GAINESVILLE, Fla.
Joe Louis Clark, the bat- and bullhorn-wielding principal whose unwavering commitment to his students and uncompromising disciplinary methods inspired the 1989 film “Lean on Me,” died at his Florida home Tuesday after a long battle with an unspecified illness, his family said. He was 82.
At crime- and drug-ridden Eastside High School in Paterson, N.J., Clark expelled 300 students in a single day for fighting, vandalism, abusing teachers and drug possession. That lifted the expectations of those who remained, continually challenging them to perform better. Clark’s unorthodox methods, which included roaming the hallways with a bullhorn and a baseball bat, won him both admirers and critics nationwide. President Reagan offered Clark a White House policy advisor position after his success at the high school.
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Legendary N.J. principal, who inspired the film ‘Lean on Me,’ dies at 82
Updated Dec 31, 2020;
Posted Dec 30, 2020
Joe Clark, the retired principal of Eastside High School in Paterson, where he gained fame and criticism for his iron rule, is pictured in this Star-Ledger file photo from July 2000. At the time, he was working as the director of the Essex County Juvenile Detention Center.Patti Sapone
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Joe Louis Clark, the former bat-wielding principal of Paterson’s Eastside High School whose strict disciplinary methods inspired the 1989 film “Lean On Me,” died Tuesday at the age of 82, his family said.
Clark, a longtime resident of South Orange, retired to Gainesville, Florida, died surrounded by his family at his home after a long battle with an illness, they said.
Morgan Freeman's role as Joe Clark in 'Lean On Me' is one of his most legendary. The real Joe Clark recently died at age 82 after a lifetime of public service.
Joe Louis Clark, an uncompromising educator who made national headlines by roaming the halls of Paterson s Eastside High School wielding a baseball bat, has died at 82.
Clark died Tuesday at his home in Florida, surrounded by family, after a long illness, his family said.
Before meeting with the Reagan administration, appearing on the cover of Time magazine and inspiring the 1989 biopic Lean on Me (with Morgan Freeman as Clark), he arrived at the troubled high school in 1982 and quickly cracked down on students and faculty.
Over a six-year tenure as Eastside s principal, Clark was both lauded and criticized for his tough approach.