AddRan Clark

AddRan Clark was born on November 3, 1869 in Fort Worth to Joseph Addison Jr. and Sarah Clark. He would be the first of eight children and also a second generation Texan. The Clark family were early pioneers to Fort Worth and his father, who went by Addison, had served as a 1st Lieutenant in the Texas Cavalry of the Confederate Army.¹  In addition to his military career, Addison was a lifelong teacher and preacher.²  AddRan’s unique name is a combination of his father and grandfather’s middle name and his paternal uncle's name Randolph.

The same year AddRan was born, the two brothers (Addison & Randolph) opened a children’s preparatory school where both boys and girls could be classically educated.  This school opened under the name “The Male & Female Seminary of Fort Worth.”³ Their father Joseph supported their vision by purchasing a tract of land in present-day Downtown, near what was referred to as “Hell’s Half Acre.”⁴

Sadly, little AddRan died in late 1872 and by 1873 the streets of Fort Worth were changing.
In time parents became reluctant to send children to Fort Worth for schooling. According to Randolph Clark, "in 1873, the little village became suddenly disturbed, really hysterically excited over the railroad and prospect of a city right at once. This made it not a desirable place to assemble young people for training.”  Fort Worth at this time was also seen to be a  raw land for trail drivers and headquarters for "the tough vagabond and the professional gambler." In the same year of 1873, the Clarks bought a two-story stone schoolhouse erected forty miles west of Fort Worth in Hood County in the community of Thorp Spring. With just 13 students, they opened the doors of AddRan Male and Female College, one of the first co-ed institutions west of the Mississippi.⁵  The school’s name was inspired by Addison’s deceased son. The school would change its name in 1889 to AddRan Christian University when the property was taken over by the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ.)

Both brothers remained active in the daily operations of the university. Around Christmas of 1895, with the expansion in enrollment,  the university moved to Waco, Texas. In 1902, the university would go through their final name change and would forever be known as Texas Christian University (TCU).⁶

In 1910, a fire destroyed the TCU campus in Waco and the decision was made to move the university to Fort Worth. The city leaders of Fort Worth felt a college might help soften their reputation as a rowdy “cow town.”⁷  The AddRan College of Arts and Sciences (presently the AddRan College of Liberal Arts) would be created within the university, recognizing the early efforts of the Clark Brothers. A statue of the two brothers, both Addison and Randolph, stands today on the campus outside the building that bears the unique name of Addison’s son.⁸ Addison Clark is recognized as the first president of TCU, who served from 1873-1899.⁹

Although AddRan only lived to the age of 3, his influence cannot be ignored. He is the only member of his family to be buried at Pioneers Rest Cemetery.