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GARFIELD
COUNTY, COGENWEB PROJECT
Dr Lawrence Barrett Clark
This is the brief bio for Dr, Lawrence Barrett Clark,
father of Betty Clark who has already been
profiled here.
Lawrence was born September 29, 1889 in Michigan to Alice
Bette Culver and Clarence Eugene Clark. Did not find much about his childhood,
but his brother Culver was born in Michigan in 1891 and his sister Gretta also
in Michigan in 1893.
The 1900 census shows the family living in Glenwood.
His father passed away at the young age of 37 in 1902 in San Diego. Lawrence
himself would only live to age 49.
In 1910 the family lived in Denver.
Lawrence married Jennie Lou Taylor in Rifle on June 23, 1912. Jennie was born
October 23, 1888. They had two children, both born in Rifle, Betty Jane
September 2, 1919 and Barbara C. December 11, 1930.
Lawrence attended the
the Colorado College of Dental Surgery in Denver and was a Junior in the year
1914-1915. He graduated June 8, 1916 with the degree Doctor of Dental Surgery.
He then bought the Rifle dentistry practice of Dr, Roy O. Smith taking it over
November of 1916. According to the Reveille, the Rifle practice was from Room 9
upstairs in the McLearn building. They would live the rest of their lives in
Rifle.
Dr Smith had been in practice in Rifle for 8 years. His first wife
died, he remarried, and decided to move to Chicago and open a practice. He
changed his mind in 1924, returned to Rifle, and never again moved away. His bio
has also been posted. He continued as a working dentist until 1964 when he was
89 years old.
In January 1918, during the time of the flu, Jennie became
seriously ill and had to go to Denver for treatment. She returned to health and
then to Rifle. Another news item says they rented the Robert Reigan residence in
North Rifle in October of 1919.
Lawrence was active in civic affairs and in
1919 was elected assistant foreman hook and ladder for the Volunteer Fire
Department. Ed Cole of Colley's was the foreman.
In 1923 Lawrence was
elected foreman. Records show he was a member from.1919 through 1928, but was
never chief.
Lawrence was also a member of the Moose Lodge and is buried in
the Moose cemetery section at Rose Hill
Also in 1919, the businessmen of
Rifle created a commercial club, like an early chamber of commerce. Lawrence was
elected as its first president.
In 1920, he was a representative for the
Rifle Fish and Game Club to a meeting in Denver. At that meeting, the Colorado
Fish and Game Protective Association was created and he was elected one of the
10 directors.
He was a pilot and owned an Eaglerock airplane. When he took
daughter Betty for her first airplane ride, it
cemented her interest in flying.
Another historical connection is to the post
office. Lawrence owned part of the land where the post office was built and sold
it for that purpose. Post office cornerstone says 1940, waa constructed in 1939.
Must have sold the land just before he passed away.
Lawrence passed away
January 11, 1939 when he was only 49 years old. Jennie passed away July 5, 1986.
They are both buried at Rose Hill.
Her headstone says Jennie Lou Taylor
Clark- Anderson. Cannot discover why, though it appears she was remarried to an
Anderson. She did outlive Lawrence by 47 years.
 Dr Lawrence
Clark
 Betty
Jane Clark
This is
an Eaglerock airplane same make that Lawrence owned. At the time, a plant in
Denver built many of these.
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