Meet the Alumni: David D. Clark
Year/Program:
Occupational Therapy (B.S.O.T.), 1965
What I am doing now: I retired in 2000 from being a practicing
occupational therapist. During my last years of practicing, however, I became
aware of the need for someone to help the elder population in Florida. Most
of the older persons did not have the assistance of a spouse or other family
member (a son or daughter living in New York is not much use to a parent
in Florida) and many of them were unable, because of age or infirmary, to
complete their daily tasks.
So, after retiring, I am now hiring myself out to elder individuals for assistance. I have three main criteria: 1) the person has to be older than me (68); 2) they can’t have a “significant other” to do the work; and 3) they have to be on social security or limited financial means. If I put them on my work load, I will either charge them $15/hour or some type of barter arrangement. For example, I will take them out for dinner if they will pay my way. This helps “little old ladies” go to a restaurant at night in the company of a gentleman since most can’t drive at night, and for this I might install “grab bars” in their bathroom or rewire their lighting, etc. I don’t do this to make money, just to pay for my gas and time. Although, I can’t call myself an occupational therapist (I am actually a handyman), it is basically doing what I was trained for at the University of Florida. I try to teach them to be as independent as possible and to continue to live in their homes.
My favorite UF memory: When I was a freshman, we shared our dorms with the football team. Two football players from Ohio noticed that one of the freshmen across the hall had left his key to his dorm room in the lock. The freshman and his roommate had gone to dinner. While gone, the two football players moved everything out of the freshmen’s room and replaced it with their own stuff. Then they went to bed in the freshmen’s room. When the two unsuspecting freshmen returned, they entered “their” room and they found two rather large football players asleep. They spent the rest of the night sitting in the hallway (probably crying).
Best lesson learned at UF: Coming from a small town, I learned that education was the most important aspect of college life, although friendships and fun were also important lessons.
People would be surprised to know: That I spend a great deal of time thinking about how to do the best thing in any type of situation. Many have said that I always know the best way to do something, but that is certainly not always the case. I usually look and sound “sure of myself,” but actually I have an inferiority complex.
Family: Both my mother and father have passed away, as well as my sister. I have a son, Scott, 38, married to Allie. They live in Boston, Mass., where Scott has his own business as a designer and artist and Allie works for an advertising company. She is responsible for the Hummer account. My daughter Stacy, 35, is married to Jay, a private insurance adjuster. They have three boys Alex, 7, Ryan, 5, and Justin, three months. They live in Tavares, Fla.
In the future, I hope to: Retire to the hills of northern Georgia, where I have many friends, buy a home that I can work on and live relatively pain free the rest of my life.
EDITOR’S NOTE: David Clark will receive the Award of Merit from the American Occupational Therapy Association at the association’s annual conference in April. The Award of Merit is the association’s highest honor for an occupational therapist.
