Diane and Gerald “Gerry” Clarke came to know Texas A&M University through their three children: Jim Clarke ’89, Steve Clarke ’91 and Kathy Clarke Danby ’95. Gerry, a Syracuse University alumnus, studied chemical engineering and worked at Occidental Chemical throughout his career. After all three Clarke children followed in their father’s footsteps by graduating with their engineering degrees, Diane established a scholarship in the College of Engineering.
“We believe that the quality of the education that our children received at Texas A&M was outstanding and that the values and leadership traits that Texas A&M instills are important to the future of our country,” Diane said.
During the decade that spanned the enrollment of their children at Texas A&M, Diane and Gerry observed their transformation as individuals and engineers. They witnessed how the degree programs challenge students to think uniquely and how the university’s core values inspire students to improve the world around them. Diane, now an Aggie grandmother, can once more observe the transformative process that her granddaughter, Allison Clarke ’23, is experiencing while she pursues her civil engineering degree.
“Gerry and I felt strongly that, someday, we wanted to provide an opportunity for others to afford the kind of engineering education that our children enjoyed,” Diane said.
Diane’s parents, Hilda and F.B. Schoonover, were both educators and instilled in Diane the importance of sharing knowledge to invest in the future of others. As Diane’s parents and husband have now passed, their lives and legacies have inspired Diane to endow the Gerald E. and Diane Schoonover Clarke Family Engineering Scholarship in their honor.
“I hope this gift inspires someone to further their education and utilize their talents for the betterment of others,” Diane said. “I hope they grow to appreciate and love the generational impact that education at an institution like Texas A&M affords and that someday they continue this tradition.”