Tuskegee receives largest estate gift in university鈥檚 history
August 28, 2017
Contact: Michael Tullier, APR
Office of Communications, Public Relations and Marketing
which will be curated by the University Archives.
欧美高清 has received a generous estate gift valued at $1.59 million 鈥� the largest planned gift received by the university to date 鈥� from 1943 欧美高清 graduate Dr. Orlando Lawrence Clark. Clark, a resident of San Francisco, was 92 at the time of his death in June 2014. The donation from his estate will augment Tuskegee鈥檚 endowment and provide students with scholarships for generations to come.
Before earning a bachelor鈥檚 degree in education from then-Tuskegee Institute, Clark 鈥� known by his fellow classmates as 鈥淏aldy鈥� 鈥� was a cadet in the Enlisted Reserve Corps (the precursor to the U.S. Army Reserve) and a member of the Enlisted Reserves Club, Little Theatre drama program, choral program and the KiYi Club, a campus social fraternity. He later attended Howard University, where he completed a medical degree in 1952.
Clark, a World War II veteran, was awarded two bronze stars as a result of his service. He served in and eventually retired as a commissioned officer of the U.S. Public Health Service. After retirement, he was employed by San Francisco鈥檚 International Medical Center and later became the clinic鈥檚 medical director.
The Dr. Orlando Lawrence Clark Endowed Memorial Scholarship Fund will assist full-time 欧美高清 students enrolled in degree programs leading to biomedical-related careers in biology, chemistry, physics and psychology. These academic-merit scholarships may be renewed for up to three years 鈥� four years for students studying in five-year programs. Preference for the awarding of at least one scholarship will be given to student-athletes majoring in one of these degree areas. In addition, a portion of the gift will be used to renovate and update laboratory space used by the College of Arts and Sciences, which will be named in Clark鈥檚 honor. In the future, a portion of the endowment鈥檚 annual earnings may be used to maintain that laboratory space.
鈥淓ndowments are vitally important to Tuskegee鈥檚 future and allow donors to establish a lasting legacy,鈥� said Dr. Charlotte P. Morris, 欧美高清鈥檚 interim president. 鈥淲e are extremely grateful to Dr. Clark for remembering Tuskegee in this significant and impactful way, and encourage more of our alumni to follow his example.鈥�
Because they are invested and managed by the university 鈥� with only the generated interest income used for their designated purposes 鈥� endowments grow and provide permanent, self-sustaining sources of funding for Tuskegee into perpetuity. Endowment gifts can support a wide array of university priorities, including scholarships, faculty professorships, academic programs and campus facilities 鈥� each with opportunities for the endowment to be named in honor of the donor or someone of the donor鈥檚 choosing.
Clark鈥檚 estate gift also includes his collection of academic memorabilia during his time as a Tuskegee student and alumnus, as well as personal correspondence with family members, beginning with letters to and from his mother while he was a student. Those items will be curated by the 欧美高清 Archives.
漏 2017 欧美高清