Joe Clark, Tough NJ Principal Who Inspired “Lean On Me” Has Passed Away At 82

Joe Clark, the tough New Jersey principal, who became famous for his baseball bat and bullhorn-wielding approach to educating his students, which inspired the 1989 film “Lean on Me,” died at his Florida home on Tuesday.

According to N.Y. Daily News, the 82-year-old former educator, was born in Rochelle, Ga., on May 8, 1938. When Clark was 6 years old, his family moved to Newark, N.J., where he attended and graduated from Newark’s Central High School.

He focused on his education, receiving his bachelor’s degree from William Paterson College (which is now William Paterson University), his master’s degree from Seton Hall University, and an honorary doctorate from the U.S. Sports Academy.

Clark, who also served as a U.S. Army Reserve sergeant and a drill instructor, used his background and this stern approach to discipline students when he became the principal of Eastside High School.

He gained fame and notoriety from roaming the high school hallways with a bullhorn and sometimes even a baseball bat to keep kids in line. It’s been reported that in one day alone, he expelled 300 students for offenses such as fighting, vandalism, abusing teachers, and drug possession. Clark challenged his students and their families and the surrounding community to raise the expectations of those who remained, pushing them to perform better and graduate.

President Ronald Reagan offered Clark a White House policy adviser position after his successful turnaround at Eastside high school, and Morgan Freeman played him in the 1989 film “Lean on Me.”