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., headquartered in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...

. The company's largest subsidiary is Clark Construction Group, LLC, one of the United States' largest construction companies, founded in 1906 as the George Hyman Construction Company.

Early life

Clark was born on December 2, 1927, in Richmond, Virginia, US, the son of a life insurance salesman father. He grew up in

. Clark was a 1950 graduate of the

University of Maryland, College Park The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta.

Career

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. In addition to being an engineer and business executive, Clark served as a university trustee emeritus at

Johns Hopkins University Johns Hopkins University (Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private research university in Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1876, Johns Hopkins is the oldest research university in the United States and in the western hemisphere. It consi ...

Philanthropy

Clark has given to the

's School of Engineering, which now bears his name. He established the A. James Clark Engineering Scholars program at the

University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United States, with highly selective ad ...

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C. Chartered in 1821 by the United States Congress, GWU is the largest Higher educat ...

, Duke University,

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and rail magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided the school its initial $1-million ...

, Penn State and

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also has educational facilities in six re ...

. He donated $10 million toward the construction of the

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. Also at

, He sponsored the Clark Scholars Program to fund undergraduate scholarships with a focus on leadership and service learning. 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.

Personal life

In 1950, Clark married Alice Bratton. They had three children and lived in

Vero Beach Vero Beach is a city in and the seat of Indian River County, Florida, United States. Vero Beach is the second most populous city in Indian River County. Abundant in beaches and wildlife, Vero Beach is located on Florida's Treasure Coast. It is thi ...

, Florida. He died of congestive heart failure in 2015.

Awards and honors

*Golden Plate Award of the

American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a non-profit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest achieving individuals in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet ...

(1987) *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

References

External links

Johns Hopkins University Clark Hall dedicationProfile
forbes.com; accessed December 29, 2014. 1927 births 2015 deaths University of Maryland, College Park alumni American chief executives American billionaires Businesspeople from Richmond, Virginia People from Bethesda, Maryland Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering 20th-century American businesspeople {{US-business-bio-1920s-stub