Joe Louis Clark depicted in the 1989 film
Lean On Me passed away on Tuesday (December 29) at the age of 82.
Once the leader of Eastside High School in Paterson, New Jersey, Clark’s methods of reaching students, including carrying a baseball bat and bullhorn, were the inspiration behind the film.
Clark was born in Rochelle, Georgia on May 8, 1938. His family moved to Newark, New Jersey when he was six years old. He went through grade school there, graduating from Newark Central High School before earning a bachelor’s from what is now William Paterson University. Clark received his master’s degree from Seton Hall University and an honorary doctorate from the US Sports Academy.
FILE - In this Dec. 21, 1987, file photo, Eastside High School Principal Joe Clark is pictured at a rally by student supporters in Paterson, N.J. (AP Photo/Peter Cannata, File)
FILE - In this Feb. 11, 1988, file photo, Joe Clark, principal of Eastside High School in Paterson, N.J., stands with rap group Run-DMC before the group gave a concert at the school in support of Clark s way of running his school. (AP Photo/Peter Cannata, File) Previous Next
Wednesday, December 30, 2020 10:00 am
Principal Joe Clark, who inspired film Lean on Me, dies
Associated Press
GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Joe Louis Clark, the baseball bat and bullhorn-wielding principal whose unwavering commitment to his students and uncompromising disciplinary methods inspired the 1989 film “Lean on Me,” died at his Florida home on Tuesday after a long battle with an unspecified illness, his family said. He was 82.
Joe Clark, the baseball bat and bullhorn-wielding principal of Eastside High School in Paterson, NJ, in the 1980s, died Tuesday at his home in Gainesville, Florida after a long, undisclosed illness, according to his family. He was 82.
Clark demanded excellence and obedience through an autocratic approach. He was known for wielding a baseball bat and a bullhorn while patrolling the hallways of the high school on Park Ave. His story was turned into the movie “Lean on Me,” with
Morgan Freeman famously playing the principal.
Clark’s exploits were also covered in the national media. He received praise from President Ronald Reagan for his tough approach. However, he did not receive much praise from parents, whose kids he expelled (Clark threw out 300 students in his first year, 1982) or the school board, whose authority he undermined. His battle with parents was highlighted in the film “Lean on Me.”
Joe Clark, N.J. Principal Who Inspired Film Lean on Me Starring Morgan Freeman, Dies at 82 People 12/30/2020
Joe Clark, a high school principal who served as the inspiration for the film
Lean On Me, has died. He was 82.
According to a statement from Clark s family, the retired New Jersey principal died on Tuesday in his Gainesville, Florida home after a long battle with illness. The family did not specify the illness.
Clark was the principal of Eastside High School in Paterson, New Jersey, where his quest to improve the school from within earned him national attention. As the statement from his family recalled, he once expelled 300 students for fighting, vandalism, abusing teachers, and drug possession in a single day.
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