In Memoriam: Joe Clark [1942-2023]

Joe Clark, who spent the majority of his career in fleet working for Fortune 500 companies and was an active long-time member of NAFA, passed away in Raleigh, N.C., on June 21, 2023, after a several decade battle with heart disease. He was 81.

Clark started his fleet career 1969 as the fleet manager for Burroughs Wellcome (which is now part of GlaxoSmithKline). A native New Yorker, Clark moved to North Carolina after Burroughs Wellcome relocated him to its Research Triangle Park location in Raleigh-Durham, NC. He worked at the company for 28 years until it was acquired by Glaxo in 1995 to form GlaxoWellcome, which later became GlaxoSmithKline.

Following the acquisition, Clark joined Qualex, a Kodak company, as fleet manager, headquartered in Durham, N.C. After moving to North Carolina, Clark continued to be an active member of NAFA and spearheaded the formation of the Carolinas Chapter, which split from the NAFA Atlanta chapter.  

In the last eight years of his career, Clark worked from 2002-2010 as a sales rep for Corporate Claims Management (CCM), a fleet and accident management company owned by his long-friend Bob Martines.

“I met Joe back in the late 1970s when he was the fleet manager at Burroughs Wellcome. I worked with him at Burroughs, then Qualex, then ultimately with CCM as he became a sales rep for us for many years,” said Martines. “Joe was a friendly guy who always had a smile on his face. He would speak to anyone, even if he did not know the person. We would spend most of our time talking about two very strong beliefs – family and sports. Even after Joe retired, he would call to give me an update on his family, ask about mine, and then discuss his favorite team, the New York Yankees. Joe was originally from the New York area so he grew up a NY Yankee and NY Ranger fan.”

In May 2002 edition of Automotive Fleet magazine, Clark was featured in a compendium of key fleet personalities employed in the fleet industry of that era.