Jane Allen Clark
March 14, 1932-July 29, 2022
Jane Allen Clark, longtime Ossining resident and longtime Director of Public Relations and Special Programs at the Ossining Public Library, passed away at home on Friday, July 29, at the age of 90. She was born March 14, 1932 in Rochester, NY, to Kathleen Bendon Allen and Thomas Allen. After her mother died when she was a year old, she lived with her paternal grandparents until her father remarried in 1938.
Raised in the Rochester area, Jane spent summers in Sylvan Lake, NY, with her step-grandparents. She loved going to the movies on Saturday afternoons and sledding on a big hill across from her home. She graduated from Brighton High School in 1949, from Syracuse University in 1953 with a B.A. in History, did graduate studies in history at the University of Rochester in 1954-55, and received her teaching certificate from Columbia in 1957.
Jane taught in Marcellus, NY, for one year, and then came to Westchester County in 1955 and taught at Briarcliff High School for 5 years. There she met her husband of 60 years, Barrett Clark, who passed away in 2017. She was adored by her students who invited her back to their own high school reunions. After leaving full time teaching to raise her children, she served as a substitute teacher in the Ossining school system. Following the race riot at Ossining High School in 1974, she was hired to teach at the Alternate School for the students who had been expelled. She co-authored a 5th grade social studies textbook, Many Americans, One Nation, published in 1974. Jane was a strong believer in the value of a good education and never hesitated to impress this upon whomever was in her presence.
In 1975, Jane began as a part time children’s librarian at the Ossining Public Library, a job which spring boarded her into the position of Director of Public Relations and Special Programs, which she held and cherished until retirement in 2010. In this position, she initiated the acclaimed Sunday afternoon concert series (“Great Music in a Great Place”), presented live theatre productions, organized many art exhibits and too many book sales to count, planned such events as “Banned Book Week” and the celebration of the library’s 100th anniversary, offered workshops ranging from holiday crafts and cooking to retirement planning to parent-child workshops, made annual trips to Albany to advocate on behalf of public libraries, and was always a presence at the Village Fair. It seemed that Jane knew everyone and everyone knew her as she made the library a destination for more than just books. She was instrumental in advocating for the naming of the John Cheever Reading Room in the new library building. She was proud of her career, delighted in bringing so many talented artists to perform and exhibit their work in Ossining, and fiercely guarded her time making the Library a beacon on the hill. She was tireless and dedicated in her service to the community.
She loved her Victorian home where she lived for 61 years, raised her four children and many dogs, and which she decorated with many antiques collected throughout the years. For more than 50 years, she hosted an annual Christmas Eve party entertaining many friends, neighbors, authors, artists, and musicians with a large pot of black bean soup, turkey, ham, and endless platters of cookies.
She enjoyed spending her summers in Western Maryland where she made peach jam, chutney, canned tomatoes, bread and butter pickles, and chili sauce, which she gifted to people throughout the year. She loved going to country auctions, lakes in the Catoctin Mountains, and savoring sweet corn and ice cream. She took her children year after year to Harpers Ferry, Antietam Battlefield, and other historic sites to ingrain her love of history in them. In every travel adventure (including camping trips to Montana and Newfoundland), she found ways to expose her children to history and civics, including listening to a transistor radio at an Illinois campground when Richard Nixon resigned.
Jane was tall, classy, beautiful, fun, and had extremely high standards. She had a contagious smile and will be remembered by all who knew her for her expressive laugh which often could be heard across long distances.
She served on the boards of Teatown Lake Reservation and the Ossining Historical Society and was a member of All Saints and later St. Mary’s Episcopal Churches. In the early 1980's she
co-hosted "How Does Your Garden Grow" with master gardener George Morrison
on WOSS, the radio station at Ossining High School.
She is survived by her four children, Matthew Allen Clark, Christopher Barrett Clark, Kitty Cammier Clark (Cam Millar), and Molly Clark Davis (Mark Davis), two grandchildren, Benjamin Davis and Valerie Clark-Millar and many nieces, nephews, and friends. She will be missed by all who knew her.
A private burial service was held on August 2 in Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. A memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory may be made to the Ossining Library Foundation (ossininglibrary.org), Teatown Lake Reservation (teatown.org),
or the Ossining Historical Society (ohsm.org).