Doug Clark is kind of reminiscent of Indiana Jones the way he sat behind his organized desk in a room crowded with shelves and book cases stuffed with books, Native American pictures, artifacts and even some skulls, which seem to draw in students like a moth to the flame. It was found out later that he shared his office with an anthropologist. Even though Doug teaches political science, he is still more interesting than an old skull.
Clark was born in Tualatin on a small farm. He and his two brothers worked the land and tend the animals for extra money. When his father died, his family was forced to move to suburbia, as he put it. His mother wanted him in the “rhythm of school". He was a pretty good student and was fairly athletic. He even had a football and baseball scholarship and attended the University of Oregon. Even though he enjoyed being active in sports, he found an interest in pre-law, social issues and public affairs. Doug was even active in a group similar to the Marines version of the ROTC.
He was working on his doctrine in political science when life got in the way. It was the early 1970s. He had a wife, two kids and little money. He needed a job. He found it with Linn-Benton Community College. His first year was uneventful. “It wasn’t a big deal”, Doug said
In the 1980s he applied for the Fulbright’s Exchange. This allowed for Clark to be a part of a “teacher exchange”. He taught many classes in London, Russia, The Netherlands, Hungary, Poland, and many other places. Doug also took students on “peace trips” around the world. They had to do all the fundraising themselves. He thoroughly enjoyed his trips. He had always told himself he did NOT want to get stuck in Oregon.
He is blessed with three children. “I am very much a family guy”, Doug said. He enjoys going on “outings” with the family. He takes them to Portland, Eugene and other places in Oregon and “Does things”, he claims. But they don’t stay in Oregon all the time. They have gone to Budapest and Prague for Christmas.
In his spare time he enjoys reading and doing research. He organizes his thoughts by doing a lot of writing and research into world affairs and a lot of research on America, its history and what direction the country is going in.
Another thing he likes to do when he is not in his class room, with his family or globetrotting, is playing tennis. He’s been playing the game with the same three friends, twice a week, for the last 25 years. All four men are retired from LBCC. He also enjoys riding his bike and hiking.
Clark really enjoys teaching which, he says, also happens to be very challenging. He says teaching can be difficult, but the students inspire him, especially when he gets an e-mail or phone call from a successful ex-student thanking him for his instruction.
Doug Clark seems to have a mastery of the class. During a lesson it appears as though he knows what to say and when, as well as how to say it. He will travel around the room scanning with his eyes as if they were sensors in search of the notorious “nod of fatigue” or the “glass eye of boredom”. If he sees proof of these conditions in the people he is lecturing to, he seamlessly changes his strategy to gain the upper hand and the attention of the wandering mind of the student to bring the class back into his grasp of learning by moving around the room more, asking unexpected questions, and fluctuating his voice.
Scott McAleer is a history instructor at LBCC. Even though Scott has known Doug for six years, he has never observed Doug's teaching style.
"People who have had his courses seem very well informed", Scott said, "they come into the class with an informed world view, and are prepared to discuss a variety of topics".
Scott says Doug is a "big Ideas" guy. "He sees history, politics, and world events form 40,000 feet, whereas most have a ground view". Scott also said, "I think one of his strengths is to get students to look past the tired, well-worn approaches to understanding the world around them and getting them to rethink the way they look at things."
McAleer describes Clark as being infectious, enthusiastic, and solution oriented.
Eric Noll is in Doug's political science class. Eric has a fascination with this topic. The class was recommended to him, and since he had already had a class with Doug in the past, he jumped at the chance to be in Doug's class."He presents the information in a way that's down to earth and easy to under stand", Eric said. He also claims that Doug has a vast array of knowledge and experience, yet he really seems to care for his students.
When a teacher puts aside his own goals for his students, it says something about the instructor. Doug Clark is a dissertation away from obtaining a PhD in political science, yet he has been “retired” since 2003 and still teaches history and political science at LBCC.
Doug doesn’t see himself doing anything else but teach. It seems as though it is in his blood and he thoroughly enjoys it. It shows in the way he presents the lessons to his class. If he couldn’t teach history or political science, he would be coaching younger kids in football and baseball.
Doug Clark is a fascinating man who is easy to talk to as well as a good story teller. Even though he is widely traveled, he knows very well where home is and he has quite a fondness for his home state. Some day he may retire completely, however, it is unlikely. He is still enjoying himself too much right now to do anything else, and as Doug says, “All things are Possible”.
At a glance
Who: Doug Clark
What: Political science and history instructor
Where: LBCC
Clark holds a master's in political science and loves teaching the class
Link
http://cf.linnbenton.edu/artcom/social_science/clarkd/web.cfm?pgID=14
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