Thomas Arkle Clark

Dean of Men, 1909–1931, Y board member and namesake of Clark Lounge

Thomas Arkle Clark, the University of Illinois's first dean of men, was a friend of the University YMCA for more than forty years. He took part in it as a student in the 1880s and sat on its boards from about 1902 until his death. As dean, his office worked hand in hand with the Y's employment bureau and room lists, and for two decades he welcomed new men at the Y's fall stags. He spoke at the first Freshman Camp in 1926 and chaired the Y's building committee in 1928. Clark Lounge, given by his widow, Alice Broaddus Clark, has carried his name since 1939.