Eastside High School

Paterson event kicks off new book about legendary Eastside High School principal Joe Clark

by Matt Fagan PATERSON — Everyone who came into contact with Joe Clark, the no-nonsense, unconventional and legendary Eastside High School principal, had a strong opinion of him, good and bad. Clark, who died in December 2020, was notorious for carrying a baseball bat and bullhorn as he roamed the halls of the high school.

Legendary N.J. principal Joe Clark, who inspired ‘Lean on Me,’ dies at 82

By Chris Sheldon | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com Joe Louis Clark, the former bat-wielding principal of Paterson’s Eastside High School whose strict disciplinary methods inspired the 1989 film “Lean On Me,” died Tuesday at the age of 82, his family said. Clark, a longtime resident of South Orange, retired to Gainesville, Florida, died surrounded

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