Clarence Scott Potter

Clarence Scott Potter was born June 28, 1925, in Boston, Mass. to Pearl Schnackenberg and George Frederick Potter. He was their fourth and last child. Pearl was a nurse and George taught Horticulture at the University of New Hampshire in Durham. The family lived on a farm adjoining the University grounds, grew wonderful apples and other goodies. Clen started school in Durham along with his older siblings. The family moved to Louisiana in the 1930's when his father was invited to manage the Tung Oil production in the Southern states. Clen attended High school in Bogalusa and upon graduation joined the Army to serve in Europe. Upon his return he entered the University of Wisconsin in Madison to pursue a career in sciences. Upon graduation he married Madeleine Higdon, and they moved to Milwaukee to continue his studies. Clen obtained his PhD in Biology and was invited to join the Mayo Clinic where he conducted basic research in enzymes. In 1963 he joined the Research laboratories of the Veterans Administration in Washington, DC. Clen and Madeleine were divorced in 1965, and he married Astrid Vyt. Shortly thereafter Clen accepted a position with the VA in Los Angeles, and he and Astrid moved to the West Coast. Daughter Lynn arrived in 1968, to be followed by daughter Graeme in 1969. When President Nixon reduced funds for basic research, Clen and many of his colleagues were out of work. He followed the money and returned to Maryland to look for a computer-related position. He found it with Bendix in Columbia, MD and Astrid and the little girls joined him there, arriving the night Hurricane Agnes struck. After that he was asked to join the Naval Research Labs in Washington DC where he worked for a number of years until his retirement in 1995, when he finally had the time to play tennis all day long! His daughters were married by then and he adored his grandchildren. However, there was one more move to make, and that was following their youngest daughter Graeme to North Carolina where she was opening her medical practice and needed babysitters. He passed away in his sleep April 12, 2016 attended by his family. A Memorial Service will be scheduled in Maryland sometime this coming summer. . .