NORTHAMPTON — City resident Gerry Clark returned from his combat service in Vietnam in 1968 as Tom Pease, his best friend from Smith Vocational and Agricultural School, was still deployed in Southeast Asia.
Appreciating that Pease would have another six months to serve, Clark made special visits to Pease’s mother, father and sister to offer them comfort.
“I’d like to think that eased the minds of my parents,” Pease said in a phone interview Thursday, observing that he never knew about Clark’s compassion for his family until his sister told him during his 75th birthday party in October.
The idea that Clark, who died Sunday at the age of 77 with wife, Pam, at his side, wouldn’t have told his longtime friend about those visits is not a surprise, as he never sought fanfare when offering help and guidance.
“Behind the scenes he did a lot, especially for veterans,” said Pease, the commander of the Florence VFW Post 8006. “I can’t say enough about him.”
Those who knew Clark, a lifelong Northampton resident who made his home in Leeds, describe him as having a deep care for veterans and their families. For the past several years he served as the veterans agent in Hatfield.
“He’s absolutely irreplaceable,” said Hatfield American Legion Post 344 Commander Tom Tataro. “Gerry was definitely a passionate and dedicated veterans advocate.”
In Northampton, Clark was part of the Veterans Council, where he was integral to organizing parades and ceremonies, and also a member of a committee, with Central Hampshire Veterans Services Director Steve Connor, that helped bring the traveling Vietnam Memorial to the Big E.
“In many ways he has been my mentor for when it comes to the proper way of showing honor to those who have served,” Connor said.
Upon getting back from the war, Clark joined the Hatfield American Legion. From 1974 to 1976, he was the commander of that post and became the Legion service officer, a position he held for many years, and then became the town’s veterans agent in 2015. He was also in the Hatfield Color Guard and the Rifle Squad. In Northampton, he led the Elks Veterans Committee and was a member of the VFW.
Wendy Tataro, former president of the Legion’s auxiliary, said she has so much appreciation that Clark always had veterans on his mind, and made sure to dine at restaurants where he knew he would bump into one or more of them.
“No matter where you went, he was always promoting veterans,” Wendy Tataro said.
Beyond his advocacy for veterans, Clark also found time to support anyone in need in the community. “He was just absolutely wonderful,” she said.
An oral history recorded by the Hatfield Historical Society a few years ago included Clark among its featured veterans. In his interview, Clark spoke about graduating from the electrical program at Smith Vocational in 1965 and then working for New England Telephone before being inducted into basic training for the U.S. Army. He had experience as a company commander radio operator in the C and Headquarters Company, 2/60 Infantry, 9th Infantry Division in Tan Tru and various nearby villages in Long An Province and the Mekong Delta. He was discharged in 1968 with the rank of Specialist E-4.
He then returned to work for the telephone company, in retirement worked security at Kollmorgen, and then took on the veterans agent role. He described having open heart surgery several years ago that may have been needed due to exposure to the defoliant Agent Orange during his service.
As he talked, Clark encouraged veterans to sign up for services at the VA Medical Center and noted he felt fortunate that more recent veterans were beginning to have the backs of Vietnam veterans, even though those who served in Vietnam didn’t often ask for help.
“It’s shifted to now you’ve got these young kids coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan. We got to take care of the kids, we’ve got to make sure it doesn’t happen to us again,” Clark said. “We’re fine, we’ve always been fine.”
Growing up in the South Street area of Northampton, where he spent most of his life before moving to Leeds, Clark also spent lots of time in Hatfield, as well.
Pease recalls at Smith Vocational both he and Clark were class officers, helping organize and raise money for a class trip to Washington, and part of the drill team, the National Defense Cadet Corps, where they attended parades, shows and other events throughout New England. The two also played soccer, edited the yearbook and went on double dates together. “Everyone knew Gerry Clark,” Pease said.
Connor said a decade or so ago, Clark and Pease brought World War II and Korean War veterans on an all-expense paid, five-day trip to Washington to visit monuments, and that they were planning another trip for Vietnam veterans in March 2023. In fact, Pease said that will go forward, but it will be a challenge without Clark.
“He was the catalyst for so much and he kept everybody to task on their assignments,” Connor said, adding that he was meticulous and made sure that everything was done with dignity. “In all of the planning meetings that we have for our veterans we always knew we could count on Gerry stating to us all ‘verify and clarify’ in all that we did.”
Hatfield Select Board member Ed Jaworski served with Clark in the Honor Guard and noted every Memorial Day Clark would visit the graves of deceased veterans. His service showed the care and responsibility he had, Jaworski said.
“He did it because he wanted to help veterans and families in need,” Jaworski said. “He went above and beyond.”
That included traveling to Boston to speak directly to state veterans services people.
“Gerry was always a great guy,” Jaworski said. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything bad said about him.”
Geralyn Rodgers, the town’s Senior Services director, had an office near his at Town Hall, and found Clark to be kind, thoughtful and funny, and usually smiling.
“His dedication as the veteran officer for Hatfield was truly inspiring,” Rodgers said. “He worked tirelessly to make sure his veterans and their families were taken care of and no one was left out.”
Hatfield Select Board Chairwoman Diana Szynal said Clark worked hard on behalf of veterans, while also lending a personal touch to those interactions.
“Gerry was a genuinely kind man who really had the best interest of veterans and active service members at heart,” Szynal said.
Pease said he will miss his friend, who was so important to him during their teenage years and formative experience in Vietnam. “I’m so glad I had him in my life at that time,” Pease said.
Calling hours are Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m. at Ahearn Funeral Home in Northampton, with a private burial Monday at Massachusetts Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Agawam. The Florence VFW will hold a celebration of life for Clark on Dec. 18 from 1 to 4 p.m.
