Frederick Janies Clarke, who retired as the chief of engineers in 1973, died at Ft. Belvoir, VA, on 4 Feb 2002.
In 1933, Fred entered West Point as an Eagle Scout from Little Falls, NY. His classmates remember him as modest and highly intelligent. The ’37 Howitzer stated, "Whenever a job comes up which requires a good head, ability and leadership, they choose Fred." Besides earning stars and finishing fourth in his class, Fred spent hours coaching underclassmen as well as enjoying frequent card games. He believed that the most important thing he did at West Point was to court Isabel Van Slyke, whom he married in 1938.
On Graduation Day, Fred was commissioned in the Corps of Engineers and assigned as company commander of D Company, 5th Engineer Battalion at Ft. Belvoir. While at Belvoir, his unit leveled the parade ground using mules and slip scrapers. He and Isabel then spent one year at Cornell, where he earned a master’s degree in civil engineering.
After a short assignment at Ft. Bragg, NC, Fred was assigned to the 38th Engineer Combat Regiment at Ft. Jackson, SC. During that time he also attended the short course at Ft. Leavenworth. As a battalion commander, he rejoined the 38th, which immediately left for Ascension Island to build an airbase for an aircraft ferry route from South America to Africa. Fred always remembered that his unit continually was forced to improvise and look to the sea to supplement their inconsistent supply of rations.
After five months in Ascension, he returned to the States to become a logistics planner for all theaters under GEN Brehon Somervell. Fred later claimed that assignment was based on the fact that Somervell was looking for a trained logistics officer with overseas experience. As Fred said, "My logistics training was one hour at the Leavenworth course. All I remembered was that what went on the ship last came off first."
After the war, Fred was assigned for two years as the area engineer in charge of the Hanford Engineer Works of the Manhattan Engineer District. He then was assigned as executive officer of the Armed Forces Special Weapons project at Sandia Base.
In 1960, after a succession of jobs with increasing responsibility, Fred was named by President Eisenhower to be the engineer commissioner of the District of Columbia. One of his earliest challenges was to clear the streets of more than one foot of snow in order to inaugurate John F. Kennedy. At one point during his tour, Fred was the only commissioner available for duty and was effectively the mayor of Washington. He represented the District in negotiations with Maryland and Virginia, which resulted in the Compact Agreement under which the METRO system was constructed.
During 1963-65, he was the director of military construction for the Chief of Engineers. He later became the commandant of the Engineer School and commanding general of Ft. Belvoir, where he reconstituted the Engineer Officer Candidate School and expanded the other officer and enlisted schools to support the effort in Viet Nam. Following three years as deputy chief of engineers, he was selected to be chief of engineers in 1969, during the final years of the Viet Nam War. Fred visited the battle zone frequently to ensure maximum engineer support.
In addition to Fred’s military duties, he was responsible for the nation’s major water resource programs. With the advent of the Environmental Policy Act of 1969, Fred began the evaluation of more than 600 existing and planned projects for their environmental impact. He also appointed an environmental review board of eminent environmental leaders. The resulting cooperation between members of the environmental community and the Corps received general acclaim. One flag officer observed, "No chief ever came up to the standards of the Corps—except one: LTG Clarke."
When Fred retired, he was the last member of the Class of ’37 on active duty. The retirement ceremony took place on the Ft. Belvoir parade ground, where he had worked 36 years before.
After retirement from the Axmy, Fred served as executive director of the National Commission on Water Quality to evaluate the environmental, social and economic consequences of cleaning the waters of the country. Fred often fondly recalled a question from the Commission’s chairman, Vice President Rockefeller, "Tell me Fred, how do you get the integrity that you get in the military?" Fred also is remembered by his colleagues, friends, and family for the integrity observed by Vice President Rockefeller. Subordinates remember Fred as the commander who delegated authority and who gave them full power to make their own decisions. Whether this trait of delegation was natural, or a result of his avid reading of Civil War history and the actions of Grant and Lee, we will never know. As Fred’s family explained to the chaplain who presided over his funeral, "Dad was not only a great officer and soldier, he also was a great guy." They and all who knew him will remember a man slow to anger (except when he taught his child to parallel park) who always treated others with respect and compassion. He was the father who turned up at his children’s and grandchildren’s concerts, sports events, and graduations. He was the husband who still held hands with his wife.
Fred is survived by his wife of 63 years, Isabel Van Slyke Clarke of Ft. Belvoir; three children: Pat Clarke of Newton, MA, Isabel Stevens of Alexandria, VA, and Nancy Clarke of Verona, NJ; five grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
To this warm, generous man with a good sense of humor, we say: "Well done, Fred. Rest in peace."