Jerry Clark, who was a veteran journalist and a good friend, died yesterday of a reported heart attack. I last saw Jerry a few months ago at a memorial for Earl Gustkey, the late L.A Times boxing writer. Clark sat in the front row with Chuck Garrity, the former assistant sports editor of the Times, at the gathering held at the 1984 Olympics Library near downtown.
Jerry always had a very calm way about him. He was well involved with the Old Farts group, a collection of retired and former L.A. Times staffers who would meet once a month for lunch. Jerry helped organize the group's meetings and wrote a newsletter that kept members informed on what was going on at the paper. He also did a lot of work for the L.A. Press Club and the Southern California Sportscasters Assn.
Jerry's most important contribution came as the head of the proof readers room at the Times during the paper's hot type days. He and his staff which included Times veteran Bill Walker, would catch mistakes in stories before they went to press that had gone through some of the keenest and sharp-eyed copy editors at the paper. On his lunch breaks, Jerry often came into the sports department, found an empty desk and schmoozed while he ate. His knowledge of Los Angeles sports teams was second to none. He was very close to columnist John Hall, whom Jerry worked with at the old Mirror News.
I will always remember Jerry arriving for work behind the wheel of his black Cadillac limo, wearing his black chauffeur's hat and gloves, a vision of a good guy and a throwback to a classy era long gone.
RIP, Jerry.
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