Fred Clark remembered for benevolence, devotion

Fred Clark didn’t want his memorial to be a somber occasion.

He requested that it be happy, joyous and filled with music — and that is what he got.

“The service did him justice — it was definitely (Fred’s style),” said Shirley Ort, associate provost and director for the Office of Scholarships and Student Aid, and a longtime friend of Clark.

Saturday afternoon, around 250 friends and colleagues of Fred Clark, including many students, gathered in Memorial Hall to celebrate the life of a man they all believed was devoted to serving others.

Clark, a former Portuguese professor and academic coordinator for the Carolina Covenant Scholars Program, died Sept. 5 after over 45 years of working for the University. 

The service included opening and closing remarks by former Chancellor Emeritus James Moeser and reflections on Clark’s work by three former Carolina Covenant scholars as well as Federico Luisetti, department chairman of romance languages and literatures.

All three students said they would not be where they are today without Fred’s help.

Josh Wilkes, a Carolina Covenant scholar and a 2007 graduate, said Clark’s belief in him enabled him to achieve so much.

“He had a love for other people and lived a very altruistic life,” Wilkes said.

Ort said Clark was most proud of his engagement with students through the Carolina Covenant.

“He’s given us a living example of the power of helping students in everyday ways,” she said.

Ort also said she was very happy at the number of people who attended the service.

“I know he would have been greatly humbled by all the folks that were there,” she said.

Danni Hayes, a sophomore Carolina Covenant scholar, said even though she did not know Clark personally, the Carolina Covenant was one of the reasons she could come to college, so she made a point of making time to attend the service.

“He embodied the Carolina Way,” she said.

Djin Enuol, also a sophomore Carolina Covenant scholar, said Clark’s love for his students was transparent, echoing Hayes’ sentiment.

“If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be here at all,” she said.

Nina Furry, a senior lecturer in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, said Clark impacted every life he came in contact with, including those of thousands of students through the Carolina Covenant.

“(The Covenant is) a natural expression of who Fred was,” she said.

In the closing remarks, Moeser said Clark’s death will leave a huge hole on campus.

Moeser said everyone deserves a shot, which he believed Clark provided to everyone he met through his tireless work as an advocate for affordability on campus.

“Never was one owed so much from so many.”

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