Cyrus D. Clark’s wake was held on Thursday, November 22 and Friday, November 23, and everyone from faculty to former Leyden students went to pay their respects and say goodbye to the man who left such a positive impact in their lives.

Mr. Clark had been battling cancer since February of 2012; he passed away on November 16th, 2012.

Over the years Clark developed several strong relationships with people at Leyden, including fellow security guar Greg Aguilar, who reflected on their long friendship.

“I’ve known Clark for 14 years. Ever since my first day at work here, Mr. Clark was a caring, concerned, and loving person who always tried to find a way to direct the students to get the help that they needed. He was… like a big brother,” Aguilar said.

Mr. Clark was not just your typical security guard: he was someone that touched the lives of many during his 19 years at East Leyden. He looked for ways to help the students and always had kind words for everyone.

“Clark pulled me out of class when a guy really hurt me. [He] told me that I deserve better than that. He told me to not be sad because I was crying,” senior Mayra Moreno said. “I’m never going to forget that because it meant so much to me that he did that.”

“What I remember most about Mr. Clark is, when I first started here, I didn’t get along with him because we were so different” Aguilar said. “I was a real stickler for the rules, I was always writing people up for anything, and I would keep writing the same kids up for the same thing because I wasn’t doing what was needed.  I wasn’t caring [and] he taught me how to do that a little more than I did. I realized that his way was the right way: kids were no longer doing the same thing. He taught me how to do my job better by being an example.”

Science teacher Kim Gerber has been working at East Leyden for 22 years and reflected on his memories with Clark.

“He always used to come into the computer room and we would just talk about everything; he was a really good person,” Gerber said.

Senior Karina Garcia remembers that when Clark would bring her passes he would yell out loud “it’s for someone I’ve known since they were a baby.” She admitted that “it used to embarrass me so much. But what I will never forget is the last conversation we had. He told me that the last thing he wanted to do was take a picture with me at graduation since he had pictures with my brother and sister on their graduations.”

We have all lost a family member or close friend at one time or another and even though it’s always hard to say goodbye to a good person they will always live on in our memories.

To help Clark’s family and loved ones remember the positive impact that Clark left on both students and staff a memory book was put on the front desk where students and staff were able to write memories that they had about Mr. Clark. It was given to his family at the funeral.

In order to help Clark’s family, Italian teacher Michele Curley helped organize a fundraiser in which faculty and staff ordered food from Romano’s, a local Italian restaurant. They were able to raise $1,304.50 and donate that to the Cyrus D. Clark fund.

“It’s never a good thing when someone passes away, but sometimes there are better things than being here; it’s a better thing that he’s at peace,” Aguilar said.