Ashley Hubert Clague was born on Aug. 27 1902 in Ishpeming, Marquette, Michigan and left school at the age of 12 to support his family by working in the Upper Peninsula iron mines. (FamilySearch.org) How did Mr. Clague, an undereducated boy from the Upper Peninsula, become one of the most influential people in Ann Arbor Public Schools (AAPS) ever? He was a big supporter of multiple schools built during his school board tenure and created quite a few committees still influential to Ann Arbor today.
In 1922, at the age of 20, Clague moved to Ann Arbor very poor, and it’s said with only 19 cents in his pocket. According to AADL News Archives, he took a job at King Seeley, a company that manufactured the first dash-mounted gas gauges in cars. He moved to Big Rapids and studied at Ferris Institute for a year, before returning to Ann Arbor in 1926. After returning to Ann Arbor, he opened a grocery store on Packard Street with his uncle and would go on to operate the business for 43 years before retiring in 1968.
Clague’s school board career started in 1941, and was elected president of the board in 1945. He was president for three years over two terms and stayed on the board until 1956. While on the board in 1953, he was a very strong supporter to build an addition to Slauson Middle school and was one of two board members who helped the addition to Slauson gain support. He was also a huge advocate for Ann Arbor High School, now named Pioneer.
Clague is most widely known for his contributions to the AAPS School Board and the development of the district while he was serving on the board, he also was a member of the Ann Arbor Parks Commission for 19 years, and was mostly responsible for Veteran’s Memorial Park on the west side of Ann Arbor. He also founded the Kiwanis Club’s Forney W. Clement Memorial Committee and served on the committee for 18 years. Clague also served on the Ann Arbor Chamber of Commerce board and was the former president of both the Washtenaw Retail Grocers and Meat Dealers Association and the Muscular Dystrophy Associations of America for the Washtenaw County chapter.
In 1968, Clague retired from his grocery store and sold it and in 1970, the new middle school being built in Ann Arbor was named after him, becoming Clague Middle School. While on the school board, Tappan Middle School, Pioneer High School, Eberwhite Elementary School, Haisley Elementary School, and the addition to Slauson Middle School were built. On Sept. 1, 1977, Ashley Clague died at the age of 75.
He impacted many people in Ann Arbor in a very positive way whether it was through the school board, the Kiwanis Club, or from the other clubs he was a part of. He is considered throughout AAPS one of the most influential and impactful people in the history of the district and truly lived up to his most famous message, “Live in service to your community.”
