Richard Clark

Richard Lee "Dick" Clark, 79, of Burlington, NC, formerly of Ottawa, IL, passed away on May 11, 2014. Born and raised in Galesburg, IL, he graduated in 1958 from Knox College with a BA and from Western Illinois Univ, MS in 1963. He began his career as an educator teaching two years each at Knoxville and Alwood, IL, high schools, before coming to Ottawa High School in 1964, where he taught English, initiated a team-taught humanities course, and coached golf for the next ten years. He is survived by his wife of 48 years, Nancy Hatten Clark, also formerly of Ottawa, and his daughter, Marilee Applebee, of Seneca. He was preceded in death by a brother, William Clark, of Galesburg. Mr. Clark also was a merchandising manager for a national frozen pizza company, and returned to teaching as English department chair for eight years at Yorkville High School. In 1986 he opened the first Sylvan Learning Center in Illinois in Aurora and subsequently opened three more Sylvan Centers in St. Charles, Bloomington, and Peoria. In 1998 Mr. Clark retired to a second home on a golf course in eastern North Carolina. He was a passionate life-long golfer, in early years playing in Galesburg, later as captain of the Knox College golf team, for the Army Reserves team, and on local Ottawa and area courses, as well as courses nation-wide and in Scotland and Ireland. A visitation will be held July 10, 4 7 pm at the Ottawa Funeral Home, with memorial speakers at 7 p.m. Memorial contributions are suggested to Knox College, online at www.knox.edu/support-knox.html also 888-566-9265 or your local humane society or animal shelter. Online condolences may be sent to the Ottawa Funeral Home website at www.ottawafuneralhome.com .