CLARK, RICHARD F. “RICH” (September 14, 1951-September 20, 2022) was a teacher, school administrator, and innovator in Cleveland Catholic education. He was born to Walter Clark and Mary Daly in Boston, Massachusetts. At a young age, Clark and his family moved to Chicago, Illinois, where he attended Loyola Academy. Graduating from Georgetown University in 1973, he returned to Chicago to pursue a master’s degree in religious education at Loyola University. He worked as a theology teacher at Loyola Academy, his alma mater, for eighteen years.
In 1991, Clark moved to Cleveland to accept a job at SAINT IGNATIUS HIGH SCHOOL as the institution’s first lay principal. During his tenure, the Jesuit school witnessed a period of unprecedented expansion fostered by the visionary leadership of President ROBERT WELSH. The growth included the addition of a school chapel and an intramural gym, along with the renovation of the school’s main and science buildings. But Clark, like Welsh, believed that the school needed to give back to the community in order to grow internally. In 1994, Clark oversaw a program that opened up the high school to give area children homework assistance and free computer access. His drive to use Catholic education to assist inner-city children would prove a constant for his adult life, leading him to take on endeavors outside the halls of St. Ignatius.
While on a mission trip to Peru with some Jesuit friends, Clark felt inspired to build a school that would “transform urban Cleveland one student at a time.” Their conversations led to the formation of ST. MARTIN DE PORRES HIGH SCHOOL, an institution that opened its doors in 2004–in the former elementary building of ST. VITUS CHURCH–to give students of modest means a free Catholic education. As founding president, Clark oversaw the school’s work-study program, which allowed students to work at e ntry level office jobs to cover tuition and gain practical experience. He also led the drive to raise $35 million for a new academic building, which was dedicated in 2018. For his leadership at Martin de Porres, he was awarded the Irish American Archives Society’s WALKS OF LIFE AWARD in 2011.
In 2020, Clark began the final career chapter of his life when he helped bring a Catholic grade school management group to Cleveland. The result was Partnership Schools, an organization that provides important services to underserved communities. As founding director, Clark welcomed four elementary institutions as Partnership Schools.
David Brennan