Thank You Paul

Last week, after 17 years serving as assistant editor of the Manchester Cricket, Paul Clark has retired.

If you’ve attended a Manchester Memorial Day or Fourth of July parade, a school concert, a Hornets game, a community gala, or a holiday event at Masconomo Park, chances are you’ve seen Paul there—with his trusty Canon EOS camera around his neck, quietly documenting the moment.

Paul is exactly the kind of community member every town hopes to have.  A longtime Manchester resident, his career and volunteer work have centered on education, community service, local media, and civic engagement.

He first came to Manchester as an elementary school teacher in the Manchester Essex Regional School District, where he introduced generations of students to technology and digital literacy during the early years of computer education in public schools.  After retiring from teaching, he worked for Apple Computer before joining The Cricket under then-editor and publisher Patricia “Pat” Slade, with whom he worked for eight years.

At the newspaper, Paul has taken on a little bit of everything: reporting, photography, editing, and community coverage.  His personal interests—especially local history—found expression in several popular features.  He oversaw the paper’s “What Was Happening” and “Essex Locals” columns, which revisited snippets of local news published 90, 75, 60, 45, 30, and 15 years earlier. 

He also created “Pictorial Past,” a weekly challenge inviting readers to identify a mystery photograph from somewhere around town.  The following week brought the answer—stories about Electric Light Hill, the “Peach of Singing Beach,” Seaside One, or another noteworthy local items about town.  The feature became a favorite among readers and was revived during Manchester’s 375th anniversary celebration in 2020.

Paul also enjoyed collecting the occasional “only in a small town” gem from the Manchester Police Notes, which under today’s regional dispatch system has sadly lost its charm.  In a hilarious mystery that remains unsolved to this day, Paul’s collection of those notes was accidentally published while Paul was away on vacation in 2018.  The incident still brings tears of side-splitting laughter in the telling of it.

His photographs have captured many of Manchester’s most important community memories.  Holiday visits by Santa and Mrs. Claus arriving by lobster boat.  The Manchester Club’s 100th and 110th anniversary galas.  The Elder Brethren’s annual picnic.  Legion dinners.  School performances by Sound Waves, Jazz Band, and SummerStage.  And countless sporting events, concerts, ceremonies, and celebrations.

At The Cricket office, it was not unusual to receive calls after an event from someone hoping to obtain a copy of “that amazing photo” Paul had taken of a child, grandchild, friend, or family member.  As a result, there are likely many, many framed Paul Clark photographs hanging in homes both near and far away.

Beyond local journalism, Paul has been deeply involved in many of the organizations that help define community life in Manchester.  Over the years, he has served boards of the Friends of the Manchester Public Library, Cape Ann Television—now 1623 Studios—the Manchester-by-the-Sea Museum, the Manchester Elder Brethren, First Parish Church, and numerous other civic and community organizations.

Appropriately, Paul chose his own final assignment.  Last week, he photographed the ME Regional High School Class of 2026 graduation ceremony, documenting students as they closed one chapter of their lives and began another.

After nearly two decades of service to the Manchester Cricket, Paul is onto his own next chapter.  He has rarely sought the spotlight himself, yet, quietly and despite his best efforts, his contributions have touched nearly every corner of town life.

Thank you, Paul.