Obituary and photo of Mr. Clay: 

http://www.shspoon.stirsite.com/mr-clay-from-nicolas.html

He was an exceptionally kind, compassionate gentleman who truly wanted the very best for every one of us. He learned about our lives and families, if we let him and didn't resist, and helped us find solutions for our problems and ways to cope. He took time to listen to us , and he was encouraging and positive.  

For those of us who were leaders or had leadership potential -- and I was not one of them -- he spent extra time with them and watched their progress closely. Among '65, '66, '67 and '68 Lancers, they included Terry Hackett, Barb Smith Whitfield, John Carlisle, Vern Fotheringham, Tom McCutchen, Ken Slezak, Cat Cogan, Peggy Cogan, Marsha McClanahan, Dawn Parrett, Doug Elwell, Uli Schoettle, Adria-Ann McMurray, Rob Allingham, Wayne Redfearn, Phil Merritt, Stephanie Elwell, Gordon Carter, and many others.

In those days Nicolas served a middle class/lower middle class/blue collar community. Many of us were not exposed to books and reading at home. Many of us became the first members of our families to earn a college degree. Mr. Clay helped us better our way of life, not only in terms of earning power, but also through education, art and music, travel and culture. 

I would seriously encourage all of you to contact the Oral History Department at Cal State Fullerton to arrange your own Oral History interview. We all played a role, every single one of us, and our roles were important.