George C. Clerk
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George Carver Clerk, (29 July 1931 – 2 May 2019) was a
Ghanaian Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
botanist and plant pathologist. A professor and later, an emeritus professor at the
University of Ghana The University of Ghana is a public university located in Accra, Ghana. It the oldest and largest of the thirteen Ghanaian national public universities. The university was founded in 1948 as the University College of the Gold Coast in the Br ...
,
Legon Legon , a suburb of the Ghanaian city Accra, is situated about north-east of the city center in the Accra Metropolis District, a district in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Legon is home to the main campus of the University of Ghana. ...
, he also focused his research on
West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, M ...
n
mycology Mycology is the branch of biology concerned with the study of fungi, including their genetic and biochemical properties, their taxonomy and their use to humans, including as a source for tinder, traditional medicine, food, and entheogen ...
and
ecology Ecology () is the study of the relationships between living organisms, including humans, and their physical environment. Ecology considers organisms at the individual, population, community, ecosystem, and biosphere level. Ecology overl ...
. Clerk, along with his academic contemporary
Ebenezer Laing Ebenezer Laing, (28 June 1931 – 19 April 2015) was a Ghanaian botanist and geneticist who served as the Pro-Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Legon. He was a professor at the University of Ghana, Legon, and later an emeritus prof ...
(1931–2015), was one of Ghana's earliest practitioners of botany as a scientific discipline, in addition to his pioneering role as a plant pathologist in West Africa. In 1973, G. C. Clerk became a Fellow of the
Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences The Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) is a learned society for the arts and sciences based in Accra, Ghana. The institution was founded in November 1959 by Kwame Nkrumah with the aim to promote the pursuit, advancement and dissemination ...
.


Early life and family

George Clerk was born on 29 July 1931 in Accra,
Gold Coast Gold Coast may refer to: Places Africa * Gold Coast (region), in West Africa, which was made up of the following colonies, before being established as the independent nation of Ghana: ** Portuguese Gold Coast (Portuguese, 1482–1642) ** Dutch G ...
. His father,
Carl Henry Clerk Carl Henry Clerk (4 January 1895 – 28 May 1982) was a Ghanaian agricultural educationist, administrator, journalist, editor and church minister who was elected the fourth Synod Clerk of the Presbyterian Church of the Gold Coast, assuming t ...
(1895–1982), an agricultural educator, journalist and Presbyterian minister was elected the fourth Synod Clerk of the Presbyterian Church of the Gold Coast from 1950 to 1954 and the Editor of the Christian Messenger, the newspaper of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana from 1960 to 1963. His mother, Martha Ayorkor Quao (1911–1989) was from La and
Ga-Mashie Ga-Mashie is the home of the original Ga settlers and the original name of Accra, Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
. Quao's maternal grandfather was Nii Ngleshie Addy I, the first son of Nii Tetteh Tsuru I, the founder and ruler of the Otuopai Clan, a royal house in Ga Mashie. G. C. Clerk's father who had earlier studied agricultural science at
Tuskegee University Tuskegee University (Tuskegee or TU), formerly known as the Tuskegee Institute, is a private, historically black land-grant university in Tuskegee, Alabama. It was founded on Independence Day in 1881 by the state legislature. The campus was de ...
, incidentally named him after the American botanist, George Washington Carver, whose works the older Clerk had studied at the institute, perhaps a foreshadowing of the infant George's future career path. George C. Clerk belonged to the historically notable
Clerk family The Clerk family () is a Ghanaian historic family that produced a number of pioneering scholars and clergy on the Gold Coast. Predominantly based in the Ghanaian capital, Accra, the Clerks were traditionally Protestant Christian and affiliated ...
. His paternal great-grandfather,
Alexander Worthy Clerk Alexander Worthy Clerk (4 March 1820 – 11 February 1906) was a Jamaican Moravian pioneer missionary, teacher and clergyman who arrived in 1843 in the Danish Protectorate of Christiansborg, now Osu in Accra, Ghana, then known as the Go ...
(1820–1906), a Jamaican Moravian educator arrived in the Danish Protectorate of Christiansborg, now Osu, in Accra in 1843, as part of the original group of 24 West Indians employed by the Swiss-based
Basel Evangelical Missionary Society The Basel Mission was a Christian missionary society based in Switzerland. It was active from 1815 to 2001, when it transferred the operative work to , the successor organization of ''Kooperation Evangelischer Kirchen und Missione'' (KEM), foun ...
. A. W. Clerk co-established a boys' middle boarding school, the Salem School in 1843. His paternal great-grandmother, Pauline Hesse (1831–1909) was from the Gold Coast, and was of Euro-Ga heritage. His great-grandaunt was
Regina Hesse Regina Hesse (1832–1898), also Rottmann, was a Gold Coast Euro-Africans, Euro-African Teacher, schoolteacher in colonial Ghana. As an educationist, she was one of first women exemplars on the Gold Coast (British colony), Gold Coast to become ...
(1832–1898), a pioneer educator. His grandfather,
Nicholas Timothy Clerk Nicholas Timothy Clerk (28 October 1862 – 16 August 1961) was a Protestant theologian, clergyman and pioneering missionary of the Basel Evangelical Missionary Society in southeast colonial Ghana. His father was the Jamaican Moravian mission ...
(1862–1961), a theologian, was the first Synod Clerk of the Presbyterian Church of the Gold Coast from 1918 to 1932, and a co-founder of the Presbyterian Boys’ Secondary School, established in 1938. His grandmother, Anna Alice Meyer (1873–1934) was also a Euro-African. His uncle, Theodore S. Clerk (1909–1965) was the first Ghanaian architect and planned the port city,
Tema Tema is a city on the Bight of Benin and Atlantic coast of Ghana. It is located east of the capital city; Accra, in the region of Greater Accra, and is the capital of the Tema Metropolitan District. As of 2013, Tema is the eleventh most populo ...
. G. C. Clerk's aunts were Jane E. Clerk (1904–1999), a pioneer education administrator and
Matilda J. Clerk Matilda Johanna Clerk (2 March 1916 – 27 December 1984) was a medical pioneer and a science educator on the Gold Coast and later in Ghana as well as the second Ghanaian woman to become an orthodox medicine-trained physician. The first wo ...
(1916–1984), the second Ghanaian woman in orthodox-medicine. Pauline M. Clerk (1935 - 2013), a diplomat and presidential advisor, was his cousin, as was
Alexander Adu Clerk Alexander Adu Clerk, (born 13 May 1947) is a Ghanaian American academic, psychiatrist and sleep medicine specialist who was the Director of the world's first sleep medical clinic, the Stanford Center for Sleep Sciences and Medicine from 1 ...
(born 1947), a
sleep medicine Sleep medicine is a medical specialty or subspecialty devoted to the diagnosis and therapy of sleep disturbances and disorders. From the middle of the 20th century, research has provided increasing knowledge and answered many questions about ...
specialist and psychiatrist. George Clerk's granduncle was
Emmanuel Charles Quist Sir Emmanuel Charles Quist, also known as Paa Quist (21 May 1880, in Christiansborg, Accra – 30 March 1959) was a barrister, educator and judge who served as the first Speaker of the Gold Coast Legislative Assembly and the first Speaker of ...
(1880–1959), a barrister and judge who became the first African President of the Legislative Council from 1949 to 1951, Speaker of the National Assembly of the Gold Coast from 1951 to 1957, and Speaker of the National Assembly of Ghana from March 1957 to November 1957. Clerk's maternal uncle was the jurist and judge,
Nii Amaa Ollennu Raphael Nii Amaa Ollennu (21 May 1906 – 22 December 1986) was a jurist and judge who became a Justice of the Supreme Court of Ghana from 1962 to 1966, the acting President of Ghana during the Second Republic from 7 August 1970 to 31 Augu ...
(1906–1986), elected the Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana during the Second Republic as well as serving as the Chairman of the Presidential Commission and acting
President of Ghana The president of the Republic of Ghana is the elected head of state and head of government of Ghana, as well as commander-in-chief of the Ghana Armed Forces. The current president of Ghana is Nana Akufo-Addo, who won the 2020 presidential el ...
from 7 August 1970 to 31 August 1970. His uncle was
Nathan Quao Nathan Anang Quao, (21 November 1915 – 15 February 2005) was a Ghanaian civil servant, educationist and diplomat who became a senior presidential advisor to the administrations of multiple Heads of State of Ghana. His last roles in governme ...
(1915–2005), a diplomat, educationist and public servant who doubled as a presidential advisor to several
Heads of State of Ghana This is a list of the heads of state of Ghana, from the independence of Ghana in 1957 to the present day. From 1957 to 1960 the head of state under the Constitution of 1957 was the queen of Ghana, Elizabeth II, who was also the queen of the Un ...
. Moreover, his first cousin was the economist and diplomat,
Amon Nikoi Amon Nikoi, born Seth Amon Nikoi, (19 January 1930 – 5 September 2002) was a Ghanaian economist and diplomat. He was the Permanent Representative of Ghana to the United Nations between 1957 and 1960 as well as the Governor of the Bank of Ghana ...
(1930–2002), appointed the Governor of the
Bank of Ghana The Bank of Ghana ( BoG) is the central bank of Ghana. It is located in Accra and was formed in 1957. The bank is active in developing financial inclusion policy and is a member of thAlliance for Financial Inclusion History The Central Bank ...
from 1973 to 1977 and Finance minister from 1979 to 1981.


Education and training

George Clerk was a pupil at Presbyterian primary schools at
Somanya Somanya is a town and the capital of Yilo Krobo District, a district in the Eastern Region of south Ghana. Somanya has a 2013 settlement Settlement may refer to: * Human settlement, a community where people live *Settlement (structural), the ...
and Osu. He attended the boys' middle boarding school, the Salem School. Clerk had his secondary education at the
Presbyterian Boys' Secondary School Presbyterian Boys' Secondary School (PRESEC) is a secondary boarding school for boys, in Legon, Accra, Ghana. It was founded in 1938, under the auspices of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Presbyterian Church of the Gold Coast. The Basel Mission, ...
, then located in Odumase-Krobo. He enrolled at the University College of the Gold Coast and the
University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
, then the parent institution of the university college. He received his bachelor's degree in botany with first-class honours and winning the first prize as the best graduating student in botany. G. C. Clerk was then awarded a postgraduate research fellowship at the
University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
and the
University of Bristol , mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'') , established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter , type ...
, and in 1963, earned a joint PhD- DIC in botany, with a sub-concentration in physiological mycology, from
Imperial College London Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...
where he wrote his dissertation on asexual spores of
parasitic fungi A fungus ( : fungi or funguses) is any member of the group of eukaryotic organisms that includes microorganisms such as yeasts and molds, as well as the more familiar mushrooms. These organisms are classified as a kingdom, separately from t ...
growing on the bodies of insects. His doctoral advisor was the British mycologist, Michael Francis Madelin (1931–2007), one of the world's earliest investigators of conidial fungi and slime moulds. The pioneer British plant pathologist, Ronald Karslake Starr Wood (1919 – 2017) also supervised his research in London.


Career

Prior to his postgraduate studies, Clerk taught biology at
Prempeh College Prempeh College is a public secondary boarding school for boys located in Kumasi, the capital city of the Ashanti Region, Ghana. The school was founded in 1949 by the Asanteman traditional authority, the British Colonial Government, the Metho ...
for about three years in the late 1950s and also served as an assistant housemaster there. During this period, he was also an instructor in mathematical sciences to adult education students. He then became a researcher at the Plant Services Division of the
Ministry of Agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an) agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister ...
. George Clerk rose through the ranks to attain the rank of Full Professor of Botany at the University of Ghana, Legon after joining the institution as a lecturer in 1964. While at the University of Ghana, he served as the Senior Tutor of the Senior Common Room and the Hall Master for Akuafo Hall from 1979 to 1980, a hall he had lived in as a student. He served as the departmental head and was appointed the Dean of Graduate Studies at the university. He authored more than 250 peer-reviewed scientific publications including journal articles, abstracts, book chapters, textbooks as well as blueprints for international examination standards. Clerk's advanced treatise on plant diseases in Ghana and West Africa influenced public policies pertaining to
plant development Important structures in plant development are buds, shoots, roots, leaves, and flowers; plants produce these tissues and structures throughout their life from meristems located at the tips of organs, or between mature tissues. Thus, a living plant a ...
, as illustrated by his experimental investigation of the fungal
pathogenesis Pathogenesis is the process by which a disease or disorder develops. It can include factors which contribute not only to the onset of the disease or disorder, but also to its progression and maintenance. The word comes from Greek πάθος ''pat ...
of the black pod disease in the
cocoa bean The cocoa bean (technically cocoa seed) or simply cocoa (), also called the cacao bean (technically cacao seed) or cacao (), is the dried and fully fermented seed of ''Theobroma cacao'', from which cocoa solids (a mixture of nonfat substance ...
. In 1973, he became a
Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...
of the
Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences The Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences (GAAS) is a learned society for the arts and sciences based in Accra, Ghana. The institution was founded in November 1959 by Kwame Nkrumah with the aim to promote the pursuit, advancement and dissemination ...
, the only scholar to be elected that year. George Clerk's seminal book, ''Crops and their diseases in Ghana,'' was published in 1974, and secured the Ghana Book Award in 1982. G. C. Clerk was a Fulbright Scholar at the
University of California, Riverside The University of California, Riverside (UCR or UC Riverside) is a public land-grant research university in Riverside, California. It is one of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The main campus sits on in a suburban distr ...
between 1973 and 1974. He was a visiting professor at the Ahmadu Bello and
Lagos Lagos (Nigerian English: ; ) is the largest city in Nigeria and the second most populous city in Africa, with a population of 15.4 million as of 2015 within the city proper. Lagos was the national capital of Nigeria until December 1991 fo ...
universities in
Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
. He assumed the Dean of Science position at the
University of Port Harcourt The University of Port Harcourt is located in Choba in Port Harcourt, Rivers state, Nigeria. It was established in 1975 as University College, Port Harcourt and was given university status in 1977. The University of Port Harcourt was rank ...
in the mid-eighties. He was a board director at the Ghana Atomic Energy Commission from 1996 to 1998 along with his academic colleague,
Marian Ewurama Addy Marian Ewurama Addy (née Cole; 7 February 1942 – 14 January 2014) was a Ghanaian biochemist and the first Host of the National Science and Maths Quiz. The first Ghanaian woman to attain the rank of full professor of natural science, Addy ...
, the first Ghanaian woman professor of natural science. He was a resource person, chief examiner for biology and a consultant to the
West African Examinations Council The West African Examinations Council (WAEC) is an examination board established by law to determine the examinations required in the public interest in the English-speaking West African countries, to conduct the examinations and to award certif ...
. He was an external examiner and an assessor for faculty promotions at other institutions of higher education. Clerk was a regional representative of the Association of African Universities. Furthermore, he was a trustee at major organisations such as the
Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana The Cocoa Research Institute of Ghana (CRIG) is a research institute in the Eastern Region, Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic ...
, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, the Ghana National Commission for
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
, the Volta Basin Research Project and the Water Research Institute, formerly the Institute for Aquatic Biology.


Personal life

G. C. Clerk was married; his children were Judith, George, Jnr., Nicholas, Theodore, Daniel and Dinah. Clerk was a trained pianist. His older brother was Nicholas T. Clerk (1930–2012), a former
GIMPA The Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) is a public co-educational university spread over four campuses ( Accra, Tema, Kumasi and Takoradi) and made up of six schools, ten research centers located at Greenhill in Accr ...
Rector.


Death and funeral

George Clerk died in Accra on 2 May 2019 after a short illness. Clerk's funeral service was held at the Akuafo Hall Chapel on the campus of the University of Ghana, Legon, before his burial at the Osu Cemetery in Accra. Upon his death, G. C. Clerk's obituary was published by ''Nature'' and the
International Society for Plant Pathology The International Society for Plant Pathology is a global nonprofit institution dedicated to ''“promoting world-wide plant health and food security.”'' It was founded in 1968 and the first President of the society was the pioneer British ...
.


Awards and honours

* Fulbright Scholar (1973–1974) * Ghana Book Award (1982)


Books

* Clerk, G. C. (1963) ''“Studies on the survival and germination of conidia of three entomogenous fungi.”'' London * (contrib.) Ewer, D. W.; Hall, J. B.; Clerk, G. C. (1972) ''“Ecological biology: for A-level and intermediate students in Africa."'' London: Longman * Clerk, G. C. (1974) ''"Crops and their diseases in Ghana."'' Tema: Ghana Pub. Corp. *(contrib.) Senteza Kajubi, W.; Clerk, G. C. et al. (1974) ''"African Encyclopedia."'' Oxford University Press *(contrib.) Ewer, D. W.; Hall, J. B.; Clerk, G. C.; Coker, W. Z.; Oldman, R. S.; Owen, D. F. et al. (1989) ''“Ecological biology. 1: Organisms and their environments."'' Harlow: Longman *Clerk, G. C. (1995) ''"Analysis and Interpretation of Biological Data for Senior Secondary Schools."'' Accra: Fairfield Publications


Bibliography


Further reading


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clerk, George, Carver 1931 births 2019 deaths 20th-century Ghanaian botanists Alumni of Imperial College London Alumni of the University of Bristol Alumni of the University of London Clerk family of Ghana Ga-Adangbe people Ghanaian people of Danish descent Ghanaian people of German descent Ghanaian people of Jamaican descent Ghanaian Presbyterians Ghanaian scientists People from Accra Presbyterian Boys' Senior High School alumni University of Ghana alumni Academic staff of the University of Ghana Academic staff of the University of Port Harcourt Osu Salem School alumni Ghanaian mycologists Fellows of the Ghana Academy of Arts and Sciences Fulbright alumni