Former Virginia Wesleyan President Lambuth M. Clarke passed away on the afternoon of Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2006. He was 82.
Clarke served as president of Virginia Wesleyan from 1966 to 1992. His tenure was marked by significant growth in the College: enrollment grew from 75 to 1,440 and faculty numbers increased significantly. In addition, his term set the stage for the College to be classified by The Carnegie Foundation as a Baccalaureate I institution and to be included in U.S. News and World Report's national ranking of liberal arts colleges.
"Lambuth Clarke was a very dear man," said Virginia Wesleyan President Billy Greer. "His love for Virginia Wesleyan ran deep, and all of us are indebted to him for what he did for the College and the way he did it."
Clarke came to Virginia Wesleyan after spending 18 years at Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Va., where he served as an instructor of English, assistant to the president and vice president of development.
He received a B.A. from Randolph-Macon College, an M.A. from Johns Hopkins University and an LL.D. from Randolph-Macon and was selected as a member of both Phi Beta Kappa and Omicron Delta Kappa honor societies during his years of college and university education.
Upon stepping down as president of Virginia Wesleyan in 1992, Clarke was elected president emeritus and served the College as an ambassador and an honorary chair of the Consider the Harvest capital campaign.
Clarke became the third recipient of the Jerry G. Bray Distinguished Service Medal in 1997 and was one of the first five recipients of the honorary doctoral degree awarded by Virginia Wesleyan in May of 2002.
In addition to his years in higher education, Clarke's community activities included service with the Future of Hampton Roads, Greater Norfolk Corporation, DePaul Medical Center, Medical Center Hospitals, Norfolk YMCA, Virginia Symphony, Norfolk Forum, World Affairs Council of Greater Hampton Roads, Virginia Beach Development Council, WHRO-TV-FM and Order of Cape Henry 1607.
In the fall of 1998, Lambuth M. Clarke Hall opened at Virginia Wesleyan. It remains the newest academic building on campus.
"I personally thought of Lambuth as a very close and dear friend, and none of us will ever stop missing him," Greer said. Clarke is survived by his wife, Alice; children Leighton, Palmore, Jessica and Virginia and numerous grandchildren.