong, and a stern adherence to right no matter what the effect on personal fortune, yet endowed with the moral courage to take swift, positive and effective action when circumstances clearly so dictated. A type of man not now numerous and sorely needed in these times of expediency and worship of material values. His passing leaves a void in my regard which never can be filled."
Before his death, Colonel Clark and Mrs. Clark had agreed that when they no longer needed their home they would give it and its acreage to the Zoological Society of San Diego. The sale of the property would enable the Children's Zoo to erect a Children's Theatre for the benefit of all of San Diego's youth. Mrs. Clark deeded the property to the Zoological Society following his death in July, 1958, and the theatre will be completed shortly. The society moved the great Phoenix Reclinata Palm (one of the largest in the world) along with many of the other trees to the Zoological Gardens, where it will be marked "In Memory of Colonel Henry B. Clark."
A strong characteristic was his love and understanding of Collie dogs, and whenever possible he had one as a constant companion. Bonnie, who still lives, was with him for the last twelve years of his life.
He was always kind, wise, quiet, loyal, patient and understanding, courteous and never familiar, even calling his friends and classmates by their last names.
Besides his widow, he has left behind two fine sons, James Dallas Clark of San Diego and Henry B. Clark, Jr. of Honolulu, two step-sons, Franklin W. Wakefield, Jr., and Joseph Sefton Wakefield, and eleven grandchildren.
source: West Point Association of Graduates
Henry Benjamin Clark, son of Adelia Church Clark and James Dallas Clark, was born on April 15, 1874 near Walworth, Wis., where his family had moved from New York state about 1860. His mother's family sailed from England and settled in Plymouth, Mass. in 1630. On his father's side, he was a direct descendant of Dr. John Robinson, known as "The Minister to the Pilgrims" due to his activities in organizing the Pilgrims who sailed on the Mayflower. He was named after an uncle, Lieutenant Henry Benjamin Clark, who was an officer and died in the Civil War. His father was a Sergeant in the Wisconsin Volunteers.
When he was ten years of age, his family moved from their farm in the Black Foot Prairie to Harvard, IL., where he could obtain better schooling and his father, a member of the Chicago Board of Trade, could commute daily to the city. Most of his summers were spent at the family place on the shore of Lake Geneva where the boy enjoyed fishing and boating. At fourteen he was sent to the Academy at Beloit, Wis. He took and won a competitive examination for West Point, but was disqualified for physical reasons, as he had injured the tearduct of one eye while on the farm. So he entered Beloit College in 1891. There he joined the national fraternity' of Beta Theta Pi, managed the Glee Club, wrote a column for the local newspapers. After his graduation from Beloit in 1895, he again won the competitive examination for West Point and was accepted for entrance on the condition that his eye be operated on successfully, which was done. He graduated from West Point with the Class of 1899.
His first station was at the "H" Street Barracks in San Diego, Calif., then a town of 15,000 population. While there he met Miss Lena Sefton whom, some years later, he married.
After two months in San Diego, Lieutenant Clark was sent to the Sequoia and General Grant National Parks to be the Acting Superintendent. There he was to command the U.S. Cavalry and stop the encroachment of lumber, cattle, and sheep men. Roads and trails were also laid out. The Sierra Club made him an honorary member in recognition of his work in the Parks. In his Annual Report to the Secretary of the Interior, he made certain recommendations which, when acted upon, resulted in the physical and natural beauty of the parks we know today. He always loved to reminisce about this tour of duty, often commenting that it was the most enjoyable of his career. In 1900 he was sent with the Third Artillery to China with the Boxer Relief Expedition. While there he made a collection of beautiful Chinese embroideries and other works of art which he later presented to Beloit College. His large Cantonese jar of the 18th Century has been given to the Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego in his memory.
The Philippine Insurrection and the Moro Campaign followed, and of that Major General A. H. Sunderland wrote to Mrs. Clark, "Among all my friends and acquaintances, I considered Clark, H. B., the nearest approach to a perfect gentleman and I valued his friendship most highly. Our associations in the old 25th Battery stand out in my memory ahead of any others in my service experiences. Weeks on weeks in the same shelter tent gives one a splendid opportunity to make an evaluation of tne other fellow and mine is stated above."
He graduated in 1903 from the Artillery School at Fortress Monroe, and in 1904 from the Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. Later assignments took him to the Pacific coast and active duty at Fort Baker during the San Francisco earthquake and fire, followed by Staff Duty in Seattle, Manila, Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C.
He married Mrs. Lena Sefton Wakefield in 1912 and lived at Fort Moultrie, S.C., where their first son,James Dallas II, was born. In 1914 he was in command of the New York National Guard, followed by duty with the Militia Bureau in Washington, D.C. Their home was in Chevy Chase, Md., and here the second son, Henry Benjamin, Jr., was born. He was now a Colonel, and during the First World War, he took overseas the 74th Railway Artillery, and was in command of the U.S. Railway Artillery around Verdun at the time of the Armistice. Following the Declaration of Armistice he was with the Civil Administration in Trier, Germany, and there received the Purple Heart in recognition of meritorious service. (That was before the Purple Heart was given for wounds received in battle.) He was selected to be one of ninety officers to form the initial General Staff list, and returned to Washington, D.C. for the War College. Following graduation he was placed on active duty with the War Department General Staff. In 1922 he asked for retirement to become President of the Sefton Manufacturing Corporation in Chicago. When later that organization merged with the Container Corporation of America, he became a Director and held that position for twenty-five years when ill health caused him to retire.
A resolution made at the time of his retirement reads in part: "Whereas, Colonel Clark has served continuously as a director of this company for twenty-five years since his first election by the share-holders at the 1931 Annual Meeting and, whereas, his unfailing and quiet courtesy, his close attention to the business at hand and his grasp of its complexities, due in a large measure to long previous experience in his position of leadership in Sefton Manufacturing Corporation, have been invaluable assistance to his fellow directors in their deliberations."
The family lived on the North Shore of Chicago in Highland Park and Evanston until 1937, when they moved to San Diego. There they took an active part in civic affairs and loaned their home and gardens for large benefits to aid the Red Cross and Crippled Children. Colonel Clark continued to commute to Chicago on business matters.
Lieutenant General Van Horn Moseley, classmate and roommate, wrote: "His greatness in mind and character gave him a rank which far outshown any insignia that might be on his uniform as a soldier." A close friend of fifty years, Colonel Fred L. Dengler, wrote to Mrs. Clark: "A high and rigidly maintained integrity, unquestioned morality of almost saint-like character, clear discrimination between right and wrong, and a stern adherence to right no matter what the effect on personal fortune, yet endowed with the moral courage to take swift, positive and effective action when circumstances clearly so dictated. A type of man not now numerous and sorely needed in these times of expediency and worship of material values. His passing leaves a void in my regard which never can be filled."
Before his death, Colonel Clark and Mrs. Clark had agreed that when they no longer needed their home they would give it and its acreage to the Zoological Society of San Diego. The sale of the property would enable the Children's Zoo to erect a Children's Theatre for the benefit of all of San Diego's youth. Mrs. Clark deeded the property to the Zoological Society following his death in July, 1958, and the theatre will be completed shortly. The society moved the great Phoenix Reclinata Palm (one of the largest in the world) along with many of the other trees to the Zoological Gardens, where it will be marked "In Memory of Colonel Henry B. Clark."
A strong characteristic was his love and understanding of Collie dogs, and whenever possible he had one as a constant companion. Bonnie, who still lives, was with him for the last twelve years of his life.
He was always kind, wise, quiet, loyal, patient and understanding, courteous and never familiar, even calling his friends and classmates by their last names.
Besides his widow, he has left behind two fine sons, James Dallas Clark of San Diego and Henry B. Clark, Jr. of Honolulu, two step-sons, Franklin W. Wakefield, Jr., and Joseph Sefton Wakefield, and eleven grandchildren.
source: West Point Association of Graduates
Awarded the Purple Heart
Henry Benjamin Clark, son of Adelia Church Clark and James Dallas Clark, was born on April 15, 1874 near Walworth, Wis., where his family had moved from New York state about 1860. His mother's family sailed from England and settled in Plymouth, Mass. in 1630. On his father's side, he was a direct descendant of Dr. John Robinson, known as "The Minister to the Pilgrims" due to his activities in organizing the Pilgrims who sailed on the Mayflower. He was named after an uncle, Lieutenant Henry Benjamin Clark, who was an officer and died in the Civil War. His father was a Sergeant in the Wisconsin Volunteers.
When he was ten years of age, his family moved from their farm in the Black Foot Prairie to Harvard, IL., where he could obtain better schooling and his father, a member of the Chicago Board of Trade, could commute daily to the city. Most of his summers were spent at the family place on the shore of Lake Geneva where the boy enjoyed fishing and boating. At fourteen he was sent to the Academy at Beloit, Wis. He took and won a competitive examination for West Point, but was disqualified for physical reasons, as he had injured the tearduct of one eye while on the farm. So he entered Beloit College in 1891. There he joined the national fraternity' of Beta Theta Pi, managed the Glee Club, wrote a column for the local newspapers. After his graduation from Beloit in 1895, he again won the competitive examination for West Point and was accepted for entrance on the condition that his eye be operated on successfully, which was done. He graduated from West Point with the Class of 1899.
His first station was at the "H" Street Barracks in San Diego, Calif., then a town of 15,000 population. While there he met Miss Lena Sefton whom, some years later, he married.
After two months in San Diego, Lieutenant Clark was sent to the Sequoia and General Grant National Parks to be the Acting Superintendent. There he was to command the U.S. Cavalry and stop the encroachment of lumber, cattle, and sheep men. Roads and trails were also laid out. The Sierra Club made him an honorary member in recognition of his work in the Parks. In his Annual Report to the Secretary of the Interior, he made certain recommendations which, when acted upon, resulted in the physical and natural beauty of the parks we know today. He always loved to reminisce about this tour of duty, often commenting that it was the most enjoyable of his career. In 1900 he was sent with the Third Artillery to China with the Boxer Relief Expedition. While there he made a collection of beautiful Chinese embroideries and other works of art which he later presented to Beloit College. His large Cantonese jar of the 18th Century has been given to the Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego in his memory.
The Philippine Insurrection and the Moro Campaign followed, and of that Major General A. H. Sunderland wrote to Mrs. Clark, "Among all my friends and acquaintances, I considered Clark, H. B., the nearest approach to a perfect gentleman and I valued his friendship most highly. Our associations in the old 25th Battery stand out in my memory ahead of any others in my service experiences. Weeks on weeks in the same shelter tent gives one a splendid opportunity to make an evaluation of tne other fellow and mine is stated above."
He graduated in 1903 from the Artillery School at Fortress Monroe, and in 1904 from the Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. Later assignments took him to the Pacific coast and active duty at Fort Baker during the San Francisco earthquake and fire, followed by Staff Duty in Seattle, Manila, Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C.
He married Mrs. Lena Sefton Wakefield in 1912 and lived at Fort Moultrie, S.C., where their first son,James Dallas II, was born. In 1914 he was in command of the New York National Guard, followed by duty with the Militia Bureau in Washington, D.C. Their home was in Chevy Chase, Md., and here the second son, Henry Benjamin, Jr., was born. He was now a Colonel, and during the First World War, he took overseas the 74th Railway Artillery, and was in command of the U.S. Railway Artillery around Verdun at the time of the Armistice. Following the Declaration of Armistice he was with the Civil Administration in Trier, Germany, and there received the Purple Heart in recognition of meritorious service. (That was before the Purple Heart was given for wounds received in battle.) He was selected to be one of ninety officers to form the initial General Staff list, and returned to Washington, D.C. for the War College. Following graduation he was placed on active duty with the War Department General Staff. In 1922 he asked for retirement to become President of the Sefton Manufacturing Corporation in Chicago. When later that organization merged with the Container Corporation of America, he became a Director and held that position for twenty-five years when ill health caused him to retire.
A resolution made at the time of his retirement reads in part: "Whereas, Colonel Clark has served continuously as a director of this company for twenty-five years since his first election by the share-holders at the 1931 Annual Meeting and, whereas, his unfailing and quiet courtesy, his close attention to the business at hand and his grasp of its complexities, due in a large measure to long previous experience in his position of leadership in Sefton Manufacturing Corporation, have been invaluable assistance to his fellow directors in their deliberations."
The family lived on the North Shore of Chicago in Highland Park and Evanston until 1937, when they moved to San Diego. There they took an active part in civic affairs and loaned their home and gardens for large benefits to aid the Red Cross and Crippled Children. Colonel Clark continued to commute to Chicago on business matters.
Lieutenant General Van Horn Moseley, classmate and roommate, wrote: "His greatness in mind and character gave him a rank which far outshown any insignia that might be on his uniform as a soldier." A close friend of fifty years, Colonel Fred L. Dengler, wrote to Mrs. Clark: "A high and rigidly maintained integrity, unquestioned morality of almost saint-like character, clear discrimination between right and wrong, and a stern adherence to right no matter what the effect on personal fortune, yet endowed with the moral courage to take swift, positive and effective action when circumstances clearly so dictated. A type of man not now numerous and sorely needed in these times of expediency and worship of material values. His passing leaves a void in my regard which never can be filled."
Before his death, Colonel Clark and Mrs. Clark had agreed that when they no longer needed their home they would give it and its acreage to the Zoological Society of San Diego. The sale of the property would enable the Children's Zoo to erect a Children's Theatre for the benefit of all of San Diego's youth. Mrs. Clark deeded the property to the Zoological Society following his death in July, 1958, and the theatre will be completed shortly. The society moved the great Phoenix Reclinata Palm (one of the largest in the world) along with many of the other trees to the Zoological Gardens, where it will be marked "In Memory of Colonel Henry B. Clark."
A strong characteristic was his love and understanding of Collie dogs, and whenever possible he had one as a constant companion. Bonnie, who still lives, was with him for the last twelve years of his life.
He was always kind, wise, quiet, loyal, patient and understanding, courteous and never familiar, even calling his friends and classmates by their last names.
Besides his widow, he has left behind two fine sons, James Dallas Clark of San Diego and Henry B. Clark, Jr. of Honolulu, two step-sons, Franklin W. Wakefield, Jr., and Joseph Sefton Wakefield, and eleven grandchildren.
source: West Point Association of Graduates
Henry Benjamin Clark, son of Adelia Church Clark and James Dallas Clark, was born on April 15, 1874 near Walworth, Wis., where his family had moved from New York state about 1860. His mother's family sailed from England and settled in Plymouth, Mass. in 1630. On his father's side, he was a direct descendant of Dr. John Robinson, known as "The Minister to the Pilgrims" due to his activities in organizing the Pilgrims who sailed on the Mayflower. He was named after an uncle, Lieutenant Henry Benjamin Clark, who was an officer and died in the Civil War. His father was a Sergeant in the Wisconsin Volunteers.
When he was ten years of age, his family moved from their farm in the Black Foot Prairie to Harvard, IL., where he could obtain better schooling and his father, a member of the Chicago Board of Trade, could commute daily to the city. Most of his summers were spent at the family place on the shore of Lake Geneva where the boy enjoyed fishing and boating. At fourteen he was sent to the Academy at Beloit, Wis. He took and won a competitive examination for West Point, but was disqualified for physical reasons, as he had injured the tearduct of one eye while on the farm. So he entered Beloit College in 1891. There he joined the national fraternity' of Beta Theta Pi, managed the Glee Club, wrote a column for the local newspapers. After his graduation from Beloit in 1895, he again won the competitive examination for West Point and was accepted for entrance on the condition that his eye be operated on successfully, which was done. He graduated from West Point with the Class of 1899.
His first station was at the "H" Street Barracks in San Diego, Calif., then a town of 15,000 population. While there he met Miss Lena Sefton whom, some years later, he married.
After two months in San Diego, Lieutenant Clark was sent to the Sequoia and General Grant National Parks to be the Acting Superintendent. There he was to command the U.S. Cavalry and stop the encroachment of lumber, cattle, and sheep men. Roads and trails were also laid out. The Sierra Club made him an honorary member in recognition of his work in the Parks. In his Annual Report to the Secretary of the Interior, he made certain recommendations which, when acted upon, resulted in the physical and natural beauty of the parks we know today. He always loved to reminisce about this tour of duty, often commenting that it was the most enjoyable of his career. In 1900 he was sent with the Third Artillery to China with the Boxer Relief Expedition. While there he made a collection of beautiful Chinese embroideries and other works of art which he later presented to Beloit College. His large Cantonese jar of the 18th Century has been given to the Fine Arts Gallery of San Diego in his memory.
The Philippine Insurrection and the Moro Campaign followed, and of that Major General A. H. Sunderland wrote to Mrs. Clark, "Among all my friends and acquaintances, I considered Clark, H. B., the nearest approach to a perfect gentleman and I valued his friendship most highly. Our associations in the old 25th Battery stand out in my memory ahead of any others in my service experiences. Weeks on weeks in the same shelter tent gives one a splendid opportunity to make an evaluation of tne other fellow and mine is stated above."
He graduated in 1903 from the Artillery School at Fortress Monroe, and in 1904 from the Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. Later assignments took him to the Pacific coast and active duty at Fort Baker during the San Francisco earthquake and fire, followed by Staff Duty in Seattle, Manila, Chicago, New York, and Washington, D.C.
He married Mrs. Lena Sefton Wakefield in 1912 and lived at Fort Moultrie, S.C., where their first son,James Dallas II, was born. In 1914 he was in command of the New York National Guard, followed by duty with the Militia Bureau in Washington, D.C. Their home was in Chevy Chase, Md., and here the second son, Henry Benjamin, Jr., was born. He was now a Colonel, and during the First World War, he took overseas the 74th Railway Artillery, and was in command of the U.S. Railway Artillery around Verdun at the time of the Armistice. Following the Declaration of Armistice he was with the Civil Administration in Trier, Germany, and there received the Purple Heart in recognition of meritorious service. (That was before the Purple Heart was given for wounds received in battle.) He was selected to be one of ninety officers to form the initial General Staff list, and returned to Washington, D.C. for the War College. Following graduation he was placed on active duty with the War Department General Staff. In 1922 he asked for retirement to become President of the Sefton Manufacturing Corporation in Chicago. When later that organization merged with the Container Corporation of America, he became a Director and held that position for twenty-five years when ill health caused him to retire.
A resolution made at the time of his retirement reads in part: "Whereas, Colonel Clark has served continuously as a director of this company for twenty-five years since his first election by the share-holders at the 1931 Annual Meeting and, whereas, his unfailing and quiet courtesy, his close attention to the business at hand and his grasp of its complexities, due in a large measure to long previous experience in his position of leadership in Sefton Manufacturing Corporation, have been invaluable assistance to his fellow directors in their deliberations."
The family lived on the North Shore of Chicago in Highland Park and Evanston until 1937, when they moved to San Diego. There they took an active part in civic affairs and loaned their home and gardens for large benefits to aid the Red Cross and Crippled Children. Colonel Clark continued to commute to Chicago on business matters.
Lieutenant General Van Horn Moseley, classmate and roommate, wrote: "His greatness in mind and character gave him a rank which far outshown any insignia that might be on his uniform as a soldier." A close friend of fifty years, Colonel Fred L. Dengler, wrote to Mrs. Clark: "A high and rigidly maintained integrity, unquestioned morality of almost saint-like character, clear discrimination between right and wrong, and a stern adherence to right no matter what the effect on personal fortune, yet endowed with the moral courage to take swift, positive and effective action when circumstances clearly so dictated. A type of man not now numerous and sorely needed in these times of expediency and worship of material values. His passing leaves a void in my regard which never can be filled."
Before his death, Colonel Clark and Mrs. Clark had agreed that when they no longer needed their home they would give it and its acreage to the Zoological Society of San Diego. The sale of the property would enable the Children's Zoo to erect a Children's Theatre for the benefit of all of San Diego's youth. Mrs. Clark deeded the property to the Zoological Society following his death in July, 1958, and the theatre will be completed shortly. The society moved the great Phoenix Reclinata Palm (one of the largest in the world) along with many of the other trees to the Zoological Gardens, where it will be marked "In Memory of Colonel Henry B. Clark."
A strong characteristic was his love and understanding of Collie dogs, and whenever possible he had one as a constant companion. Bonnie, who still lives, was with him for the last twelve years of his life.
He was always kind, wise, quiet, loyal, patient and understanding, courteous and never familiar, even calling his friends and classmates by their last names.
Besides his widow, he has left behind two fine sons, James Dallas Clark of San Diego and Henry B. Clark, Jr. of Honolulu, two step-sons, Franklin W. Wakefield, Jr., and Joseph Sefton Wakefield, and eleven grandchildren.
source: West Point Association of Graduates
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