If she were still here, Emily Clark would be 29 years old. Her parents imagine she’d be living a beautiful life in Savannah. They picture her married to her longtime boyfriend, working as a nurse, and running a boutique out of a pharmacy, just like she’d talked about. But when Emily tragically died in 2015, the future she dreamed of went with her. Now, nearly nine years later, her parents are doing what they can to ensure one of their daughter’s dreams still comes true.
Emily was a happy young lady who loved life. In 2015, she was a junior at Georgia Southern University, a member of the Alpha Delta Pi sorority, in a serious relationship with her boyfriend, and thriving in nursing school.
On the morning of April 22, Emily and six of her fellow nursing students were carpooling to St. Joseph’s/Candler Hospital in Savannah for their final clinical rotation. Emily had two passengers in her car, and the other four girls were in a separate car. The girls were stopped in traffic on Interstate 16 when a semi-trailer careened toward them at 70 miles per hour. The driver didn’t stop or slow down. The truck plowed over Emily’s car and into the car of friends ahead of them. Five of the girls, including Emily, were killed.
“The accident happened at 5:50 a.m. and we didn’t get confirmation about Emily until 3:30 that afternoon,” said Kathy Clark, Emily’s mother. “We knew there had been an accident with nursing students, and we were frantic, trying to reach her, trying to get an answer from someone. I was sitting at work when my husband called to tell me she was gone.”
After losing Emily, Kathy chose to retire earlier than planned. She wanted to be more available to her youngest daughter, Haily, a freshman in high school at the time, who was struggling greatly with her sister’s death.
“If we didn’t have our strong faith, we probably wouldn’t be able to get through this,” said Kathy, 63. “We know where Emily is and that helps us get through each day. We want her to be remembered. We want to keep her memory alive.”
Emily was known as a helper, always doing for others. In honor of her giving spirit, the family dedicates themselves to giving in her honor. They made endowments to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta locations. Emily has a nursing station named for her in the neonatal unit at Egelston, a nursing station named for her in the AFLAC Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Scottish Rite, and she will have another nursing station named for her when the new Children’s location, the Arthur M. Blank Hospital, opens in fall 2024.
Grateful as the family is for these tributes to Emily, there was always something else they hoped to do.
“Emily always wanted to have a boutique,” said Kathy. “She loved the idea of a boutique inside a pharmacy. With that in mind, we’d been looking for a place for a while, hoping we could do this for her. Around Christmas 2020 we found a building in downtown Kennesaw that functioned as a café. It was perfect, but not for sale. We knew Emily would love it. It was a historic house built in 1895, a country farmhouse look, which was her style.”
When the house became available in June 2021, it felt meant to be. The Clarks bought it and settled on a name: The Brain Station.
Kathy and her husband, Emily’s father Craig Clark, wanted to create an inviting space for the community that would offer coffee and snacks, tutoring, and an array of retail items, but they had their work cut out for them. The building needed many repairs. They replaced all the siding on the exterior. They painted the house white, and the door a signature blue, a nod to Emily’s sorority. Many aesthetic changes were made inside, including the addition of paintings by Haily.
The room on the left that greets visitors is the boutique, Emily’s Corner. There are inspirational gifts, knick-knacks, honey from Statesboro, home of Emily’s beloved college. There’s also pottery by Haily for sale and sorority gifts, as Kennesaw State University is nearby.
The Brain Station celebrated its grand opening on Oct. 17 and had a ribbon cutting with the city two days after that.
Since the building was closed for two years, the Clarks have been working hard to spread the word that their doors are open. Kathy said it’s their goal for The Brain Station to feel like a comfortable, cozy place where visitors feel at home.
“We want to be a light in the community,” said Kathy. “We want to help people and we want to spread joy. Just like Emily did.”
If you would like to learn more about The Brain Station, visit www.mybrainstation.net
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