Larry Clark - On his memories of the A.D. Clark Pool (clip)
Interviewed on August 29, 2025
Larry Clark (LC): Hello, everyone. My name is Larry Clark. Adolphus Clark was my great uncle. My grandfather’s brother, so this place brings back a lot of memories for me. He was, I think, the first NAACP President in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro area. His mindset was for bringing the youth and the young people together. When Hargraves was first built, I think it was just the main building and the pool and the playground and this gym was available for us. But we did come and play. The things that we did here. It was just a togetherness and, you know, kids would gather here, inside, outside on the steps, in the pool, like she said there was a diving board. So, we really enjoyed this place. I haven’t been here, I’m gonna say, in over 40 or 50 years, I don’t know, and I’m from Washington, DC, so I’m visiting for the weekend for a family reunion but my sister told us to come here and I’m glad I did. So, we thank God for the community, all the togetherness that they have put together. All the older people, the Hargraves, the Clarks, the Atwaters, John Manley at First Baptist, he was instrumental I think over here and St. Joseph and just everybody in the community. Everybody rallying around all these houses and the areas over here. This has been a staple for Chapel Hill and thank God they are keeping it going, because it is definitely needed. Thank you, guys.
Unknown speaker: I have a question. Since you’re related to Mr. Clark, he was the one who lived across from the laundry, right.
LC: Yes.
Unknown speaker: Did he have a wife or children?
LC: No, he did not.
Unknown speaker: We were talking about that the other day and I was wondering about that, because they did so much for children and teenagers in the community.
LC: He didn’t have kids but John and Rebecca had two boys, Douglas and John Jr. but my Uncle Adolphus did not. John Sr. and Adolphus were brothers and my grandfather was Leroy Clark Sr. and then it’s Palmer, then it goes on and on. They were originally from Chatham, so they’re not from Chapel Hill but they migrated here.
