After 42 years of service to the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, John Clark is retiring! John has been an incredible mentor, colleague, and friend to so many of us. He has built on the legacy of Jim Moore and applied his blend of creativity, enthusiasm, and hard work to develop tasty and productive fruit cultivars that are prized by fruit growers and consumers around the world. John is also a total ham and loves a good party! That’s why we are organizing this retirement extravaganza to bring together all John’s friends and collaborators to send him off for his next adventures in style!

The big event will be at Mermaids Restaurant from 5:30 pm to 9:30 pm on Thursday October 27, 2022. Party will include heavy hors d'oeuvres, live music, a couple short speeches, and cash bar.

The retirement party will be held immediately after the 2022 NCCC212 meeting, which is being held in Arkansas on October 26 and 27. This is an annual meeting that brings together small fruit and viticulture researchers and extension specialists from around the country. https://www.nimss.org/projects/view/mrp/outline/18795.

The meeting will consist of annual state reports, USDA small fruit germplasm committee meeting, and Arkansas wine tasting in Fayetteville, AR on Wednesday and a tour of the Fruit Research Station, presentation by John Clark, and NCCC212 business meeting in Clarksville, AR on Thursday. While the NCCC212 meeting is mostly attended by public sector researchers, we welcome friends from the private sector to register and attend one or both days of the meeting if this fits in your schedule! Registration page website is posted below. https://www.uaex.uada.edu/farm-ranch/crops-commercial-horticulture/horticulture/nccc-212-22.aspx

We are also working on putting together a book with pictures, letters, stories, and signature John Clark folksy aphorisms (e.g. that’s like putting a three legged Shetland pony in the Kentucky Derby) as a gift for John. We invite everyone to upload a nice message to John, any old or new photos you have, and any particularly memorable John Clark quotes to this google drive folder! Thanks in advance for helping us to make this meaningful gift to him! We have also put a link in the ‘registry’ section of this website where you can make a small donation to the party fund to help us cover the cost of the venue, food, band, etc... if you are able!

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ii68Xj3G085-F4TbBq8RKjhMcu7xXeAC?usp=sharing

If you have any questions about the event, please contact Margaret Worthington (984.227.9787, mlworthi@uark.edu)