When one looks at the career of Harry Clark and his 40 plus years of exceptional commitment to Curling it is clear that he is a sportsman worthy of entry into the Burlington Sports Hall of Fame. Born in Hamilton Harry and his family moved to Burlington in 1954. He immersed himself in Curling, pursuing his passion at the Burlington Curling Club beginning in 1966. He ‘retired’ from the sport in 2004 but continued to stay connected as a social member until his passing in 2005.
Harry identified the need to support and recognize curling activity and achievements in the local area. So, he became the curling columnist for the Burlington Gazette and the Hamilton Spectator, promoting the sport and the hundreds of participants in this great Canadian game. Curlers from all over the Golden Horseshoe looked forward to Harry's regular updates on all aspects of local, provincial, and national curling news. Harry was awarded the Ontario Media Award by the Ontario Curling Association for the "excellence in coverage he gave the sport".
He was a member of the Board of Directors of the Burlington Curling Club for many years. He was the key figure in Burlington's successful bid to host the 1983 Ontario Men's Provincial Championship at Central Arena and he was the Chairman of this event. The overwhelming success of this bonspiel resulted in Harry being honoured by the OOA again, this time with the Seagram's Five Star Achievement Award. On the national level, Harry was Vice-President of the 1991 Brier and the 1996 World Curling Championships, both held at Copps Coliseum in Hamilton.
Harry was Chairman of the Men's Hamilton and District Bonspiel for many years. Harry worked year-round to ensure this week-long event was an untarnished success and it was every year. In 1997 Harry was named the President of the newly formed Hamilton and Area Curling Association. He remained President until 2002. Perhaps his greatest achievement in this role was the formation of the Little Rock Bonspiel. He really believed in getting children interested in curling at an early age, ensuring that the sport would continue to grow. In 2006, the Hamilton Area Curling Association honoured Harry by naming the event the "Harry Clark Memorial Little Rock Bonspiel”. This event is now the largest Little Rock Bonspiel in Canada.
Harry was a humble man but it is worth noting that he has received numerous other accolades. Two of the more noteworthy are: in 2006 he was posthumously presented with an Honorary Life Membership to the Ontario Curling Association for his "decades of commitment to the sport of curling" and in 2007 Harry was named the Honorary Chair of the 2007 Hamilton Tim Horton's Brier. Also in 2007 the Burlington Curling Club introduced the ‘Harry Clark Award of Excellence’ to be awarded each year to an ‘extraordinary volunteer’ as “an everlasting tribute to a great ambassador of curling". The Burlington Sports Hall of Fame wholeheartedly agrees.
Harry passes away in 2005.