ABOUT CLARK
A biography of liberty
Clark Durant is a principled and passionate believer in a simple idea: the American Way works.
As a young college entrepreneur selling birthday cakes, through his time at Hillsdale College starting Imprimis, during the Reagan Administration providing legal services to the poor, to creating the Cornerstone Schools in the inner city of Detroit, Clark has defended the American Way.
More than defend the American Way, Clark has fought to extend the promise of America to all of its citizens. Because when people live the American Dream, they defend the American Way.
From birth to birthday cakes
Clark was born in Detroit, Michigan in 1949. He attended Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana, and graduated in 1971 with an economics major.
To make extra money, he started two businesses: a coupon book filled with local deals and a birthday cake delivery service. Clark would sell the birthday cake service to mothers who wanted to send their kids a cake on their birthday. He learned the importance of paying for quality service when the low-cost bakery farther away from campus delivered birthday cakes a day late. Clark started using the bakery closer to campus, which was more expensive, but delivered the cakes on time.
Military
At Tulane, Durant was in the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps. In 1970 when President Nixon instituted the draft, Clark received a very high draft number, which meant that he was highly unlikely to ever be drafted. Even so, he stayed in ROTC, graduating from Tulane as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army Transportation Corps. He served three months of active duty for training at Fort Eustis, Virginia in 1971, and then he joined the Reserves. He was honorably discharged as a Captain.
Hillsdale College and Imprimis
Clark left the military in 1971 and returned to Michigan to serve as the assistant to the President of Hillsdale College, and then as a Vice President of the college in 1972-1973.
Clark helped start Imprimis, a free publication containing one notable speech each month. In 2010, Imprimis reported a circulation over 2 million, and was described by Salon.com as “the most influential conservative publication you’ve never heard of.”
Clark also served as the first Director of Hillsdale’s Center for Constructive Alternatives and established the Washington-Hillsdale Intern Program (WHIP) – which are both still in existence today.
Law School and Durant & Durant
After Clark’s work at Hillsdale, he went to law school at the University of Notre Dame. While there, Clark taught an undergraduate Great Books course. He received his J.D. in 1976, and was admitted to the Michigan bar the same year.
Clark’s father, a man who didn’t have a high school or a college degree, decided to attend law school when he was 52 years old, graduating from U of D Law School several years before Clark. When Clark returned to Detroit, he started a law practice with his father. They called it Durant & Durant.
Clark spent the first six years of his legal career defending low income people who could not afford a lawyer in a variety of civil and criminal matters.
The Ann Arbor Railroad back on track
In 1983, Durant was recommended by then Secretary of Transportation Elizabeth Dole as the bankruptcy trustee for the Ann Arbor Railroad, a state-owned, state-subsidized railroad with approximately $100 million in debt and claims. He served as trustee from 1983 to 1988, turning the state-owned, state-subsidized railroad into a profitable private-sector enterprise that paid taxes and created jobs.
Serving Reagan, serving the poor
Durant represented Michigan on the 1984 Republican National Committee Platform Committee where he helped draft the party platform on which President Reagan won his landslide re-election.
In 1984, Durant was nominated by President Ronald Reagan and confirmed by the U.S. Senate to serve on the board of the Legal Services Corporation, which provides legal aid to low-income Americans. He served as chair from 1984 to 1988.
Challenging Congress, challenging the lawyers
During his four year tenure as Chairman of the Legal Services Corporation Board, Durant, a deficit hawk, never asked for an increase in tax payer funds for his agency budget, and he challenged Congress to focus funds on where they could help the most, in the neighborhood. One United States Senator said the day after Clark’s testimony, “you go back and tell Clark Durant to shut up and to spend the money like everybody else.” …and that was a Republican.
Also during his tenure, Clark was invited to give a speech at a meeting of the past Presidents of the American Bar Association (the professional association for attorneys). His speech emphasized that the greatest barrier to justice for the poor was the monopoly of the legal of profession — not exactly a popular position to take in that audience.
The President of the ABA called for Clark’s resignation as Chairman of Legal Services. He was unsuccessful, and the resulting publicity highlighted the barriers to justice that face ordinary people.
A blessing in disguise
In 1990, Durant ran in the Republican primary for U.S. Senate, losing the primary to current Attorney General of Michigan, Bill Schuette. A closely contested primary, they are now close friends.
A blessing in disguise, Clark turned his energy to creating opportunity outside of politics, where he could focus on bringing people together to solve problems.
The Cornerstone Schools: “Changing Detroit one child at a time”
In 1991, Clark co-founded the Cornerstone Schools with Adam Cardinal Maida and other civic leaders. The Cornerstone Schools were founded as independent schools in the inner city of Detroit. Durant served as Chairman of the Board from 1991 to 2003, and CEO from 2003 to 2009. In 2009, he helped establish Cornerstone charter schools to increase public access to a Cornerstone education in Detroit.
In 1994, Durant was elected to the State Board of Education in Michigan, and served as President of the Board. In 1995, the Board passed a bold mission statement with a 7-1 vote, but which also drew criticism for using religious language, some of it drawn directly from the Michigan Constitution and Northwest Ordinance. Four years later, Durant left the board to focus on Cornerstone.
In 1995, Clark was named a Michiganian of the Year by the Detroit News for his work in education.
Durant has been a member of various educational boards and organizations throughout Michigan. Former and current positions include
Member of the Board of U of D Jesuit (2001-2010)
Member of the Visiting Committee of the Michigan Center for Theoretical Physics at the University of Michigan
Member of the Board of Excellent Schools Detroit
Durant has also been a Member of the Board of Michigan Chamber of Commerce.
Putting his own kids through college
Having spent years helping get other people’s children into college, Clark’s wife Susan reminded him that he had to put his own children through college.
While still working on Cornerstone, Durant continued his private practice in law, and from 1997 to 2001, Durant was Director of the Private Management Group at Munder Capital Management, an investment firm in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.
Tuition paid, he returned to Cornerstone full time in 2001.
Arnold Palmer and the Turning Point Invitational
In 2004, Durant created, and with Red Poling, the former CEO of the Ford Motor Company, co-hosted The Arnold Palmer Turning Point Invitational golf event to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Palmer’s 1954 victory in the U.S. Amateur at the Country Club of Detroit. 26 other past winners of the U.S. Amateur attended. The event raised over $6 million dollars in revenue, with proceeds benefiting the Cornerstone Schools and other charities, making it one of the most successful charity golf events ever.
Palmer described the event as “the most incredible event I have ever been involved with in more than 60 years of golf, and I have been involved in a lot of them over the years.”
The Detroit Tigers and Be a Tiger for Kids
Since 2005, the Detroit Tigers have sponsored Be a Tiger for Kids, a charity event that has raised over $2 million for the Cornerstone Schools.
Personal life
Clark has been married to his wife, Susan, for over 30 years. They have four children – Hope and husband Mike, Maggie, Clark and wife Taylor, and John – as well as two grandchildren, Susan and Caroline.
