Clair Klock was born in Portland, OR. His sister Carol was born one year and 10 days after Clair. When just seven years old, his mom passed. When Clair was twelve, his father passed. At this point, Clair and his sister went to live with their father's brother and his wife. Orval and Dorothy Klock had already raised their children and were grandparents, yet they welcomed Clair and Carol into their Corbett home. Both kids experienced a huge change in lifestyle, going from the city to the country. They each enrolled in the Corbett schools and Clair became involved with 4-H gardening and forestry and the Service Club. Clair also played football, baseball and basketball all through high school. In the summers, Clair worked for a Corbett couple who had a major impact on his life. Elmer and Donna Larson owned Larson Blueberry Farm in Corbett and Clair worked summers for them as a field hand, doing everything needed around the farm. This is where Clair began to understand and love farming. Clair attended Mt. Hood Community College for two years just after high school, studying biology. He finished at Oregon State, earning his degree in in General Science and Biology. All during college, Clair continued working at the Larson Farm on Christenson Road in Corbett, whenever time and school allowed. After college graduation, Clair got a job with MESD-Multnomah Education Service District, working for their Outdoor School programs. Clair worked as a counselor and field instructor. He did this for nearly six years. During the summers, he worked for MESD Youth Conservation Corp. as a residential work camp counselor. He did projects in the Umatilla National Forest in NE Oregon. During this time at Outdoor School, Clair met his future wife, Beverly. She was his supervisor! In 1976 they married at a 4-H camp near Salem. In 1979, they leased the Larson Blueberry Farm and then operated that for 10 years, turning it into a large u-pick operation. They sold 250K lbs. of blueberries each year! During this time in 1982, they had the opportunity to purchase a home and acreage on Salzman Road in Corbett. They turned two acres of hay field into a blueberry field that still operates today as a u-pick farm. At the end of their 10 years at the Larson Farm, they only focused on the Salzman Road farm. During this time, Clair worked a variety of wildlife and GIS mapping jobs. In 1998, Clair got a job at Clackamas Soil and and Water Conservation District as a small farms and urban conservation specialist. He currently still works there and it has been 20 years! Clair and Beverly have two children that are now grown and they live locally. They have six grandchildren and one great grandchild. Three years ago, Clair and Beverly retired from farming, having their Salzman Road farm run by a family member. They still operate as a u-pick and sell delicious blueberries each year from mid-July to mid- Sept. Both he and Beverly are life-long conservationists, supporting conservation education, as seen through the goals of their farm. 1. Produce a good product 2. Give urban people a farm experience 3. Provide jobs for local kids 4. Teach conservation farming. Both Clair and Beverly love traveling. Clair worked 20 years during his "free time" for Linblad Expeditions in Baja, Alaska and the Columbia River. He has traveled the world!
