Equal Opportunity Specialist Ending 42-Year Career

Clarenza Clark is ready for life after government service.

The Garrison equal employment opportunity specialist is retiring Aug. 2 after more than 42 years. She entered government service in St. Louis with the Army Mobility Command in February 1967 and worked her way up to EEO specialist, YA-0260-02.

Clark spent 30 years in St. Louis as a clerk-stenographer and secretary-stenographer before being reassigned to the EEO Office as a secretary. In October 1997, she moved to Huntsville.

"During my stay, I have met and worked with many outstanding and interesting people in different positions and grades," Clark said. "The journey has been an impressive learning experience and a genuine life challenge. My success demanded dedication, responsibility, dependability, honesty, endurance, flexibility, self-development, integrity, and the most rewarding of all -- loving people no matter what. When life threw a mean curve, I had to regroup and march on.

"The most valuable fact I have learned throughout my government career is all people -- EEO experts, managers, supervisors and employees -- made the difference in my career. They shared their life with and for me to achieve success.

"I am so grateful and thankful that I was afforded an opportunity in the EEO career field to be able to equip myself with the necessary skills and abilities to excel in EEO's outstanding mission that covers complaint processing, affirmative action, diversity of special emphasis, and essential EEO training.

"Above all, I praise, honor and thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for His infinite wisdom in my working experience," Clark said. "When I look back over the years I have spent in government service, it is hard to fathom that 42 years have lapsed. I want to leave many thanks to all the people who crossed my path for a time such as this. One thing I can say about life, I have learned that you have to be you. We have our own truth to be true to. If there is a higher truth for us to come to, we will not come to it by being false to what we have come to be now."