Food on the World's Table


In 1943, Helen E. Clark left British Columbia for Iowa State 
College and the prospects of enhancing her ability to teach 
cooking, cleaning and household management to Canadian girls.

She never made it back to Canada. But the skills she 
discovered in Iowa wound up helping Canadians and millions of 
others around the globe.

Clark stayed in Ames long enough to earn both master's and 
doctoral degrees, which vaulted her to a celebrated, 23-year 
research and teaching career at Purdue University.

"I had a natural interest in helping people, but once I got 
[to Iowa State], I realized there are more ways to help 
them," said Clark, retired since 1977 and still living in 
West Lafayette, Ind.

For more than two decades, her research -- focusing on 
humans' protein and amino acid requirements -- shed 
invaluable light on the world's burgeoning hunger epidemic. 
International policy-making groups often have used her 
groundbreaking work on the requirement for the amino acid 
lysine in their crucial efforts to improve nutrition 
programs.

While conducting that critical research, Clark remained 
devoted to both her teaching and administrative work. Purdue 
honored her long tenure in 1984 by making her the first woman 
to be named a distinguished professor.

"I've always considered my work to be an investment in 
lives," Clark said.

An investment that continues to pay dividends around the 
world.

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Contact:  Internal Communications, (515) 294-3129
updated:  5-25-95