James McGruder Clark

James McGruder “Mac” Clark passed away peacefully at a local hospital on December 17, with family members by his side. A lifelong resident of Mobile, Mac was the son of Dr. Kenley Jesse Clark and Ruth Thomasson Clark, both leading educators in the Mobile County public school system. He attended Old Shell Road Elementary and Murphy High School, and then went on to the University of Alabama, where he was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon (DKE) fraternity and graduated with an engineering degree in 1953. After college, he served for two years with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Korea. It was during that time, on a leave visiting his family back home that he met his future bride, the lovely Susan Marion Hays. Mac and Sue were married in 1955 in an historic chapel in San Diego, California, and then honeymooned their way back across the USA to their new home in Mobile, where they would settle and raise a family of four children and spend the rest of their years together until Sue’s passing in 2013. Mac was the founding partner, President and Chairman of the Board of Clark, Geer, Latham and Associates, an engineering and architectural firm that he founded in 1974 and grew into a successful business with the help of his business partners and dedicated employees. He was well known and respected not only for his intellect and expertise in his chosen profession but also his integrity, strong values and highest ethical standards. In addition to his business, Mac was active in numerous civic and social organizations. In his leisure time, he loved more than anything else to go fishing in the Gulf of Mexico and spend time with his family at their home on Dauphin Island. He also enjoyed playing tennis and golf and was an avid and lifelong fan of the Alabama Crimson Tide. Mac was preceded in death by his wife of 58 years, Sue, his parents Dr. Kenley Jesse Clark and Ruth Thomasson Clark, his three siblings Dr. William K. Clark, Martha Clark Sledge Cameron and Robert T. Clark. He is survived by his four children, David McGruder Clark (Mary) of Mobile, William Hays Clark (Jamie) of Savannah, GA, Elizabeth Laughton Clark of Coronado, CA, and Thomas Bates Clark (Alynne) of Mobile, twelve grandchildren, many nieces, nephews and other relatives and friends. The Clark family extends its heartfelt appreciation to Mac’s loving and dedicated caregivers Lelia Nettles, Vivian Davis, Cynthia Demings and LaShonda Demings, all of whom helped keep him safe, happy and comfortable in his home during his final years. Services will be held Wednesday, December 21 at Radney Funeral Home. Visitation will be from 10:30 a.m. until 12 noon, and a Memorial Service at 12 noon followed by interment at Pine Crest Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the K. J. Clark Memorial Scholarship Fund at the University of Mobile, or to the charity of your choice. Please sign the on line guest book at www.radneyfuneralhome-mobile.com