Marlyn E. ("M.E.") Clark, 88, Emeritus Professor of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics and Bioengineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, died peacefully on November 18, 2010. He is survived by his wife, Thelma of Northbrook, Illinois, his son, William Clark of Urbana, his daughter, Becky Henderson, her husband (Tom) and son (Matthew) of Libertyville, Illinois.

Professor Clark taught and conducted research in the area of fluid mechanics and bioengineering at UIUC. He retired in 1992 after 44 years of service. Much of his research focused on the fluid mechanics in the human cardiovascular system. His groundbreaking research on cerebral blood flow in the Circle of Willis led to the development of a computer simulation that modeled cerebral circulation.

Upon retiring, Professor Clark provided consulting services for the Department of Neurosurgery at the University of Illinois at Chicago. He refined his computer simulation of cerebral circulation in an effort to assist neurosurgeons to optimize safety during invasive brain surgeries. After several years, the group of researchers and neurosurgeons formed a computer software company named VasSol (Vascular Solutions). This research provides physicians with vital information on the functional consequences of reduced blood flow so as to guide clinical decision-making and help ensure positive outcomes.

Professor Clark was a renowned Creationist researcher. He served as consultant to the Creation Evidence Museum in Glen Rose, Texas, a position he held from 1982 until his death. He helped discover the fossil remains of human footprint three feet from a dinosaur footprint along the Paluxy River. It was the start of "The Clark Trail" of several similar tracks. Professor Clark was president and co-founder of the Genesis Research Laboratory in Urbana, a non-profit group that studied the Genesis flood using engineering principles and computer simulations. His simulations modeled the events related to the Biblical flood of Noah.

Faith was important to M.E. Clark. M.E. and his wife attended Twin City Bible Church in Urbana for many years before moving to the Chicago area to be closer to their two children.

M.E. Clark was born to William and Emma Clark of Appleton, Wisconsin on June 16, 1922. He is preceded in death by his parents, his sister Connie and her husband Ken. M.E. attended the University of Wisconsin, earning a B.S. degree in Civil Engineering (1944) and the University of Illinois where he earned a M.S. degree in Theoretical and Applied Mechanics in 1948. While at the University of Illinois, he met Thelma Parenti of Blue Island, IL. They were married on September 1, 1951. M.E. and Thelma lived in Urbana for many years.

Visitation services for M.E. Clark will be held on Sunday, November 21 at Renner-Wikoff Chapel at 1900 South Philo Road in Urbana from 6 PM to 8 PM. Funeral services will also be held at Renner-Wikoff Chapel on Monday, November 22 at 9:30 AM. M.E. Clark will be buried in Grandview Memorial Gardens in Champaign.

Donations can be made in memory of M.E. Clark to: 1) Creation Evidence Museum, P.O. Box 309, Glen Rose, Texas 76043, or 2) the American Cancer Society.