My daughter Lorna Clark died in 1988, at age 19, after she was shot and killed by her boyfriend in Chico, California.
Lorna was a beautiful, talented young woman—an artist, actress, dancer.
Lorna attended the Visual and Performing Arts Program at Sacramento High School. She was always involved and contributing to the arts in Sacramento, through theater or through her lifelong love of painting, drawing and sculpting. She won numerous awards for her performances and drawings.
In the year before her death, she was accepted into the first California State Summer School for the Arts (CSSSA), a prestigious summer school. There, she was recruited by several colleges. She chose California State University, Chico.
It was such an exciting time for her. She moved to Chico, but she never got to attend a single class. She never got to have a family, she never got to reach for her dreams.
Her life was senselessly cut short by a gun.
The last time I saw Lorna in person was when she was testifying before a legislative committee on behalf of CSSSA at the California State Capitol, where her artwork was on display.
On that day, I got my last hug.