Donald Paul Clark

Donald Paul Clark, affectionately known as “Donnie,” was born on May 17, 1937, at Fitkin Memorial Hospital in Neptune, New Jersey, to Chester Paul Clark and Griselda Olitzka Walker Clark. He was raised in South Belmar, New Jersey (now Lake Como), where he attended Belmar Elementary School and later Asbury Park High School. A gifted musician, Donald played the drums in the school band and graduated in 1955.

After high school, Donald enrolled at Lincoln University in Lincoln University, Pennsylvania, following in the footsteps of his grandfather. While attending Lincoln University, he pledged and became a member of the Beta Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. He graduated in 1959 with a degree in Physics and Mathematics. He then applied to the Howard University School of Engineering in Washington, D.C., where he was accepted and began his studies in September 1959. Because he had completed all prerequisite coursework at Lincoln University, Donald was admitted as a junior and completed the program in two and a half years, earning a bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering in 1961. Committed to continued learning and leadership, he later earned a Master of Business Administration from Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey.

His career was a defining part of his life and legacy. Recruited out of school to work as a field engineer with the Federal Aviation Administration, he entered the profession at a time when Black engineers were rarely represented. He knew the weight of that opportunity and rose to the occasion, understanding that his success helped open doors for those who would follow. It was during these early years that his lifelong love of aviation took hold, leading him to earn his pilot’s license and nurture a passion that stayed with him always.

Over an accomplished career, he worked for the U.S. Army, the SBA, and later owned his own consulting firm. The role he held most dear was serving as Manager of Airport Operations for the airport in Bermuda. There, he secured funding to modernize long‑outdated systems, improve operations, and expand Bermuda’s airspace. This position, his final role before retirement, represented the pinnacle of his career and the work of which he was most proud.

Donald and his sister, Saundra, were raised by parents who instilled in them a strong work ethic, independence, and faith. His mother was a college‑educated schoolteacher, and his father, Chester “Chet” Clark, was a self‑employed entrepreneur who owned multiple small businesses, including restaurants, a trucking company, and a painting company. Chester later built and pastored Mt. Olive Baptist Church in South Belmar (now Lake Como), New Jersey. Influenced by this upbringing, Donald developed a sense of responsibility and independence at an early age, working at a local hardware store at just nine years old and being trusted to open and close the store by the age of seventeen.

On December 27, 1975, Donald married Anne Elaine Burgess Brooks, with whom he shared 50 years of marriage. Together, they blended their families and raised four children: Donna Clark, Glenn Clark, Scott Brooks, and William “Butch” Brooks.

Donald was an extremely giving person and a respected father figure in the neighborhoods where he lived in Belmar and Neptune. He was a mentor who expected the best from those around him, often reminding others, “Do it right the first time,” and “Your attitude determines your altitude,” words that continue to resonate with those whose lives he touched.

His love for airplanes and Black history, particularly the history of the Tuskegee Airmen, remained a constant throughout his life. He was also an avid collector, with a keen interest in learning the value and history behind everything he collected.

Donald was preceded in death by his mother and father, Chester Clark and Griselda Clark, his sister, Saundra Clark, and his son Scott Douglas Brooks. He is survived by his wife, Anne Elaine Burgess Clark, his children Donna Annette Clark, Glenn Clark, and William Harold Brooks, Jr. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Shanae Akita Elaine Annette Poehner Alexandria Cymone Brooks, Cikylie Celine Caroline Hughes, Baylee Elaine Brooks, Roman Anthony Jex-Brooks, Jared Omar Brooks, and Nia Ayanna Brooks. In addition, he is survived by great grandchildren Marcus Wise, Rylan Anthony Jex-Brooks, Chase William Brooks, Koa Hughes, and a host of family, nephews, nieces, cousins and friends.