Clark brothers remember Lewis and Clark expedition

Story by Khaalid Walls

John (left) and Bud Clark receive promotion document from President Clinton.

Nearly 200 years ago U.S. President Thomas Jefferson sent Capt. Meriwether Lewis and Lt. William Clark out to explore the Louisiana Purchase from the Mississippi River all the way to the Pacific coast.

Many Americans know little more about that historic exploration than the image of Sacagawea, the Native American who is pictured on the American coin dollar as a tribute to her contributions to the journey.

But for John Clark, a member of UAW Local 262, and his brother Bud, a former member of UAW Local 600, the story of the Lewis and Clark expedition is personal because Lt. William Clark is their great-great-great grandfather.

This past January before President Clinton ended his term, he presented these great-great-great-grandsons of William Clark with a document that officially promoted him from lieutenant to co-captain of the expedition. The famed explorer should have been promoted to captain before the expedition, but issues of budget and bureaucracy intervened.

The Corps of Discovery (as the Lewis and Clark Expedition was officially named) uncovered hundreds of new plant and animal species, created maps of thousands of miles of uncharted lands, and left diaries recording their encounters with the native people.

Though they encountered obstacles that had frustrated those who attempted the feat before them, only one member of the expedition died en route.

Bud Clark told the Argus Press (Owosso, Mich.) that he knew Congress had passed some legislation to give Clark the promotion, but “I never thought I’d stand there and have the president hand it to me.”

John Clark, now a UAW international representative, said it was a very proud moment for him. The Clark brothers have worked hard to raise funds to restore the William Clark monument in Bellefontaine Cemetery in St. Louis, Mo.

Clinton also honored York, a slave, who contributed greatly to the expedition, and Sacagawea by naming them honorary sergeants of the United States Army.

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