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A. James Clark

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A. James Clark
Born
Alfred James Clark

December 2, 1927
Richmond, Virginia, US
DiedMarch 20, 2015(2015-03-20) (aged 87)
Easton, Maryland, US
Alma materUniversity of Maryland
Children3

Alfred James Clark (December 2, 1927 – March 20, 2015) was an American engineer, businessman and philanthropist. He was chairman and CEO of Clark Enterprises, Inc.,[1] headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. The company's largest subsidiary is Clark Construction Group, LLC,[2] one of the United States' largest construction companies, founded in 1906 as the George Hyman Construction Company.

Early life

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Clark was born on December 2, 1927, in Richmond, Virginia, the son of a life insurance salesman father. He grew up in Bethesda, Maryland.[3]

Clark was a 1950 graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta.[4]

Career

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In 1950, he was hired by the George Hyman Construction Company. In 1969, he became president. In 1977, he formed OMNI Construction, a double-breasted subsidiary.[5][6]

In addition to being an engineer and business executive, Clark served as a university trustee emeritus at Johns Hopkins University.[citation needed]

Philanthropy

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Clark has given to the University of Maryland, College Park's School of Engineering, which now bears his name.

He established the A. James Clark Engineering Scholars program, a program to provide financial aid to engineering and computerscience majors.[7] The program is at 11 institutions and supports 470+ students.[7]

List of A. James Clark Scholars schools
Institution Since Notes Ref.
Duke University [7]
George Washington University 2011[8] As part of $8 million donation.[9] [7]
Georgia Tech 2018[10] [7]
Johns Hopkins University [7][11]
Penn State 2020[12] As part of $15.5 million donation. [12] [7]
Stevens Institute of Technology 2018[13] [7]
University of Maryland 2017 [14] Part of a $219.5 million donation.[14][15] [7]
University of Pennsylvania [7]
University of Virginia [7]
Vanderbilt University [7]
Virginia Tech [7]

He donated $10 million toward the construction of the Johns Hopkins University building, "Clark Hall," which is the cornerstone of the Decker Quadrangle. His construction company served as general contractor for the building, which was named in his honor.[16]

On October 4, 2017, it was announced the University of Maryland would receive almost $220 million from the A. James and Alice B. Clark Foundation.[15]

Personal life

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In 1950, Clark married Alice Bratton.[3] They had three children and lived in Vero Beach, Florida.[17] He died of congestive heart failure in 2015.[3]

Awards and honors

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  • Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement (1987)[18]
  • The University of Maryland honorary doctor of engineering degree, the Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award, and induction into the University of Maryland Alumni Association’s Hall of Fame[19]

References

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  1. ^ "About Us". Clarkenterprisesinc.com. Archived from the original on 2016-02-29. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
  2. ^ "Clark Construction Group - Building and Civil Construction". Clarkconstruction.com. Retrieved 2017-01-27.
  3. ^ a b c Bernstein, Adam (20 March 2015). "A. James Clark, who built empire of concrete and glass, dies at 87". Washington Post. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  4. ^ "UMD Mourns Passing of Benefactor and Alumnus A. James Clark". eng.umd.edu. 2015-03-20. p. University of Maryland School of Engineering. Retrieved 2020-04-22.
  5. ^ Penfield, Robert V. (February 1976). "The Double-Breasted Operation in the Construction Industry". Labor Law Journal. 27 (2): 89.
  6. ^ Roberts, Sam (March 23, 2015). "A. James Clark, 'King of Concrete' Who Built Arenas, Dies at 87". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "A. James Clark Scholars Program: Our Signature Engineering Education Program". clarkfoundationdc.org. A. JAMES & ALICE B. CLARK FOUNDATION. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  8. ^ "Clark Engineering Scholars". engineering.gwu.edu. George Washington University. Retrieved 25 April 2024. he Clark Engineering Scholars Program was established at GW in January 2011 with a generous gift from the late A. James Clark, Eng.D. '10
  9. ^ "$8 Million Gift Launches Engineering Scholars Program". GW MAgazine. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  10. ^ "A. James Clark Scholars Program". coe.gatech.edu. Georgia Institute of Technology. Retrieved 25 April 2024. In 2018, the A. James & Alice B. Clark Foundation partnered with Georgia Tech to financially support students...
  11. ^ "Clark Scholars Program". Johns Hopkins University. Retrieved 28 August 2018.
  12. ^ a b Lakatos, Megan (10 Feb 2020). "$15.5 million investment creates engineering scholars program at Penn State". news.engr.psu.edu. Penn State University. Retrieved 25 April 2024.
  13. ^ "A. JAMES CLARK SCHOLARS PROGRAM". stevens.edu. Stevens Institute of Technology. Retrieved 25 April 2024. The inaugural cohort of Clark Scholars enrolled at Stevens in fall 2018.
  14. ^ a b "A. James Clark Scholars Program". eng.umd.edu. University of Maryland. Retrieved 25 April 2024. The Clark Scholars Program at the University of Maryland was established as part of Building Together, the Foundation's $219.5 million investment in the University of Maryland announced October 2017.
  15. ^ a b "University of Maryland to receive $219.5 million donation — the largest in its history". The Diamondback. Retrieved 2017-10-05.
  16. ^ "Construction executive, Johns Hopkins trustee emeritus A. James Clark dies at 87". JHU Hub. March 21, 2015. Retrieved 14 April 2015.
  17. ^ "Alfred James Clark". Forbes. Retrieved 20 March 2015.
  18. ^ "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement". www.achievement.org. American Academy of Achievement.
  19. ^ "Who was A. James Clark?". The University of Maryland.
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