Obituary: Clarence E. Faulk Jr., age 101, had ties to Delta family
PCN DEATH Notice Mgr
1909~2010.
'Mr. Clarence' was the son of C.E. Faulk Sr., a founder, President
(1934-1945), and Chairman of the Board of Delta Air Lines
(1948-1951). His brother Robert McClendon Faulk now deceased was a
WWII veteran and pilot for Delta Air Lines.
Lots of living! Lots of family history in connection with Delta Air
Lines and Louisiana!
To view/sign the online guestbook please visit the funeral home
website at www.kilpatrickfuneralhomes.com or
http://obits.nola.com/obituaries/nola/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=140381991
Carol Faulkner, PCN death notice communicator
de...@pilotcommunication.net
============================================
Clarence E. Faulk Jr.
FAULK ... Clarence E. Faulk, Jr., 1950, taken upon the occasion of
him being elected President of the Louisiana Press Association The
Ruston Community and the wider spheres of journalism, radio, real
estate, self storage warehousing and philanthropy lost a friend with
the death of Clarence Eugene Faulk, Jr. Mr. Faulk passed away at his
residence on Friday, March 5, 2010. Services will be held for Mr.
Faulk at Trinity United Methodist Church on Wednesday, March 10, 2010
at 11:00 A.M. with Rev. Jerry Hilbun officiating under the direction
of Kilpatrick Funeral Home in Ruston, LA. Visitation will be held on
Tuesday, March 9, 2010 from 5:00 - 7:00 P.M. at Kilpatrick Funeral
Home Chapel, Ruston, LA. "Mr. Clarence" as he was affectionately
called in later life, was born January 9, 1909 in West Monroe,
Louisiana. He was preceded in death by his parents, Mr. Clarence
Eugene Faulk, Sr. and Mrs. Josephine McClendon Faulk of West Monroe.
Mr. C.E. Faulk, Sr. was a founder, President (1934-1945), and Chairman
of the Board of Delta Air Lines from 1948 until his death in 1951.
Mrs. Josephine Faulk died in 1962. His sister, Eleanor Faulk Cone of
Falls Church, VA, was a graduate of Cornell and Tulane Law schools and
died in 1993. His brother, Robert McClendon Faulk of Vero Beach, FL,
was a Fighter Pilot in WWII and a career commercial pilot for Delta
Air Lines and died in 1988. "Mr. Clarence's" much loved wife, Louise
Page Faulk, originally from Topeka, KS, died in 2003. Mr. Faulk is
survived by two sons, Clarence Eugene "Gene" Faulk III of Canandaigua,
NY, and Dr. W. Page Faulk of St. Simons Island, GA, and a daughter,
Amelia Faulk Rauser of Rockville, MD. In addition, Mr. Faulk leaves
ten grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. His grandchildren
are: by Gene, Alec Faulk of Ruston, who manages Westside Self Storage,
Andrew Faulk of Worcester, MA, and Jolly Faulk of Framingham, MA, who
has two daughters, Jessica and Jane; by Page, Robin Faulk of Studio
City, CA, Josie Faulk Comerford of Chicago, IL, Saskia Faulk Antonakis
of Pully/ Lausanne, Switzerland, who has two daughters, Athena and
Artemis, and Holly Faulk Chevalier of St. Felix de Lodez, France, who
has a daughter, Leopoldine; and, by Amelia, Christy Rauser Johnson of
Alexandria, VA, who has two daughters, Carolyn and Leigha; Katy Rauser
Barnum of Annapolis, MD, and Henry Rauser of San Diego, CA. "Mr.
Clarence" will be missed by his many friends and family and by his
longtime caregiver, Mr. Johnifer Evans of Ruston, who is like family.
Mr. Faulk's remarkable life could be organized into four main
interests: newspapers and attendant publishing, radio broadcasting,
commercial and residential real estate and one of the first mini-
warehouse businesses in Ruston, Westside Storage, which he built at
the age of seventy. Mr. Faulk served for many years as the president
of the Louisiana Press Association and the Louisiana Broadcasters
Association. He was well suited for these positions because he owned
the Ruston Daily Leader and radio station KRUS for decades. These
endeavors were familiar to him, for he had grown up in a publishing
family where his father was publisher of the Monroe News Star before
selling the newspaper and going into the airline business. After two
years at the University of the South in Sewanee, TN, he transferred to
the School of Journalism at the University of Missouri where he met
Miss Louise Page, who also was studying journalism. They were married
in 1931 and had 72 years of happy life together. That same year Mr.
Faulk became the publisher of the Ruston Daily Leader, a position he
maintained for thirty-one years until 1962. In addition, overlapping
this period, in 1947 he brought Ruston its first radio station, KRUS,
and managed it for 21 years (i.e., 1947-1968). Those who knew him best
in business and in his personal life recognize that his love for
Ruston and his place in the community were major driving forces of his
life. Together with Mrs. Faulk, he owned numerous rent houses, a
sixteen-unit apartment complex and several commercial buildings in
Ruston. In 1988, he was awarded the highest honor a Ruston resident
could receive when he accepted the Russ Award from the Ruston-Lincoln
Parish Chamber of Commerce for his tireless efforts on behalf of the
Ruston Community. Of great importance to him were his memberships in
Trinity Methodist Church, where he served many functions, including
teaching Sunday school for 12 years; and the Ruston Kiwanis Club,
where he was a member for 70 years and served as a president. Other
entities to which he was devoted include the Ruston-Lincoln Parish
Centennial, the Peach Festival, the Lincoln Parish Housing Authority,
which he chaired for twenty-nine years, and the Lincoln Parish
Library. Also, in good times and in bad, he was a faithful supporter
and contributor to the Department of Journalism at Louisiana Tech
University, where he founded the Clarence and Louise Faulk Chair of
Journalism. Mr. Faulk's one hundredth birthday in January 2009 was the
occasion of a festive party at his home in Westwood Hills in Ruston.
He accepted many honors that day with grace and humor, while also
acknowledging the role of his late wife in each award. He expressed
particular pride in the honorary doctorate degrees that Louisiana Tech
University awarded him and Mrs. Faulk in 1985. During his one
hundredth birthday party a framed Certificate of Honor was presented
to Mr. Faulk by President Dan Reneau of Louisiana Tech University for
his contributions to the University; a proclamation designating
January 9 as "Clarence Faulk Day" was presented to Mr. Faulk by Ruston
Mayor Dan Hollingsworth; an Expression of Commendation along with a
Letter of Special Recognition from Louisiana Governor Jindal were
presented to Mr. Faulk by Representative Hollis Downs, a member of the
Louisiana House of Representatives. Also, United States Congressman
Rodney Alexander presented Mr. Faulk with a Letter of Congratulations
and a United States Flag that had flown over the Capital in
Washington. "Mr. Clarence" was a well recognized source of oral
history about Ruston and North Louisiana, and he greatly enjoyed
telling stories that were filled with historical gems. In fact, he
became known as an expert on the 1934 ambush of Bonnie and Clyde,
since as a young newspaper reporter he covered the story on the scene.
He had many stories about this area during WW II. Classified 4-F due
to serious eye problems, nevertheless, he served as a First Lieutenant
in the Home Guard. He also was a member of the War Price and Rationing
Board, and was chairman of the Lincoln Parish effort for the United
States Savings Bonds Program. He was a detailed source of information
about Camp Ruston, a Prisoner of War Camp located just west of Ruston
that held thousands of German and Italian prisoners during WW II. "Mr.
Clarence" loved to travel with his wife and was full of stories about
their adventures throughout nearly all the world. However, the thing
that he perhaps enjoyed as much as anything was to escape to a hunting
lodge in Tensas Swamp with a few friends, just being in the woods,
swapping stories around a camp fire and communing with nature. He was
a wonderful man and a real repository of our past and "Old Ruston." He
will be deeply missed. Online condolences may be sent to the family at
www.kilpatrickfuneralhomes.com
Published in The Times-Picayune on March 7, 2010