Oral History From Retiring Supervisor Urged : City May Record Ralph Clark’s Recollections

Orange County Supervisor Ralph Clark’s roots are set in Anaheim.

It is where the 79-year-old politician became a high school athlete, where he opened his own gas station, where he raised his four children and where he became a councilman and later the mayor. It’s also the city that now is home to the Los Angeles Rams football team, in part because of him.

Now, city fathers want to tap the memory of the man known to many as “the silver-haired, silver-tongued orator” and preserve his reminiscences for posterity. On Tuesday, the City Council will consider spending $2,832 to record Clark’s thoughts.

Anaheim Library Director William J. Griffith recommended in an Oct. 21 letter that the council hire the Oral History Program at Cal State Fullerton to record Clark’s remembrances for “future research and referral” because he is a prominent figure in both city and county history and because he will soon retire.

Clark, reached at his Anaheim home over the weekend, was surprised to hear of the plan. “Well, I’ll be darned. Isn’t that nice,” he said.

Clark, who also is known as Orange County’s “Mr. Transportation” because of his 15 years of uninterrupted service on the county Transit District board, said that an Anaheim historian had called him several weeks ago, seeking a future interview. But Clark said he was unaware of the library’s plan to contract with Cal State Fullerton.

Asked what events, anecdotes and changes in his hometown he planned to share, Clark referred generally to development of the city, to Disneyland, the California Angels and his involvement in helping lure the Rams to the city.

But Clark declined to be specific, saying he would share events by answering whatever questions the interview or questionnaire presented. Repeatedly, he said he was embarrassed because he did not want “to blow my own horn.”

“And boy, this is embarrassing to talk about myself,” he said.

Two of Anaheim’s five City Council members said over the weekend that they liked the proposal and planned to vote for it. A third said he saw no problem with it.

“What a lovely idea,” said Councilwoman Miriam Kaywood when asked about the library’s request.

Noting Clark’s longtime involvement in local government, Kaywood said, “he’s got memories that won’t quit. And these are the kinds of things you have to get while they’re hot. Otherwise, they’re gone forever. It’s so important to preserve the history of a community.”

She called the $2,832 expenditure “a real bargain.”

Councilman E. Llewellyn Overholt Jr. said the expense is “a well-worth investment,” adding, “I think Ralph Clark has made a significant contribution not only to the City of Anaheim, but to the County of Orange.”

Councilman Ben Bay said, “If it cost a lot of money, I might object. But that doesn’t sound like a lot. . . . I don’t see any big problem with it.”

Kaywood said the library has several such recordings of local prominent figures, including one on Kate Rae, founder of the Anaheim Red Cross chapter, whose first name was combined with that of her sister, Ella, to form the name of the major east-west thoroughfare that passes both Anaheim Stadium and Disneyland--Katella Avenue.

Clark, a veteran of 16 years on the Board of Supervisors, announced on Aug. 23, 1985, that he would not seek reelection because of his age, his health and questions about his links to W. Patrick Moriarty, the central figure in a political corruption scandal. Clark has denied allegations by two of Moriarty’s former aides that he was one of several politicians supplied with prostitutes by Moriarty, who has been sentenced on a variety of political corruption charges.

At the time of his retirement announcement, Clark added, “Being consistently ‘linked to’ Mr. Moriarty’s legal troubles still is bothersome and hurts a whole lot . . . after so many years of public service free of even a whisper of impropriety.”

Clark represents the 4th Supervisorial District, which includes the cities of Anaheim, Buena Park, La Palma and part of Orange.