Following is a Clark sampler from:
The New York Times: “When I leave this school, if it didn’t plummet to the depths of despair, if it didn’t become violence-ridden, if drugs and stabbings, all the things that I inherited, did not reappear, I would be chagrined. ... I’m the star. There can only be one star. If you want to be the star, get your own school.”
The Washington Post: “I refuse to let a bunch of obdurate, rebellious, unappreciative board members run me out of this town that I’ve worked in so assiduously for 27 years.”
Associated Press: “At some point, you [students] have to go to work and become a contributor rather than a leech on the building, taking away from the educational process of other, younger people. ... The board should be awarding me accolades and the Purple Heart. I’ve catapulted this school into greatness.”
The Philadelphia Inquirer: “In my school, I’m the constitution. These kids deserve to get a good education in a drug-free environment, and I’m just the man to see that they get it.”
“Given all the nuances of society, and if we could correct the pervasive ills that surround blacks and Hispanics; and if we were able to undo decades of stagnation and prejudice and poor self-concepts--the dissipation of family--if we were able to do all those things, then eradicate racism from our society; if we were able to construct a government truly committed to justice, equality and liberty for all; if we were able to do just some of those things, there could be parity. Until such time, it’s just a figment of one’s imagination.”