Remembering Mari Jensen Clack - 2017 UD Impact Award Recipient

Mari and Dave Clack received the University District's inaugural Impact Award in 2017 for their outstanding contributions and impact in the University District.

It is with great sadness that we share the news of Mari's passing this August. Mari and Dave are pictured at left with Catherine Brazil (far left) and Kim Pearman-Gillman (at right).

Mari Jensen Clack Obituary 

(From the Seattle Times)

Washington - Mari was born to Dr. Clyde Jensen, a pathologist, and Mary Bard Jensen, a writer. She was raised in Seattle's Denny Blaine neighborhood with sisters Salli and Heidi, where Mary's famous baked goods welcomed everyone in the neighborhood. Mari enjoyed ferry rides to Aunt Betty MacDonald's Vashon Island farm — where the children's adventures rivaled a good summer camp — and wonderful lunches at Frederick & Nelson with her grandmother Sydney Bard.

 

Mari's life of learning started at Forest Ridge Convent and later Bush School. At the University of Washington, she joined Kappa Alpha Theta and spent a summer in Summer Stock Theater. It was at the UW where she met Dave Clack, a member of Phi Delta Theta, and in 1960 they married and began their adventure in Spokane.

They differed politically — Mari, a Democrat advocating for the rights of women and those facing inequality, and Dave, a Republican with a zeal for recharging Spokane's economy. Higher education became their bridge and together they've funded scholarships for first-generation college students and aspiring physicians.

Before arriving in Spokane, Mari taught middle school and looked forward to resuming her teaching career. She started by teaching Sunday School, and then helped Bluebirds, Campfire Girls, Cub and Boy Scouts.

Mari encouraged her children to invite friends for dinner - and they had better be ready to discuss everything from political candidates to societal problems, and enjoy some delicious food and good humor too. And Christmastime brought good cheer as well - most of the time. Dave famously added to Mari's stocking a Hoover vacuum, and another year a 15-passenger Dodge van, each without Santa's approval. The vacuum was re-gifted to Dave, and Santa or Jesus told Dave to replace the van with a yellow Porsche.

When Expo '74 arrived, Mari joined the new Nordstrom store as a commissioned salesperson who loved helping her regular customers curate their wardrobes, and they kept coming back.

Mari loved to host dinner parties and soon Democratic candidates asked Mari to host their Spokane fundraisers because they knew every detail would be covered: amazing bites of food paired with Washington wines, donations cultivated at the right moment, and personal thank you notes written. Eventually she hosted fundraisers for her childhood-friend Booth Gardner's successful gubernatorial campaign and in the process he realized he needed a permanent director for Eastern Washington and hired Mari.

No matter what the effort, Mari really enjoyed serving on a team - listening to different viewpoints and working hard to reach a consensus - and thriving in the negotiation process to get there. Her first opportunity came when the City Council approved her nomination to the Spokane Park Board at a pivotal time for families, children and facilities. Most of the City's pools needed replacement, and Liberty Pool - which, when built in 1920, was one of Spokane's few non-segregated pools, faced closure despite heavy use by families in the diverse East Central neighborhood. She worked closely with her colleagues to place a measure on the ballot to construct what are now some of the finest public aquatic centers in the state.

When a seat opened on the UW Board of Regents, Booth Gardener appointed Mari to a six-year term, where she served for 12 years after being reappointed by governor Mike Lowry. Mari loved serving on committees with fellow Regents, and receiving input from faculty, students, administrators, experts, members of the public, and constantly learning from others. Known for attending the classes of great teachers, Mari advocated for the recognition of professors who went the extra mile when teaching undergraduates.

But not every volunteer position came without serious challenges. Mari served on the board and later became president of Planned Parenthood of Spokane where she earned the admiration of skeptical friends and media critics by focusing on the basic mission: to bring reproductive healthcare and education to underserved women so they could make informed choices about abstention, intimacy and parenthood.

Many remember Mari for her work with women and children. When Mari came to Spokane she gained valuable experience volunteering with the Junior League. Eventually Mari co-founded the Women Helping Women Fund in 1992. Since then, it has raised over $7 million for over 600 grants and scholarships, and women and children in the Spokane region have benefitted ever since.

You may have joined Mari running, skiing, hiking, power walking, playing tennis or pickleball, enjoying a meal or coffee, or attending a fun party. She didn't slow down unless it involved time with granddaughter Tucker — whether it was making Huckleberry sorbet in Montana, shopping until they dropped at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale in downtown Seattle, finding seashells at Cannon Beach or exploring Tucker's college life in Tucson.

Mari was a person of faith and a lifelong Episcopalian. From childhood until her death Mari was a doer. In a speech to medical students Mari said "... and the final part of doing always involves recognizing the contribution of others. Make A-R-T part of everything you undertake: Appreciation - Recognition - Thanks. Let people around you know that what they do matters ... because it does." And Mari practiced what she preached - appreciating and recognizing others in public, and handwriting personal notes of inspiration and thanks. She was a great doer!

Mari was preceded in death by parents Mary and Jens; and sister Salli. She's survived by husband Dave; daughter Ivaly (Scott) Alexander; granddaughter Tucker Alexander, son Jim (Grace), sister Heidi (John) Rabel, and a sprawling cast of cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends. Special thanks to Mari's caregivers and friends in her journey with breast cancer, and to Karla and her caregivers, nurses and wonderful friends during her final journey with Alzheimer's.

The family will hold a private memorial service. A Celebration of Life will be held at a future date.

Donations in Mari's memory may be made to Women Helping Women Fund secure.qgiv.com/for/mariclack and the UW School of Medicine at give.uwmedicine.org/clack