Clark Thomas Rice (1921 - 1999)

Born 20 Jun 1921 in Perry, Wyoming County, NY

Ancestors

Died 24 Feb 1999 at age 77 in Rochester, Monroe County, New York, USA

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Biography

"S.Sgt. Clark T. Rice U.S. Photographic Signal Corps 1942-1946 WWII

--- CLARK THOMAS RICE Clark Thomas Rice, 77, of Covington Street, Perry, died February 24, 1999 at Highland Hospital in Rochester. He was born in Perry on June 20, 1921, a son of the late Clifford E. Rice and Olive J. Littledyke Rice. Mr. Rice is survived by his wife Elizabeth “Betty” Hiddemen Rice, whom he married in 1945; a son, David (Darlene) Rice of Perry; a daughter, Kathryn (Marwin) Cummings of Tioga, Pennsylvania; 5 grandchildren, 1 great-grandchild and 5 nieces. He was predeceased by his brother Eugene Rice (1997) and his sister Marie Norton (1972). Calling hours were held Friday (02/26/1999). A Masonic service and an American Legion service were held that evening at the funeral home. The funeral was held Saturday (02/27/1999) at First United Methodist Church on Covington Street. Burial will be in Glenwood Cemetery. Memorials may be made to the Perry Public Library, Wyoming Pioneer Historical Society or Perry Rotary Foundation.

Obituary published in the Perry Herald, Perry, New York, Thursday, March 4, 1999.

CLARK RICE Clark Thomas Rice died at Highland Hospital in Rochester on Thursday, February 24, 1999. He was born on June 20, 1921 in Perry, New York to Clifford E. and Olive J. Littledyke Rice. Clark graduated from Perry High School, Class of 1941. Following high school graduation he attended Art Center School in Los Angeles, California where he studied under the tutelage of such all time photographic giants as Ansel Adams, Fred Archer and Will Connell. After Pearl Harbor, Clark enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserves in August of 1942. In addition to the Art Center School, he attended the U.S. Army conducted school at MGM School of Still Photography under the guidance of Clarence Bull. With the Art Center School group he entered into active duty as part of the 165th Signal Photo Company in January of 1943. For three months prior to his departure to England, Clark also attended the Army Specialized training school held in Drexel Institute of Technology at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Clark was stationed near Bristol, England, in the small English village of Old Chipping Sudbury prior to his participation in the landing on Omaha Beach on June 6, 1944. He worked on assignment with the 165th Signal Photographic Company participating in the Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland and Central European Campaigns. He was with the liberating forces when Buchenwald, south of Weimar, Germany was liberated and spent two weeks photographing the conditions and survivors of Buchenwald. For the last few years, Clark has lectured extensively and showed slides of pictures taken at Buchenwald to many area schools as part of their Holocaust studies. Returning to the United States, Clark married Elizabeth M. Hiddeman at Norwood, Pennsylvania on November 22, 1945. They returned to Perry in July of 1946 where Clark set up his Photographic Studio on Covington Street. He became very active in community affairs and for the past fifty-three years he has photographed scenes, the people of Perry and surrounding areas. Many of his photographs have been published in his work for the Perry Herald, the Rochester Times-Union and other publications including his latest photographs of Letchworth State Park in a British publication on Mary Jemison. For over thirty years, he subcontracted to School Pictures of Webster, taking student photographs and yearbook pictures of the area schools. As a very active member of his community, Clark was elected Trustee of the Perry Library, a position he held at his death. He served as past president of the Perry Chamber of Commerce and past president of the Perry Merchants Association. He was a member of the Constellation Lodge, F&AM 404, Perry, and was the last Chairman of the Board of the First Universality Society of Perry, Perry Alumni Class of 1941. He was a life member of the V.F. W., American Legion, Friends of the Genesee Valley Greenway, Perry Rotary Club, Past President of Perry Kiwanis Club, member of the American Canal Society, Director and past president of the Wyoming Pioneer Historical Society, the Nunda Historical Society, active in the Mills Family reunions, descendent and member of the Edmund Rice Association/1638. He belonged to the Wyoming Council of the Arts, The Western New York Post Card Club, and was a participant in the Task Force for the Reuse of the Leicester Street School. He was a member of the Genesee Valley Museum at Mumford and a member of the International Museum of Photography and Film. He was the recipient of the Masonic Dedicated Service Award in 1996, the Rotary Paul Harris Award 1996, the Perry Area Chamber of Commerce Business Recognition Award for Community Involvement in 1995, the Individual Achievement Award from the Arts Council for Wyoming County in Recognition of Excellence in Arts and Letters, May 5, 1995. Clark, with his wife, Betty, attended Holy Apostles Episcopal Church. They shared their enthusiasm and involvement with the Elmira College/Berkshire Community College Shaker Studies Seminars by lecturing on this subject for the past twenty five years. Clark also lectured on area history and was a popular lecturer for many of the various organizations in the Western New York Area. He is survived by his wife of fifty three years, Elizabeth (Betty) Hiddeman Rice, and two children, Kathryn (Marwin) Cummings of Tioga, Pennsylvania and David (J. Darlene) Rice of Perry. Five grandchildren, Jonathan (Tanya) Rice of Perry, Christopher Rice of Fredericksburg, Virginia, Aaron Rice of Perry, Tracey Cummings of St. Mary’s, Pennsylvania and Geoffrey (Joy) Cummings of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, one great-grandson, Geoffrey Rice. His cousins, Jean Littledyke and Adele Bostwick of San Diego, California, several nieces and their families, and his many friends including those of the “Hole in the Wall Gang.” If you so desire, memorials may be made to the Perry Public Library, the Wyoming Pioneer Historical Society or the Perry Rotary Foundation, three organizations very dear to Clark’s heart.

News article published in the Perry Herald, Perry, New York, Thursday, March 4, 1999."

Sources

• https://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=101560571