Kinkaid's Lifelong Influence

Clark Kent Ervin’ 77 with his wife Carolyn Harris and daughter Callie

Interest in Public Service Started in Seventh Grade

Clark Kent Ervin ’77 is Kinkaid's first Rhodes Scholar. After attending Oxford and Harvard Law School, Clark has had a distinguished career in public service. He is currently a partner at the law firm Patton Boggs LLP and serves as director of The Aspen Institute's Homeland Security Program.

Q. Talk about your time at Kinkaid and how it may have influenced your decision to go into public service.

A. As a Kinkaid student, I enjoyed studying history and government and participated actively in debate, oratory, and extemporaneous speaking, which further honed my interest in politics, public service, and the art of persuasion. I came to Kinkaid as a seventh grader intending to be a lawyer and public servant someday, but my time at the School certainly reinforced this and prepared me to pursue these dreams. My first trip to Washington, D.C., for example, was with my eighth-grade class. And my interest in international affairs was piqued by my first visit to Europe during interim term in my junior year.

Q. What are some of your fondest Kinkaid memories?

A. Where to start? I guess I'd limit myself to the many long weekends I spent with my debate coaches, Mr. Moss and Mr. Northrop, and my forensics team touring the state and country from tournament to tournament in search of victories. I loved every minute of Mr. Goddard's and Mr. Germann's history classes. I participated with delight in every high school play, under the fun and able direction of the Boyds. I thoroughly enjoyed all my years at Kinkaid.

Q. You have been back to Kinkaid several times over the years, as Distinguished Alumnus, Moss Speaker, etc. What is your perception of the educational experience now compared to when you were a student?

A. My understanding is that Kinkaid is an even richer academic and extracurricular environment today than in my day in the 1970s. And given my standout experience, that is saying something!

Q. What motivates you to be such a loyal Kinkaid donor?

A. The opportunity to attend Kinkaid (I was a scholarship student) came at just the right time. My public school was beginning what would become a long, slow decline into mediocrity. Though my admission must have been controversial at the time in some quarters, I was welcomed to Kinkaid with open arms by administrators, faculty, and students alike. I formed deep and lasting friendships, and I grew immensely intellectually and emotionally. I wish only that I could give back to Kinkaid a fraction of what it gave to me.

Make a Difference for Future Students

To learn more about how you can support Kinkaid's education of future leaders, please contact Lisa Wood at (713) 243-5023 or lisa.wood@kinkaid.org.