Clark was born on December 2, 1927, in Richmond, Virginia, the son of a life insurance salesman father.

[3] Clark was a 1950 graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta.

[citation needed] Clark has given to the University of Maryland, College Park's School of Engineering, which now bears his name.

[7] He donated $10 million toward the construction of the Johns Hopkins University building, "Clark Hall," which is the cornerstone of the Decker Quadrangle.

[16] On October 4, 2017, it was announced the University of Maryland would receive almost $220 million from the A. James and Alice B. Clark Foundation.