The 16-Pound Baby from 1983, See Him Now
In the summer of 1983, the delivery room at Community Memorial Hospital in New Jersey witnessed a moment that would go down in local — and later national — history. Patricia Clarke gave birth to her son, Kevin Robert Clark, a baby who weighed in at a staggering 16 pounds and 3 ounces. The nurses gasped, doctors double-checked the scale, and word spread through the hospital like wildfire.
Kevin wasn’t just big — he was record-breaking. His weight made him the largest newborn ever delivered at the hospital and, according to contemporaneous reports, possibly the biggest baby ever born in the entire state of New Jersey at that time.
A Giant Arrival
Back then, the average newborn weighed around seven pounds. Kevin was more than double that — a size that left everyone, including his mother, stunned. “I knew he was going to be big,” Patricia told reporters in a later interview, “but nobody could have imagined that big.”
Despite his extraordinary size, doctors confirmed that Kevin was completely healthy. No complications. No abnormalities. Just a very large, very hungry, perfectly formed baby boy.
Almost immediately, Kevin became a local celebrity. Newspapers featured him on their front pages, and television crews showed up at the Clarke family’s doorstep. Overnight, the baby from New Jersey became a national curiosity. Within weeks, Kevin and his parents were invited to appear on “Good Morning America”, and later, even “Saturday Night Live,” where his birth was playfully referenced in sketches.
For a short time, America couldn’t get enough of the “sixteen-pound wonder.”
Growing Up Big
As Kevin grew, so did the fascination surrounding him. His unusual birth weight turned into a lifetime of headlines about his size and stature. By the time he was 12 years old, Kevin already stood 5 feet 7 inches tall, towering over his classmates. In junior high, he hit an astonishing 6 feet 5 inches — and he wasn’t done growing.
“Every year, we had to buy him new clothes and shoes constantly,” Patricia said in an old local feature. “We’d joke that Kevin grew faster than our grocery bills.”
By adulthood, Kevin had reached 6 feet 9 inches, a height that made him stand out in every room he entered. Over the years, he’s learned to handle the constant attention — and the repetitive questions that come with being nearly seven feet tall.
Humor as His Shield
Kevin has never taken his size too seriously. In fact, his humor about it has become part of his charm.
“I like to joke that I’m 5-foot-21,” he once said with a grin. “When people ask if I play basketball, I ask them if they play miniature golf.”
It’s a witty response to a question he hears every single day. “There isn’t a day that goes by when someone doesn’t ask how tall I am,” he admitted. “I’ve gotten used to it. It’s just part of life.”
Over the years, Kevin learned to embrace his uniqueness rather than fight it. Instead of shying away from the spotlight that’s followed him since birth, he’s used it to connect with people — always willing to share a laugh, a story, or a photo with anyone curious enough to ask.
A Life Beyond the Headlines
Now in his 40s, Kevin has long since traded media appearances for a quieter life. A former soldier, he served his country proudly before settling down with his wife, who herself stands an impressive six feet tall. Together, they share their home with a Great Dane, a fitting companion for a man of his stature.
Friends describe Kevin as down-to-earth, easygoing, and deeply loyal. “He’s the kind of guy who can walk into a room and instantly make everyone feel comfortable,” said one longtime friend. “Sure, he’s tall — but his heart’s even bigger.”
Kevin’s story is a testament to living with grace in the face of constant attention. From childhood to adulthood, he’s had to navigate life in a world literally built for smaller people — low doorways, cramped airline seats, cars that barely fit his frame. Yet he’s done it all with humor and gratitude.
The Challenges of Extraordinary Height
Of course, being nearly seven feet tall isn’t without its challenges. Kevin admits that daily life can be physically demanding. Finding clothes that fit properly is a never-ending task, and long car rides or plane trips can feel like endurance tests.
“There are moments when it’s tough,” he said in one interview. “You can’t just buy shoes off the shelf. You can’t blend in anywhere. But at the same time, I’ve learned to see it as a gift, not a burden.”
That perspective came, in part, from his military service — an experience that taught him discipline, resilience, and appreciation for normalcy. “When you’ve lived through tough conditions, you stop sweating the small stuff,” he said. “So what if I bump my head on a doorframe? I’ve been through worse.”
From Curiosity to Inspiration
While the world first met Kevin as “the giant baby,” he’s long since outgrown that label — both literally and metaphorically. To those who know him, he represents something larger than physical size: perseverance, good humor, and acceptance.
He’s often asked by parents of exceptionally tall or large children how to help their kids handle the attention. His advice is simple: “Don’t make it a big deal. Teach them to laugh about it, own it, and stay kind. The world notices differences — it’s up to you how to carry them.”
Kevin’s perspective has earned him admiration far beyond the novelty of his birth. For decades, he’s turned what could have been a lifetime of awkwardness into a story of confidence and perspective.
A Giant in Every Sense
Forty years later, that famous 16-pound baby has become a symbol of individuality — someone who embraced what made him stand out and turned it into a point of pride rather than insecurity.
He lives a grounded, happy life, far removed from the flashbulbs and talk shows that once followed him. Yet the story of his birth still fascinates people. It’s part of American folklore now — the tale of a baby so big that he made national news before he could walk.
And though Kevin laughs off most of the attention, he’s proud to have become a small piece of history. “It’s funny,” he said. “Most people don’t remember what they weighed when they were born. I’ll never have that problem.”
At 6’9”, with a smile as wide as his reach, Kevin Robert Clark remains proof that sometimes, standing out from the crowd isn’t something to hide — it’s something to celebrate.
Four decades after his record-setting arrival, he’s still towering above expectations — not just in height, but in how he’s chosen to live his life: with humor, humility, and a rare ability to make even the most extraordinary story feel entirely human.