Robert Donald Clark (March 10, 1910 – June 28, 2005) was an American university administrator.
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Robert Donald Clark was born in Frontier County, Nebraska, on March 10, 1910.[1] The family moved frequently.
He graduated from high school in Colorado. He received a B. A. in English (with a minor in History) from Pasadena College in 1931 and a M. A. in Speech from the University of Southern California in 1935[2] While at USC he also taught freshman composition at various colleges. He received his Ph.D. in 1946, also from USC. His dissertation was entitled “The Platform and Pulpit Career and Rhetorical Theory of Bishop Matthew Simpson.”
While teaching composition classes at the University of Oregon, Clark was appointed to Assistant Dean of the College of Liberal Arts (CLA) in 1947, which he held until being chosen as Dean of CLA in 1955. He was president of the University of Oregon from 1969-1975. The Robert D. Clark Honors College on campus is named after him.[3] He was president during many war protests on the campus.[3]
From 1964 until 1969, Clark served as president of San Jose State College, where he was known for his support of the civil rights struggles of African-American athletes, including Olympians John Carlos and Tommie Smith.[4]
A new five-story library that opened in early 1982 on the San José State University campus was named after former College President Clark.[5] More recently the library has been converted into Robert D. Clark Hall, a classroom building.
In 1936 he was the editor for the Western States Communication Association.[6]
Clark died June 28, 2005 in Eugene, Oregon.[4]
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