The son of an Army doctor, he graduated from Main Avenue High School in San Antonio, Texas.

[1] Appointed from the District of Columbia,[2] Clark was a 1936 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York and completed flying training at Randolph Field, Texas, in 1937.

[4][5] That incident was documented in the 1950 Paul Brickhill book The Great Escape, and later was celebrated in the 1963 movie of the same title.

His next assignment was as Chief, U.S. Military Training Mission to Saudi Arabia.

[1][4] He was interred at the United States Air Force Academy Cemetery on March 17, 2010.