Bringing a Deep Love of Learning to Tektronix
Ron Clark ’72
December 10, 2025, in Portland, Oregon.
Born in 1950, Ron was raised in Beaverton by his parents, George and Marguerite. He earned a BA in history at Reed, writing his thesis (“The Winter War: Finland and Russia in conflict, 1938–1941”) under Professor Owen Ulph [history 1944–79].
After turning in his thesis, Ron went out for pizza with Eric Ladner ’72 . “Ron was my best friend for more than 50 years,” Eric recalls. “We could be out of touch for a year or more in the days before email, and always pick up the conversation where we had left off.
Ron spent a career at Tektronix, where he was known for his intellect, deep love of learning, hard work, and collaborative and thoughtful approach to complex problems. He is survived by the love of his life, wife Gail Roberts Clark.
Appeared in Reed magazine: Fall 2026
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The Lives they Led
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![Photo of Professor David Sacks [history 1986–2015]](https://www.reed.edu/reed-magazine/in-memoriam/assets/images/David-Sacks-obit-photo.jpg)
