[1][2][3] McClerkin graduated from Arkansas High School, where he played on the football team.

He then earned a Bachelor of Science degree in commerce from Washington and Lee University.

After graduating, McClerkin served in the United States Navy from 1953 until his discharge in 1956.

After serving as a board member of several organizations in Arkansas, McClerkin returned to politics as a Legislative Liaison under then-Governor Jim Guy Tucker from 1993 to 1995.

In his retirement, he maintained a home in Kiawah Island, South Carolina.