“Jack is an icon. Throughout his 29-year presidency, he set the leadership tone and guided the strategy that continues to influence the College today. Among his stellar accomplishments: Launching the Athenaeum, establishing our research institutes and centers, and leading CMC to become co-educational. His impact upon CMC has been profound.”
— Ken Valach ’82, chair of CMC Board of Trustees
“The real impact of a college presidency is seen and felt 30 years later. Just look into the hearts and minds of our alumni, the quality of our teacher-scholars, the life-altering leadership experiences of our students in the powerful programs he created, and you will see the rock solid foundations, the newly cut paths, the family of relationships that Jack and Jil forged, well before President Gann and I followed in their large footsteps. This is the Stark foundation of three decades upon which we have built such extraordinary excitement and achievement today.”
— Hiram E. Chodosh, CMC President
“Jack, what great news about you turning 90. Can’t be true, but I know it is. So happy to have called you a friend since I set foot on the CMC campus in the fall of 1954. You’ve become a legend at CMC, but that cute little wife of yours might have had something to do with that. We send our congratulations and warmest wishes.”
— John ’58 P’90 and Barbara Poer P’90
“Jack has had a lasting impact on my life in a way that I am not sure he appreciates. In 1966 when I was a frosh, 6 of us qualified for the swimming nationals but the college had never sent anyone previously. Somehow, Jack found the funds to pay for our airfare (we paid the rest) and we took 6th place in the NAIAs. The following year, Jack found a bit more money, and CMC won its first national sports title. My wife, Toni Williams Graeber, a Scrippsie, became good friends with Jil and ultimately the Stark family. As my wife started to come to swim meets, Jack’s influence in getting me to stay on the team for all four years therefore helped to bring us ever closer. The two older Stark children were in our wedding, and we continue to enjoy Jack and Jil who helped us tie the knot!”
— Karl Graeber ’69 P’04
“Best wishes for a very happy 90th birthday and many more! And, again, I’m sorry for you getting hit by that water balloon at our Boswell Dorm picnic.”
— Richard Potter ’71
“Every time I use my Jack Stark crafted walking stick—which is almost every day—I receive compliments on the beautiful walking stick. It’s always a pleasure to tell them how it came to be created and who was responsible and why. Happy Birthday, Jack, with all best wishes.”
— Bernie Marshall ’57
“Jack, Happy Birthday! Congratulations on a great life and a great wife. And for being the guiding light of CMC for so many years; an institution which has meant so much to me over the years. May you whittle many more walking sticks.
Our love to both you and Jil,
Norm and Terry”
— Norm King, CMC part-time faculty in 1965
“You learn a lot about a person while training to run a marathon. Jack and I spent months and miles jogging together around Claremont to prepare our small but mighty CMC team for the New York City Marathon. I saw firsthand the qualities that characterized Jack’s secret sauce for success—discipline, hard work, camaraderie, and a competitive spirit in pursuit of a goal for Team CMC! As a “rookie” marathoner Jack didn’t drink enough water, got a bit dehydrated, and had a slower time than mine. … When we returned, Jack said he wanted to schedule another marathon to improve his performance. Thank goodness he beat me by a few minutes during the next race, and I didn’t have to spend the rest of the year “training” my boss!”
— Linda Davis Taylor, CMC Dean of Admission and Financial Aid from 1982-1987
“Just a note to extend my congratulations and appreciation for the immense contributions Jack made not only to my extended family but most likely dozens of others through his and Jil’s stewardship of the most wonderful college on earth helped to become made that way by their steady and consistent leadership through its formative years. I wish I could be there for the actual event. Hope that my path will cross with theirs in the not-too-distant future.”
— Tom Thuresson ’61 P’92 P’97 GP’24 GP’26
“I was born in 1970, the same year my father became president of CMC, so I’ve always known my dad through a different lens than my siblings. I know my dad as a quiet observer, a mindful arbitrator, and a fair leader. His integrity is beyond reproach, and he is never too proud to roll up his sleeves and get a job done. I love that my dad would keep a maintenance uniform for himself on campus and he could be seen pulling weeds alongside the CMC landscaping crew. He was president for all: students, faculty, and staff! I learned from his example that no one should be treated differently from others based on their income or status. Jack Stark will always be remembered as a great CMC president but he’s also a pretty great dad!”
— Jon Stark, Jack and Jil’s son
“Happy Birthday Jack! We were the class that entered with President Neville and ended up with Jack Stark. Jack was young and ambitious and friendly with all the students back in 1970. I lived in Boswell Hall for three years and we were proud of being part of the North Quad where the residents of the four dorms had many events together. One time, I think it was probably Spring 1971, Boswell had hosted a party for all and we invited President Stark to join us. He did, left Jil at home. The party progressed and somehow became a water balloon fight dorm to dorm. Jack was caught in the crossfire and took a balloon to the head. Stunned a bit, Jack shook it off and found his own balloon and joined the fight! He was, I guess, 37 at the time and full of fun and energy.
I will always recall the visits that Jack made to see alumni in the San Francisco Bay Area long after my graduation. He usually made an annual visit and maybe 15 to 20 alums would join him for a short Q&A session at the Hyatt Regency in downtown San Francisco. Jack loved meeting with former students, he called us by name, and never held back on an answer to a tough question. John Faranda was usually with Jack, as the Alumni director but practicing for his future ambassador role. These visits kept me connected to CMC after a long separation.”
— Don Waddell ’73
“I’ve given some thought to the hundreds of special moments in the 30 years that Jack and I worked together. The two that truly defined the early and continuing character and success of the decades are the admission of women as degree candidates and the thoughtful, introspective offerings of the Athenaeum.”
— Barbara Condit, Stark’s assistant and CMC Assistant Vice President from 1970-1999
“Under the leadership of Jack and Jil Stark, CMC came into its own. As an alumnus I felt privileged to know them both personally. They built a very successful CMC community, I community I still feel honored to be a part of. Happy birthday wishes to Jack Stark who allowed me and many others to bloom at CMC.”
— Clifford Hockley ’79
“One of my fondest memories of my dad is coming home after high school soccer practice, and seeing my dad in the family room asleep in his favorite recliner while watching Three’s Company (a very bad sitcom). I then walked into the kitchen where the TV was tuned into the 7 PM news and on the screen was my dad with President Ronald Reagan. It was then that I realized our family was not normal. This was typical of my father; he was always modest and kind with unwavering integrity.”
— Jeffrey Stark P’11, Jack and Jil’s son
“Happy Birthday!”
— Orley Ashenfelter ’64
“I had the supreme honor of being invited to the Stark’s cabin on June Lake in the Eastern Sierra. An avid hiker, but not much on solo hiking, I was a bit anxious about setting out alone to do a couple of Jack and Jil’s favorite hikes. Jack sat me down and explained that any bears on their trails were going to be way more afraid of me than I of them and he armed me with one of his lovingly homemade, beautiful walking sticks to aid my climb—and theoretical in my own mind—protection from said bears. Never saw a bear AND he insisted I take the walking stick home with me. Wasn’t sure how that would fly (literally) since I never check bags but made it back to Connecticut successfully by pretending I needed it to walk on board my plane. Now my husband and I have Jack’s lovely stick hanging in our house as a regular reminder of 4 wonderful days at their spectacular lake home.”
— Nicole Heath P’22, Board member, Mgrublian Center
“One of a kind” best describes Jack. He is well respected, well rounded, a gentleman, a good student, a sportsman in basketball and track. Most importantly, Jack has always been honest and strong-willed, but fair and humble. He has been a very successful team leader, with the help of his lovely and loving wife, Jil. They have four children, eight grandchildren, and three greatgrandchildren. Let’s put 91 special candles on Jack’s happy birthday cake, including one for good luck, so well deserved!”
— John Devereux ’57
“As a former ASCMC President, I remember wonderful times with Jack, Jil, and the four children at their home getting to know all of you, as well as your calm, gracious, and wise leadership of CMC during a significant time—the discussion and ultimate decision to admit women. Your leadership brought an important and needed change that helped push CMC to greater academic heights. My daughter eventually benefited from that decision and attended CMC as well. God bless you on your 90th birthday, President Stark, and God grant you and Jil many more years.”
— Mario Mainero ’75 P’10
“Dear Jack,
Have a Fabulous and Spectacular Happy 90th Birthday and Wishing You Love.
Joy and Happiness Always, Sincerely,”
— Duke Wyatt ’62
“One day, Jack came into my office with a proposition, “Weis, I’ll run with Linda (Davis Taylor) in the New York City Marathon, if you will run with us.” Jack was 10 years my senior and my boss. I, like Jack, had been a regular jogger, but had never run a marathon. How could I say no? We trained for months with Linda, went to New York, and completed the marathon on a very hot October day. Jack finished slightly after me at about five hours and was not happy. That was the only marathon I ever ran. Jack trained more with Linda. They ran in both the Long Beach Marathon and the Los Angeles Marathon, finishing both well under my time. That’s the drive and competitive spirit in Jack that made CMC into the institution that it is.”
— Fritz Weis ’65 P’94, CMC CFO and Treasurer from 1982-2002
“During 1979 or 1980 CMC hosted a dinner featuring former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. As an International Relations student I really wanted to attend, but didn’t make the cut. I requested an office call with President Stark, which he granted and explained my desire to attend the Kissinger dinner. President Stark through his ever-present kindness and generosity granted my request and forever earned my respect and appreciation. Happy 90th Birthday President Stark!”
— Kevin Smith ’80
“I remember reading about you when I first found out about CMC. I wanted to get a feel of this college’s history, really understand what’s behind all the rhetoric about a mission, and I was pleasantly impressed, something that eventually carried me here.”
— Shiv Parihar ’28
“Happy Birthday, President Stark! Thank you for being such a great president, along with your lovely wife Jil, when we were at CMC.”
— Frank Ferguson ’82 P’17 and Nohemi Gutierrez Ferguson ’82 P’17
“Happy 90th Birthday President Stark! One of the reasons I went to Claremont Men’s College in 1975 was because I knew that it wouldn’t remain a men’s college for long. Thank you President Stark for orchestrating that change. I bet Jil Stark had something to do with it.
My senior year I wrote and produced a comedic play for my English honors thesis. At the time, movie sequels were the rage, and the after effects of Blazing Saddles and Animal House were still being felt. My play, Part III, was a spoof-sequel to The Wizard of Oz. My Dorothy was a Jewish male nerd, and his Toto was a stuffed animal gorilla named Kong. The play was certainly NOT politically correct by today’s standards, and it was definitely on the edge for 1979. An elderly audience member from the community complained to President Stark in a letter that I was an anti-Semite. I was called into President Stark’s office to explain. He was confused since he knew that I was a proud Jew. (I was lucky enough to have been selected to sit next to Elie Wiesel when he came to the CMC Athenaeum for a dinner lecture.) How could I be an anti-Semite? I explained to President Stark that I was no more anti-Semitic than my hero, Mel Brooks, who wrote “Springtime for Hitler.” I guess our president was a Brooks fan, since although Stark had not seen my play, he accepted my rebuttal, and that was that.”
— Clint Greenbaum ’79
“Our son, Jeremy Vandervoet, attended CMC 1995-1999. His educational experiences at CMC were excellent and we appreciated the leadership of Jack and Jil Stark while he was there. Happy Birthday to Jack!”
— Karen and David Vandervoet P’99
“Jack...Happy Birthday, big time. What another great milestone! Especially after all those milestones during the turbulent days of the 1960s and 1970s, when we were all on campus together. My continued very best wishes to you and Jil.”
— Ken Gilbert ’73
“Dear Jack,
Your devotion to CMC, vision and work ethics were exemplary to all of us. I wish you the very best that life has to offer. Happy 90th birthday, my dear friend. Thank you for all what you do to the college.”
— Marc Massoud P’89, Robert Day Distinguished Professor of Accounting Emeritus
When we think of servant leaders an image of Jack walking the North Quad, attending a game, joining everyone at the Atheneum, or just sitting on a bench down by Stark Hall comes to mind. When we think fondly of CMC we recognize all the amazing dreams that Jack has made come true—wishing you an spectacular birthday celebration and sincere thanks for all you continue to do to make CMC so special!
— Scott Torrey ’91 P’23 P’26
I remember being a scared prospective with an important question for you. You took the time to answer it and make sure I knew CMC would be a great college for me. You and Jil are wonderful!
— Lance Chugg ’92