NSBE mourns the passing of Johnnie Clark, a longtime member of the Society and a founding member of NSBE’s North Alabama Professionals Chapter. A true believer and activist in the mission, he leaves a legacy of engineering excellence, kindness and joy.
Clark first joined NSBE in 1978 when he was an undergraduate at the University of Alabama in Birmingham. He became a founding member of the North Alabama NSBE Professionals Chapter in 1990 and also played a vital role in establishing a NSBE chapter at Alabama A&M University, all in NSBE’s Region III. His involvement in the Professionals chapter continued the organization’s work — such as providing nearly 100 Space Camp Scholarships to Huntsville and North Alabama students — which for 35 years has increased minority participation and excellence in the STEM fields.
During that time, Clark worked on the Scholarship, Pre-College Initiative (PCI) and Collegiate Initiative (CI) Committees. At the time of his passing, he was serving as the chair of the Membership Committee, where he specialized in bringing new members to the chapter and engaging with the current members through networking events and social activities that brought the chapter closer together.
The North Alabama Professionals’ chapter photographer for many years, he was an avid hobbyist, rarely seen without his camera, who loved sharing his photos with those he captured in his images.
Clark worked for 45 years as a materials engineer for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Materials and Processes Laboratory, until his passing.
Clark will be missed by many in Huntsville and his NSBE chapter, by industry coworkers and, most important, by the family he leaves behind.
The North Alabama NSBE Professionals Chapter will dedicate a STEM Scholarship each year in the name of Johnnie Jerome Clark, beginning in 2026, during the chapter’s Annual Scholarship Banquet. For more information, please contact Lamont Redrick, communications chair, at communications@nsbe-northalabamaae.com.
