A 50-year veteran of the petroleum industry, Houghton began his career as an engineer for Shell Oil Co.
1999 PMAA Chairman Clark Houghton died peacefully, Jan. 18, 2013, near his home in Osage Beach, Mo., PMAA reported
Clark was a 50-year veteran of the petroleum industry having begun his career as an engineer for Shell Oil Co. when first out of college. After leaving Shell, he founded Mid-Missouri Oil Co. and opened multiple Shell retail locations in central Missouri.
Clark’s training as an engineer proved valuable to both MPCA and PMAA as he represented marketers on the American Petroleum Institute Operations and Engineering Committee. He also served as a voting member on the NFPA 30A Committee. Clark was a true believer in “all for one and one for all” and he served PMAA and MPCA in every leadership position. He was awarded the PMAA Distinguished Service Award in 2003. MPCA Executive Director Ron Leone aptly described Clark as a “curmudgeon with a heart of gold.”
In 2005, Clark decided to reduce his management duties to enjoy some retirement years with his wife Orvie. Since then, he has continued to monitor happenings in the petroleum marketing and convenience store industry.
As recently as Jan. 9, 2013, Clark emailed PMAA President Dan Gilligan and Ron Leone noting how he wished he could attend some PMAA and MPCA meetings but commented ” my COPD is starting to win.” He finished his email noting “I’ve had a good life and a good time in the oil business.”
The Houghton family has not decided when or where services might be held. PMAA will post those details on its Website (www.pmaa.org)