Clarence Lightner spent his life offering gracious and sustained service to his home town of Raleigh and his home state of North Carolina. Citizens from all over the nation knew him as a committed leader and visionary statesman and for his commitment to encouraging youth to make the right choices in life. He was respected by people of all races. Born in Raleigh on August 15, 1921, to Calvin E. Lightner and Mamie Blackmond, he was educated in Raleigh public schools, graduated from North Carolina Central University in Durham and the Echols College of Mortuary Science in Philadelphia. After a tour of duty in the U.S. Army during World War II, he returned home to manage Lighner Funeral Home for 45 years. In 1973, he was elected mayor of Raleigh. He was the first and, to date the only African-American citizen to serve in this capacity in North Carolina's capital city. Clarence Lightner leaves a profound legacy of dignity and perseverance in times of challenge.