Delaware State Loan Fund and David Clark's Role

David Clark, a well-known and powerful alumnus of NC State from Charlotte, set up the Delaware State Loan Fund, much to the dismay of Frank Graham.  This fund involved merely granting a loan to athletes.  Graham and Clark clearly found each other as enemies because Graham considered this fund as an outside loan, unacceptable under his plan.  In the excerpt provided here from the hearings, Graham also expresses disgust that “75% of Clark’s loans have gone to athletes.”  Much of the testimony from the December hearings focused on Graham and Clark debating the Delaware State Loan Fund.   Clark repeatedly stated that he was helping out the boys, but this type of fund qualified as financial aid from sources outside the university, like the Seaboard Railroad Fund, therefore unacceptable under the Graham Plan.

David Clark was well-known throughout North Carolina.  He owned the textile magazine called the Textile Bulletin.  Over his life span, Clark donated millions of dollars to NC State.  He was never shy about voicing his opinion to the extent that many faculty members and students found him overwhelming. 

For these reasons, Clark’s name dominated newspapers during the 1936-1937 controversy about the football coach and athletic director.  For example, this newspaper article included a picture of Clark and explained his role in encouraging other alumni to denounce the dismissal of Coach Anderson. This was probably the first time NC State received so much coverage in local newspapers.  The focus on the school’s football program in these newspapers highlights the growing commercialization of State’s intercollegiate athletics.