CORKSCREW CHRONICLES: Raising a glass to Bob Clark

I met Bob Clark at Oberlin High School in my first year of marching band. He was two years my senior and marched on the left front corner of the band. I was put next to him, and he became one of my musical mentors and a close friend. There was only one time over the years that he became upset with me. The band had a great reputation for dance routines and light shows. Light strings would be pinned on our uniform sleeves and pants. When the stadium was darkened and we clicked on our lights, the crowd always went wild. We were doing a routine which involved pinwheels. Of course, I was on the outermost position, struggling to play while taking huge steps. I heard Clark yell, "catch up", which got me focused. After we took off our lights, Clark came up to me and apologized. I looked him straight in the eye and said, "You were right, I was behind. I don't intend for it to happen again, but if it does, I expect you to tell me." Clark was a very kind and compassionate person but was also a dedicated perfectionist and fine leader, which is why we became friends. Clark was a strong and polished trombonist, though I was surprised to find he was also an excellent French hornist, which was his concert band instrument. He also loved to sing and became part of many choirs throughout his life, all of which led to his strong interest in opera, theater and musical concerts. I lost track of Clark after he graduated. He entered Carlton College, earning a bachelor of arts degree (1973) and Indiana University, Bloomington, earning his master's degree in French (1976) and his doctorate with an emphasis on French medieval literature and medieval studies (1994). I enrolled at the Graduate School for Music Performance at I.U. in 1975, and ran into Clark in the basement of Eigenmann Hall, the graduate dormitory, where we were both doing laundry. Facebook brought us back together most recently and caught us up on our lives. Clark taught for 30 years at Kansas State and was promoted to professor in 2013. The title professor emeritus was conferred on him this March. He often traveled, including frequent trips to France. His research in medieval French literature and culture enhanced his educational endeavors on French language, literature, culture, and cinema. Clark created many presentations and articles, including a collection: "Medieval Conduct," co-edited with Kathleen Ashley. One of his Facebook posts humorously bemoaned students who didn't investigate their supplied class information. He would tell them, "It's in the syllabus." I borrowed that phrase for my beverage classes. Three of my top students presented me with a shirt with the saying printed on the back. I sent Clark a picture, and he thought it hilariously appropriate. Clark came back to Oberlin for a class reunion, and I met him for lunch. We had a marvelous time discussing in person what had happened since high school and Indiana University, when I had last seen him. We made plans to meet that evening, talk and share some wine. I asked for his wine preference, which was red Burgundy from Beaune. Fortunately, I had two bottles of a 1990 vintage. The wine was still young, but we had a lovely time on the porch where he was staying, sipping and talking. Sadly, we lost Clark to cancer on April 4, in his final teaching semester before retirement. Bob, I am saving the second bottle of Beaune to drink in your memory. Godspeed, my friend. Gary Twining is a certified wine educator who worked 34 years in the wholesale fine wine industry. E-mail him at winingwithtwining@hotmail.com.