Cultural Event
Dr. Lawrence M. Clark (1934-2012)
Date of Event: January 25, 2012
The African American Cultural Center joins the Clark family in mourning the death and celebrating the life of Dr. Lawrence Clark (1934-2012). Dr. Clark is an integral part of the history of North Carolina State University. He will certainly be missed. The AACC will continue to celebrate his legacy as a tribute to his accomplishments throughout the remainder of the year.
Please join us for a special tribute to Dr. Clark at the 2012 Clark Lecture on March 15.
A Pillar at NC State
Born April 4, 1934, Lawrence M. Clark, Sr., grew up in the small town of Danville, Virginia. After his military service in the Marine Corps, Dr. Clark attended Virginia State College. He received a B.S. in Mathematics with a minor in Physics in 1960. He later received his M.Ed. and Ed.D. in Mathematics Education from the University of Virginia in 1964 and 1967, respectively. He married Irene Reynolds of Roanoke, Virginia with whom he had four children and six grandchildren.
Clark served as Assistant and Associate professor of Mathematics at his alma mater, Virgina State College, from 1965-1969; as Associate Professor of Mathematics at Norfolk State College from 1969-1970; and as Associate Professor of Mathematics Education at Florida State University from 1970-1974. He was Florida State University’s first African American professor.
Dr. Clark joined North Carolina State University in 1974 with dual roles as Associate Provost and as a full time professor in the College of Education. He also coordinated all activities related to the University’s Affirmative Action Plan under Executive Order 11246. From 1995-2000 he served as the Executive Director of the Africa Project at North Carolina State University. One of the many honors bestowed upon Dr. Clark is the naming of the Dr. Lawrence M. Clark Lecture Series by the African American Cultural Center (AACC) at NC State University. He is also credited as one of the “founding fathers” of the AACC, the University-Community Brotherhood Dinner, the Peer Mentor Program, the African American Symposium, and many more significant initiatives still in place today.
Dr. Clark served in leadership roles for numerous committees, boards, and commissions. He had membership in many professional societies and organizations including Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., the American Association of College Teachers of Education; the American Association of University Professors, Kappa Delta Pi, Kappa Mu Epsilon (Mathematics Honorary Society), North Carolina Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and Phi Delta Kappa.
