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Growing up in segregated St. Louis, attending segregated schools, Herman learned early that education would be the key to getting ahead in life. His strong belief in education proved positive, leading his daughter, Laura, to complete a linguistics degree at the University of California, and his son, Eugene, to complete a law degree at Stanford University. The seeds of Herman’s legacy of educational attainment grow from his own achievements.
Herman Edward Clark was born December 5, 1933 in St Louis, MO, the son of Herman Christopher Clark and Laura Adelia Harris. Being a young man of strength and size, he was recommended for the football team in high school.
After an injury on the football field, he shifted focus back to his studies. After high school, military service seemed the best path forward, and in 1953 he joined the Naval Reserve. Soon after, his interests led him to enlist in the Air Force which led to his service as a radar operator during the Korean War in the far flung outpost of Casablanca, Morocco. From 1955-1957, Herman served in Casablanca, using his R&R time to explore the North African environs of this Muslim city. Time off-base for Herman, however, was quite different than it was for his fairer-skinned brothers in arms. When traveling around the city out of uniform, Herman was immediately spoken to in Arabic (on the assumption that he was a local). But, without fluency in the language or local identification, his foreign identity inhibited travel throughout this old Islamic-law city. A certificate of residency of the city of Casablacna, Morocco, issued in 1955, solved the problem (with an adopted local name to make things official: Herman E. Clark a.k.a. Mohamed Ben-Larbi). For a card-carrying resident of Casablanca, the city’s treasures became discoverable.
Returning to the U.S. in 1958, the GI Bill paved the way to higher education. After relocating to California, Herman worked several jobs while attending college at night on the GI Bill. In 1966, he completed his Bachelor’s degree at California State University, Los Angeles.
Armed with a college degree, Herman continued his public service as a social worker for the County of Los Angeles. Eventually, his work for the county led to his role as a Health Care Administrator at USC Medical Center. The USC Med Center post allowed Herman to continue his education, completing a Master’s in Public Administration at University of Southern California in 1977. Relationships in the health care field created an opportunity for truly pioneering work, and from 1977-1981, Herman worked with a group of doctors from the National Medical Association to establish the Comprehensive Health Center in Southeast San Diego – creating the only full service medical center in the heart of inner-city San Diego.
Across the arc of education and career attainment, Herman’s family experienced joys and sorrows. He married Carol Shidler in 1968, and saw his son, Eugene, and daughter, Laura, born (1971 and 1974, respectively). However, unfortunately, he also saw the loss of his father, Herman Sr., in 1972 – tragically murdered at home in St. Louis during a robbery for $500. The silver lining, however, was that his mother, Laura Adelia, would relocate to San Diego and play an important part in the lives of her son and grandchildren for the decades to come.
In 1983, Herman embarked on a new career path, determined to “be his own boss”. He opened a State Farm Insurance Agency, and spent the next 18 years working with clients all over San Diego, recognized by State Farm as an outstanding agent and receiving awards for his top performing agency. A notable prize for life insurance sales one year included a family trip to Acapulco, Mexico.
In 1987, Herman and Carol parted ways, leaving both to find their true life-partners. And, in 1998, Herman married Cristina Artavia, a native of Costa Rica and his beloved wife to this day. Herman and Cristina now spend their retirement years truly enjoying life and having fun.
Since 2000, Herman and Cristina have chased hot air balloons across Santa Fe, NM (working as “crew” to earn the kind of ride you can’t buy for money – floating across the skys of New Mexico); motored through Denali National Forest in Alaska (coming face to face with Moose and bears); relaxed along the coasts and trekked through the jungles of Costa Rica; camped in the Ozark Mountains; partied in New Orleans; and spent many valuable, cherished days and weeks with their grandchildren in the San Francisco Bay Area.
December 7, 2013 is a night to create more memories, honor Herman’s many achievements, and most importantly live a little more and have some fun! We hope to see you there!