Long-overdue honors for Trooper Clark Lewis, killed more than 90 years ago driving in Montauk blizzard

In the middle of the Jan. 19, 1936, blizzard, 43-year-old Trooper Clark Lewis was in a roofless touring car that overturned while he was returning to the former state police Montauk barracks after he'd checked Hither Hills State Park.

Lewis, who had been stationed on Long Island only two months before, was killed instantly.

More than 90 years later on a sunny October day, Lewis’s line-of-duty death was officially recognized on Friday as state police, elected officials and the state parks department unveiled a special plaque in his honor on the Montauk Point East Overlook.

"It doesn't matter how much time has passed, whether it be 10 years, 15 years, 20 years, the moment has come where we were able to have this sign installed in memory of him," Troop L commander Major Christopher Casale said. "It's a remembrance of him, his sacrifice, and to the people of the State of New York, especially out here in Montauk."

Lewis was an 11-year veteran of the state police and served in Troops D, B and G, where he was a member of the famed Rough Riders, the first state police riding team.

He was then assigned to the Troop K Parkway Detail and was with the detail when it was reclassified as Troop L.

Assemb. Jodi Giglio told Newsday that Lewis’ dedication is part of an effort with the Troopers Memorial Fund to recognize the 16 troopers who lost their lives over a 100-year period.

Since 2019, two more troopers have been added to the list, making the total 18 troopers in a century, Giglio said.

Giglio explained although Lewis died on Old Montauk Highway, that road was already named for prisoners of war.

The Montauk Point East Overlook, a serene location with an ocean view, was chosen in cooperation with the state parks department as an alternative location to honor Lewis.

"Almost 100 years later, and here we are honoring, recognizing him, so that no trooper or no law enforcement officer who loses, in the line of duty, their lives should be in vain," Giglio said. "They will always be remembered."

Lewis’ sign is unique compared with those for other state troopers because it was created with the state parks department. Instead of a brown background with white lettering, Lewis’ sign features a blue background, his photo, his birth year and death year, and a synopsis of his time in the state police.

"It's not just a name," Casale said. "You can associate a name with a face."

Out of the 18 troopers who died in the line of duty, Lewis was the only state trooper who died in the Montauk area.

The Troopers Memorial Fund tried but was unable to find any living relatives or friends of Lewis, said Trooper Brittany Burton, a state police spokesperson.

Thomas Grenci, a former East Hampton Town police lieutenant and member of the Montauk Fire Department, said he felt a connection to Lewis after reading his obituary in an old edition of The East Hampton Star.

Grenci, whose father worked as a state parks police officer, said he came across the obituary about 10 years ago while looking at historical articles for the fire department.

Grenci was touched by the short yet solemn obituary.

"I grew up, [was] born and raised in Montauk. ... I lived and breathed state park and state police," he said. "Any kind of history that has to do with the law enforcement on the East End of Long Island, particularly in Montauk, [was] super interesting to me."

After Grenci and his wife researched Lewis’ genealogy, he learned Lewis was married when he died.

They learned that Lewis’ wife, whose name was not mentioned in the obituary, was in Schenectady at the time of his death. The couple did not have children.

Grenci pushed for a dedication for Lewis and was happy to see his efforts come to fruition, he said.

"I was on the police department for 33 years myself," he said. "Just to see somebody that was not forgotten means a lot to me."