After a long illness, Clark Brooke, professor emeritus of geography and a pioneer Portland State faculty member, died Dec. 4. A memorial observance will be held 4:00 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 14, at the Simon Benson House on the PSU campus. An obituary from the Dec. 13 Oregonian may be consulted in the RAPS Office. Commemorative donations may be made to the PSU Foundation, Geography Department, P.O. Box 234, Portland 97207-0751. Prof. Brooke was born in Evanston, Ill., and moved with his family to Seattle, where he attended public schools. In 1942 he earned a B.A. degree in geography from the University of Washington. On Dec. 8, 1941—the day after the Pearl Harbor attack—Prof. Brooke enlisted in the United States Navy and served with distinction as an officer during the 1943-1945 Pacific Theater campaigns. For two decades he maintained an active reserve status and retired with the rank of commander. After the war ended, as a representative for the American Salvage Company, he worked on projects in Asia and Africa. For the newly independent Philippine government he successfully recovered bullion that had been dumped into Manila Bay to prevent its seizure during the Japanese occupation. In 1949 Prof. Brooke began geography graduate studies at the University of Washington, and pursued thesis research on coastal razor clams, fulfilling requirements for an M.A. degree that was awarded in 1950. When he launched doctoral studies at the University of Nebraska, he shifted research emphasis to African studies. From 1952 to 1954 he conducted field studies and taught in Ethiopia, which established his reputation as a regional specialist, and culminated in a Ph.D. degree awarded 1956. In 1954 Prof. Brooke took a geography instructor appointment at the Portland Extension Center, the forerunner institution that a year later became Portland State College. His pioneering academic service reinforced the fledgling institution’s transformation into today’s comprehensive research university. Prof. Brooke consistently exhibited an innate intellectual inquisitiveness, leading to worldwide research projects that generated manifold original contributions to knowledge. Those undertakings derived support from significant external funding sources, including the National Science Foundation, the In memoriam: Clark Harding Brooke, Jr. (1920-2009) National Research Council, the National Academy of Science, and the Fulbright-Hays Commission. Investigating food supply problems, land use, and relevant genetic characteristics of endangered breeds of sheep led to extensive and varied overseas field studies in Turkey, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Tanganyika, and Europe. Ongoing research undergirded frequent presentations to scholarly organizations and produced a long list of juried publications. A wide range of universities—Wyoming, Alaska Methodist, Washington, and Kabul in Afghanistan, among others—took advantage of his academic specialty by engaging him as a visiting professor. Peace Corps training projects at PSU and Georgetown utilized his expertise for area studies instruction related to Ethiopia, Turkey, Iran, and Afghanistan. Prof. Brooke effectively participated in universitywide academic governance through longtime membership in the Faculty Senate and chairmanship of both the Graduate Council and Research and Publication Committee. The Geography Department’s curriculum development benefited from his guidance. He presided over the PSU Sigma XI board and maintained active membership in five geography associations and societies. A major civic outreach stemmed from membership and committee service with the Portland City Club. At the 1985 commencement Prof. Brooke received the George and Virginia Hoffmann Award honoring his distinguished service and scholarship, which continued until he achieved emeritus status in 1990. For significant, energetic, and tireless contributions to the institution’s educational enterprise, we owe a deep debt of gratitude to Prof. Brooke. On a personal note, I met Clark on Jan. 2, 1959, when I joined the PSU Division of Social Science as an instructor in history. For nearly a half-century we occupied homes in close proximity. For me, and for many others, Clark was a likable friend and an academic inspiration, but I avoided playing poker with him. In 1949 Clark married Armyn Roberts; she and their daughters, Anne, of Kauai, Hawaii; Jill (Brad) Wall, and Megan (Peter) Schoonmaker; and four grandchildren survive him. Our organization sends its heartfelt condolences to them. —Victor C. Dahl, Professor Emeritus of History, with assistance from Charles M. White, Professor Emeritus of History
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