Edward W. Stack ’56 H’91

Edward W. Stack ’56 H’91 is the president of The Clark Estates, Inc., where he has worked ever since graduating from Pace. He is also a vice president, director, and trustee of many cultural and civic organizations, including the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, The Clark Foundation, The Farmers’ Museum, The New York State Trooper Foundation, and The Salvation Army. A member of the Edward J. Mortola Heritage Society, he has committed an estate gift to Pace and has also been a consistent donor to the University, having made his first gift in 1967.

When Edward W. Stack ’56 H’91 attended Pace in the 1950s, he was an accounting major, with plans to go to law school after graduation. During his senior year, he served as president of the student council. “Back then, One Pace Plaza hadn’t been built yet—Pace’s offices and classes were located at 41 Park Row. The building itself had a great history,” Ed recounted. “It was part of what had been known as ‘Newspaper Row’ in the 19th century and was even the original home of the New York Times. My student council president office, however, was the size of a broom closet,” he cheerfully recalled.

While serving in that tiny office, however, he had a chance encounter that would set the course of his entire career—down to this day. “Pace’s Career Placement Director told me that there was someone he thought I should speak with,” Ed related. “Although knowing my original plans for law school, he advised to meet with the gentleman, saying, ‘I think it’ll be time well spent.’” That gentleman was from the Clark Family, heirs to the Singer Sewing Machine fortune; founders of the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York; and turn-of-the century real estate moguls who had built the famed Dakota building on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. They were looking to hire someone to work in the accounting department at their family office. “The Clark family fascinated me,” he explained. “They were involved with everything I was interested in, including philanthropy throughout New York. I decided to give it a try—that ‘try’ ended up lasting more than half a century.”

Ed transitioned to professional life almost immediately. “I graduated Friday night, and reported to work Monday morning,” he reminisced. “One of my first jobs was doing the rent rolls at the Dakota every month for the celebrities who lived there—it was unbelievable!” Edward also became heavily involved with the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1963. “Over the decades, I ended up as president and chairman of the board,” he proudly recalled. “I got to meet many legendary baseball players, which was a fun part of my job.”

Through it all, Ed never forgot his Pace roots, serving as President of the Pace Alumni Association and becoming an active donor. In recent years, he has made generous gifts to name both a suite at Alumni Hall in Pleasantville and a study booth at One Pace Plaza as part of the New York City Master Plan, the ongoing revitalization of the New York campus. By naming the Edward W. Stack ’56 Suite, Ed is demonstrating to students the potential of a Pace education while building a stronger campus experience in Pleasantville. With his gift to name the Edward W. Stack Study Booth, Ed is making a major contribution to the creation of a new living and learning community in Lower Manhattan that will encourage students to develop lasting bonds and integrate their academic and social lives.

Philanthropy remains at the center of Ed’s thinking about Pace. “What compelled me to give back was the good education I received and help in finding a good job right after I graduated, which made me very successful,” he explained. “We need to reinforce the importance of supporting our alma mater. If you received a good education and experience, you need to support the school, and motivate others to do the same.”