You are using an outdated browser that is no longer suitable for modern web standards.
Please update (or change) your browser to view our site as it is intended to be seen. Thank you.
Arthur Clark
1936- 2019
Arthur Ludlow (Lud) Clark of Leesburg Virginia was one of the early American falconers who was mentored and learned his craft from the legendary Al Nye. When Lud was young, Al gave him a red-shouldered hawk as an introductory to the great sport which he pursued throughout his life.
Lud's life was characterized by military service, academia, and a great love for the outdoor life. He graduated from Princeton, Mississippi State, and at Cornell, he was awarded the Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.,) in ecology and wrote his dissertation on the migratory and breeding habits of Elenora’s falcon in Morocco.
Upon graduating from Princeton University in 1958, Lud entered the United States Marine Corps as a second lieutenant and aviator He flew the A-4 Sky Hawk in close air support of U.S. forces during the Vietnam War and retired almost 30 years later with the highest civil service grade of GS-15. From 1975 to 1989, Lud pursued a career in federal civil service, working in natural resources management for the United States Air Force. He made significant contributions in environmental impact studies of the USAF MX Missile program in the Western U.S., and he retired in 1989.
Lud was known by the community as an avid falconer, ecologist, and outdoorsman. As a member and former president of the Northern Virginia Falconers Association and the Lucketts Ruritan Club, Lud contributed significantly to the community and gave his time freely to all who wished to learn and benefit from his expertise and experience in falconry.
He was an expert traditional archer and marksman and talented and patient hunter who spent his time on the ridge near his home in Virginia. Sitting at the base of his favorite trees and watching nature wake at sunrise was one of his true loves. His passion was hunting a passage peregrine over an English pointer in the sage and he spent months with his falcon and an English pointer named Ben. He and his wife Lisa and other friends like Ron Frye were with him on almost all of these trips and they made the fondest memories.
Ludlow was a private person and he preferred individual personal connections over crowds and groups. This gave those fortunate enough to get to know him a glimpse into his brilliant mind and humble heart. A lifelong student, Ludlow was an honorable friend and a true mentor who we miss dearly. Honor of his life by respecting the traditions of falconry and nature by introducing someone else to this incredible sport. Teach them the traditions and knowledge of the early falconers along with the new. Lud’s first lesson to me as an apprentice was that our falconry journey is full of great thrills and the disappointing tragedies.
If you have the opportunity to witnesses the symbiosis of a falconer with his dog and falcon as they work in harmony for that great flight on a sage grouse, you may get a glimpse of Ludlow's joy in the outdoors. He called this the purest form of falconry. Take time to hike to the top of a ridge in April, just before sunrise, to watch nature awaken and hear a wild turkey thunder his song over the valley. Or hide in the cattails on a frigid winter morning when the mallards are thick as flies overhead. Watch a grouse explode from the sage in front of a pointer as the falcon begins its stoop. If you can, share these experiences and pass on the reverence of our world.
- William Phillips
