4 • The Beacon July 15 , 2021
Clark marks 71 years of donating blood
By Josie Sellers
TheCoshoctonBeaconToday . com
Atragic accident in 1950 spurred Bob Clark , Sr . to start donating blood . Seventy-one years later he is still doing his part to help save lives .
Clark was working at Clows , which is now McWane Ductile , on Sept . 11 , 1950 , when a troop train wrecked in West Lafayette .
According to a September 2015 Beacon story , “ The train had stopped in the early morning on Sept . 11 in West Lafayette to fix a
Josie Sellers Bob Clark ’ s daughters made him a shadowbox to display his blood donation pins from the Red Cross . Pictured behind him are his daughters , JeanAnn Dunlap and Cheryl Kuhn . broken air hose and was carrying men from Wilkes-Barre , Pennsylvania to a training camp in Indiana . Unbeknownst to the troop train , The Spirit of St . Louis was coming behind her at a dangerous 75 mph . When the workers aboard the troop train spotted The Spirit of St . Louis , they tried to make contact via flares to let the other train know to stop , but all was in vain . When the engineer finally spotted the troop train at rest on the tracks , he tried to stop but was too late . The Spirit hit the troop train at a deadly speed of 55 mph . Thirty-three people were killed and 278 injured .”
“ I was working in the lab , and they came in and said there was a terrible train wreck ,” Clark said . “ They needed a lot of blood to help , and I said I ’ d do it . The blood bank was set up in town , and Clow let us out and paid for us to go help . I wasn ’ t nervous at all and didn ’ t think it was too bad of an experience .”
Since then Clark , who is 93 years old , has made it a habit to donate blood every two months . Soon he will donate his 37th gallon of blood to the Red Cross .
“ I ’ m not going to tell when I ’ m going to quit donating because someone might catch up to me ,” he said .
JeanAnn Dunlap , Clark ’ s daughter , said her dad wants to be a record holder . She and other family members also have donated blood over the years .
“ We made a family thing of it ,” Dunlap said . “ We knew Dad did it and got his gallon pins for donating .”
Dunlap ’ s sister , Cheryl Kuhn , found their father ’ s pins from the Red Cross , and they turned them into a shadowbox for him .
“ I ’ m kind of proud of them ,” Clark said . “ That ’ s why I kept them all .”
A few of the pins are missing , but his daughters are trying to get replacements from the Red Cross .
“ I make my next appointment every time I give ,” Clark said . “ People just don ’ t give like they used to though .”
On www . redcross . org it states there is a severe blood shortage . Brian Williams , Red Cross account manager , said all types of blood are needed , and type O is critically needed .
Submitted Bob Clark , Sr . was working at Clows when he started donating blood . He served as president of the union there and is pictured at an event .
Clark and his family encourage others to give donating a try .
“ You never know who you might help ,” Dunlap said .
Clark agreed with his daughter . “ As long as I ’ m healthy , I ’ m going to keep going with donations ,” he said . “ They say one pint of blood can save up to three lives , so I figure I ’ ve helped near 900 lives .”
For more on donating blood and to find drives , visit www . redcrossblood . org . Upcoming local blood drives are scheduled for Wednesday , July 21 from 1:30-7:30 p . m . at NewPointe Community Church ; Thursday , July 22 from 1-7 p . m . at Coshocton Village Inn & Suites ; and Tuesday , July 20 from noon to 6 p . m ., Friday , July 23 from noon to 6 p . m . and Tuesday , July 27 from 11 a . m . to 5 p . m . at Roscoe United Methodist Church , 475 High St ., Coshocton .
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I was working in the lab , and they came in and said there was a terrible train wreck . They needed a lot of blood to help , and I said I ’ d do it . The blood bank was set up in town , and Clow let us out and paid for us to go help .
Bob
” Clark , Sr .