The research materials of late Route 66 cookbook author Marian Clark recently were donated to the Tulsa branch of Oklahoma State University.
The Oklahoma Route 66 Association stated in a Facebook post that Clark’s papers were given by her family to the association several years ago.
With the donation to OSU-Tulsa, the papers are now stored alongside donated materials of other Route 66 icons, Michael Wallis and Cyrus Avery.
“We can’t think of a better way for her work to live on!” the post stated.
Clark, a native of the Texas Panhandle who lived in Tulsa for many years, used her home-economic teaching background to help launch a book-publishing career in 1988 with “The Southwestern Heritage Cookbook” (Amazon link).
Inspired by the restaurants and cuisines she experienced during a Route 66 trip, she persuaded chefs, waitresses, entrepreneurs and roadies give her their recipes. This led to Route 66 cookbooks, including “The Main Street of America Cookbook” (Amazon link), two editions of “The Route 66 Cookbook” and “Hogs on 66,” (Amazon links), the latter co-written by Wallis.
According to Clark, her cookbooks sold more than 130,000 copies.
Clark appeared up several television shows, including the Food Channel, and Route 66 festivals over the years. She was inducted into the Oklahoma Route 66 Hall of Fame in 2014.
Clark died of cancer in 2017. She was 83.
The association also noted Clark’s audio recordings of many interviews also were donated and can be listened to online.
(Image of Marian Clark from the 2007 International Route 66 Festival in Clinton, Oklahoma, courtesy of TheLope.com)