From her kind heart to her all-natural figure, Playmate Sharon Clark is able to turn anyone and everyone into her fan. When we first met the busty blonde from Seminole, OK, she was on her way to the exotic island of Moen in Micronesia, where she planned to explore and teach English to the local high school students. What she received instead was an education herself in just how Trukese have been set up to fail by their administrators and by American culture. “Instead of helping the natives develop their fisheries, the Americans are giving them government jobs and turning Truk into a bureaucratic welfare state. We've taken our economy and set it down on top of theirs. The locals accept this, but with undertones of resentment,” says Sharon. One thing the Islanders had no problem accepting was our Miss August 1970 as their high school English teacher. In fact, the Trukese loved Sharon so much they welcomed her into their homes and taught her all about their simplistic way of life where stress is low and appreciation for family and the land you call home are way up high. However, Sharon says she’s come to realize that their lifestyle wouldn’t work for her on a day-to-day basis back in California. “I've learned that I don't really groove on the 'simple life'—much as I hate to see it destroyed. I like to see cars moving on four-lane highways. I miss the movies and skiing trips; I even miss the changes in climate,” she admits. “I’ve always loved to travel, and my experiences in Truk just whetted my appetite for further exploration. I’d like to go to Spain—I’ve been studying the language diligently, on records—and I’m excited about the prospect of participating, as Playmate of the Year, in a trip to Switzerland, with ski instructor Roger Staub as host. Luckily, skiing is my favorite winter sport.” Along with her Swiss vacation and ski lessons by an Olympic gold-medalist, Sharon’s PMOY prizes also include a 1971 Schwinn ten-speed Suburban Tourist bicycle in Playmate pink, a Lady Hamilton 14 karat gold and diamond watch with a magnum case of Brut Champagne. “What better excuse for a party?” asks our blue-eyed Miss 1971. “I really don’t know what shook me up more, our earthquake or the news that I’d been chosen Playmate of the Year. After all, I’m just a very average girl.” Sharon is far from average—along with being a Bunny at the St. Louis Playboy Club, she’s also our 12th our Playmate of the Year and centerfold model who’s working her way into the entertainment industry. “Since I returned to the Los Angeles area, I’ve been doing a lot of modeling. I’ve also appeared in a couple of television commercials—one for a shampoo and another for a skin-moisturizing cream. I would really like to get into acting; I’ve studied with Lawrence Parke at his studio here in Los Angeles. I think a television series would be fun, especially if it could be something meaningful to the audience, the way Sesame Street is to children,” explains Sharon who would later go on to act in Charlie’s Angels and CHiPs. “At this point, I just don’t know how to open the proper doors. Perhaps being honored by Playboy will help unlock a few.” We’re positive being our Miss 1971 will help her out.