Faculty, staff reminisce on Clarence Strickland

Recently, the Tyler Junior College community mourned the loss of Professor Clarence Leon Strickland. “Strick,” as he came to be known by his colleagues and students alike, left a lasting impression on all those he interacted with. Strickland was hired as technical theatre director at TJC in 1962, retiring in 2009.  

This impression seemed to happen instantly, as well. Speech Professor M’Liss Hindman spoke at Strickland’s memorial service. “When I first came to TJC, before I was hired, I had an appointment with Dr. Brown. She was the head of the department and I didn’t know where her office was. I walked into the building and here was this man standing there in a paint-splattered jumpsuit, with a shock of black hair and a big black beard. He looked pretty rugged and said ‘Can I help you?’ I asked for directions, and he pointed me the right way. I assumed he was just a janitor or other worker from how he was dressed. I didn’t realize he was another teacher until I got hired and attended our faculty meeting and saw him sitting there. Boy, did I misjudge him,” Hindman recalled.

While Strickland left the school 12 years ago, the impact he had on his fellow faculty members and former students remain in their hearts. To them, it was easy to reminisce when they heard the name Clarence Strickland.

M’Liss Hindman-Speech Professor: “I think of his big generous laugh first when remembering him. We had offices down the hall from each other. Gosh, both when we were over in Potter and when we moved over to WCA. Hearing his big laugh coming out of his office was always special, warming my heart. It meant he was having fun with students.”

Lara Smith-Speech and Theatre Department Chair: “He was creative and kind; those would be my two biggest descriptors of Strick. When I first met Strick, which was right at 30 years ago when I became an adjunct professor here, he was welcoming, always kind to me. He was always willing to offer any assistance or help. Anytime he talked to you, you knew you were the only thing he was thinking about. He was never distracted from the conversation he was having with you. You really felt like he was seeing you and listening to you, that he wanted to help you in any way he could. When I became a full-time professor, I was able to work with him as a full-time colleague, and it was more of the same. He would welcome me every morning with a ‘Good morning pretty lady!’ He really made me feel like it was a personal connection, not just a statement.”

Bryce McWilliams-Director of Theatre Facilities: “Artist, in the truest sense. He wasn’t just an artist, he was a creator. He was always driven to be working, creating. He never stopped using his imagination and it was always impressive to watch his process. It was always changing, and he was always exploring new things. He just never stopped creating.” While McWilliams doesn’t remember the first show he worked on with Strick, he does remember his first interaction. “I walked into the shop and he said, ‘Can you use a saw?’ I responded, ‘Yes, I can,’ and he put me to work. My father was a carpenter and there was my experience. There wasn’t much of a discussion on whether or not I was going to work with him; he just put me to work and expected me to come back the next day. I owe a lot of my career to him. I ended up going into technical theater and going down that path because I worked for him.”

Jacob Davis-Theatre Professor: “It’s tough for me, he was my mentor. He was the first person to welcome me on the campus. Whenever I was 18, I came from the panhandle of Texas, didn’t know anyone from Tyler and he welcomed me with open arms. That’s always where my mind goes is that first relationship. For me, he was the first person that I realized that everyone truly sees the world differently, and he was constantly communicating the way he saw the world in a multitude of ways. It really opened my eyes to how humans work so I think about that experience a lot. One of my first days on campus, it was before I moved into the dorm and it was before classes started, I went to eat lunch in the cafeteria and ran into another theatre student who told me Strick was going to be working on designing the first show’s set in the scene shop. So I didn’t have anything to do and didn’t know anybody. I walked back there and there was no one else there but him, and he grabbed a chair and pulled it next to him while he built a model for the set. He didn’t ask for my name or anything, he instantly just started talking to me about what was going on. Didn’t care about my major or anything, it was just interesting to go along and see what his process was.”

Andrea Porter-Speech Professor: “The first thing I think of would be incredible. He was very unique, very creative. He was an artist; he was a friend; he was a mentor; he was a teacher; he was a creator. His creativity just blew me away, these sets that he designed, his way to reach out and connect with students and make you feel a part was just incredible. He was very friendly and kind and always there for people. First thing I worked with Strickland on was the set for ‘The Crucible’ that we did here at TJC. I had an 8 a.m. scene shop class that semester, bright and early we would break out the table saws and get busy.” 

David “Doc” Crawford-Theatre Professor: “He was a red-hot, jagged old iron rock thrown into a still pond. He was the agitator and the ripples that he caused over the entire pond are those that he touched in life. He touched students, who proceeded to touch their students, and they touched their students. There is no telling how many thousands of people he has affected through his art form. Just teaching his method of theatre. You hear of students all the way back to the 60s who are still talking about Strick and the way he did things and what he meant to them. His legacy will be forever because the oldest of those, which I am one of, and how many thousands of children who are now teaching others and those who are now in the business. Who knows? It’s amazing that you will hear people talk about him around the world, those who came in contact with him.”