Dwight Delong Clark
January 21, 1934 — February 22, 2026
Dwight Clark, a long-time Stanford fixture who founded two cultural exchange organizations for young people in Asia and the US, was born in Great Bend, Kansas to Dwight Delong Clark Sr. and Ruth Bales Clark. The family moved to Fort Collins, Colorado, where Dwight excelled as a student, youth leader, news radio host and writer. He graduated from high school as student body president, one of four winners nationally in a Voice of Democracy audio-essay contest, and winner of a competition for radio announcing in Los Angeles.
Dwight entered Stanford University in 1952 and earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in political science. He became Dean of Freshman Men at Stanford and soon thereafter, Assistant Dean of Men. He led a group of Stanford students to Hong Kong in 1963 for a summer-long volunteer experience, setting Dwight’s course for the next 60 years.
In 1963, Dwight formed Volunteers in Asia, connecting college students with volunteer opportunities throughout Asia. Later, VIA added a reciprocal program bringing Asian students to the US for travel and learning experiences. Dwight retired as President of VIA in 2003 and created a new organization, Learning Across Borders, for student exchanges within Asia. Both organizations persist today, as does Parami University, the first liberal arts university for Myanmar students, with which Dwight was deeply involved.
Dwight became interested in pacifism and nonviolence early on. He was an organizer of the first anti-nuclear testing demonstration at Stanford in 1957 and arranged for Stanford students to register voters in the south in the early 1960s. Dwight maintained his simple lifestyle and Quaker connections throughout his life.
Dwight’s curiosity about people, their interests and motivations, made him an ideal mentor. He was a master of connecting people based on shared interests. His wisdom was dispensed through questions, and gentle encouragement. This genuine interest in others made him a marvelous friend, warm and generous, funny, always with a bright smile on his face.
Dwight is predeceased by his two brothers, John and Mark. Survivors include his sisters-in-law Susanne and Sandra Clark, and numerous nieces and nephews. Celebrations of Dwight’s life are scheduled for September 26-27, 2026, in Palo Alto, California.
