Ken Clark
| Date and Place of Birth: | December 27, 1912 Detroit, MI |
| Date and Place of Death: | December 10, 1944 Luxembourg |
| Baseball Experience: | Minor League |
| Position: | Shortstop |
| Rank: | Private First-Class |
| Military Unit: | US Army |
| Area Served: | European Theater of Operations |
Kenneth Eugene Clark, the only child of George and Anna Clark, was
born on December 27, 1912 in Detroit, Michigan. He was a prominent
ballplayer in the sandlot game in Detroit, playing for Glen Gray in the
Class A league of the Detroit Baseball Federation. Clark was signed by
the Fremont Green Sox of the Class D Ohio State League in 1940, giving
up his job as a delivery driver with the Chrysler Corporation at their
Jefferson plant to travel to Ohio, despite being 27 years old. He was
the team’s opening day shortstop. Hampered by an injury to his right leg
that saw him in and out of the line-up during the first couple of weeks
of the season, and with no sign of the injury going way, manager Ray
Caldwell released Clark on May 24, despite him batting .357 (10-for-28
with 6 runs scored) at the time.
Clark returned to Detroit and didn’t play Organized baseball again. He
served with the US Army as a private first-class in Europe and died in a
non-combat setting in Luxembourg on December 10, 1944, aged 31. Clark
was survived by his father (his mother died January 25, 1943) and wife,
Mabel. A memorial service was held at Fort Street Presbyterian Church in
Detroit on January 24, 1945. He is buried at Grand Lawn Cemetery in
Detroit.
|
Year |
Team |
League |
Class |
G |
AB |
R |
H |
2B |
3B |
HR |
RBI |
AVG |
|
1940 |
Fremont |
Ohio State | D | - | 28 | 6 | 10 | - | - | 0 | - | .357 |
Date Added July 13, 2022
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