November 21, 2024 | By Jennifer Levin

Philanthropic inspiration can strike at any time. It hit Alex Clark (SFGI14, EC24) in August 2024 during a luncheon celebrating graduates of the Eastern Classics master’s program.

“Several students made toasts that singled out Alex as being important to their time in the Program,” says Associate Dean David Carl, director of the Santa Fe Graduate Institute. “They mentioned activities he organized, how he often brought people together outside of class. In my toast, I told a story about a woman who, at a similar graduation dinner about 20 years earlier, offered to pay off her classmates’ student loans.”

Carl joked that Clark could consider doing something like that if he wanted to escalate his support to the next level. Everyone laughed, including Clark. Still, he recalls, “I felt called out. At first, I was irritated, even though I knew he was kidding. And then I started to think that maybe I felt called out because there’s truth there. Maybe I could do more.” Days later, Clark told Carl he wanted to pay the final semester’s tuition for his 13-student cohort.

Although anonymous donors do occasionally come forward to support struggling classmates, Clark is the first to make a gift on this scale since Roxana Zirakzadeh (SFGI04, EC05) offered the financial support referenced in Carl’s toast. Zirakzadeh went on to serve on the college’s Board of Visitors and Governors.

“St. John’s is the beneficiary of some enormous philanthropic generosity, including many named, endowed scholarships. We have alumni and other donors who have the means to give $10 million dollars, $50 million dollars,” Carl says. “But Alex isn't waiting until the end of his career to make the contributions he can. That’s one of the things that makes this gift so extraordinary.”

Clark’s family has been in the car business for four generations, ever since his step-great-grandfather, J.V. Carpenter, moved to Texas’s Rio Grande Valley in 1933 and opened a Chevrolet dealership. Clark, 38, owns Clark Chevrolet in McAllen, Texas, and Clark Knapp Honda in neighboring Pharr. He is also a licensed Allstate insurance agent.

“When business is good, it’s very rewarding, but it takes a lot of hard work, and I’m very early in my career as dealer,” Clark says. “I did the math, and I could afford to do this for my classmates, this one time.” There were, of course, other ways Clark had considered spending the money. “I was really considering buying a Z06 Corvette, which is the nicest Corvette that Chevy makes,” Clark says. “It’s not something I can just pay for—it’s an aspirational vehicle, even for me as a Chevy dealer. I always thought it would be cool to own one.”

Clark worked with his father, Kirk Clark, until his death in 2022. As Clark dealt with his grief, a close friend advised him to do something edifying instead of always prioritizing the family business. This advice led Clark to split his time between Texas, where he continued managing his dealerships, and New Mexico, where he returned to earn a master’s in Eastern Classics at St. John’s Santa Fe 10 years after completing the college’s Master of Liberal Arts program. He had not socialized much while earning his first master’s degree, and he decided that this time around it was important to get to know his classmates.

“I hadn’t done anything academic in over a decade, and it was really lovely to be back in that kind of space with people who were this thoughtful, intelligent, and hardworking,” Clark says. “I very much enjoyed sharing a seminar table with them, and I made what I hope are some lifelong friendships.”

While befriending his peers, Clark learned about their backgrounds, the sacrifices they had made to attend St. John’s, and their future ambitions, some of which sounded admirably risky and included doctoral programs and career pivots. When he started thinking seriously about a philanthropic gesture, he realized the gift he had in mind could provide some of them with a tremendous leg-up—while costing about the same as a fully loaded Z06 Corvette. This equation helped cement his decision.

“Could I fully enjoy my dream car while I felt this call to do something for my classmates?” Clark remembers asking himself. “It’s important to understand that what you learn at St. John’s doesn’t just sit in books. You try to apply what you learn to your own life. So, what’s the answer? Always pleasure? Always nicer things? I’d love to have that beautiful car. But it wasn’t the right choice for me right now.”

Plus, his father, Kirk Clark, had established a legacy of generosity and leadership he wished to emulate. “He served on the McAllen Chamber of Commerce, and he regularly donated to the International Museum of Art and Science, The Valley Symphony Orchestra, Mujeres Unidas, and other charitable causes. His opinion was that we don’t exist without our community, and our job is to help,” Clark says.

“I think this is a very different philanthropic gesture than we usually see, a sincere expression of gratitude for what the college has done for him,” David Carl says. “I hope it inspires others to figure out ways to support St. John’s within their means.”

Visit www.sjc.edu/giving to learn more about philanthropic opportunities at the college.