Conditions Governing Reproduction and Use

The copyright status of this collection is unknown. Copyright restrictions may apply. Contact Special Collections and University Archives for assistance in determining the use of these materials. Reproduction or digitization of materials for personal or research use can be requested using our reproduction/digitization form: http://bit.ly/scuareproduction . Reproduction or digitization of materials for publication or exhibit use can be requested using our publication/exhibition form: http://bit.ly/scuapublication . Please contact Special Collections and University Archives (specref@vt.edu or 540-231-6308) if you need assistance with forms or to submit a completed form.

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open to research.

Preferred Citation

Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: [identification of item], [box], [folder], Evert B. Clark Papers, Ms1989-022, Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Va.

Source of Acquisition

The Evert B. Clark Papers were donated to Special Collections in 1989.

Processing Information

Processing of the Evert B. Clark Papers was completed in December 1990 by Elizabeth A. Paradine and Glenn L. McMullen.

Additional arrangement and description of the Evert B. Clark Papers was completed as part of the project, "Piercing the Veil: Creating Access to the Archives of American Aerospace Exploration at Virginia Tech," funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) in 2024.

Biographical Note

Evert B. Clark was born in Gainesville, Georgia on October 15, 1926. He served in the U. S. Navy from 1944 to 1946 and graduated from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill in June 1947, with an A. B. in journalism and naval science and tactics. From June 1947 to October 1948 Clark worked as a reporter, state editor, and features editor for the Durham, North Carolina Morning Herald . In November 1948 he became a reporter for the Washington, D. C. Daily News , working also as assistant city editor and aviation editor for that newspaper through December 1955.

In January 1956 Clark began working at Aviation Week Magazine , serving at various times as its Washington bureau chief, space techinlogy editor (the first space editor in the magazine's history), and military editor. He joined the Washington bureau of the New York Times in September 1963 as a science correspondent, specializing in aviation and space stories. In June 1968 he joined Newsweek magazine in its Washington bureau as a science correspondent (again specializing in aviation and space). He also covered the Watergate scandal for Newsweek from its inception to its conclusion. From April 1978 until his death, Clark was a technical editor for Business Week and other magazines connected with the McGraw-Hill World News Bureau in Washington. He died on July 7, 1988.

Clark received many awards for his writing, including the National Space Club's journalism prize in 1969, in which Clark was cited for his "penetrating, consistently informed and lucid writing on all phases of the national space program: sometimes critical, always objective and thorough, resulting in outstanding reporting to the world at large." The National Press Foundation has established an award in Clark's memory. The Evert Clark Award, presented annually to a journalist 30 or younger, is intended to encourage young science writers by recognizing outstanding reporting in the science area. The award was first presented in 1990.

Scope and Content

The Evert B. Clark Papers contain many of Clark's notes, files, and much of his correspondence, for stories and research projects from throughout his career.

Series I: Subject Files and Correspondence, 1949-1988, contains subject files and correspondence about a variety of subjects, including space exploration, Aviation Week , the Soviet space program, oceanography, and lasers.

Series II: Clippings and Drafts, 1948-1978, consists of clippings of articles Clark wrote for the Washington Daily News , Aviation Week , the New York Times , Newsweek and Business Week , as well as his drafts for articles for Newsweek .

Series III: Book Research and Files, 1960-1981, is made up of Clark's files for the book Contrabandista! , published with Nicholas Horrock in 1973, an unpublished book on space weapons, and a third book project on the Glomar Explorer and underseas espionage, referred to as "Project Jennifer."

Subseries A: Contrabandista!, 1967-1981, includes notes on drug smuggling, clippings, publisher correspondence and contracts, and working drafts of the book.

Subseries B: Space Weapons, 1960-1978, contains drafts of some of the projected book chapters.

Subseries C: Project Jennifer, 1975-1981, contains outlines and a contract for the project, as well as research files related to submarines.

Series IV: Oversize Materials, 1958-1974, includes a Life magazine cover with Clark in the background, Apollo 11 memorabilia  , and Watergate - IRS documents.

Arrangement

The Evert B. Clark Papers have been separated into series and subseries based on subject. Within each series or subseries, materials are arranged in chronological order.

This collection has been arranged in the following series:

Series I: Subject Files and Correspondence, 1949-1988

Series II: Clippings and Drafts, 1948-1978

Series III: Book Research and Files, 1960-1981, has been further separated into the following subseries:

Subseries A: Contrabandista!, 1967-1981

Subseries B: Space Weapons, 1960-1978

Subseries C: Project Jennifer, 1975-1981

Series IV: Oversize Materials, 1958-1974. These materials are also listed in Series I to demonstrate where they fit in the chronological order.

Subjects and Indexing Terms

• Archives of American Aerospace Exploration (AAAE)
• Authors
• Science and Technology

Rights Statement for Archival Description

The guide to the Evert B. Clark Papers by Special Collections and University Archives, Virginia Tech, is licensed under a CC0 ( https://creativecommons.org/share-your-work/public-domain/cc0/ ).