Rear Admiral Arthur Clark

Rear Admiral Arthur Clark served two tours as an in-country military advisor to the South Vietnam military and with USMAV, and he was one of the last to leave in 1973. He later held many leadership roles that transformed the U.S. Navy and contributed to efforts that helped win the Cold War. As project coordinator for the construction of California and Virginia class guided missile cruisers, he helped introduce the world's most advanced surface ships, with two nuclear reactors and advanced combat systems. As director of ship logistics for all conventional and nuclear powered surface ships, 147 ships in all, he served during a period of accelerated weapons technology advancements. As commander of Puget Sound Naval Shipyard, he led development and implementation of the first program for reactor compartment disposal, placing the first 28 nuclear reactors into long term environmentally safe storage, and he also developed recycle disposal of nuclear submarine and ship hulls. As director of Atlantic Fleet maintenance during the First Gulf War, he developed innovative maintenance processes to sustain improved and effective naval operations, contributing to success in Bosnia and the Second Gulf War. He became the Navy's senior engineer officer. After retirement, he served as deputy director for operations at the Idaho National Laboratory to develop the next generation nuclear plant, a high temperature gas reactor for civilian reactors designed for process heat applications to replace fossil fuels. He graduated from Middleport High School in 1957 and Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1962, and his family home was at 211 South Third Street.

Middleport, Ohio · United States