Larry Landry \u201971, MBA \u201975, has long served his University<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Larry Landry is a self-described \u201cWorcester kid\u201d who grew up on the city\u2019s east side, across the street from a ballpark and surrounded by woods that he and his buddies could explore in every season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Worcester kid met his wife, Janice, at Sacred Heart Academy and they married young \u2014 Larry was 21 and Jan was 19. Larry would earn a B.S. in business administration in 1971 and an MBA in 1975 from Clark University, but his affiliation with Clark did not end with graduation. Far from it. Larry, in tandem with Jan, formed a bond with the institution that has endured for decades, through giving and service, and earning him the rare designation of Life Member on the Clark Board of Trustees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There\u2019s a story to it all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At an early point in his career, Landry was working as the assistant superintendent for the Westboro Public Schools when one day his grandmother asked him to drive her to Hartford so she could visit her sisters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey spoke French, and I didn\u2019t, so one of her brothers-in-law, a stockbroker, took me to his office,\u201d he recalls. \u201cThe ticker tapes were going, and he showed me how to do some trading. I got the investment bug right there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
That same day, Landry was thumbing through the job ads in The Hartford Courant<\/em> when he spotted an intriguing notice for a budget director-assistant treasurer at a \u201csmall New England institute of higher education.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSo, I applied \u2014 and it was Clark,\u201d he laughs. \u201cI got the job. But if I hadn\u2019t taken my grandmother to Hartford, I probably wouldn\u2019t have even seen the ad.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cClark is a place that\u2019s large enough to be comprehensive but small enough so that every student is visible.\u201d<\/p>larry landry \u201971, mba \u201975<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n Landry eventually was promoted to chief financial officer at Clark while still in his twenties. He recalls being mentored by Jacob Hiatt, a trustee and benefactor whose investing acumen was legendary. Landry also had the opportunity to collaborate with faculty on various projects, including on the construction of the energy-efficient cogeneration power plant on campus, one of the first of its kind in the country. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Professors Chris Hohenemser and Rob Goble \u201chandled the science, and I did some of the regulatory work and all the financing\u201d for the plant, Landry remembers. \u201cThat was the interdisciplinary culture at Clark. No one cared who you were or what area at Clark you came from. What mattered is what you could offer for the greater good. I was always inspired by that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Landry continued to hone his investment skills at Swarthmore College and Southern Methodist University before working for 10 years as chief investment officer for the MacArthur Foundation. He went on to found Westport Senior Living Investment Fund, which is involved with the development of continued care retirement communities. In connection with Westport Senior Living, he found Agewell Living, which manages 35 communities in eight states. With his brother, Roger Landry, M.D., he also founded Masterpiece Living, a senior-living advisory firm assisting seniors to age successfully. Masterpiece\u2019s content is based upon the MacArthur Foundation\u2019s 10-year study on successful aging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A member of the Board of Trustees since 1993, Landry, who resides in North Palm Beach, Florida, is one of only two members, along with Tony Tilton, elected as a Life Trustee \u2014 the rarest of board honors. Larry notes that his service is a true partnership with Jan, who is incredibly supportive of the University, and who accompanies Larry to every board meeting. Together, the couple have also contributed nearly $3 million to Clark, including an endowed professorship and student scholarships, reflecting their deep appreciation and gratitude for the mission of Clark University to provide a world-class education that\u2019s expansive in its breadth and intimate in its delivery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cJan is very much a part of this,\u201d Larry says. \u201cShe\u2019s never pushed back on any gift to Clark, and in fact the opposite is true: She\u2019ll push me for more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cClark is a place that\u2019s large enough to be comprehensive but small enough so that every student is visible,\u201d he continues. \u201cFor a young person building their portfolio and understanding where they are in life, it\u2019s the perfect place to be.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n His length of service on the board (including a term as chair) and ongoing involvement as a Life Trustee have provided Larry Landry an insider\u2019s perspective into Clark\u2019s academic and reputational evolution. He cites the benefit and privilege of serving with trustees who bring with them a wide array of professional experience and their unique personal connections to help shape a better Clark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s been a pleasure to see various generations of trustees come through,\u201d he says. \u201cI often joke that in my career I started as the youngest person in the room, and now I\u2019m practically the oldest. And it happened with the snap of a finger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHonestly, Jan and I could never give back to Clark what it has given to us, as students and alumni. Clark has always been, and always will be, a very special place.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Larry Landry\u2019s affiliation with Clark didn’t end at graduation. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":28036,"template":"","meta":{"story_color":"var(--clarku-color-purple)","story_headerImg":28036,"section_label":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[223],"displayed_author":[235],"featured":[494],"topic":[611,232,609,610],"class_list":["post-28037","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-clark-community","displayed_author-jim-keogh","featured-secondary","topic-advancement","topic-alumni","topic-board-of-trustees","topic-giving"],"yoast_head":"\n