Davis W Clark Obituary
Hopkinton, NH-Dr. Davis (Dave) Whitney Clark, of Hopkinton, NH, died peacefully with his family by his side at Concord Hospital Hospice House after a brief illness, at the age of 86 on July 8, 2022. Born on July 19, 1935, in West Springfield, MA to Marion Eleanor (nee Whitney) and Garrett Austin Clark.
While raised in Western Massachusetts, the family moved to New Jersey briefly for their father's job in 1951 whereby Dr. Clark finished high school at the Carteret School in 1953. Dr. Clark's love of playing sports started at an early age and he was proud of the fact that he was selected for varsity football, basketball and baseball in both MA and NJ. During the summers of his youth he enjoyed playing American Legion baseball and would also play pick-up at the local basketball courts. His great claim-to-hoop fame was scrimmaging against Boston Celtics legend Tommy Heinsohn on the local NJ courts whereby the future hall-of-famer elbowed him and accidentally knocked out his front teeth.
One of the most fortuitous events that shaped his life was when Dr. Clark was recruited by the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY, where he received the Alumni War Memorial merit scholarship. While he was gifted in the classroom and went on to major in Geological Engineering, Dr. Clark's athletic prowess was also coveted by the school and he had playing time during his first year, which was unusual for a freshman, but spoke to his athletic abilities. At Rochester he played football, basketball and baseball while also studying and being involved in his fraternity, Theta Delta Chi. The respect he had for, and the bonds he developed with people at the U of R, as he called it, would go on to last a lifetime.
Upon graduation from the U of R, Dr. Clark enlisted in the U.S. Navy and entered Officer's Candidate School in Newport, RI. As an engineering major he was well prepared for OCS and enjoyed learning about ships and how to keep them running efficiently. Subsequently he was stationed on the U.S.S. Sarsfield, a destroyer based in Key West, FL, and he earned the U.S. Navy "E" designation for engineering excellence. While keeping his ship running smoothly was his first operational priority, he also ensured each sailor's safety and made life-long friends during his service, including Tom Fitzpatrick, whom he has shared many good times with over the course of their lives.
While it was tempting to stay in the navy and further develop his career, Dr. Clark knew his first and true love was to medicine. In addition to playing sports, he also spent some of his high school summers in the local hospital working as an orderly and became hooked on the idea of a career helping others get better. Initially told he couldn't become a doctor, Dr. Clark would not be discouraged and returned to Rochester to follow his dreams after the navy, whereby he graduated from the University of Rochester School of Medicine in 1967 alongside his closest medical school (and lifelong friend), Dr. Thomas Tuxill. He went on to do his internship and residency at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester and specialized in orthopedics. During his training he was appointed Chief Resident along with Dr. Sewell Miller and Dr. Charles Heck, whom collectively were known as the "Beef Trust", and they developed the closest of friendships that he cherished.
As he was finishing the program in Rochester a doctor who was slightly ahead of him had moved to Concord, NH and let him know about the Concord Hospital's need for an orthopedic surgeon. Dr. Merwyn Bagan, a practicing neurosurgeon at Concord Hospital, also helped recruit him, and with a strong desire to return to New England and build a home for himself and his family, Dr. Clark packed up the young Clark family and headed east to Concord on July 1, 1972, whereby he founded and opened the doors of what would go on to become Concord Orthopaedics Professional Association on July 10, 1972. His vision for the orthopedic practice was to provide specialty expertise based on a patient's need, and that goal and commitment to quality has been the cornerstone of the practice for the past 50 years. While the business thrived, Dr. Clark was also delighted (and proud) when former patients would stop him on the street and tell him about how they're now pain-free or can walk again. He specialized in taking care of patients with spinal deformities, especially scoliosis patients. Supporting his patients was always his first priority and he saw patients in the office until the day before he became ill.
In addition to the commercial success of the practice, Dr. Clark was also committed to excellence in medical academics and was a full member of Scoliosis Research Society and North American Spine Society, the premier international spinal research professional societies. Additionally, he served as an orthopedic board examiner for the American Board of Medical Specialties, the U.S. agency which credentials all doctors for fitness to practice and enjoyed seeing his dear friend Dr. Don Deinlein at board events or joining him for an Alabama football game.
While his patients meant everything to Dr. Clark, he also loved being at home with his beloved wife of 38 years, Sandra (nee Clairmont) Clark. They wed in Hopkinton in 1984 at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church and enjoyed their time at home watching the Patriots, Celtics and Red Soxs games, as well as spending time at their beach house in York Harbor, ME. They also enjoyed going to their grandchildren's sporting events and school plays. Combined they had five children, seven grandchildren and one great grandchild. Family dinners were always big and filled with laughter and discussions about sports officiating and how the refs might have done better. He also enjoyed skiing, which he learned to do at age 40, playing in the Tooky softball league with Dave Donahue, and riding his bicycle all over the back roads of NH and ME. He also loved spending time with his dear friend, The Honorable George Manias, and the families would often putter around the shores of Maine on their boats and meet up for good times. There are too many wonderful friends to remember, but please know he cared deeply about people.
Dr. Clark was predeceased by his parents and by his sister, Julia Clark. He is survived by his wife, Sandra C. Clark of Hopkinton, NH, by his daughters, Elizabeth G. Clark of Hopkinton, NH, Laura Mitchell (Keith) of Bow, NH, Deborah Hale of Bluffton, SC and his sons Davis W. Clark, Jr. (Brady) of Malvern, PA and Michael Hale (Valarie) of Saco, ME.
The family will hold a private service at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Hopkinton followed by a burial with full military honors but will host a celebration of life ceremony at a later date to be announced.
In lieu of flowers, please consider giving to the Davis and Sandra Clark Endowed Scholarship Fund (A13410), to provide scholarship support for undergraduate students in Arts, Sciences and Engineering at the University of Rochester or the Davis and Sandra Clark Orthopaedics Fund (A13411), to provide support for resident education, research, and training in the Department of Orthopaedics at the University of Rochester. Please make your check payable to the University of Rochester and in the memo include the name of the fund. Please send your donation to: Attn: Dianne Moll, University of Rochester, Bloch Alumni and Advancement Center, PO Box 278996, Rochester, NY 14627-8996. If you'd like to make your gift online, go to: http://www.rochester.edu. Additionally, the family is grateful for the care provided by Granite VNA Hospice House and donations are kindly welcomed at https://www.granitevna.org.
