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<em>Carl Jark</em> was in high school in Beatrice, Nebraska when he was given the nickname Tiny, which he has been known by ever since. It was a marvelous oxymoron, because Tiny Jark was 6’ 5” at the time. “Tiny” was not only in sharp contrast with his physical stature but with his personal and professional accomplishments since.</p>
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At West Point he excelled in horsemanship, cross country and the discus in track. As the commander of M Company, there was no finer figure of a cadet as he led the final company in the regular parades on the Plain. In his First Class year, the track coach took a few cadets, including Tiny, to the Drake Relays to compete against the best in the nation. By the luck of the draw, Tiny was the first to throw the discus and he was nervous. Our wise coach said, relax. You have six throws to win. Waste the first one. Just think of your form and get it off in style. Tiny did and it went 10 feet farther than he ever threw before or since and broke the world’s record.</p>
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Tiny graduated on his birthday in 1929 and two days later married his Betty Wilson in the West Point Chapel. After that it was the usual run of assignments for a young Field Artillery lieutenant; troops, Field Artillery School at Fort Sill, Civilian Conservation Corp duty when it first started. Along the way, thieves broke into Tiny and Betty’s quarters which should be laughable to anyone who knows a lieutenant’s pay was $125 per month then and with much of his furniture being remodeled orange crates. It wasn’t, however, because the only thing taken was the gold emblem Tiny won for breaking the world’s record in the discus.</p>
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In July 1941, with World War II raging in Europe, Tiny, then a captain, was named commandant of the new Officer Candidate School at Fort Sill. One hundred twenty-five students were enrolled in the first class, and the school rapidly grew to a capacity of 6600 with 500 new students entering every week. Thirty-two years later, after producing 47,500 lieutenants, the school graduated its final class and was inactivated to have all future OCS training conducted at Fort Benning. At that last ceremony in 1973 Tiny was the honored guest and speaker. Men who hadn’t been born when the “Jark March,” a grueling 4.2 mile cross country jog was instituted, were still doing it and talking about it. Tiny teamed with the distinguished graduate’s wife to pin on his bars. When Tiny was close to retirement as a lieutenant general, he said that starting that school was the best thing he had done in his entire service.</p>
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In 1944 Tiny went to Europe as executive officer of the 63rd Division Artillery where he served until after V-J day.</p>
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Varied and successively more demanding assignments followed: the Philippines as chief of staff of the 12th Infantry Division; the Eighth Army artillery officer in Yokohama; the National War College in Washington, DC; and the Army General Staff. Tiny went back to the Far East Command in Tokyo, again with troops as artillery commander of the 1st Cavalry Division in 1952. After troop duty in the U.S., Tiny assumed command of the 2nd Armored Division in Baumholder, Germany, in September 1954. From there it was artillery officer of the Seventh US Army, Stuttgart until he went directly to Korea to command the 7th Infantry Division for fifteen months.</p>
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In November 1957 he was assigned to the Office of the Secretary of Defense as deputy to the U.S. Representative on the Military Committee and Standing Group of NATO in the Pentagon. In December 1959, he became J-3 of the U.S. European Command at Camp des Loges, just outside of Paris. Two years later he became the commanding general of the Fourth U.S. Army, San Antonio, Texas and was promoted to lieutenant general.</p>
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For two and a half years Tiny served with distinction in his last assignment on active duty in the US Army. He was active in civic affairs and popular with the community. His military affairs brought him and Betty into contact with Lieutenant General Robert W. Burns, USAF, commanding general of the Air Training Command at nearby Randolph Air Force Base, and his wife Caroline.</p>
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Betty Jark had been in poor health for years and died three days after Tiny’s retirement in 1964. A month later, just before he was to retire, Bobby Burns succumbed to the emphysema that had been plaguing him. A year later, mutual admiration had deepened into love and brawny Tiny married lovely Caroline. Nineteen delightfully happy years followed. They built a beautiful home on a flowered lot with a swimming pool; it was a short walk to their country club and golf course where Tiny liked to hack around with friends. They traveled the world for months on end—all over Europe and behind the Iron Curtain in their own car, around the world, then by ship around South America, to Russia, and China. They had many friends in San Antonio and it was at a private dinner party at the Argyle Club that I spoke to Tiny for the last time. That was on a Monday night and on Thursday morning it was all over.</p>
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On a sunny day in March, Tiny was raking leaves on his lawn at about 11:30 a.m., getting hot and a little tired. He came into the house speaking to Caroline on the way. A few seconds later Tiny fell unconscious to the floor and Caroline called the Emergency Medical Service. They came promptly and took Tiny to Northeast Baptist Hospital (the closest), but an hour later he was declared dead of a heart attack.</p>
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The graveside military services at Fort Sam were appropriate for a man of Tiny’s caliber, with some 300 friends present and that 15 gun salute booming out.</p>
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He was not a mixer who sought companionship just for the sake of having company but he enjoyed his friends. He had high principles and integrity with a friendly nature and sense of humor that was always refreshing. The Distinguished Service Medal, two Legions of Merit, two Bronze Stars and three Army Commendation Medals that he was awarded over the years speak for his service to his country.</p>
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Caroline Jark is at their home in San Antonio, Texas. Tiny is also survived by his only child, Joanne Jark Weikert (Mrs. William) and three grandchildren. Caroline also has three grandchildren who were so young when Bobby Burns died that they always looked on Tiny as their own granddaddy.</p>
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He made the world better for many people.</p>
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<em>Ken Zitzman, </em>USMA ’32</p>