Utah State Aggie Insights
June 2013

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Utah State University Alumni Association

Alumni Spotlight - The Clark Family

by Liz Wilson

The Clark family of Morgan Utah has a legacy of attending Utah State University that goes back more than 50 years. Brent Clark and his wife Cindy have raised their children to love Utah State and continue the family tradition. The six Clark children all attend or have graduated from Utah State. This most recent generation of Aggies has studied everything from Agriculture to Animal Science and Dietetics. For most of the Clark's, attending Utah State was an easy decision.

"It has become a family tradition and I had heard nothing but good things about the school," said daughter Rashel Clark.

This Clark family tradition dates back to the early 20th century. Their great-grandmother, Josephine Stock, graduated from USU with a degree in home economics in 1923. Her daughter, Josephine Daines Clark, was the second generation to graduate from USU in 1949. Soon, the Clark family would have more than ten alumni to their name. Nine of the ten children of Josephine Daines Clark and Rich Clark graduated as Aggies. Since then, Logan, Utah has continued to be a place that the Clark family calls home during their college years.

Brent and Cindy Clark have sent all of their six children to Utah State, after Brent became an alumnus himself. He graduated from USU in 1981 with a degree in Production Management from the Huntsman School of Business. During the 2012-2013 school year all 6 of the Clark children were registered for classes at USU at the same time.

Jessica Clark is currently attending USU as a Family and Consumer Science Education, major. She credits her family history for encouraging her to attend USU.

"I chose to come to Utah State because it was a family school. My Grandma and Dad both graduated from USU and my three older siblings were currently attending, and whenever they came home for the weekend they always talked about the fun times they had. I wanted to continue following in the family tradition."

It was more than family tradition that lured some of her siblings to study in Logan. Aggies sports also played a role in keeping the Clark family at USU. Jason Clark remembers when his decision was between whether to finish school at Snow College or come to USU.

"Initially I thought I would just go back to Snow College but after talking to my older brother I felt it was right to come join him, my sister, and a few of my cousins up here at Utah State. It took a little while to get used to the cold and meet some people. One night, my brother convinced to take a break from studying and go to an aggie basketball game with him. After that I was hooked to Utah State and Aggie basketball and have been to every Aggie game possible."

Aggie sports as well as the many campus clubs and activities have all helped enrich the college experience of the Clark family. Current student, Rashel Clark is presently in the presidency of the Student Dietetics Association and also participates with the Aggie Health Club. Her interest in Dietetics was heightened by participating in these USU organizations. "I loved the idea of having a career in promoting nutrition and good health to the general public. I think that I have found success in my educational pursuits because I was able to find a subject that I love and have turned it into a career opportunity," said Rashel.

She attributes her successful educational experience to her choice of programs as well as the support of her family. The Clark family's business also helped to propel some of them into their chosen fields. Chris Clark earned a bachelor's degree with a dual major in Agribusiness and Agricultural Systems Technology with minors in Animal Science and Agronomy in 2008. He traced his love of agriculture back to his work on the family farm.

"I grew up on a dairy farm in Morgan, Utah. I grew to love the farm life even with the long hours of hard work and early mornings milking. It has lots of difficulties, but is very rewarding. I felt agriculture was how I could best serve the world. I couldn't settle on one area, so I chose to study a little bit of everything."

Chris is currently attending USU again to earn a degree in electrical engineering.

The Clark family has continued to leave a legacy of service as well as academic excellence at Utah State. Recent graduate Jason Clark also went into the field of agriculture and was awarded for his academic excellence by being chosen as the Valedictorian for the College of Agriculture when he graduated in 2011.

"I was super nervous the day of, but it was so fun to lead my college into the Spectrum and sit in the front with Ralph Whiteside, the professor I chose to sit with me, and then it was fun to give a speech. Then I got to do the same thing again at my college's graduation which was followed by aggie ice cream and talking with friends, professors, and family. It was an awesome day!"

While the Clark family has definitely continued to leave their mark on Aggie history, Utah State faculty and staff have helped to leave their family with a solid educational foundation and a great experience in return.

"I came across many professors who really had a heart of a teacher. I believe that teaching is a much higher calling than a just a professor. I could name many such as Paul Grossl, Ralph Whitesides, Bruce Miller, Bruce Godfrey and others. What sets them apart is that they care about the students and their success. They aren't there to fulfill an assignment and sort their students into grades. They go through a lot of effort to take their students through the steps that lead to understanding their subject and set them up for success."

Andrea Clark found her calling in the field of Agriculture education. She graduated in 2009 with a Bachelor's of Science in Agricultural Education and will graduate this summer with a Masters in Agricultural Systems Technology & Education.

"I chose to study Agricultural Education because I love agriculture in general and the FFA program made a big difference in my life. I wanted to continue playing a part in the legacy of agriculture education. I have been teaching for four years and absolutely love my job and credit great professors at USU for preparing me for a fantastic career where I rarely feel like I'm going to work".

The Clark Family continues to leave a legacy at Utah State, of which they can be proud of. To date, 18 members of the Josephine & Rich Clark family have graduated from USU and two more are currently attending.