Clement’s book keeps pace with his passions
‘Life In The Fast Lane’ tells story of family, relationships that have inspired long-time FD
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By ERIC PRATT
sports@messengernews.net
Larry Clement's book may appear to be a biographical ode to his myriad accomplishments on the surface.
The long-time Fort Dodge businessman had a much deeper, more altruistic reason for teaming with Hall of Fame Iowa author Mike Chapman to pen "Life In The Fast Lane: The Larry Clement Story," though.
"I had so many people tell me through the years, 'you've done and seen and experienced so much...you should write a book,'" Clement said. "But when it came down to it, the motivation to do so was about and for my family, not just me.
"When we're all gone down the road someday, I wanted the Clement name to be on something more than just a tombstone. So this is my tribute to my parents; my five brothers and sister; my wife, Kathy; my daughter, Kristi and her husband, Jeremy; our grandkids, Jake and Katie; other relatives, along with friends, classmates...I've been blessed more than any man deserves, knowing the people I have and still do."
The 81-year-old Clement has seen and done it all in both the business and sports world. The Newton native grew up on an 80-acre farm in Jasper County's unincorporated Metz. After a Hall of Fame athletic career at Newton High School, Clement went on to play football at State College of Iowa before it became the University of Northern Iowa.
Clement moved to Fort Dodge in November of 1971 and spent over five decades filling a variety of roles and serving on a number of boards in the community while owning and operating Clement Auto and Truck. Today, he resides in Sioux Falls.
"Fort Dodge was so good to me and my family. We decided very early on it would be the perfect place to raise our kids," said Clement, who is affectionately known as "Barney" to his inner circle. "My first dealership was at 1st Ave. North and North 8th St., and we bought our first house there in 1974."
From there, Clement was a fixture on the area scene for decades. He also became heavily invested in the local high school athletic departments all the way up through Iowa, Iowa State and UNI.
Clement Auto and Truck served as the main mode of transportation for many University of Iowa sports figures from 1973 into the 2000s, as well as ISU and UNI for 20 years in the 1980s and 90s.
"One of the main points in the book is the importance of being a good teammate," Clement said. "If we're talking about business or sports - regardless of the level or organization - my goal was to always do what was best for the team.
"If that meant being the leader, I was more than willing to be the leader. And I always wanted to bring out the best in the people around me by setting a good example."
Clement also believed in the importance of investing in and giving back to his community - another theme throughout the book.
"If you expect them to be good to you, you have to be good to them. That's not just basic business, but human decency," Clement said. "We took a great deal of pride in getting involved, staying involved, and being visible for the right reasons and in the right causes."
"Life In The Fast Lane" visits the unique life and times of Clement in vivid detail as told by Chapman - an Iowa legend in his own right who penned over 30 books throughout his Hall of Fame career, including the biographies of Nile Kinnick, Dan Gable and Terry Branstad. The Clement story fills 159 pages and includes a foreword by Bob Bowlsby - the former Northern Iowa, Iowa and Stanford athletic director who also served as Big 12 commissioner.
"Mike Chapman is what I consider to be the top wrestling and boxing expert in the nation," Clement said. "I called him three years ago and we first touched base about this project. He said, 'I'm 82 (years old at the time) and I wasn't planning on doing any more books, but for you, I'll make an exception.' He's an amazing guy and he's been elected to 13 different Hall of Fames. Mike has lived an extraordinary life himself, and I think he respected my idea of sharing the story of the Clement family, given our long-time friendship and the time he's spent in Newton (Chapman, an award-winning journalist, was publisher of the Newton Daily News before retiring in 2002).
"Bob is another good, long-time friend. Our story dates all the way back to when I was a student-teacher and coach at Waterloo West in the 1960s."
While the book explores 16 different chapters of Clement's career and personal life and hits on the high points of both - at one time, Clement was a dominant figure on both the Mack Truck selling and leasing scene with connections all the way up to Walmart founder Sam Walton; a regular provider of transportation for many of the state's key athletic figures; a race-car owner for nine ARCA championship seasons alongside driver Frank Kimmel; and a founding father of the Iowa Speedway in Newton - Clement's lasting legacy is centered around the relationships he built along the way.
"People do business with people they like, trust and can count on," Clement said. "That was true back then and it still is to this day. You work hard, never give up, and don't worry about who gets the credit.
"If you build both your professional and personal life around that kind of integrity, everything else will take care of itself. That's another message I hope people get here."
"Life In The Fast Lane" is available for $25 per copy. To order, please contact Clement at (515) 570-5000.
A local book signing is planned for a later date. Copies will be available for purchase there as well.
"All proceeds will be donated to organizations and charities in Fort Dodge," Clement said. "It's a community I will always hold dear and it represents, in so many ways, the most important chapter in my life. I still bank at Availa Bank, and my wife comes down to town for her physical checkups.
"We consider ourselves blessed to have so many friends and connections there still to this day."