Sad news ...

Ida Brown
ibrown@themeridianstar.com

I received sad news today ...

Longtime Meridian NAACP president and civil rights activist Obie Clark died after a long battle with cancer. He will be greatly missed.

I often credit Mr. Clark as one the people who helped me to get in the door at The Star. During a visit home while I was a journalism student at the University of Southern Mississippi, I visited Mr. Clark at his office at the Multi-County Community Service Agency (MCCSA), which, at the time, was located across the street from where I lived in Frank Berry Courts. I'd known Mr. Clark since I was a child and the summer after my freshman year at USM – the only summer I didn't attend school – I'd worked in a government-sponsored program that provided jobs for low-income students. Multi-County was the program's headquarters.

I hadn't been there five minutes when Mr. Clark said, "When do you graduate?"

"Next year, in May," I answered.

He handed me the telphone directory, grabbed the phone receiver and told me to lookup the number for The Meridian Star. When he reached Jim Wynn, who, at the time was executive editor, Mr. Clark asked, "How many black reporters do you have on your staff?

I couldn't hear Mr. Wynn's response but from Mr. Clark's next question, I assumed he said none.

"Can you tell me why you don't have any?"

Again, I couldn't hear Mr. Wynn's response, but apparently he'd told Mr. Clark that none of those who had applied were qualified.

"I have a young lady sitting here who will graduate in one year from Southern Mississippi with a ... "

He looked at me and on cue I whispered, "bachelor of science degree in journalsim, with a minor in English."

After repeating the information to Mr. Wynn, I heard Mr. Clark say, "So when she finishes next spring, she will be coming down to your office to put in her application. And then you will have a qualified black applicant."

Mr. Clark hung up the phone, looked at me and said, "Young lady, I expect you to be working at The Star this time next year."

I graduated from USM in May 1983. Two weeks later, I started as a reporter at The Star.

Whenever I've credited Mr. Clark (and Rep. Charles Young, who also put in a good word for me) with "getting me my job" at The Star, he's always interrupted and said, "YOU got the job; I just held the door open for you to walk inside."

That was Mr. Clark.

He never took credit for helping others. I've seen other people try to express appreciation to Mr. Clark and in his slow Southern drawl he would say, "Well, you know I really didn't do that much ... "

Just think ... if we all "really didn't do that much" for others how much would be accomplished, how much better life would be and how much greater a world we would live in.

So here's to Mr. Clark – the person who "really didn't do that much," just held the door open to make it easier to walk inside to fulfill our hopes and dreams, and to become productive and successful individuals.