CARSTAIRS — Town councillors and mayor Lance Colby have paid tribute to renowned politician and hometown resident Bob Clark, who passed away July 10.
Clark served many years as an MLA and party leader. He was also involved with several provincial boards, Olds College, Olds Grizzlys hockey team, minor hockey at the provincial level, and the local community.
Although Clark was born in Acme, he was a longtime Carstairs resident, including at the time of his passing.
During the July 13 council meeting, council observed a minute of silence at the beginning of the session in Clark’s honour and later voiced thoughts about the man.
Mayor Colby said Clark worked long and hard on behalf of the town, the region and province.
“I appreciated all his efforts,” said Colby. “He loved the town and he loved the area and he did everything he could for Alberta and Mountain View County.
“One thing I liked about Bob was you could always bounce things off him and he could tell you what direction you might want to go or who to talk to get things done.
“He always had little hints about the government because he never lost being in touch with the government. He always knew what was going on in politics.”
Coun. Bob Green knew Clark for many years, including working together on the Friends of Alberta Junior Hockey Society.
“He was basically there from the start of the society back in 1985,” Green said. “We are going to miss him. He was a great guy for sitting down and reviewing the scholarship applications. He was pretty good at helping with that.”
Coun. Rick Blair said many people in the community and across the province will remember Clark.
“He certainly touched my life and I will certainly miss him,” said Blair. “He touched many lives in this town. He represented our town and community very well no matter where he was. I personally enjoyed his counsel very much. He loved sports, especially the (Olds) Grizzlys.”
Coun. Dean Allan called Clark a mainstay of the community.
“Those are big shoes that are going to be missed,” said Allan.
Coun. Marty Ratz remembers Clark as a very friendly person.
“He was the kind of man you could speak to for a few minutes and know him for years,” said Ratz. “He was a real down-to-earth guy. I was always impressed with how he could take a complex issue and make it straight forward and logical.”
Coun. Al Gil described Clark as a “very open and very kind” person.
“He did a lot for Carstairs,” said Gil.
Coun. Shannon Wilcox said Clark had “honest community spirit” and will be missed.
The mayor said he delivered condolences to Clark’s wife on behalf of the town.
