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James Clark Akers III

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James Clark Akers III Veteran

Birth
Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, USA
Death
20 Feb 2020 (aged 92)
Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, USA
Burial
Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, USA Add to Map
Memorial ID
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James Clark Akers, III

Nashville - James Clark Akers, III, a native Nashvillian; died peacefully at his home Feb. 20, 2020, surrounded by his family.

Clark was born in Nashville on June 4, 1927. He was the son of James Clark Akers, Jr.(died 09-01-1976), and Estelle LeJeune Akers of Jeanerette, Louisiana (died 01-04-1982 ). From a young age Clark was proud of his Louisiana-Cajun heritage.

He graduated from Tarbox Elementary School and from West End High School in 1945. While at West he was very active in the Boy Scouts. He was a member of Troop 31 where he attained the rank of Eagle Scout. Troop 31 is still active at St. George's Episcopal Church and Clark's sons, nephews, great-nephews and now great-great nephews are or have been members there.

Clark was drafted into the Army Air Corps in 1946. At the end of World War II he attended Vanderbilt University. He graduated, with honors, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering in 1949. While at Vanderbilt he was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity, Tau Beta Pi Honorary Engineering Society, and he lettered in wrestling.

In 1949 he married his high school sweetheart, Eleanor Miller. In November 2019 they celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary.

Clark was an accomplished businessman and contractor, known for the quality and thoroughness of his engineering and construction projects.

Clark began his career with McDowell and McDowell and then Warren Brothers Paving Co. before joining Asphalt Products.

He and his brother, Bill, were very close and in many business ventures together. In 1956, Clark and Bill formed the Globe Company, a highway contractor, and in l966, they formed Dotiki Webster County Coal Company with a childhood friend, Joe Davis. In 1980 they founded The Parent Company, Inc., a general contractor. After 25 years of successful business partnership, the brothers retired in l981.

After retirement, Clark combined his love of engineering and wetland conservation by becoming a pioneer for the development of wetland mitigation banking. This is now a common conservation practice to restore prior converted lands across Tennessee back into functioning wetlands and streams.

His passion for waterfowl and concern for the loss of the wetlands motivated him to take on a historic fight with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Through his efforts, and those of the Tennessee Wildlife Federation, he helped build a legal team that won a landmark case to stop the channelization of the Obion-Forked Deer River Basin. The results can still be seen as miles of this west Tennessee river still wind through native hardwood forests, providing wintering habitat for hundreds of thousands of migratory waterfowl.

His success in stopping the project was just the beginning. He actively supported and contributed to multiple conservation organizations, especially Tennessee Wildlife Federation, where he served on the Board of Directors, received the Distinguished Service Citation in 1970, and was named Conservationist of the Year in l979. He was also the recipient of The Lou Williams Award in 1999 and the Z. Cartter Patten Award in 2012 and today has a Conservation Achievement award named in his honor. Additionally, Clark served as a Trustee of the National Wildlife Federation Endowment and received an award for his work on the Obion-Forked Deer River Watershed. In his honor, 44,000 acres of public lands in West Tennessee were named the J. Clark Akers Wildlife Complex.

So great was Clark's contribution to conservation that in Sportsmen United: The Story of the Tennessee Conservation League, Marge Davis wrote, "This man (Clark), this David who had successfully challenged a government Goliath, would come to be seen as a metaphor of 80's activism, a symbol of the growing clout and stamina of the citizen conservation lobby." Clark was a deeply engaged and highly effective advocate for conservation and outdoorsmen alike.

Clark was an avid duck hunter and he also loved to fish. In 1978 he and Eleanor bought a house overlooking the ocean on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. They later built a home on the bluffs at Gay Head, MA. Family and friends from as far away as Scotland came to enjoy the fishing and exploring on the island.

A sound believer in higher education, Clark and Eleanor were instrumental in funding the continuing education of many family members. In addition, they established the Miller-LeJeune Scholarship, a fully funded four-year scholarship at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama. Twenty-one exceptional and deserving young men and women were the recipients of the Akers' generosity. Many of these students are still friends of the Akers family. At a reunion of the scholars in 2014, Dr. Barton Kendrick of Houston, Texas, one of the earliest recipients, announced the establishment of a new scholarship in the Akers' honor—The Clark and Eleanor Akers Scholarship.

Clark was a long time member and supporter of St. George's Episcopal Church. He was president of the Kilgore Corp. LLC., a member of the Tennessee Society of Professional Engineers, the Chef's Club of Nashville, and Belle Meade Country Club. At Vanderbilt University he was a member of the Chancellor's Council, the Dean's Association at the Law School, the Lewis Society of the School of Engineering and the Canby-Robinson Society of the Medical School. He was chairman of the Quinq Society. He served as director of the National Ecological Foundation and was a member of the board of the Tennessee Conservation League, the Tennessee Nature Conservancy, the Trustees of Reservations at Martha's Vineyard, MA, the Yosemite Institute and the Tennessee Wildlife Federation Foundation. He was chairman of the Metro Nashville Transit Authority and a member of the Metro Nashville Traffic and Parking Commission.

He received numerous accolades during his lifetime including awards from Shikar Safari International, Conservationist of the Year by the Tennessee Conservation League; Conservationist of the Year by the National Wildlife Federation and the American Motors Conservation Award.

Clark will always be remembered by his family and friends as a warm, witty and generous man, and a loyal friend.

He is survived by his wife, Eleanor; his son, Andrew Miller Akers; his grandchildren, Andrew Miller Akers, Jr., and Sarah Michelle Akers of Chicago; his sister-in-law, JoAnn Denman Akers, his daughter-in-law, Tammy Akers and several nieces and nephews, to whom he was always caring and devoted. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, William Ballance Akers, and his son, John William Akers.

The family is grateful to Bethlehem, Lydia and Ramon Aregai, Tracy Bright, Barbara Etter, and Sue Frank for their compassionate and dedicated care and concern for Clark.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Clark and Eleanor Akers Scholarship at Spring Hill College, Mobile, Al., or to Alive Hospice, Nashville.

A memorial service will be held at St. George's Episcopal Church Thursday, February 27th at 3:30 PM with visitation to start at 2:00pm. Interment will follow at the columbarium at the church.
Published in Tennessean from Feb. 21 to Feb. 23, 2020

Parent links provided by John T. Rice

~
James Clark Akers, III

Nashville - James Clark Akers, III, a native Nashvillian; died peacefully at his home Feb. 20, 2020, surrounded by his family.

Clark was born in Nashville on June 4, 1927. He was the son of James Clark Akers, Jr.(died 09-01-1976), and Estelle LeJeune Akers of Jeanerette, Louisiana (died 01-04-1982 ). From a young age Clark was proud of his Louisiana-Cajun heritage.

He graduated from Tarbox Elementary School and from West End High School in 1945. While at West he was very active in the Boy Scouts. He was a member of Troop 31 where he attained the rank of Eagle Scout. Troop 31 is still active at St. George's Episcopal Church and Clark's sons, nephews, great-nephews and now great-great nephews are or have been members there.

Clark was drafted into the Army Air Corps in 1946. At the end of World War II he attended Vanderbilt University. He graduated, with honors, with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Engineering in 1949. While at Vanderbilt he was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity, Tau Beta Pi Honorary Engineering Society, and he lettered in wrestling.

In 1949 he married his high school sweetheart, Eleanor Miller. In November 2019 they celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary.

Clark was an accomplished businessman and contractor, known for the quality and thoroughness of his engineering and construction projects.

Clark began his career with McDowell and McDowell and then Warren Brothers Paving Co. before joining Asphalt Products.

He and his brother, Bill, were very close and in many business ventures together. In 1956, Clark and Bill formed the Globe Company, a highway contractor, and in l966, they formed Dotiki Webster County Coal Company with a childhood friend, Joe Davis. In 1980 they founded The Parent Company, Inc., a general contractor. After 25 years of successful business partnership, the brothers retired in l981.

After retirement, Clark combined his love of engineering and wetland conservation by becoming a pioneer for the development of wetland mitigation banking. This is now a common conservation practice to restore prior converted lands across Tennessee back into functioning wetlands and streams.

His passion for waterfowl and concern for the loss of the wetlands motivated him to take on a historic fight with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Through his efforts, and those of the Tennessee Wildlife Federation, he helped build a legal team that won a landmark case to stop the channelization of the Obion-Forked Deer River Basin. The results can still be seen as miles of this west Tennessee river still wind through native hardwood forests, providing wintering habitat for hundreds of thousands of migratory waterfowl.

His success in stopping the project was just the beginning. He actively supported and contributed to multiple conservation organizations, especially Tennessee Wildlife Federation, where he served on the Board of Directors, received the Distinguished Service Citation in 1970, and was named Conservationist of the Year in l979. He was also the recipient of The Lou Williams Award in 1999 and the Z. Cartter Patten Award in 2012 and today has a Conservation Achievement award named in his honor. Additionally, Clark served as a Trustee of the National Wildlife Federation Endowment and received an award for his work on the Obion-Forked Deer River Watershed. In his honor, 44,000 acres of public lands in West Tennessee were named the J. Clark Akers Wildlife Complex.

So great was Clark's contribution to conservation that in Sportsmen United: The Story of the Tennessee Conservation League, Marge Davis wrote, "This man (Clark), this David who had successfully challenged a government Goliath, would come to be seen as a metaphor of 80's activism, a symbol of the growing clout and stamina of the citizen conservation lobby." Clark was a deeply engaged and highly effective advocate for conservation and outdoorsmen alike.

Clark was an avid duck hunter and he also loved to fish. In 1978 he and Eleanor bought a house overlooking the ocean on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. They later built a home on the bluffs at Gay Head, MA. Family and friends from as far away as Scotland came to enjoy the fishing and exploring on the island.

A sound believer in higher education, Clark and Eleanor were instrumental in funding the continuing education of many family members. In addition, they established the Miller-LeJeune Scholarship, a fully funded four-year scholarship at Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama. Twenty-one exceptional and deserving young men and women were the recipients of the Akers' generosity. Many of these students are still friends of the Akers family. At a reunion of the scholars in 2014, Dr. Barton Kendrick of Houston, Texas, one of the earliest recipients, announced the establishment of a new scholarship in the Akers' honor—The Clark and Eleanor Akers Scholarship.

Clark was a long time member and supporter of St. George's Episcopal Church. He was president of the Kilgore Corp. LLC., a member of the Tennessee Society of Professional Engineers, the Chef's Club of Nashville, and Belle Meade Country Club. At Vanderbilt University he was a member of the Chancellor's Council, the Dean's Association at the Law School, the Lewis Society of the School of Engineering and the Canby-Robinson Society of the Medical School. He was chairman of the Quinq Society. He served as director of the National Ecological Foundation and was a member of the board of the Tennessee Conservation League, the Tennessee Nature Conservancy, the Trustees of Reservations at Martha's Vineyard, MA, the Yosemite Institute and the Tennessee Wildlife Federation Foundation. He was chairman of the Metro Nashville Transit Authority and a member of the Metro Nashville Traffic and Parking Commission.

He received numerous accolades during his lifetime including awards from Shikar Safari International, Conservationist of the Year by the Tennessee Conservation League; Conservationist of the Year by the National Wildlife Federation and the American Motors Conservation Award.

Clark will always be remembered by his family and friends as a warm, witty and generous man, and a loyal friend.

He is survived by his wife, Eleanor; his son, Andrew Miller Akers; his grandchildren, Andrew Miller Akers, Jr., and Sarah Michelle Akers of Chicago; his sister-in-law, JoAnn Denman Akers, his daughter-in-law, Tammy Akers and several nieces and nephews, to whom he was always caring and devoted. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, William Ballance Akers, and his son, John William Akers.

The family is grateful to Bethlehem, Lydia and Ramon Aregai, Tracy Bright, Barbara Etter, and Sue Frank for their compassionate and dedicated care and concern for Clark.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Clark and Eleanor Akers Scholarship at Spring Hill College, Mobile, Al., or to Alive Hospice, Nashville.

A memorial service will be held at St. George's Episcopal Church Thursday, February 27th at 3:30 PM with visitation to start at 2:00pm. Interment will follow at the columbarium at the church.
Published in Tennessean from Feb. 21 to Feb. 23, 2020

Parent links provided by John T. Rice

~


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  • Created by: BB
  • Added: Feb 23, 2020
  • Find a Grave Memorial ID:
  • Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/207375139/james_clark-akers: accessed ), memorial page for James Clark Akers III (4 Jun 1927–20 Feb 2020), Find a Grave Memorial ID 207375139, citing Saint Georges Episcopal Church Columbarium, Nashville, Davidson County, Tennessee, USA; Maintained by BB (contributor 47395133).