Why This Fruit Breeder and Researcher Is a Rock Star
April 13, 2022 Someday soon I hope to finally meet John Clark, the renowned blackberry breeder and folksy guitar-strumming columnist here at American Fruit Grower® magazine.
It didn’t happen in 2020 and 2021, my first two years with the publication, because of the pandemic and lockdown. It would have occurred in March, in Gaithersburg, MD, at the annual conference of the North American Raspberry and Blackberry Association (NARBA), except the event switched gears and went virtual due to the omicron variant.
Fine, I thought. We’ll finally meet this June in Omaha, NE. Clark is a huge fan of the baseball team at the University of Arkansas, where he has worked since 1980.
The Razorbacks, ranked No. 2 in the country to start the season, quite often make it to the College World Series (CWS). And my family and I will be in Omaha during the CWS to watch our oldest son play in a youth baseball tournament.
Perfect timing, right? Well, not quite. As Clark reminds, June is the “most important month” of a berry breeder’s year.
“Wow, a ball-playing son,” he says. “I know that is fun. (But) I can’t get to Omaha — yet. Maybe another year down the line.
I hope the Hogs make it!”
John Clark is not only knowledgeable about berry crops, he’s also a talented musician. Photo by Fred Miller
Clark is retiring at the end of this year, hence, his mention of the word “yet.” So, I’m hoping for one last shot to connect in 2022, and maybe I’ll get it.
Word has it there will be a small fruits research committee meeting in Fayetteville, AR, at the end of October, and I’m invited.
“It would be a joy to have you, and also you could get some good story leads with the members,” Clark says.
That’s one of two things I admire about Clark. He seems genuinely concerned for you as a person as well as a professional. And if he’s looking out for an editor who he’s only met a few times over the phone and email, I can only imagine what a tremendous asset he’s been to the berry industry the last 43 years.
Besides that, it’s just a joy to listen to Clark. Some people are compelling because of what they tell you. Others are fascinating because of how they tell you. Clark is both. That was apparent at NARBA. What a storyteller.
I can’t wait to meet the man, but if Zoom is as close as I ever get, it will still have been worth it.
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