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Joe Clark, principal who inspired movie ‘Lean on Me,’ dead at 82

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Joe Clark, the tough but inspirational principal whose commitment to his students and unconventional disciplinary methods inspired the movie “Lean on Me,” has died. He was 82.

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Clark died at his Florida home Tuesday after a long battle with an unspecified illness, his family said.

Morgan Freeman portrayed Clark in the 1989 film “Lean on Me,” loosely based on his time at Eastside High School in New Jersey.

Clark became principal of the drug and crime-ridden school, roaming the hallways with a bullhorn and baseball bat. He expelled 300 students in a single day for fighting, vandalism, abusing teachers and drug possession. He challenged the remaining students to perform better. His methods had both critics and supporters. President Ronald Reagan offered Clark a policy position at the White House.

He said the baseball bat symbolized the choice students could make, strike out, or hit a home run, WABC reported.

He retired from Eastside in 1989. He then worked six years as director of Essex County Detention House, a New Jersey juvenile detention facility. He later wrote, “Laying Down the Law: Joe Clark’s Strategy for Saving Our Schools.”

Clark graduated with a bachelor’s degree from William Paterson College (now William Paterson University), a master’s degree from Seton Hall University, and an honorary doctorate from the U.S. Sports Academy. He also served as a U.S. Army Reserve sergeant and a drill instructor.

Eileen Shafer, superintendent of Paterson School District, shared her condolences.

“Joe Clark left his indelible mark on public education by being fiercely devoted to the students in his care,” Shafer told WABC. “He demanded more from his students because he believed they could achieve more than what was expected of them. And with his bullhorn and baseball bat, Joe Clark courageously stood in the way of anyone who dared to try to lure a young person down the wrong path. Joe Clark was even the subject of a Hollywood movie. But in the end, it is the many lives Joe Clark influenced for the better that have become his greatest legacy. Our hearts are deeply saddened by Joe Clark’s passing, and our prayers are with his family and friends.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.


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