Lewis, Clark Houston

Clark Houston Lewis died June 6, 2016. A native of McMinnville, Tennessee, he was a resident of Blacksburg, VA for over 47 years. Clark was the son of the late John and Mary Lewis.

He was also preceded in death by a brother and his wife Robert Leon Lewis (Billie) of Florence, AL, and a sister and her husband, Edwene Lewis Klein (Eugene) of New Jersey.

Preceding him in death was his wife of 57 years, Joyce Kirby Lewis. Surviving are their two sons, Clark Houston Lewis, Jr. (Skip) of Santa Rosa, CA and John David Lewis and his wife Susan Tuttle Lewis of Pasadena, MD. Also surviving are two granddaughters, Blair Elizabeth Lewis and Brooke Alexandra Lewis, both of Pasadena, MD.

Clark was a graduate of the University of Tennessee receiving his BS and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering. After serving as a First Lieutenant in the US army in France, he worked as an engineer in the von Karman Facility for ARO, Inc., a contractor for the Arnold Engineering Development Center in Tullahoma, Tennessee.

He returned to the University of Tennessee to earn a PhD in Engineering Science in 1962.

In 1968 Clark came to Virginia Tech to teach in the Aerospace and Ocean Engineering Department. In 1985 he left Virginia Tech to work full time in his consulting business.

In his professional career, he was a member of The American Institute of Astronautics and Aeronautics (AIAA), serving as Associate Editor. He served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, a publication of the AIAA.

Clark served as Chairman of the Blue Ridge Council, Boy Scouts of America.

He was a member of the Church of Christ.

At Clark’s request, services will be private with burial in the Southwestern Virginia Veterans Cemetery in Dublin, VA.