Joe Louis Clark was the principal of Eastside High School (EHS) located in
Paterson, New Jersey from 1982 to 1989. The purpose of this phenomenological case
study was to explore Mr. Clark’s leadership style as principal of EHS, and to investigate
from the point of view of Mr. Clark’s former students, teachers, and administrators what,
if any effect, his leadership style had at EHS, as well as on his students, teachers, and
administrators’ lives during and subsequent to their time at EHS. I conducted this
investigation by giving voice to my EHS classmates, teachers, administrators, and
myself, as I graduated from EHS during Mr. Clark’s tenure and I was also a member of
Mr. Clark’s first graduating class in 1986.