Clara McLaughlin: Icon Dies
My Day
By Dr. J. Ester Davis
On Sunday afternoon leaving Waukegan on my way back to Chicago, I received a dreaded phone call from Clara’s family. She had received her wings and flew away peacefully. Clara Francis was my most ‘worldliest’ best friend. . . the one you only encounter once in a lifetime. She was always an inspiration to me and a true original. We had so many good times together in so many ideal places over the past five decades. We were both from small towns. Gainesville, Florida and Conroe, Texas. Our real common thread was 88 keys, ‘power-of-the-pen’ writing, and the art of appearances. We both had mothers with the same idiosyncrasies—emphasis on speaking well, strict manners, lengthy practice session and recitals as little girls. As young adults, Clara joined the U.S. Navy and played the piano for the Navy Chapel. I moved to Dallas to model, had a grand corporate career, trained and played the piano for youth choirs, corporate meetings, and Baptist conventions. As adults, we both had pianos in our homes to entertain our families, dinner guests while hoarding mounds of unedited scripts. Years later, we would still laugh about that “one time” in Washington, D.C, for a conference. A regular piano was in the lobby with a pianist. When he took a break . . . oh yes, we did. Clara and I decided to see how far we could muddle through a Chopin piece. We did laughingly well, received an applause and tips for the musician when he returned.
The business community in Texas is familiar with Clara Frances McLaughlin because she was always seeking her next role. While living in Houston and raising her family, she boldly and assuredly became the First Black Woman to Own. . . and be the largest shareholder of a major network-affiliated station. The stations were in the Longview Tyler area. Ebony Magazine did an in-depth spread on her then accomplishments. I remember, the FCC denied her third request for a television license in that area. While in Dallas, she created a college prep program, sending young people to college. She kept children and students in her spacious home in Heath, Texas. But defeat came when she made a serious bid to buy one of the radio stations at auction in Dallas. The well-orchestrated plan was to move it to Bishop College Campus for students to run. She had major stakeholders, some board applause, and community support. The transitioning of Paul Quinn College to Dallas combined with the then accreditation issues of Bishop College delayed/stalled and later dismissed the planned completion. But Clara was a fearsome talent always challenging and innovative. Came calling was a business opportunity in Jacksonville, Florida, and a chance to work close to home. So, in 2002, she purchased The Florida Star and Georgia Star. These two foundational black newspapers were launched into national read cycles propelled by a weekly television presence with audiences in Texas, Florida, Georgia and Howard University where she graduated and served as Editor-In-Chief of the Bison Yearbook.
As pictured, Clara was in Dallas for the “W Luncheon: Icons of Significance” in 2018. She was my guest speaker here and I was hers in Jacksonville several times. Pampering cancer for years, she was a fierce fighter with purpose.
Again, Clara was my friend. I will miss so much our midnight telephone calls. I will never forget her. But for now, it is appropriate for tears.
