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The ADVANCE, March 3, 2021 /Page 9A
HANDSOME COUPLE — Frances Hart and Julian Clark
met in 1939 in Athens when they were both students at
the University of Georgia, They moved to Montgomery
County where Julian's family had a farm and lafer fo
Vidalia, They had two sons.
On Sunday, Febru
ary 28, friends and family
honored a special lady who
has reached a milestone
achieved by only a few.
Frances Hart Clark turned
100.
Bright as a copper pen
ny and in remarkably good
health, Mrs. Clark beamed
as members of her church
gathered on her front
lawn Sunday afternoon to
sing happy birthday while
friends and family gathered
around — all at a safe dis
tance, of course, since the
pandemic is still part of ev
eryday life.
When asked to what
she attributes her longevity,
Mrs. Clark shrugged and
offered matter-of-factly, as
if it is no great feat, “I exer
cise and I keep going.” Last
spring, she painted her patio
and she still prunes her aza
leas. She doesn’t believe in
taking medicine and spend
ing time in a doctor’s office.
“But I’m not stupid. If I hurt,
I call the doctor.” She admit
ted that she sometimes takes
over-the-counter medicine
for her aches and pains.
She laughed about vis
iting her doctor recently
for a routine visit. He was
baffled after getting the re
sults for her blood work. “I
don’t know what I am go
ing to do with you,” he told
Mrs. Clark. She was a little
concerned. “Why, what did
you find out about me?”
The doctor began to read
the report, “No high cho
lesterol, no high sugar, no
high blood pressure. There
is nothing wrong with you,”
he remarked. Then he asked
her, “Do you have any an
cestors with a history of lon
gevity?” Mrs. Clark told him
that her father lived to be al
most 100. The doctor nod
ded his head, ’’That’s what I
thought. It’s in the genes.”
Mrs. Clark said her five
siblings — four brothers
and a sister — enjoyed long
lives. In fact, her younger sis
ter is still living in LaGrange.
Born in Troup County
— and she knew the ex
act time — “at 1 o’clock
in the morning on Febru
ary 28th” to William A.
and Rebecca Britten Hart,
Mrs. Clark grew up on a
farm with brothers Wil
liam, Ridley, Bernard and
Emmett, and sister Martha.
Her mother came from
Muscogee County to marry
Mrs. Clark’s father, a farmer
and timber dealer. “My fa
ther furnished most of the
timber for President Roos
evelt’s Little White House
in Warm Springs. When
the President died in Warm
Springs, we went to see his
body being placed on the
train. I was in high school,”
she recalled.
Her childhood was typ
ical. “I played basketball and
was a member of the 4-H
Club. I had my nose stuck
in almost everything.” Af
ter graduating from Troup
County High School, she
briefly attended the Uni
versity of Georgia. That is
where she met her future
husband, Julian Clark of
Montgomery County, in
1939. He later graduated
from Reppert Auctioneer
School in Indiana, and af
ter they married, the couple
moved to Savannah where
Mr. Clark conducted auc
tions for three years. He
also officiated at auctions
in Macon and Athens, and
Mrs. Clark accompanied
him to work in the office
at the auctions. In 1964, he
bought Vidalia Livestock
and ran the company for
32 years. He retired in 1989
and passed away in 1998.
When they first mar
ried, the Clarks lived on
a farm that Mr. Clark in
herited from his father in
Montgomery County. They
moved to Vidalia in 1951
and built a home that they
occupied for 52 years. Son
Jake was born in 1945 and
son Michael came along in
1953. Jake worked in auc
tion sales and died a few
years ago. Michael, who still
lives in Atlanta, retired from
a position with the state of
Georgia. Jake and his wife,
Becky, had two sons whose
progeny include five chil
dren. Becky Rhodes (for
merly Clark) lives in Vidalia,
close by to her mother-in
law, Mrs. Clark, and com
municates with her daily.
In 2003, after selling
the home she and her hus
band built together, Mrs.
Clark thought about mov
ing to LaGrange to be near
her sister. “Bridge stopped
me,” she said with a chuckle.
“I was in three bridge clubs
and they would not let me
go. They said they needed
me.” She decided to stay in
Vidalia.
Through the years, Mrs.
Clark developed what some
might call an obsession for
the game of bridge. “We
played several days a week,
sometimes until four o’clock
in the morning,” she shared.
“We carried a covered dish,
had a cocktail and din
ner, and everybody played
bridge. We had two tables,”
she said. Mrs. Clark gave up
the game at age 98, but still
misses it. “So many of my
bridge friends have died,”
she lamented.
But there was also her
love of travel. She and her
best friend, Eugenia Wil
son, Becky’s mother, joined
small tour groups for many
journeys through the years.
“Eugenia and I were the best
of friends. We visited eight
countries in Europe, and
Alaska and Canada twice.”
Mrs. Clark and her husband
were also active in the Pres
byterian Church of Vidalia
where she was a member
of the Women’s Circle and
where he was Sunday school
superintendent for years.
She was also a mem
ber of the Vidalia Woman’s
Club and president of Pine
Ridge Garden Club. Family
and friends also enjoyed the
Clark’s home at Lake Lani
er, which they owned for
Photo by Evan Riekhoff
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM — Frances Clark
sits next to her son, Michael, of Atlanta,
who came to wish his mother a very
happy 100th birthday on Sunday, Febru
ary 28,
Photo by Evan Riekhoff
DEVOTED — Becky Rhodes, left, who was
married to Mrs. Clark's son, Jake, until his
death, is still devoted to her mother-in-
law. Mrs. Clark said she claims Becky as
her daughter, The two are very close.
[7 v k V \ ' j v
CRUISING — Frances Clark enjoys a cruise aboard The
Caribe. On this trip she sailed from Bar Harbor, Maine, to
Nova Scotia. Through the years she toured Europe, and
Canada and Alaska — twice!
25 years. “We had a bridge
retreat there and stayed for
a week,” she said. Her gar
den club came for a picnic,
and she often drove the boat
while her family enjoyed
skiing on the lake.
When asked what
advice she would give to
young people today, Mrs.
Clark paused to consider for
a moment and said, “That’s
a big responsibility isn’t it,
to give advice? Times have
changed.” She said she has
never seen anything like the
COVID-19 pandemic. “I
pray every night for the vi
rus to go away. I don’t think
life will ever be like it used
to be.”
Mrs. Clark misses
bridge, and traveling, and
just having the ability to
drive somewhere to pick up
her evening meal. One of
the most difficult decisions
she has ever had to make
was to give up driving at the
age of 98 and a half. “I was
going to renew my license
and buy more insurance,
but I knew I should stop
driving. My insurance agent
said I was making a wise
choice.”
She observed, “I don’t
go out much now, but if I
need something my friends
and Becky take me. I don’t
know what I would do with
out her. I think of Becky as
my daughter. I claim her.
She has a heart of gold.” She
added, “Michael is a sweet
son. He calls me often.”
Pondering what is most
important in her life, Mrs.
Clark responded readily,
“Family. I am grateful for my
family” And she has lots of
friends, including her for
mer bridge partners, many
of whom live in her neigh
borhood, and her fellow
church members.
She reflected, “I am
content. I am so blessed.
God has blessed me. You
know, you can’t do it alone.”
Celebrating a Century
Vidalian Frances Clark Marks 100th Birthday
By Deborah Clark
Regional Editor
dclarkadvance@gmail. com
Photo by Evan Riekhoff
VERY SPECIAL OCCASION - Friends from Frances Clark's church, including Pam Langs
ton, gathered on Mrs. Clark's lawn to sing "Happy Birthday," during the birthday tribute
on February 28, Colorful signs and decorations proclaimed best wishes for a happy
100th birthday.
BEST BUDDIES — Frances and her best friend, Eugenia Wilson, right, (also Becky Rhodes'
mother), enjoyed seeing the world together. Above, they try on some giant red clogs
in The Netherlands.
ON THE RHINE — Frances Clark looks like she is having a great time as she and her fel
low tourists take a trip down The Rhine. Travel was one of Frances's favorite hobbies,
but bridge was her first love.