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Dr. Albert Clark, his wife Linda and their daughter Mya. "Al was a very athletic, strong, kind and giving person," said Linda Clark. "He took care of his family in the most beautiful way." Photo courtesy of the department of physics

Dr. Albert Clark, whose career teaching physics at N.C. Central University spanned three decades, died of heart failure while leaving work on Feb. 2. Clark was 58.

Tamecia "Tee" Coppedge says she was sitting at the bus stop with her friend Lasheka Cradle when they saw Clark walking across the icy street at approximately 5:30 p.m. that day.

"I remember thinking, ‘I hope he doesn’t fall on the snow,’" said Coppedge, a sophomore English major from Littleton, N.C. Coppedge looked away from the street and continued laughing with her friend. Then she glanced back at the man and saw that he had fallen.

"He fell down on all fours, then collapsed on his face," said Coppedge. "At first I thought he was just joking around, and was gonna jump up like ‘I’m okay, I’m okay’."

But Clark wasn’t joking around. After unsuccessful attempts to revive him by both Coppedge and a team of paramedics, Clark was pronounced dead.

"I had my hands on this one man and I couldn’t save him," said Coppedge. "That’s all I could think about."

Albert Clark II was born to Selena and Albert H. Clark, Sr. in Camden, N.J. on Nov. 6, 1941. He attended Audobon High School in Audobon, N.J. and graduated salutatorian. After graduating with a degree in physics from Rutgers University, he received his doctorate from Princeton University and served two years in the Peace Corps.

"He felt so lucky and fortunate that he was able to make it through grad school," said Selena Clark, his mother. "He went to the Peace Corps because he wanted to give something back to society."

Dr. Albert Clark joined the department of physics at NCCU in 1971 after two years working with the Peace Corps. "He wanted to give something back to society," said Selena Clark, his mother. Photo courtesy of the department of physics

In 1971, Clark joined the physics department at NCCU. Dr. Kinney Kim, physics professor at NCCU, worked closely with Clark and was aware of his caring nature and devotion to his students.

"I felt like I lost my right hand because we helped each other so much," said Kim about Clark’s death. "He helped students not just to learn physics, but taught them how to actually think."

Ron Jones, chair of the NCCU department of physics, also expressed his surprise at Clark’s sudden death. "I keep looking up when somebody comes in, hoping to see him," said Jones. "The day he died, I was teasing him and told him to quit smiling because he was gonna have to be department chair someday. And now that won’t happen."

Before his death, Clark was redesigning NCCU’s physics 1210 course to better assist the students. Clark was also a participant in Project N.O.V.A. (Nasa Opportunities for Visionary Academics), a program that initiated physics for non-science majors.

Outside the classroom, Clark enjoyed bowling, boating and traveling the world with his family. He was also an animal lover and member of Square Heels, a Chapel Hill square dance club.

Clark is survived by Linda Clark, his wife of 25 years, daughter Mya, 11, and his mother. He was memorialized in Chapel Hill at Evergreen United Methodist Church on Feb. 5.

"Al was a very athletic, strong, kind and giving person," said Linda Clark. "He took care of his family in the most beautiful way.