Alfred James Clark (December 2, 1927 – March 20, 2015) was an American engineer, businessman and philanthropist. He was chairman and

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

of Clark Enterprises, Inc., headquartered in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Located just northwest of Washington, D.C., it is a major business and government center of the Washington metropolitan region ...

. 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 Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...

, 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 university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1856, UMD i ...

, where he was a member of

Phi Delta Theta Phi Delta Theta (), commonly known as Phi Delt, is an international secret and social Fraternities and sororities in North America, fraternity founded in 1848, and currently headquartered, at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, alo ...

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 The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...

Philanthropy

Clark has given to the

School of Engineering Engineering education is the activity of teaching knowledge and principles to the professional development, professional practice of engineering. It includes an initial education (Diploma in Engineering, Dip.Eng.)and Bachelor 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. The program is at 11 institutions and supports 470+ students. 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. 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 county seat of Indian River County, Florida, United States. According to the 2020 census, the city had a population of 16,354. Nicknamed "The Hibiscus City", Vero is situated about southeast of Orlando along the ...

, 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 nonprofit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest-achieving people in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet one ano ...

(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. {{DEFAULTSORT:Clark, A. James 1927 births 2015 deaths University of Maryland, College Park alumni American chief executives American billionaires Businesspeople from Richmond, Virginia Businesspeople from Bethesda, Maryland Members of the United States National Academy of Engineering 20th-century American businesspeople American construction businesspeople