WHEREAS, Charles Stuart Clark, an accomplished writer and newsman, local historian and storyteller, and beloved member of the Arlington County community, died on November 15, 2023; and

WHEREAS, a proud native of Arlington County, Charles "Charlie" Stuart Clark graduated from Yorktown High School in 1971 before spending a yearlong sojourn abroad in Europe, attending the University of Oregon, and ultimately earning a degree from McGill University in Montreal; and

WHEREAS, Charlie Clark's early experiences working at his high school student newspaper and then at Time-Life Books cultivated in him a passion for producing quality journalism; and

WHEREAS, over a long and illustrious career reporting on the federal government, Charlie Clark held positions as a reporter or editor at The Washington Post, Congressional Quarterly, and National Journal, before ultimately retiring as senior correspondent of Atlantic Media's Government Executive Media Group in 2019; and

WHEREAS, in recent years, Charlie Clark embraced his role as a public authority on Arlington history and culture, writing his celebrated "Our Man in Arlington" column with the Falls Church News-Press for more than a decade as well as several books exploring his hometown's past, including Hidden History of Arlington County, Lost Arlington County, and Arlington County Chronicles; and

WHEREAS, Charlie Clark's writing and lectures on Arlington were effused with his love for the place where he had grown up and lived most of his life, offering many a deeper understanding of how the county had transformed over the years; and

WHEREAS, Charlie Clark was also the author of George Washington Parke Custis: A Rarefied Life in America's First Family, the first full biography to examine the life of the prominent Virginian, and Life and Times of the Falls Church News-Press, a history of the local paper that has served the residents of Falls Church since 1991; and

WHEREAS, Charlie Clark gave generously of his time in support of his community through his involvement with various local civic organizations, including as a board member of the Arlington Historical Society; and

WHEREAS, Charlie Clark was honored for his contributions to the preservation of Arlington's history with an induction into the Yorktown High School Hall of Fame in 2018; and

WHEREAS, Charlie Clark will be fondly remembered and dearly missed by his loving wife, Ellen; his children, Elizabeth and Susannah, and their families; and numerous other family members and friends; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of Charles Stuart Clark, a venerated journalist and cherished member of the Arlington County community whose kind and genial nature brightened countless lives; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Charles Stuart Clark as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for his memory.