William Henry Clark III
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William Henry Clark III was born into a legendary legal family going back to his great-grandfather William Clark. He passed away Saturday, March 17 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease at his home in Dallas.
Mr. Clark was born Dec. 11, 1930, to William H. and Martha Harral Clark in Dallas. Mr. Clark graduated from a boy’s school which is now St. Mark’s School of Texas in Dallas in 1948.
Mr. Clark was a sportsman. He participated in tennis and golf with his friends on a weekly basis and he also enjoyed hunting and fishing.
Mr. Clark maintained a fine balance between the serious side of life and the joy of life. His love of life was contagious and brought great joy to all who knew him. He made close friendships that lasted a lifetime.
His first year in college was in Massachusetts at Amherst. In his sophomore year, being a Texan, he came home and enrolled at the University of Texas where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree and a law degree in 1955. While at college, Mr. Clark pledged Phi Delta Theta.
He married Anne Kerbey Wiliams, the mother of his three children.
Immediately after law school Mr. Clark work in the attorney general’s office in Austin before coming back to Dallas in the late 1950s. He came home to join the family firm that his great-grandfather founded in the 1880s. The firm served many corporate clients like Braniff Airlines, United Parcel Service and Safeway.
Connected to the law school at the University is the bar association building. In that building a conference room was named for the Clark family in honor of the Clarks’ generational legacy. A portrait of Mr. Clark hangs in the room along with his grandfather, great-grandfather and two uncles.
Mr. Clark enjoyed politics and campaigned to re-elect President Lyndon Johnson in the 1960s.
Mr. Clark served on the Dallas Area Rapid Transit board in Dallas during the 1980s that helped bring light rail to the city. Mr. Clark also served as a chairman of the Dallas County Democratic Party and had a seat on many boards such as the Dallas Museum of Art. He was a member of Brook Hollow Golf Club and the Dallas Country Club, the City Club and the Dallas Petroleum Club.
Mr. Clark was preceded in death by his parents, William Henry Clark Jr. and Martha Clark; and brother George Littlefield Clark.
He is survived by his wife, Elloine Sinclair Clark; sons, William Henry Clark IV, James Littlefield Clark; daughter Kimberly Anne Clark; grandchildren William Henry Clark and Christina Marie Clark and their mother, Dana Richter Clark; brother Whitfield Harral Clark; sister-in-law Ann Clark Buller; and cousin Elizabeth Reagor Murray.
The Clark family would like to extend a special thanks to the caretakers who devoted their time to Mr. Clark’s care during his battle with Alzheimer’s disease: Fredrick Olwa of Kenya, Africa; Raymond Alaneme of Nigeria, Africa; household major domo and chef Bryan Pierce of Dallas; Maria Victoria Salinas of Guatemala; and Larry Cortez of the Philippines. The caretakers were devoted to Mr. Clark and he thoroughly enjoyed their company.
In lieu of flowers, friends may contribute to the Elloine and Bill Clark Fund for Scholars in Alzheimer’s research at the Southwestern Medical School, or the charity of your choice.
Graveside services will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 21, 2012 at Hillcrest Memorial Cemetery followed by memorial services at 2 p.m. at Highland Park Methodist Church, 3300 Mockingbird Lane in Dallas.
