Donald Lyndon Clark

February 17, 1920 - November 9, 2011

West Newbury, VT- Donald Lyndon Clark, formerly a long-time resident of West Newbury, VT passed away after a period of declining health on November 9, 2011 in Peterborough, NH. Donald was born February 17, 1920, at Lyndon Corner, VT, the son of Robert Clark and Clara Bell (Spalding) Clark. He attended schools in Glover, East St. Johnsbury, Waterbury, and Waitsfield, VT, and was Valedictorian of the Waitsfield High School class of 1938. He graduated from University of Vermont, September, 1943, with a BS in Electrical Engineering, Summa Cum Laude, was awarded the A. Atwater Kent prize for outstanding work in electrical engineering, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. As a Junior Engineer in the research department of the Stromberg-Carlson Company in Rochester, NY from 1943 through 1946. He worked primarily on magnetic recording, which at that time was still a laboratory curiosity. He was granted two patents, and co-authored two papers. After earning a Ph. D. in Physics at the University of Rochester, he stayed on as a Research Assistant and Assistant Professor through June, 1952. He joined the staff of MIT Lincoln Laboratory in July, 1952, and worked there until his retirement in October, 1983. He served as group leader for about 25 years in the Radar Division, later the Radar Measurements Division. This group was concerned principally with advanced measurement radars and potential applications of radar technology to ballistic missile defense systems. Work from this group led to initiation of a number of substantial technology and measurement programs. The group's results were frequently reported to senior members of the defense community and to the President's Science Advisory Committee. Don served as technical director of one of a large number of multi-agency studies in support of the talks that led to the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty, and was author or co-author of numerous Lincoln Laboratory reports. Don was a life member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers, member of the American Physical Society, the American Association of Physics Teachers, the Acoustical Society of America, and Sigma Xi. He was elected to be an IEEE Fellow in 2006 in recognition for leadership in radar systems. He married Hilda Arlene Lund from Hartford, CT, and West Newbury, VT on August 27, 1944. They resided in Rochester, NY until 1952, Watertown, MA until 1955, Acton, MA until 1986, West Newbury, VT until 2006, and then in Peterborough, NH. While living in Acton, MA, he was active in the affairs of the West Acton Baptist Church, Cub Scout Pack 18 and Boy Scout Troops 1 and 11. For many years, he and Hilda belonged to a square dance group in Concord, MA. After he retired and moved to West Newbury, he was active in the affairs of the West Newbury Congregational Church, the Woodsville-Wells River Rotary Club, where he was named a Paul Harris Fellow, and the Orange Senior Center. He was a founder of Cub Scout Pack 704 in Newbury. He was a member of The Halls Lake Association, the Bradford Friendship Club, Friends of the Goshen Church, Vermont 251 Club, and the West Newbury Historical Society, the Central Vermont Amateur Radio Club, the Mount Ascutney Repeater Association, and the American Radio Relay League, licensed as N1DCO. Many people will remember him as The Halls Lake Jogger. He wrote 'Grandpa Remembers,' a book of remembrances of his childhood and the experiences growing up in another era, telling his granddaughters of a life he called "rich and rewarding in the things that count." He lived quietly in Peterborough, NH, after moving there in 2006, enjoying visits from family and friends. He is survived by daughter Arlene Clark MacArthur, of Peterborough, NH, son Ian Clark, and his wife, Lee Sprecace Clark, of West Newbury, VT, two grandchildren, Amy MacArthur and Kristen MacArthur, of Peterborough, NH, his sister Alice Rowe, of Montpelier, VT, niece Jennifer Lund of Hopkinton, MA, and several other nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his wife, Hilda, who died in 2007, and his son Ralph Donald Clark, his brother Ralph Clark, and sisters Rachel Howes and Francena Galbraith. Those wishing to honor Dr. Clark's memory are asked to donate to The Woodsville - Wells River Rotary Club's scholarship fund, PO Box 51, West Newbury, VT 05085 or the West Newbury Congregational Church, PO Box 83, West Newbury, VT 05085. Arrangements are being handled by the Hale Funeral Home in Bradford. Burial will be at the Oxbow Cemetery in Newbury at 11 a.m. on Saturday November 19, and a celebration of Don's life will be held at the West Newbury Congregational Church at 1 p.m. on November 19, 2011. To view an online guestbook go to www.halefuneralhomes.com To plant Memorial Trees in memory of Donald Lyndon Clark, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store.