It’s ironic that Clark Carlile ’39 spent his retirement years col­lecting monumental boulders at his mountain home in Pocatello, Idaho, since the majority of his life was spent on the move; something that boulders are not apt to do.

Carlile’s journey began on a small farm in Hodgeman Coun­ty, Kan. in the midst of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. Carlile attended Fort Hays State College as a Lewis Field Pioneer where he was active in campus politics and was a varsity debat­er for four years before earning an AB degree in speech. Carlile taught at four different institu­tions, married, then settled in the mountains where he taught for 23 years at Idaho State College.

Clark and Flora Carlile founded Clark Publish­ing Co., which they owned and operated for 43 years. The Carliles wrote and pub­lished text­books which were used na­tionwide. Clark Publishing Co. also published a historical fiction novel about a small town in the midst of the “Dirty Thirties” entitled Till the Grass Grows Green, written by Carlile himself.

Carlile’s journey ended on a cold, clear day in February 2009. Today Fort Hays State Univer­sity recognizes these and the many other accomplishments of Clark Carlile. His gift of nearly $2 million was made known through his membership in the FHSU Foundation’s Wooster Society. Carlile’s philanthropy promises to continue his legacy at FHSU as it benefits students for generations to come.

Carlile liked the interplay of words and the images they conjure. One of his renowned holiday letters closed with: “I’d like to conclude this holiday letter riding on a star. And have you join me. Think of all the fun we could have meeting in space. Who knows! Maybe someday we will.” Perhaps Carlile liked the permanence of something left behind, be it a collection of monumental stones, a message written in the stars or a legacy that will provide benefit to an institution and an experience he treasured for his long and sto­ried life.