Even when his health was failing, Doug Clarke insisted upon being there for his students. When Mr. Clarke was asked by Tommy Thomason, director of the Schieffer School of Journalism, if he needed to stop teaching, Mr. Clarke replied, “What would I do without these kids?”

Mr. Clarke, professor and retired Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporter and editor, died Thursday, Jan. 25, 2007 at his home. He was 67.

Mr. Clarke had been ill for a while and had his second triple-bypass heart surgery in June 2006, his son Zachary Clarke said.

Born in Dallas, Mr. Clarke attended the University of North Texas on a full-ride football scholarship.

With a master’s degree in journalism from UNT, Mr. Clarke started working for the Star-Telegram in 1964. He replaced Bob Schieffer on the police beat, said Phil Record, professor and retired Star-Telegram editor and executive.

Record said if a crime occurred too close to deadline and there wasn’t enough time to go to the scene, Mr. Clarke would call from the newsroom and say, ‘This is Doug Clarke at City Hall, tell me what’s going on.’

That way, Record said, Mr. Clarke would get people to talk to him.

“Doug, Bob Schieffer and I had a saying that went, ‘Every person has a First Amendment right to talk to the Star-Telegram even if they don’t know they’re talking to us,'” Record said. “At the end of Doug’s conversations, he’d tell whomever he just talked to that he was with the Star-Telegram, but, to start off, he’d leave that out.”

After he retired from the Star-Telegram, Mr. Clarke began teaching at three different universities, Zachary Clarke said.

Thomason said Mr. Clarke had a big heart for his students.

“He’d come into my office with his eyes all lit up and show me what his students had written,” Thomason said. “He is a great example of a professor who cared about his students.”

Zachary Clarke said his father wanted to give students a good idea of what reporting was like through his stories.

“My dad loved reporting and wanted to spread that love to his students,” he said.

Amy Kitchel, a former student of Mr. Clarke, said her favorite part of his classes was the stories he would share.

“He taught us with his stories rather than just through the textbook,” Kitchel said. “His stories were encouraging to students that it’s possible to have a fun and fulfilling career in journalism.”

In a 2002 interview with The Skiff, Mr. Clarke said the stories he told in class were meant to prepare students so they wouldn’t run into surprises as professional journalists.

“Most students have never been exposed to the realities of the world,” Mr. Clarke said. “You try to prepare them (in a classroom), but they still don’t believe you. As a teacher, I try to remember what it was like to be a cub reporter, like what to do and what not to do. I try to bring that into the classroom.”

Mr. Clarke was working toward his doctorate at the University of Texas at Dallas, Thomason said. He was expected to finish in December.

“He was a learner,” Thomason said. “Doug couldn’t stop doing what he loved.”

Mr. Clarke, who told students they’d get an ‘F’ if they forgot the ‘e’ on his name, had dedication and passion for news and compassion for his students, Record said.

“He was receiving dialysis three times a week and he’d grade papers during the process,” Record said. “Not many people in Doug’s condition would keep teaching. His love of his students kept him going. Doug made a sacrifice while he wasn’t feeling his best. His passion and concern for students kept him going when others would have checked out.”

Mr. Clarke is survived by his wife of 42 years, Judith Clarke; son Zachary Clarke; and daughter Jennifer Clarke.

Mr. Clarke’s funeral is at 11 a.m. today at Genesis United Methodist Church on South Hulen and the graveside service will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at College Mound Cemetery in Kaufman County.