[Congressional Record Volume 145, Number 98 (Tuesday, July 13, 1999)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1523]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              TRIBUTE TO THE LATE CAPTAIN WILLIAM Y. CLARK

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL P. FORBES

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, July 13, 1999

  Mr. FORBES. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor an entrepreneur, 
Captain William Y. Clark, a Long Island businessman who recently passed 
away at the age of 86.
  Ask any parent and I am sure they will agree that leaving a legacy 
such as the reins of a family business is of great significance. 
Skillfully maintaining and expanding such an enterprise demands the 
infusion of innovative ideas which was William's speciality.
  Captain William Clark was born in Shelter Island, Long Island, in 
1913. He was educated at Shelter Island schools and Mt. Hermon College, 
in Massachusetts. Trained as a youth on diesel engines, the company he 
inherited has been in the Clark family continuously since 1790, when 
the first ferry ran.
  He spent his life serving the community at the helm of South Ferry, 
Inc., the ferry service that runs from North Haven (outside Sag Harbor) 
to Shelter Island. Under Captain Clark's watchful eye, the company has 
become what it is today, a fleet of four boats which can hold up to 
twenty cars apiece.
  Captain Clark was a longtime member of the Lions Club, East End 
Church of Christ and, when not on call with his company, a member of 
Shelter Island Fire Department. He also served on the board of Timothy 
Hill Children's Ranch in Riverhead.
  The night before he passed away, he laid in a deep sleep. He would 
open his eyes, struggle for a breath, and then fall peacefully asleep 
again. However, when his family began to sing ``God Bless America,'' he 
would awake and spread a truly joyous smile on his tired face. He could 
not speak very well, but he summoned the strength to share a few more 
laughs with his family. He fell asleep soon after, waking to greet his 
youngest grandchild, Shelli, who had flown in from college to be with 
him.
  To his two children, four grandchildren, and one great-grandchild, 
Captain Clark will be remembered as the patriarch of a family business 
spanning more than two hundred years. To a great number of those in the 
community, he will be looked upon as a man who quietly helped to 
maintain their precious quality of life.
  Captain Clark embodied the type of role model and innovator that all 
would have enjoyed being around and looked up to.
  Colleagues, Mr. Clark is a community leader who will be sorely 
missed.

                          ____________________