Richard Francis Clark

Richard Francis Clark died peacefully at home on Saturday November 19, 2016. Richard, known to his friends as “Dick Clark”, was born September 22, 1937 in Mount Carmel, Illinois.  He lived most of his life in Indianapolis, Indiana except for his last seven years in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Dick graduated in 1956 from Arsenal Technical High School Indianapolis.  He graduated with a BA in Psychology from Butler University where he was a member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity.  Dick served in the United States Army and stationed in Bamberg Germany during the Berlin Crisis of 1961.    Dick was a founding member of the Indianapolis Young Republicans and was elected to four terms on the Indianapolis City-County Council between 1972-1991; his peers elected him three times Majority Leader.  Dick served during an historic period of growth, change and revitalization for the City of Indianapolis.  He served as Chairman for the Municipal Corporations Committee, Parks and Recreation Committee, and the host committee for the National League of Cities.  Dick served under Mayors Honorable Richard “Dick” G. Lugar and Honorable William H. Hudnut III and as Indianapolis’s representative to National League of Cities.  Dick worked as a sales representative for Indiana Bell and later served as President of All American Employment Agency, Indianapolis Industrial Products and Dick Clark & Associates. He was a member of Old Bethel United Methodist Church in Indianapolis for sixty years. He retired in 2007 and enjoyed playing golf at Pleasant Run and Whispering Pines in Indianapolis and later at Village Greens in Gramling, South Carolina.  He was an avid sports fan and followed Butler University Basketball, Purdue Football, Warren Central High School Football, the Indiana Pacers and the Indianapolis Colts. Dick was a member of the Benjamin Harrison YMCA in Indianapolis and the Thomas E. Hanna YMCA in Spartanburg. Dick was preceded in death by his parents Robert D. and Ruth Clark and a brother Ron Clark.  He is survived by his wife of 52 years, Marianne Jennings Clark; three children:  eldest son, David and Ruth Clark of Indianapolis, IN; daughter Jennifer and Alex Evins of Spartanburg, SC; son Jeff and Valerie Clark of Fort Mill, SC; four grandchildren, Emily and Sam Evins and Jackson and Josephine Clark;  and his siblings:  brother Byron Clark, Noblesville, IN; and sisters, Virginia and Bill Jankowski, Southport NC; Eileen and Earl Stoner, Kingman IN, Roberta Clark New York City, NY and Doris Smoot, Indianapolis, IN. Funeral Services will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Monday, November 28 at Central United Methodist Church, 233 North Church Street, Spartanburg, SC. A Memorial Reception will be held in Indianapolis, Indiana 4:00-6:00 p.m. on Saturday January 21 at the Columbia Club. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to: Spartanburg Community Band c/o Spartanburg County Foundation 424 E. Kennedy Street, Spartanburg, SC 29302; Endowment for Indianapolis c/o Central Indiana Community Foundation 615 N. Alabama St, Suite 119, Indianapolis, IN 46204; or The Lugar Center, 1717 Rhode Island Ave., NW. Ninth Floor, Washington DC 20036.