Alameda
County
Biographies
WILLIAM
A. CLARK, M.D.
WILLIAM A. CLARK, M.D. The flourishing and altogether satisfactory
conditions existing at the Alameda Infirmary and Hospital near San Leandro are
an encouraging illustration of what may be accomplished by a young professional
man who starts out with the determination to turn his knowledge to good
account, and who recognizes no obstacle, however formidable, as prejudicial to
his ultimate success. Dr. Clark’s
tenure of office as resident physician and manager of the hospital dates from 1895,
and during that time it is safe to say that few institutions of the kind have
witnessed greater changes in so short a time, considering the advantages and
material at hand. He may be said to be a
product of the energy and resourcefulness of the west, notwithstanding the fact
that he was born in Saginaw, Mich., January 22, 1871. He was two years old when he came to
California with his parents, and after living for short periods in San
Francisco, Sausalito, and San Rafael, came to Alameda county
during his ninth year, and has since acknowledged it as his permanent
home. His people gave him a moderate
educational training, but after his graduation from the high school in 1888, he
felt that whatever else he gained in the future would be through his own exertions. He was an exceptionally bright and adaptive
pupil, and at an early age determined that the medical profession offered just
such inducements as his ambition and inclination required. In order to meet his expenses in the Cooper
Medical Institute of San Francisco, which he entered in 1889, he clerked in a
drug store, completing the college course in 1891, although, owing to not
having attained his majority, he was not allowed to graduate until 1892. While waiting for the desired honor he was
employed in the office of Dr. Barkan, of San
Francisco.
In 1893 Dr. Clark was an interne in
the City and County Hospital of San Francisco, and the following year gained a
wealth of experience as surgeon for the Occidental and Oriental steamships
plying between San Francisco and China and Japan. After receiving his appointment as
superintendent and resident physician of the Alameda County Infirmary and
Hospital he bent his energies to make of it a creditable institution, although
its record thus far had been anything but satisfactory. At best it was a crude institution, holding
out little promise because of the scarcity of funds and appliances, and want of
interest on the part of the public.
There were no nurses nor assistant physicians,
little that an ambitious young practitioner would require for the performance
of his duties, and he was even obliged to perform his surgical operations
alone. A less persevering and
far-sighted nature would many times have become discouraged, but Dr. Clark
succeeded in impressing his good intentions and disinterestedness upon the
county supervisors, and finally roused their pride in an institution which
compared most unfavorably with similar concerns in other parts of the
state. The board of supervisors
eventually awoke to the necessities of the situation, furnished funds at first
for the necessities, and later for the conveniences, and, with the personal aid
of Dr. Clark, who himself is a natural mechanic, affairs began to look up,
and order and system were established.
At first one assistant relieved the doctor of the necessity of dressing
wounds and other minor work, and today there are two internes, and nurses from
the training school, to attend to the three hundred odd patients. The sick and indigent, many of them, have a
better home than they have previously had in their entire lives, and the
patience and consideration shown them is in keeping with the humane and strong
ideals of the superintendent. The farm
connected with the infirmary and hospital consists of one hundred and
twenty-five acres. Many of the inmates
are excellent workmen, relieving what would otherwise be intolerable monotony
by tasks satisfactorily performed. A
large chicken and hog ranch is one of the interesting and paying features of
the farm, and, taken in connection with the general buildings and barns, makes
a village of imposing proportions.
Dr. Clark not only superintends every
department of his institution, but conducts a large private practice, extending
from Oakland to Livermore. His outside
patients are cared for mostly in the evening, and with the aid of his
automobile he is able to make quick time, and cover much ground in an
expeditious manner. His experience has
been more varied than the average practitioner, and today he is one of the best
physicians and surgeons in Alameda county, and besides
has the satisfaction of knowing that he has built up and is at the head of one
of the finest hospitals of the kind in the state. Dr. Clark has a family consisting of his
wife, formerly Lola Haskell, of Alameda, and two children, Wynonah
and Walter. In political affiliation he
is a Republican. Fraternally he is
associated with Eden Lodge No. 113, F. & A. M., Doric
Chapter No. 61, R.A.M., and Oakland Consistory No. 2 Scottish Rite of
Oakland; the Council of Royal and Select Masters of
Oakland, and he is also a member of the Benevolent Protective Order of Elks, of
Oakland. Dr. Clark has a strong and
magnetic personality, and has the faculty of inspiring others to the best
possible effort. He is a kind and
considerate employer, a sympathetic physician, and a manager of more than
average ability. Judging by his success
in the past, he is destined for a career of great and increasing usefulness and
honor.
[Inserted by D. Toole]
William A. Clark
1905
Jan 19, The San Francisco Call, P4, San Francisco,
California
Gives
Up Hard Fight for Life
Baby
That Throve for Three Weeks in a Chicken Incubator Finally Succumbs
Death
Comes Suddenly
Infant
Appears to Be Doing Well When Its Heart Is Quickly Stilled Forever
Oakland
Office San Francisco Call, 1016 Broadway, Jan. 18
After
thriving for more than three weeks in a chicken incubator Mary Wells, the tiny
infant born at the County Infirmary on Friday, December 23, died at 6:30 p.m.
yesterday, aged 3 weeks and 5 days. The
baby was transferred from the chicken incubator to a baby incubator of the
regulation pattern on Sunday, January 15, and for a time it seemed as if it
would live, but yesterday it began to fail.
Death came early in the evening.
To Dr. William A. Clark, superintendent of the County Infirmary,
belongs the credit of having been the first to demonstrate that an ordinary
incubator may be used in an emergency to save the life of a feeble infant. The new baby incubator to which Baby Wells
was transferred has just been purchased by the county authorities for use at
the County Infirmary. It was received at
the institution last Saturday.
1909
Oct 22, Oakland Tribune, P8, Oakland, California
Field
Hospital Service at the Auto Race Course
Twenty-Five
Leading Physicians Tender Free Service Under the
Direction of Chief Surgeon Dukes
Twenty-five
of the leading surgeons of Oakland and Alameda county,
under direction of Dr. Charles Alfred Dukes, major and chief surgeon of the
Fifth Infantry Regiment, N.G.C. will be prepared to cope with all contingencies
in the way of accidents that by mischance may occur tomorrow at any point along
the course of the great auto races.
Seven first aid stations, placed at the dangerous curves along the course
and at other places where the crowds will congregate, enter into the
comprehensive scheme that has been devised by Dr. Dukes, assisted by Dr. E. J. Boyes and W. R. Hume.
<snipped>
The
Emergency Stations
<snipped>
A
special aid station has been instituted at the county hospital under charge of
Dr. William A. Clark and a staff of nurses.
<snipped>
1910
Dec 20, Hayward Twice a Week Review, P4, Hayward, California
Dr.
William A. Clark, superintendent of the county infirmary, has returned from a
trip to the East, during which time he familiarized himself with many of the
newest surgical features and operations and the latest discoveries in
medicine. Many of the innovations will
be established in the wards over which he has charge.
1919
Nov 27, Oakland Tribune, P1, Oakland, California
Controller
Chambers On Way to Recovery
The
condition of John S. Chambers, State controller, who is confined to his bed at
the Hotel Oakland by an attack of pneumonia, is much improved today, according
to Dr. William A. Clark, the attending physician. Chambers is believed to be on the road to
complete recovery. The patient had a
very good night, the physician announces.
1928
Feb 12, Oakland Tribune, P15, Oakland, California
Forum
to Hear Talk on Color photography
Dr.
William A. Clark to Show Views Taken in Yosemite, Explains Process
Members
of the Oakland Forum will be initiated into the mysteries of color photography
next Thursday evening through an illustrated talk by Dr. William A. Clark, who
has developed the production of auto-chromes, pictures in natural colors, as a
hobby. The talk, to be given at the
Hotel Oakland, will include the presentation of a series of pictures taken and
developed by Dr. Clark and grouped under the title of “Seasons in
Yosemite.” The speaker will tell some of
his experiences in taking the pictures and will outline the processes by which
they are made. Chris Jorensen,
California painter, will introduce Dr. Clark [unclear text] evening. A musical program under the direction of
Meredith Parker of the Bohemian club will be given. <snipped>
1932
Oct 9, Oakland Tribune, P14, Oakland, California
Dr.
W. A. Clark, who makes his home at the Hotel Oakland, has gone East to spent the Thanksgiving holidays at the home of his
daughter in Wakefield, Mass. He will
return before the Christmas holidays.
1932
Oct 28, Oakland Tribune, P1, Oakland, California
Dr.
W. A. Clark, Pioneer, Dies [Photo included with article]
Widely
Known Physician Fails to Survive Operation at Mayo Clinic
Dr.
W. A. Clark, 62, prominent pioneer Oakland physician and surgeon, and one-time
head of county medical institutions, died last night at the Mayo clinic in
Rochester, Minn., according to news dispatches received here today. For the past few months he had been in
failing health and about a month ago he left for Rochester to undergo an
operation, which he failed to survive.
Besides being widely known for his surgical skill, which won him a
fellowship in the College of Surgeons, he enjoyed a national reputation as a
color photographer, acquired as a hobby.
At the time of his death he was a staff physician at Merritt
Hospital. When only 23
years of age he was named superintendent of county medical institutions. Dr. Clark came to Alameda County a half
century ago with his parents. His
birthplace was in Michigan. On the death
of the late Jacob Struble, Eastbay capitalist, Dr.
Clark was willed Struble’s organ, which was located
in Dr. Clark’s quarters in Hotel Oakland, formerly occupied by Struble. Dr. Clark
was a member of the Masonic order, and of the state and county medical
organizations. During the past six years
he had shared his quarters at the hotel with F. W. Foss, retired secretary of
the Key System, a friend of more than two score years. Dr. Clark is survived by a son, Walter H.
Clark, Oakland insurance man, and a daughter, Mrs. Wynona Thayer, of Wakefield,
Mass.
1932
Oct 29, Oakland Tribune, P22, Oakland, California
Dr.
W. A. Clark
Twice
within the week physicians who for two score of years have been intimately
identified with the community’s life and cultural progress have been removed by
death. Dr. Susan Fenton, physician,
surgeon, philanthropist and social worker for many years, is gone. Dr. W. A. Clark, who headed the county’s
medical institutions forty years ago, and whose distinguished career has been
realized in this county was a public servant and a scientist, a contributor to
human comfort and knowledge. He was a
surgeon with a hobby for color photography and in the latter field attained a
national recognition. He was a tie with
the older city, a citizen who returned to the people in full measure the
benefits of that knowledge which he here acquired.
1932
Nov 1, Hayward Daily Review, P3, Hayward, California
Dr.
W. A. Clark Dead
The
many friends and patients of Dr. William A. Clark of Oakland will regret to
learn of his death, which occurred in Rochester, Minn., Oct. 27. Funeral services will be held at the Chapel
of The Chimes in Berkeley at 2 o’clock tomorrow afternoon.
1933
Oct 17, Oakland Tribune, P19, Oakland, California
Funeral
to Be Held for Alameda Pioneer
Alameda,
Oct. 17 – Funeral services for Mrs. Clara F. Haskell, 917 Paru
Street, who died yesterday at the age of 82, will be held tomorrow afternoon at
Christ Episcopal Church, which she had attended for 62 years. Mrs. Haskell was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and
as a child came around the Horn with her parents to San Francisco. She married the late W. W. Haskell, San
Francisco insurance man 62 years ago, and had lived in Alameda ever since. She was active in church affairs, and at one
time was president of the Alameda Tea Club.
Surviving Mrs. Haskell are a daughter, Mrs.
Lola H. Clark, 917 Paru Street, a grandson, Walter
Haskell Clark, 3515 Coolidge Avenue, Oakland, and Mrs. Lloyd Thayer of Boston,
Mass.
1942
Mar 1, Santa Cruz Sentinel, P3, Santa Cruz, California
Brother
of Mrs. Means to Marry
Major
and Mrs. Lloyd Thayer of Palo Alto announce the engagement of their daughter,
Virginia, to Robert Owen Shreve, a brother of Mrs. C. E. Means of this city,
also of Palo Alto. The bride-elect is a
granddaughter of the late Dr. William A. Clark of Oakland and Mrs. Lola Clark
of Alameda, and of the late Congressman Harry Thayer of Wakefield, Mass.
1946
Jun 25, Oakland Tribune, P13, Oakland, California
Mrs.
Lola H. Clark, 73, Alameda, died Sunday at the Carmel home of her daughter,
Mrs. Lloyd J. Thayer. Mrs. Clark was
survived by a son, Walter H. Clark, Alameda, and two grandchildren and a
great-granddaughter. Her funeral was set
for 2 p.m. today at Monterey.
Transcribed by Donna Toole.
Source: History
of the State of California & Biographical Record of Coast Counties,
California by Prof. J. M. Guinn, A. M., Pages 1018-1019. The Chapman
Publishing Co., Chicago, 1904.
© 2016 Donna Toole.
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