"An opportunity was given for any to converse with the Presbytery relative to an internal call to preach the gospel. Rev. J. A. McIlwain presented the claims of the gospel upon men to preach. Clark Williamson, of the Newbern congregation, presented himself, and in the usual way was taken under the care of Presbytery." [page 6, September 14, 1926]

"Report No. 1 of Committee on Literature and Theology
The Committee on Literature and Theology made the following report, which was concurred in and its recommendations adopted:
We, your Committee on Literature and Theology, have had before us Licentiate T. O. Hall, and find that he was made and is making commendable progress. Therefore, we recommend that he be ordained to the full work of the gospel ministry, tomorrow at the 11 o'clock service, and that Rev. W. B. Cunningham officiate.

We further recommend that Clark Williamson be assigned John 14: 1 as a text from which to prepare a discourse to be read at the next meeting of Presbytery.
    G. C. McIlwain,
    Russell Tatum,
    W. M. Zarecor." [page 6, September 14, 1926]

"Report No. 2 of Committee on Literature and Theology
The Committee on Literature and Theology made the following report, which was concurred in and its recommendations adopted:
Dear Brethren: Whereas, it is the sense of the committee that Brother Clark Williamson is, as we believe, truly prepared for licensure and ordination; therefore, we recommend that he be licensed and ordained tomorrow at the 11 o'clock service, and that Rev. W. B. Cunningham officiate.
    G. C. McIlwain,
    Russell Tatum,
    W. M. Zarecor." [pages 6-7, September 14, 1926]

"Preaching and Ordination Service
At 11 o'clock a sermon was delivered by Rev. J. E. Cortner from the text, Acts 4: 12, after which Candidate Clark Williamson was licensed to preach, and then with Licentiate T. O. Hall was ordained to the full work of the gospel ministry, as was provided for in the report of the Committee on Literature and Theology." [page 9, September 15, 1926]

[Source: Minutes of the Obion Presbytery of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, September 14-15, 1926, in regular session with the Cool Springs Congregation]

WILLIAMSON, REV. CLARK [D 28 Apr 1949-Brummitt Funeral Home]

Funeral Tuesday In Newbern For Rev. Williamson
Funeral services for Rev. Clark Williamson were held in Newbern, Tennessee, last Tuesday afternoon at 2:30, in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, followed by burial in Poplar Grove cemetery at Newbern, Brummitt’s of McKenzie in charge. Rev. Williamson died at his home on the Greenfield Highway, out of McKenzie, Thursday afternoon, April 28th, of a heart attack. He had worked in his office in McKenzie, during the day, and had told his friends he was going home, where he lived alone, to work in the garden a while before night. When he did not come to the office the following day, friends went to see about him and found his body at the side of the house, where a physician stated he had evidently died the evening before. Friends found evidence of his work in the garden, and nearby was a wheelbarrow, where he had been moving some dirt. Rev. Williamson had made his home in McKenzie for the past 12 years, and his death was a shock to hundreds who loved him. Funeral services were conducted in the McKenzie Cumberland Presbyterian Church on Saturday before his body was carried to Newbern, to the home of Mr. and Mrs. E. H. Shuck. Mrs. Shuck was a niece of Mr. Williamson. McKenzie services were conducted by the Rev. Morris Pepper, Rev. Raymon Burroughs and Rev. Thomas Campbell. Newbern services were conducted by Rev. Morris Pepper, Rev. Harold Davis and Rev. Franklin Chesnut. Newbern, Tennessee was Rev. Williamson’s original home. He is survived by his sisters, Mrs. Lucille Holman of Newbern, and Mrs. J. H. Claire of Los Angeles; also a brother, Sherwood Williamson of Middleboro, Kentucky. Rev. Williamson graduated from Boston College [sic: Gordon College] and did graduate work at Oberlin College in Ohio. For the past 22 years he had been engaged in the educational department of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, and was general secretary of the Board of Christian Education at the time of his death. He would have received the honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity at Bethel College at the graduation exercises here in June.

[Source: newspaper]

Rev. Clark Williamson died at his home, five miles out from McKenzie, Tennessee, Thursday afternoon, April 28. Death apparently came suddenly to the General Secretary as he was found dead in his backyard on Friday. The examining physician stated death was due to a heart attack and had come the day before.

Pepper In Charge
In charge of funeral services was Rev. Morris Pepper who was associated intimately for many years with Rev. Mr. Williamson in the board work and who, at the present time, is president of the Board of Christian Education and pastor of the Union City, Tennessee, Church. A service was held in McKenzie on Saturday and final services were conducted in Newbern, Tennessee, on Tuesday. Interment was in the Newbern Cemetery.

Nearest relatives surviving the fifty-seven year old minister are Mrs. Lucille Holman, Newbern; another sister in California, with whom Mrs. Holman was visiting at the time of Mr. Williamson's death, and a brother, of Middlesboro, Kentucky. He was unmarried.

Left Office Ill
On Thursday he became ill at the office and an associate in the board office, Rev. Franklin Chesnut, carried him home. On the following morning he did not return to his office as usual and when he did not appear in the afternoon the members in the office became alarmed and Rev. Mr. Chesnut went to his home where he found him dead.

Became Secretary in 1927
Educated at Oberlin College, Ohio, and Gordon College, Boston, Rev. Mr. Williamson was ordained in Obion Presbytery, West Tennessee Synod, in 1927, and in that same year he became the secretary of the newly organized Board of Young People's work. The first office of the secretary was in his home at Newbern, and later, as the work expanded, was moved to Bethel College, McKenzie, Tennessee. Further expansion of the work necessitated more space and in recent years the board offices were set up in a downtown building in McKenzie.

Mr. Williamson held his presbyterial membership in Obion Presbytery at the time of his death.

To Have Received D.D.
In a recent meeting the Board of Education and Bethel College voted to confer on him the honorary degree of doctor of divinity. This was to have been conferred June 2.

Rev. Mr. Williamson was editor of the Cumberland Worker, a monthly magazine devoted to promotion of Sunday school work. He had been editor of the publication since 1947.

For a number of years he served on The Council of the International Council of Religious Education, this being the inner working and voting group which passes on the actions of all sections of the international organization.

[Source: The Cumberland Presbyterian, May 12, 1949, pages 3-4]

A booklet of poems written by the late Rev. Clark Williamson is being compiled and edited by the youth division of the Board of Publication and Christian Education and will be published in the spring. Date of the publication will be announced later. The proceeds from the sale of the book will be added to the Clark Williamson Memorial Fund.

The fund which is being raised by the young people of the denomination was more than $1900 at the beginning of March. The goal of the fund is $20,000 with which a memorial building will be erected on a permanent YPGA camp site.

At the recent meeting of the Board of Publication and Christian Education, Rev. Thomas H. Campbell and Mr. Mix Crawford, with Rev. Franklin Chesnut acting in an advisory capacity, were named as a committee to make further investigations about a permanent camp site for YPGA.

[Source: The Cumberland Presbyterian, March 28, 1950, page 3]

Williamson, Clark. He Threw the Pattern Away. 1950. (Poetry)