This column by Daniel G. Clark about Alexander Clark (1826-1891) first appeared in the Muscatine Journal.
People my age look back and exclaim how fast time flies. We reflect on what we learned as children and how that shaped who we became.
This column is published on my 72nd birthday. Were I born only 72 years earlier—in 1878—and growing up in Muscatine, I could have witnessed firsthand the oratory of our famous “colored” neighbor Alexander Clark. As an 11-year old, I could have attended the sendoff celebration when he departed for Liberia as the new U.S. consul, one of the highest honors accorded any Black person in 19th century America.
I like to believe I’d have felt proud of our town—Clark’s chosen home since 1842—and proud of our state where his achievements had been important and lauded.
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