Russell B. Clark, MD

Russell B. Clark was born in Montpelier, Idaho, November 19, 1900, the ninth child in a family of eleven. He grew up on a farm and developed an interest in medicine by watching and helping his mother care for neighbors. He studied medicine at the University of Utah and Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago and received his Medical Doctorate in 1929. He was first married to Ruby Dorius in 1929 and then to Donna Keeney in 1951. He has five children. He passed away on September 10, 2009 as Utah’s oldest resident.

As a faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints he served in a variety of church positions: full-time missionary (Southern States Mission), bishop, high councilor, and stake patriarch. He and his wife served a “senior” mission in Florida and Jamaica. In addition, he was an active member of his community and over the years he joined the Kiwanis Club, served in the Boy Scouts of America, and worked in the Artesia Chamber of Commerce.

Dr. Clark was noted for his remarkable vitality. At age 98 he was a team member in the Beach to Bay Relay Marathon (Corpus Christi, Texas). He regularly competed in the Huntsman World Senior Games (St. George, Utah) and still holds the records for the men’s 50 meter and 200 meter dash in his age category (100-104 years old). His desire to compete and his zest for life remain an example to young and old.

Dr. Clark enriched the lives of thousands of people during his many years of medical practice in Chicago and California. After 19 years of general practice in Chicago, Dr. Clark moved to California in 1948 and purchased and managed a private hospital in Artesia. His continued success allowed him to purchase a second private hospital in Glendora. At 102, he still maintained a business and was honored as America’s Oldest Worker by the U.S. Department of Labor in October of 2003.

His hard work enabled his quiet philanthropic donations to Brigham Young University, the University of Utah, and his church. His support of the BYU Gerontology Conference over the years reflected his long-term interest in promoting education and research on aging issues and enhancing the well-being of older adults.