Professors Al Frost, Ron Clark, and Don Melvin at Ron’s retirement party. Ron is the
last to retire; all three joined the ECE Department in 1957.

Ron receives a commemorative plaque from the College for his many years of service to the University. From left to right are Professor Emeritus Sandy Amell, UNH Chemistry Department; Professor Emeritus Gerald Batchelder, UNH’s Thompson School of Applied Science; Professor Ron Clark; CEPS Dean Roy Torbert; and Professor Emeritus Alden Winn, UNH ECE Department.

Ron holding his grandson Aaron at his retirement party. When will Ron build Aaron
his first PC?

Ron with his family who have joined us in celebrating his forty-two years of service to
UNH.

Ron Clark Retires

by John Pokoski

When John LaCourse asked me to write an article about Ron Clark on his retirement, I spent a long time thinking about it. Should it be a recitation of facts and data, or should I give my personal impressions of him as a person? To omit the first might do him a disservice; omitting the latter would, in my mind, skip the most interesting and important (and fun) stuff - and be an even greater disservice. So I will try to do both while being brief.

First, the facts. (This won't be easy, considering his long connection with the Department, and with the universe in general.)

Ron was born in Percy, NH in 1935 (yep, 99-35=64). He received his BSEE from UNH in 1955, a ME from Yale in 1957, and a Ph.D. from Syracuse in 1963. Since 1957, he has been a member of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UNH. During that time, he has taught many of the courses in the Department, but his specialty has been the senior sequence in communication systems.

Ron has been active in a variety of research projects, but for the past twenty-five years, his major activity has been the study of upper atmosphere solar winds, by analyzing the ionized trails which meteorites leave as they pass through the atmosphere. He has received continual support from NSF over this period, and has supervised over twenty graduate students. He has a lengthy record of publications, and is probably best known for his discovery of the "two-day wave" of those solar winds. He plans to continue his research part-time upon his retirement this month.

Finally, the length and quality of Ron's record of service to the university is rare. He has served on many departmental, college, and university committees, including selection committees for dean, provost, and president. Probably his biggest contribution was as department chairman for nine years. During this period, the Department was overwhelmed with students and grew in faculty numbers. Ron managed to oversee this while continuing to carry a full teaching and research load.

Ron received formal recognition of his accomplishments when the University named him Distinguished Professor of 1998. This is its most prestigious faculty award, and is awarded to someone who is a "longstanding member of the faculty" with an overall record of "excellent teaching, caring about students, devotion to the university community, and substantial record of scholarly achievement."

Now for "the rest of the story". I have kind of a unique perspective on Ron, having served under his chairmanship and he under mine, and being on the same faculty for thirty-two years, including the last five with adjoining offices.

First and foremost, Ron is willing to speak openly about issues, even if his viewpoint is in the minority, even singular. (He sometimes reminds me of the juror played by Henry Fonda in "Twelve Angry Men".) Sometimes he is right, sometimes wrong, but his arguments are reasonable, and force people to consider all sides of an issue. Ron will speak forthrightly, whether in public or private, to a group or individual, even if that individual is a colleague, a superior, or a student. The people who know him know there is no long-term animosity, or personal feeling involved in his "discussions." He doesn't hold a grudge, and doesn't try to "get even" if he loses. Too few people share these characteristics nowadays.

Secondly, Ron is smart. Although he is not particularly well-read in some "book learnin" topics such as philosophy or literature, he has common sense. I believe this is partly due to his youth being spent in the school of hard knocks in northern New Hampshire. He is also very quick-witted. He will follow a technical seminar or thesis presentation very intensely and quickly get to the heart of the matter-especially if a mistake has been made. (As a result of this ability, coupled with the forthrightness previously mentioned, he puts the fear of God in some students.) Ron is one of the best I know at applying his theoretical knowledge to practical problems. Not only electrical but also mechanical. For years he has maintained his own automobiles, and now he builds and maintains his own computers. The Department often gets "off the wall" phone calls from people in the state with technical questions, often strange ones. Ninety per cent of the time, the call is referred to Ron, our technical expert.

Thirdly, Ron doesn't cut corners--he tries to do things right. He is usually not the first (nor the last) to complete a task, but it is done accurately, completely, and with great thought. Before mailing an important report or letter, I would often seek Ron's opinion. I knew his critique would not be superficial and that I could accept or reject his comments with no backlash. As another example, I know that his advisees always get good advice.

Fourthly, Ron cares about students. In fact, that's his bottom line. He doesn't shortchange them, whether the top student in the class looking for some subtle extension of the lecture material or the weakest student needing repetitious tutoring. His greatest teaching strength is his one-on-one Socratic approach. You generally don't leave his office or lab bench until you "get it."

Finally, when I think of Ron, I think of a tightwad. He is an extreme engineer in this regard. His idea of a new car is one with less than 100,000 miles on it. (This is much to the chagrin of his patient wife, Linda. On the other hand, he has three motorcycles and a snowmobile.} Ron cuts his own hair and is still trying to wear out his Nehru jacket. I'm not sure if Ron got this attribute from being a child of the depression in Coos County or learning to live within UNH resources. At any rate, he has saved the state and federal government a bundle by the judicious purchase, use, and repair of equipment in his research and in his lab.

A few closing comments. Ron has the messiest office I have ever seen. It has been cited as a hazardous area. If you don't believe me, (and it IS unbelievable) come see it before it is too late. Also, for those who only know him lately, Ron has mellowed with age. He used to have an answer for everything. Just the other day I asked him a question and he said, "I don't know." For a second, I thought I was in the wrong office. Finally, he is more soft-hearted than most people realize.

UNH has been very lucky to have had Ron as a faculty member for the past forty-two years. I feel fortunate to have been his colleague for the past thirty-two. I am sure that I express the wishes of his many ex-students, colleagues, and friends when I say, "Have a good one, Ron."