Chain, chain, chain

MCCOOL — With the 2008 graduation of Lindsey Clark, daughter of Ron and Marcia Clark, and Stuart Scholz, son of Tom and Shirley (Clark) Scholz, a chain has been broken. Or maybe it would be safer to say, “interrupted.”
It’s a chain that started when the Morris Clark family of McCool Junction sent its first child to school 55 years ago. Since then the Clark family has continuously had one or more family members in McCool Public Schools  — up until now, that is.
Having the honor of being the first link in the chain is Sharon (Clark) Cuda, the eldest of seven siblings. Cuda entered first grade in 1953, before the school had a kindergarten. Two years later, Cuda was joined by little brother Dennis Clark, followed by, sister Shirley and brothers Ron, Roger, Allen and Mike. The original seven Clark kids graduated in 1965, ‘67, ‘71, ‘73, ‘74, ‘76 and ‘79 respectively.
It was in 1979 the Clarks knew they had something special going. For, without a gap in time, Mike graduated and the first of the Clark grandchildren, Sheila, daughter of Dennis and Joan, entered kindergarten ... adding another link to the chain.
Ron says at one point, about 15 years or so ago, there was a Clark grandchild in every class at the McCool school grades kindergarten through 12.
“The newspaper did a story on that one.”
Do not worry though, the fact that the original Clark kids and grandkids have graduated doesn’t leave the school totally “Clark-less.” Ron laughs as he points to the fact there’s still one Clark in the McCool Public Schools — his wife Marcia who teaches there and has for the past 30-plus years. He calls Lindsey and Stuart’s graduation a bump. Ron says “possibilities” lie in his son Dustin and nephew Matt Clark’s decision to work the family farm with their dads.