Paul Clark was born at Fort Jackson, South Carolina in 1943, and grew up in the suburbs of Chicago, Illinois, mostly in Oak Park. He received a BS degree from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin.

After college, he married Gretchen Muehlberg and proceeded to serve four years in the United States Marine Corps. Leaving the Corps as a Captain after one tour in Vietnam, they moved to Minnesota where Paul started a carrier at 3M. During 32 years with the company he held a variety of positions in product marketing and business management.

Gretchen and Paul have two sons, eight grandchildren and are now retired in Scandia, Minnesota. In addition to several volunteer activities, Paul enjoys writing, gardening, genealogy/family history, photography and travel.