Hall of Fame
Tom Clark’s philanthropic leadership of Utica College is paralleled by few. The College’s first $1 million donor, he has been consistently forward looking in his giving to UC.
In 1987, he provided the financial support to expand what is now the Harold T. Clark Jr. Athletic Center after surveys indicated that the College’s physical education and athletic facilities were inadequate for competing with similar institutions for students. When UC expanded its intercollegiate athletic program to include football, field hockey, and lacrosse in 1999, Tom’s gift in memory of his father, a three-year varsity letter-winner at Cornell University, enabled the College to construct the Harold T. Clark Sr. Team Facility and, in doing so, to provide modern locker room facilities.
However, his support of the College goes far beyond the sports arena. In 2005, he gave Utica College’s first endowed professorship. In 1989, he established and endowed the Harold T. Clark Jr. Distinguished Faculty Award, which is presented annually at Commencement, recognizing scholarship, professional accomplishment, and potential for excellence.
His leadership and support during the Campaign for Utica College in 1998 helped establish a new level of giving for the institution. His support of the current Achieve: A New Dream, A New Era campaign and specifically the campaign’s cornerstone, the science and technology project, has helped lead efforts to upgrade the College’s outdated science facilities. He has also established an endowed funded to support faculty research and creative endeavor as well as a scholarship that assists students with demonstrated financial need.
Tom is a past president of the Utica College Foundation Board and the Utica College Alumni Association and the first-ever chair of the Board of Trustees. He has volunteered his service to a number of not-for-profit organizations, including Ronald McDonald’s Children’s Charities of Central New York, Upstate Medical Center’s Ronald McDonald House, United Cerebral Palsy, New Hartford Youth Association, the Salvation Army, and the Community Foundation of Herkimer and Oneida Counties.
He has been recognized on numerous occasions for his service and contributions to the College and to the greater Mohawk Valley community. In 1993, Utica College awarded him the honorary Doctor of Laws degree. He was previously honored with the National Alumni Council’s Hall of Fame Award.
