God Speed "Junie" Clark

Garnett Yelverton Clark Jr 1915-2007

Garnett Yelverton “Junie’ Clark, banker, businessman, volunteer, died of complications from pneumonia and heart disease at Anne Arundel Medical Center on June 20, 2007. He had been a resident of Annapolis since 1932. Born October 30, 1915 in Howard County MD, he attended the Donaldson School near Ilchester, MD from 1926 through 1932. In 1936 he graduated from St. John’s College in Annapolis, MD. In the summer of 1937 he signed on the Finnish four-masted barque, VIKING as an apprentice seaman for a voyage around the world as a merchant seaman. VIKING carried a cargo of timber from Finland to East London, South Africa and 4000 tons of wheat from Australia around Cape Horn to London.

During World War II he served 5 years as an officer in the Navy, mostly in destroyers in the Atlantic, European, and Pacific theatres. He was gunnery officer aboard USS Shubrick during the invasion of Sicily.

Following the war he entered the insurance business and was president of the Clark -Melvin Companies, insurance brokers, pension plans, and security dealers in Annapolis from 1958 to 1984. He was a Director of Annapolis Federal Savings Bank for 33 yrs and served as Chairman of the Board for 12 years.

He was always interested and involved in the history and development for the future of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County. As such, he helped to found the Anne Arundel Medical Center Foundation Inc. Then, as its Chairman of the Board he spearheaded the campaign to establish the current Medical Park campus. He was a founding member of the Board of Directors of Annapolis Life Care Inc. which established the Ginger Cove retirement community. He was a Trustee and member of the Executive Committee of the Naval Academy Foundation Inc., and a Member of the Historic Annapolis Advisory Board. He funded a project to research the earliest history of Londontown, All Hallows Church, and The South River Club and mentored the Lost Towns Projects staff and college interns who greatly benefited from his extensive knowledge of the region.

He was a member of the Annapolis Yacht Club for 67 years, ultimately becoming its senior member. For 48 years he was a member of the New Providence Club of Annapolis and a member of The South River Club for more than 25 years. He was also a member of the Merion Cricket Club in Haverford, PA. He was a longtime member and faithfully attended All Hallows Church in Davidsonville, MD.

He was married to Mary Burwell Melvin Clark of Annapolis for 49 years until her death in 1989. He later married Mary Jane Hanson Thacher of Gladwyne, PA. They were married for 14 years until her death in 2004. He is survived by two daughters, Mary “Mollie” Clark Pratt of Palm Beach Gardens, FL and Patricia Thacher Scott of Paris, France and two sons, Captain Garnett Y. “Sandy” Clark III, USN retired of Coeur d’Alene Idaho and John H. “Turk” Thacher, Jr., three sisters, Nancy Clark Kramer of Parkville, MD, Elizabeth Dawson Butcher of Gaithersburg, MD, Carolyn Dawson Runia of Aurora, CO, as well as 11 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 11 AM on the 6th of July 2007 in Friendship Hall at Ginger Cove, River Crescent Drive, Annapolis, MD. Arrangements are being made by John M. Taylor Funeral Home. Memorial contributions, in lieu of flowers, may be made to Chesapeake Bay Foundation, 6 Herndon Avenue, Annapolis, MD.