John Clark Pratt

John Clark Pratt – teacher, author, pilot, scholar, skier, fly fisherman, musician – died on January 2nd in Fort Collins. John won every battle with illness but the last, with grit, grace, and good humor.

John was born in St. Albans, Vermont in 1932. He grew up in the Northeast, studied at Dartmouth College, then received a BA from UC-Berkeley. He then earned an Honors MA from Columbia and PhD from Princeton in English and American Literature.

John served in the US Air Force from 1954-1974, rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He was a jet instructor Command Pilot, and a Professor of English at the Air Force Academy. He served in Vietnam and Laos, where he was awarded the Air Medal and the Bronze Star. His Vietnam experience provided the foundation for subsequent landmark publications including The Laotian Fragments (1974), and Vietnam Voices: Perspectives on the War Years 1941-1982 (1983), which was called “the ‘absolute best’ book on the Vietnam War” and “perhaps the best one-volume introduction to the literature of the war.”

Following a Fullbright professorship to the University of Lisbon, Portugal, John became Chairman of the English Department at Colorado State University. After another Fulbright fellowship to the (then) University of Leningrad, USSR, he returned to teach as a professor at CSU until his retirement in 2002.

John Pratt wrote, published, or edited more than eighteen books, and numerous scholarly articles, poems, and book reviews. His major works included fiction (American Affairs (2010)) and non-fiction (The Meaning of Modern Poetry (1962), Writing From Scratch: The Essay (1987)).

John loved, he served, and he played. He was preceded in death by his wife of 34 years, Doreen. He is survived by three daughters, Karen Bartleson, Sandra Pratt, and Pamela Pratt of Colorado; two step-daughters, Lynn Grams of Alaska and Christine Smith of New Jersey; one son, John Randall Pratt of Vermont; seven grandchildren; and great friend Barbara Leyendecker of Colorado. John was an honored Rotarian; he was Past-President of the Fort Collins Symphony Association and the Northern Colorado Traditional Jazz Society; he served on the Veterans Plaza of Northern Colorado Memorial Committee and Northern Colorado Military Officers Association; and was a Senior ski patrolman serving in New Hampshire, Vermont, New Jersey, California, and Colorado. He could occasionally be found playing banjo with such bands as the Leningrad Dixieland Band and the Poudre River Irregulars.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in John's name may be made to the following:

Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc.™ is dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled active military service personnel and disabled veterans through fly fishing and associated activities including education and outings. Please specify funds for Colorado programs. Payments can be made online or mailed to P.O. Box 695, La Plata, MD 20646.

http://www.projecthealingwaters.org

The Finish Line Scholarship provides assistance to veterans attending Colorado State University who are no longer eligible to receive Veterans Administration educational benefits, and need assistance getting to the ""Finish Line"". The recipient of this scholarship can be a full or part-time graduate or undergraduate student, but must be within two semesters of degree completion.

Payments can be made online or mailed to CSU Foundation, Finish Line Scholarship Endowment (#69865), P.O. Box 1870, Fort Collins, CO 80523.

A memorial service will be held at Spirit Of Joy Lutheran Church, 4501 S. Lemay Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80525, Monday, January 30, 2017 at 1:00 p.m.

https://advancing.colostate.edu/FINISHLINE