Mental health activist dead at 70

ATLANTA - Dr. James David Clements, appointed to the President&#39;s Committee on Mental Retardation in 1975 by President Gerald Ford, has died. He was 70. <br> <br> Clements died of lung cancer Saturday at his Grant Park residence. A memorial service was scheduled at 1 p.m. Wednesday at H.M. Patterson & Son, Spring Hill. <br> <br> Colleagues said he persistently fought for the rights of the mentally challenged. Director of the Georgia Retardation Center through 1979, Clements set the standards for accreditation of institutions and for their operations, said Dr. Horace Mann of Buffalo, N.Y. <br> <br> In addition to a presidential appointment, Clements was asked to oversee the closing of a mental institution, Willowbrook, in 1975 by New York Gov. Hugh Carey. A lawsuit against Willowbrook exposed inhumane treatment and led to a nationwide movement to de-institutionalize the mentally challenged. <br> <br> In 1983, Clements studied at Emory University School of Medicine to become a psychiatrist, then became a member of its faculty. <br> <br> His daughter-in-law, Dr. Teresa Clements of Birmingham, described him as a humble man with a subtle sense of humor. <br> <br> Survivors include his son, David Marcus Clements of Birmingham; and six grandchildren.

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