Class of 2017-Clark Mills

Mr. Mills designed the Optimist pram that I never sailed but he also designed the Windmill that my brother and I raced for years. My Dad took me to meet the man in Clearwater around 1963-what a thrill for a kid like me! And now some great news:

The U.S. National Sailing Hall of Fame selected eight people in 2017 to join the 57 previously-recognized individuals who have been enshrined since the first class in 2011.
Among this group to be officially inducted on September 24 is boatbuilder Clark Mills (Clearwater, Fla.), best-known as the designer of the wildly popular Optimist dinghy used by children under age 16. This tribute is provided by 2011 inductee Gary Jobson:

Read the whole thing here:

Class of 2017: Clark Mills >> Scuttlebutt Sailing News http://www.sailingscuttlebutt.com/2017/08/29/class-2017-clark-mills/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Scuttlebutt%204907%20-%20August%2030%202017&utm_content=Scuttlebutt%204907%20-%20August%2030%202017+CID_f2b5a8cf56ae4e3da682696b3cca2226&utm_source=Email%20Newsletter&utm_term=Class%20of%202017%20Clark%20Mills

Me and my Windmill:

 

One of my favorite smallboat guys. I met him a few times.

 

Messabout, can you tell us more about what he was like? He does seem like a cool guy; a hands-on man who probably was also pretty good with theory.

 

I met him a few times on a casual basis. I was a Windmill sailor ( there used to be a lot of them in Florida) and of course he was one of my go to guys. Yes he was a cool gentleman and he did have some theoretical knowledge. He was however mostly in favor of practicality as opposed to fancy work.