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The
following was the feature article written by Katie Clarke for the
Rosemont School of the Holy Child CACHET Winter 2002 issue.
A Tribute to Christopher Robert Clarke '82
The tragedy of the terrorist attacks has greatly affected all of
us.
Unfortunately, this tragedy has also affected my family and loved
ones very personally.
On September 11, 2001, I lost my brother, Christopher "Buddha" Robert
Clarke, who worked on the 104th floor of World Trade Center Two.
His loss has been felt by hundreds of people whom he loved and who
loved him dearly. It is not everyone who is lucky enough to have
been blessed by having a very remarkable person touch his or her
lives. I can proudly say that I am one of these lucky people, for
my life has been truly enriched just by knowing such a unique individual;
Buddha.
Buddha was not just my brother. He was a rare gift and a true hero
to all who knew him. He was a dedicated and special son; a loving
and devoted husband; a proud and trusting brother; a kind and thoughtful
uncle; and a humorous and loyal friend! Whenever I think of Buddha,
a smile lights of my face, for that is what his life symbolized;
LIGHT! He was truly one of a kind, and he had such a strong passion
for life. He lived each day to the fullest and saw great beauty
in all things; from a breathtaking sunset, to a day on the golf
course, to spending unforgettable times with his family, friends,
and his new bride. Buddha also loved to laugh and to tell stories;
from the joy of his early years at Holy Child; to the bonds of kinship
at St. Joseph's Prep; to the wild and crazy days of college at Fordham
University.
We are all so proud to have known Buddha and to have had him in
our lives for so long. He has enriched so many lives, and I know
he is looking down upon each and every one of us with his special
and mischievous smile that lights up the world; encouraging us and
guiding us to live our lives to the fullest; to be strong and kind;
to see the beauty in all things, big and small; and of course, to
fill each day with laughter. He will always be in our lives and
his memory will live on forever in our hearts.
-Katie Clarke '83
St. Thomas of Villanova was filled to capacity with the family In
Memory and In Hope and friends of Christopher Clarke on Friday,
September 28, 2001. A Mass was celebrated by Reverend Gerard Reedy,
S.J. Reflections were offered by his sister, Kelly Clarke Lam, high
school friend Jimmy Barton and brother, Tim. All testified to his
first priority-family. Taking their best memories of Buddha with
them, the congregation processed from the church to America the
Beautiful. The Holy Child community remembers its alumnus, Chris,
and shares Kelly's sentiments-Chris' life is not over, it is just
reborn!
"Something's Happening at the Prep"
On Friday, September 28, 2001, family and friends gathered at St.
Thomas of Villanova for Mass celebrating the life of Christopher
"Buddha" Clarke, who is missing as a result of the September 11th
tragedy at the World Trade Center. Buddha graduated from "The Prep"
in 1986 and continued his studies at Fordham University, graduating
in 1990. He always told me that the friends he met at The Prep,
some of whom he attended college with, were the best anyone could
ask for - I, personally, have the privilege of knowing why he felt
this way. The Prep encourages its students to be "Men for Others"
- Buddha and his friends are the perfect example of this lofty standard.
(Mrs.) Casey Clarke
The Philadelphia Inquirer
SEPTEMBER 27, 2001 Thursday
CITY-D EDITION SECTION:
OBITUARIES; Pg. B05 LENGTH: 354 words
HEADLINE: Christopher Clarke, 34, a bond trader
BYLINE: Sally A. Downey INQUIRER STAFF WRITER
A Mass of Celebration will be said tomorrow for Christopher "Buddha"
Clarke, 34, a bond trader who lived on Rittenhouse Square with his
wife of six months. He is presumed to have died in the Sept. 11 terrorist
attack on the World Trade Center in New York City. Mr. Clarke, who
was raised in Devon, worked for Sandler O'Neill & Partners, a financial
firm on the 104th floor of the South Tower. Mr. Clarke's sister Tracey
said he had been called "Buddha" since he was a baby, after an encounter
with an uncle: "My uncle saw my brother sitting on the floor with
his big belly hanging over his diaper and said, 'Look at the little
Buddha.' " A 1986 graduate of St. Joseph's Preparatory School, Mr.
Clarke attended Fordham University, graduating in 1990. After graduation,
he worked for various bond traders before joining Sandler seven years
ago. In March, he married Casey Connors, whom he started dating in
1996 after meeting her at his sister Tricia's wedding. Although he
worked in New York, the couple lived in Center City because "he and
Casey planned to have children and he wanted to be near family," Tricia
Scudder said. His mother, Janet, said that after her husband's sudden
death in 1989, Mr. Clarke took over his role. "My son . . . was a
rock. He grew up fast," his mother said. Four years ago, her son bought
a house in Ocean City, N.J., for the family. "It should have been
a bachelor's pad; instead, it was full of my three grandchildren's
cribs and toys," his mother said. For almost two weeks after the attack,
the siblings, his wife, and his mother searched for him. On Saturday,
the family began making plans for a memorial service. In addition
to his wife, mother and two sisters, Mr. Clarke is survived by his
brother, Timothy, and two other sisters, Kelly Lam and Katie. The
Mass will be at noon tomorrow at St. Thomas of Villanova Church on
the campus of Villanova University.
Memorial donations may be made to Christopher Robert Clarke Scholarship
Fund,
St. Joseph's Preparatory School, 1733 Girard Ave., Philadelphia 19130.
New York Times
March 10, 2002
CHRISTOPHER CLARKE Buddha and the Classic Cokes
Christopher Clarke was fun-loving and had a magnetic personality,
and of course he had his habits, for which there were no ready explanations.
After dinner, he invariably lit up a cigar, and he'd have one on the
golf course. He adored cheeseburgers. In the summer, he might have
a cheeseburger for breakfast, a cheeseburger for lunch and a cheeseburger
for dinner. He insisted on Cokes in the old-fashioned glass bottles.
The refrigerator had to be constantly replenished with them. Why?
"I have no idea," said Casey Clarke, his wife. Mr. Clarke, 34, a bond
trader for Sandler O'Neill & Partners, married last March. His wife
had been living and working in Philadelphia, and he loved Philadelphia,
so they settled there and he commuted to the World Trade Center. He
joked that it took her three minutes to commute to work while it took
him three hours. He called his wife Pumpkin. She called him Buddha.
Everyone had been calling him Buddha since he was small. When he was
a baby, his mother had propped him up on the table in his diaper,
and he sat there, his legs crossed, his pudgy stomach all too evident,
and her brother walked in and declared, "There's Buddha." Whenever
he called his mother, Janet Clarke, he always began, "Hi, this is
your M.C.," for model child. He has a twin brother, Tim, who would
tease him, "Watch your step, because I'm the older one." Tim was born
14 minutes earlier.
I
would like to thank Father Sauter and Dan Brennan for inviting
me to speak here today. It has been over 15 years since I graduated from St. Joes Prep and
when I think back to that time it always manages to bring a smile
to my face. For me there
is no other High School besides the Prep.
Even as I walk around here today and see the changes such
as the improved facilities, the new faces on the faculty and the
fact that a former Roman Catholic basketball coach doesn’t seem
like such a bad guy after all. It still brings me pride to see
that the St. Joes Prep experience still shares many of the same
characteristics as when I was a student here.
The Prep still and always will graduate the intellectual,
corporate and Christian leaders of tomorrow.
While putting education at the forefront, St. Joe’s prepares
it’s students not only for it’s educational needs, but also teaches
the life lessons for boys to become strong, confident, moral men.
Alumni send their sons here and in return their grandsons
are sent here. It is a school that still stands at 17
th
and Girard built on the foundation of strong & virtuous men
such as Father Sauter, Dan Brennan, Father Garber, Jerome Taylor
and Father Vincent Taggart. Men
whose sole purpose in life is the development of the young men
of St. Joe’s Prep. It is this foundation that allows the young
men of the Prep to attain the two elements that for me have always
defined the Prep. These are loyalty and the bond of friendship.
With
this being said, it is indeed an incredible honor to be named
Alumnus of the year at St. Joe’s Prep and an honor I feel very
fitting to be given to Christopher Clarke, a man who was the very
definition of loyalty and friendship.
Affectionately
known as Buddha, Chris Clarke was the classmate that I met over
20 years who I would come to call my best friend.
Quick with a smile and the hand of friendship, I soon learned
that there was no one quite like Buddha. His love of life, ability to make friends,
and his commitment to his family never ceased to amaze me. In true Christian fashion, he not only always
wanted the best for the people in his life but more importantly,
always had the courage and the conviction to back that notion
up. In putting his family and friends first, he
was truly able to make himself happy through their achievements.
After
graduating from the Prep, he moved
on to Fordham University where he faced the biggest challenge
of his life, his father and hero, Frank “Chico” Clarke passed
away. Facing a Challenge
that no young man should have to face, Buddha’s
display of courage and responsibility, was to me the very
essence of the characteristics St. Joe’s Prep hopes to instill
in their young men today. As he grabbed the reigns of the leadership
and became the glue that kept his family together, never flinching
from his new roles of responsibility I saw a boy become a man.
It was the very process that St. Joes Prep tries to teach day
in and day out. He had managed to become a true example of a Prep man, but it did not
end there.
He
took all of the grit and the determination that he used daily
in his life and channeled it towards his professional life.
He became a successful bond trader in New York at the firm
of Sander O’Neil and quickly rose to the position of Managing
Director, the final step before partner. This was a position that
was only a matter of time.
He
married a beautiful and intelligent girl and the two of them became
one. He showed what the sacrament of marriage should be just as he was
taught at the Prep. He
not only became the type of man that every man in this room would
be proud to be, but hope that their own sons will become, which
is one of the loftiest praises you can bestow upon someone.
Tragically
Chris Clarke could not escape the terrible events of September
11
th and although he is not here today his spirit will
always live on. A scholarship fund has been set up in his name
here at the Prep and as a testament to the man he was, it has
already exceeded $85,000 in the short time since it’s inception.
He
was the friend who defined my Prep experience. He was a man who
loved St. Joe’s Prep and all that it stands for. He was a man
who exemplified the very spirit of the Prep. He was a man that
every student here today should strive to be. He is a true example
of the reason that St. Joe’s Prep has the great name that it so
richly deserves today. To me and many other people in this room,
he simply was a hero.
I
feel it is absolutely appropriate that we award, or even reward,
this honor to Chris Clarke today because in the words of Philadelphia’s
founding father William Penn,
" He that does good for good’s sake seeks neither paradise
nor reward, but he is sure of both in the end.”
And
in the word’s of Booker T. Washington,
“No Man, who continues to add something to the material, intellectual
and moral well being of the place in which he lives is left long
without proper reward.’
So
having said all this, it is my Honor and great Pleasure to present
The 2001 Saint Joseph’s Preparatory High School Alumnus of the
Year award to Casey and Janet Clarke, the wife and mother of a
true Saint Joe’s Prepper,
Christopher “ Buddha” Clarke
Web Links
http://www.legacy.com/Sept11.asp?Page=TributeStory&PersonId=126962
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2001/memorial/people/2865.html
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