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| Clark H. Allison
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| NO. 17858 • 24 September 1927 – 8 April 1981 |
Died in Sacramento, CA
Interred in West Point Cemetery, West Point, NY
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COMING FROM a military family,
Clark Hickmott Allison’s desire to attend West Point was not surprising. A true
son of the “golden west”, Clark was born in Oakland, CA. With Clark’s open and
sunny disposition, it was not unusual that he made many friends at USMA. He was
a member of the Water Polo Club and was on the swim team all four years, earning
a Major “A” and Navy Star. As the ’50 Howitzer noted, “At present, he holds the
record for hours spent in the varsity tank.” The steadfastness and drive that
Clark displayed as a Cadet would be evidenced in his professional and personal
life.
Upon graduation, Clark was commissioned in
the Air Force and assigned to the Air Training Command, initially as
a student pilot at a base in Waco, TX. His dream of becoming an Air
Force pilot was not to be realized, though. He began a flying and
command and staff operational career as a navigator, bombardier, and
radar operator in conventional bombers, multi-engine jet bombers,
and jet fighters.
In the autumn of 1950, Clark began training
as an aerial navagator at Ellington AFB, Houston, TX. He completed
radar and bombardier training at Mather AFB, Sacramento, CA, in
March 1952, earning his wings as an aerial observer. This was
a new rating that reflected what had been three separate
aeronautical ratings of navigator, bombardier, and radar operator.
Clark married Susan Grether, from Berkeley, CA. Their loving
partnership grew to include four daughters – Patricia, Susann,
Virginia, and Jacqueline.
Clark was assigned as a B-29 radar
operator with the 44th Bombardment Wing,
Strategic Air Command, based at Lake Charles, LA. In the summer of
1953, Clark’s unit transitioned to a new bomber, the six-jet engine
B-47 Stratofortress, the mainstay for the SAC at that time. It had a
crew of three: pilot, co-pilot, and aerial observer, the porition
Clark occupied. He encompassed bombing and navigational duties, as
well as the monitoring and control of the nuclear weapon the B-47
was designed to carry, at intercontinental ranges, with aerial
refueling.
Clark’s tour with SAC was curtailed
in April 1946, when he was assigned as a navigation instructor at USAFA. Clark,
along with other USMA Classmates, contributed immeasurably to the successful
initiation of the new Air Force Academy. Clark’s tour at USAFA ended in 1960
with a two-year assignment with his family to the 84th Bombardment Squadron (jet)
as a B-66 crew member based at Sculthorpe Royal AF Station,
England.
His achievements with the squadron
earned him two Air Medals. In 1962, the Allison family’s European tour was
extended by another two years with Clark’s assignment as a staff officer with
the 7407th Support Squadron based at Rhein Main Air Base in West
Germany. That assignment was followed in 1964 by selection to the Armed Forces
Staff College at Norfolk, VA, where he graduated in January 1965, along with
several other classmates. His new duty station was with the 8th
Tactical Fighter Wing, based at George AFB, Victorville, CA, flying as the
backseat observer of the two-man F-4 fighter-bomber crew. Clark’s growing skill
and knowledge in the aerial observer field, particularly in all-weather bombing
and navigation, were being put to use in more combat jets. Clark’s stay at
George AFB lasted only a month with the
wing’s deployment to the Royal Thai Air Base at Ubon, Thailand. Both as a crew
member and operations staff officer, he flew 40 aerial combat missions over
North Viet Nam, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, four more
Air Medals, and the Air Force Commendation Medal.
Clark’s staff position was as the
Director of Intelligence. The 8th TFW was then the largest wing in
that sector of operations, and the staff assignment was an extraordinarily
demanding one for Clark. The 8th TFW conducted around-the-clock
fighter and support aircraft combat operations over North Vietnam and Laos,
operating from two main bases. The Intelligence Sections provided critical
support for mission planning, post-mission aircrew briefing and debriefing, and
timely post-strike reporting to higher headquarters. That endless activity was
under Clark’s direct supervision. His outstanding leadership qualities were
legendary among the aircrews, whose very lives depended on the intelligence
products produced by the people Clark supervised.
In September 1966, Clark rejoined
his family stateside at Bergstrom AFB with assignment to an RF-4 wing. That
assignment was curtailed in 1967, by a new assignment as a fighter operations
officer with the Tactical Air Command Headquarters at Langley AFB, VA – another
example where Clark’s unique talents and experience were recognized and put to
use. A quotation from the Class of ’50 20-Year Book, in Clark’s own words, is
appropriate: “As a navigator among 35 fighter pilots in the section, my
position could be equated to Stokely Carmichael as a member of the Savannah
(Georgia) Country Club.” He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal by the
Tactical Air Command.
After a highly successful tour with
TAC, in 1971 Clark was ordered back to his beloved California to assume duties
as the deputy commander of the 3535th Navigation Training Wing at
Mather AFB, Sacramento, CA. It was a clear recognition by the Air Force of
Clark’s continuously demonstrated professional competence and potential for
higher command. In two years, he was promoted to Vice Commander of the
organization, then renamed the 323d Flying Training Wing. Clark was able to ensure that the new
aspirants to the aerial observer field would benefit from his extensive
experience and background.
In May 1974, Clark retired from the
Air Force as a colonel and was awarded the Legion of Merit for his superior
service as deputy commander and vice commander. He settled in Sacramento and
became a respected and valued member of
the civilian community, both in a personal and professional sense. In civilian
life, he served as Director of Marketing and Finance for the Pacific Legal
Foundation, as well as General Manager of the Optical Laboratory of the
California Visions Service. He also was active in many civic organizations,
including the Sacramento United Way, Rotary International, and the Sacramento
Comstock Club.
Unfortunately, Clark’s peaceful and
productive retirement life was interrupted by illness. In December 1980, he
underwent surgery for colon cancer and, sadly, death followed only four months
later. Those of us who knew Clark can only guess what his attitude was during
his battle with cancer – he was positively determined not to let the dreadful
disease defeat him, and he never gave up.
Clark’s widow, Susann, passed away
in July 1991. Those who survive Clark – his family, relatives, friends,
classmates, and those with whom he served in the Air Force – will not forget
him.
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USMA 1950