10 June 1969: The U.S. Air Force donated the first North American Aviation X-15, serial number 56-6670, to the Smithsonian Institution for display at the National Air and Space Museum. The first of three X-15A hypersonic research rocketplanes built by North American for the Air Force and the National Advisory Committee (NACA, the predecessor of NASA), 56-6670 made the first glide flight and
Donald E Clark, Jr., was born on July 6, 1939, in Lynchburg, VA. He enlisted in the USAF through the Reserves as an Electronic Warfare Officer and Pilot and had the rank of Captain. In 1966 he was assigned to the 614th Tactical Fighter Squadron/6234th Tactical Fighter Wing/13th Air Force out of Korat AB in Thailand.
On March 23, 1966, he was the pilot of an F-100F Super Sabre #58-1212 on a combat mission over North Vietnam, when his aircraft crashed and he was killed, considered missing. In 1977, the Vietnamese government repatriated remains to the United States which were identified as those of Captain Clark. The other person in the aircraft on March 23rd, was Major Clyde Duane Dawson whose remains were also repatriated in 1977.
At the time of his death, Donald E Clark, Jr., was married to Geraldine A. Lee and they had family connections to the area of Omaha, Douglas County, Nebraska. Captain Clark is buried in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Omaha, Nebraska, and is honored on the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in Washington DC. Name inscribed at VVM Wall, Panel 06e, Line 41.
Sources: HonorStates.org, POWNetwork.org
