If you had told my 18-year-old self — barely scraping by in high school, dropping out of college five weeks in — that one day I’d be standing on a commencement stage receiving an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree from Missouri S&T, I would’ve laughed. Honestly, I might have thought you were talking about someone else.

But here I am. And it’s hard to put into words what this moment truly means to me. It’s surreal.

I grew up in Bridgeton, Missouri, just outside St. Louis, in a modest neighborhood where you could hear the planes from the airport all day long. The house I grew up in doesn’t even exist anymore — it was torn down to make way for a new runway. But that little house laid the foundation for everything in my life. That neighborhood shaped me. The values I learned there stuck.

My dad, Harold Clark, was my first role model. He only had a seventh-grade education, but that never stopped him. He started a painting company in his 30s and built it into the largest paint maintenance company in the country. I saw firsthand what grit, sacrifice, and raw entrepreneurial energy looked like. He taught me what it means to build something out of nothing. He believes in betting on yourself. He used to say to my siblings and me, “You should never work for anyone but yourself.” We never did. 

I was never a star student. Later in life, I learned I have ADD, which helped explain why school was hard for me. But what I lacked in grades, I made up for in common sense, drive, and hustle. I taught myself anything that I cared about and made a business out of it — sealing driveways, plowing snow, washing cars. I was always trying, always learning, always pushing. That energy has never left me.

At 19, I got involved in an equipment company, and by 25, I started Clayco. No investors. No blueprint. Just vision, urgency, and a belief that we could do things differently — and better. Forty years later, Clayco is one of the largest privately owned construction, architecture, and engineering firms in the country. That growth didn’t happen overnight — it took years of sacrifice, an incredible team, and an obsession with excellence.

And yet, this degree from Missouri S&T hits different.

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This is more than a personal honor. It’s not just a diploma — it’s a symbol. Of the nights I didn’t sleep. The failures I learned from. The bets I made when the odds said not to. It’s not just about me — it’s about the generations that came before me. My grandfather carved a path for my dad — a dirt trail, but one that led forward. My dad widened it and laid down gravel. My job, always, has been to pave that path in concrete – granite even – for my children, grandchildren, and everyone who comes after.

That’s why this moment matters. It’s not about a title or a robe — it’s about what it represents. The journey. Growth. Transformation. The idea that where you start doesn’t have to dictate where you finish.

To receive this recognition from Missouri S&T — one of the country’s premier engineering schools — is something I will never forget. It’s humbling, it’s energizing, and it reminds me that the work is never done. I hope my story proves to someone out there that it’s okay if your path isn’t perfect. Just keep moving forward.

Special Thanks to Chancellor Mo DehGhani and the curators of the University Of Missouri. 

Keep building. Keep pushing. Because you never know where that runway will lead.

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— Bob Clark