Harold Glen Clark

Harold Glen Clark (1902–1984) left an indelible mark as the dean of Continuing Education at Brigham Young University.

Harold Glen Clark was born in 1902 in the Salt River Valley in Arizona. He served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Eastern States Mission. After his mission he pursued his education at Columbia University and later at Brigham Young University. Returning to Mesa in 1929, he married Virginia Driggs. His academic pursuits continued, and he earned a master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Southern California. In 1936, he served as the secretary to Congressman John R. Murdock and later attained a doctorate degree from George Washington University.

In 1944, Clark assumed the role of personnel trainer in the AAA Program of the US Department of Agriculture. When he returned to Utah in 1946, he began his tenure as a professor of education at BYU. Despite facing personal tragedy with the loss of his wife, Virginia, to cancer in 1950, Clark married again that same year to Mary Dean Peterson. His roles at BYU expanded to include director of Extension Services, dean of Adult Education and Extension Services, and ultimately the dean of the Division of Continuing Education.

He played various roles within the Church, serving as a high councilman, a bishop, and eventually as the president of the Provo Temple from 1971 to 1977. He and Mary Dean undertook a mission in Sri Lanka from 1979 to 1981, further exemplifying their dedication to service.