HOULTON, Maine — Michael Clark was renowned in southern Aroostook County as one of the area’s top community-driven volunteers and supporters of all things Houlton.
For many, Clark was known as one of the key figures in the community to push for the preservation and restoration of the town’s iconic Boy with the Leaking Boot statue. Others may have known Clark as a key member of the Houlton Rotary Club, where for years he worked the cameras at the group’s annual Rotary Auction.
Others knew Clark as one of the driving forces of McGills’ Community Band and instrumental in getting the town’s amphitheater built.
Clark died in a local nursing home Oct. 18 at the age of 86.
According to his obituary, Clark was born in Portland on Aug. 2, 1934, but considered himself to be from Houlton after the family moved to the Shiretown when he was still in school. He graduated from Houlton High School in 1954 and later graduated from Ricker College in Houlton with a bachelor’s degree in business management.
After high school, Clark joined the U.S. Navy, serving on both the Midway and Hornet aircraft carriers. He then returned to Houlton to assist with the family business, Houlton Farms Dairy, where he helped with the start of a Presque Isle division. He was instrumental in the building of the dairy’s ice cream division and later went into business for himself opening M.A. Clark Men’s Clothing Store.
Health Services Foundation Executive Director Lori Weston of Houlton knew Clark well, from her time growing up in the Shiretown to later during their time together in the Houlton Rotary Club.
“As a young person walking along Main Street and window shopping, Mike’s men’s clothing store was always worth stopping in front of to take a look at what the newest trends were,” she said. “I would never have conceived that he would become a friend and a mentor.”
The two developed a personal friendship, which Weston said covered many different aspects of her life.
“Mike was the professional photographer at my wedding (nearly 45 years ago),” she said. “The beauty of living in a community like ours, is that while time passes and life happens, people like Mike kept working to make our community the best it can be.”
Leigh Cummings Jr. of Houlton served in the Houlton Rotary with Clark and had many fond memories of their time together.
“Mike was passionate about Houlton,” Cummings said. “He promoted repairing and keeping up the Boy and the Boot. He promoted McGill’s Community Band. He was instrumental in pushing the Amphitheater. Whatever project Houlton Rotary was working on, Mike was in the middle of it. Mike’s passing leaves Houlton missing one of its greatest promoters and supporters.”
Those sentiments were shared by Houlton Rotarian Fred Grant, owner of WHOU radio station.
“After I moved back to town, Mike was the first to invite me to join Rotary,” Grant said. “To me, Mike was ‘Mr. Rotary.’ While he loved Rotary, his involvement in the Club was a way he showed his love for Houlton. Every night of the Rotary Auction you could find Mike behind the camera broadcasting from Watson Hall. He loved the auction and raising money for local projects.”
Grant added that as he looks around the Shiretown at all the projects Rotary has been involved with, he can’t help but think of Clark. “His involvement is literally built into the fabric of our community and that legacy will last for generations,” he said.
Clark served as Exalted Ruler of the Houlton Lodge of Elks, was president of the Houlton Rotary Club and served as district governor for Rotary. He received Paul Harris Fellow awards from both the local Rotary Club and the District club.
He served on many boards and worked on many projects in the community being most proud of the Boy and the Boot and the Houlton Amphitheater. He was also awarded the “Outstanding Citizen of the Year 1979” by the governor of Maine.
Clark, along with his wife Deb, was instrumental in fundraising for the Houlton Community Arts Center by selling seats. For more than 30 years, he managed and played timpani for McGill’s Community Band.
“Mike was the manager of the band for many years and took that job very seriously,” Joe Fagnant, former band director, said. “He was organized, he had a system in place, and wanted the best out of our players to become a fantastic band. When I was director, we spent many hours together planning the performance calendar, the sponsor nights, and any special events. He worked extremely hard to promote McGill’s Band in our community and to bring audiences of all ages to the downtown on Thursday evenings.”
A member of the percussion section, Clark helped expand McGill’s Band to not only weekly concerts, but special events as well. He also helped add a concert in Woodstock, New Brunswick, as there were many musicians who crossed the border to play, Fagnant said.
“He was always thinking of ways to recruit more band members,” he said. “He was instrumental in bringing RB Hall Day — the annual gathering of community bands from around the state — to Houlton. He even coined the phrase, ‘Houlton Music Town of Maine.’”
Clark also did work for the Houlton Community Arts Center, where he organized all the donors for the seats in the auditorium.
“Without the energy and drive of Mike and Deb Clark, many things would have not happened for McGill’s Band,” Fagnant said. “Gathering sponsors, printing calendars, ordering vests, raising funds, setting up for concerts, taking the annual picture, and putting out news articles were yearly tasks that happened because of Mike and Deb. He was a fantastic promoter of the band, but also an outstanding representative of Houlton. He always promoted the great things about Houlton and wanted the best for our community. He will be missed by many members of the band and the Greater Houlton Area.”
