2008 Woodie Awards
Clinton's Right-Hand Man to Speak
Brad Howard
Issue date: 4/28/06 Section: News
- Page 1 of 1
A former chief of staff for President William J. Clinton will deliver the commencement address for Hendrix's graduating class of 2006.
Thomas F. (Mack) McLarty III was born in Hope in 1946 and has had a distinguished political and business career including serving as President Clinton's chief of staff from 1993 to 1994.
McLarty graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1969 and was elected to the state legislature at the age of 23 eventually serving as chair of the state Democratic Party from 1974-1976.
In 1976, he became the youngest member ever elected to the Board of Directors of the Arkla Gas/Arkla, Inc., a Fortune 500 natural gas company; he eventually became its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in 1983.
He would go on to serve as a key adviser to three different U.S. Presidents - Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush and Jimmy Carter. He played key roles in several major global initiatives during his tenure as chief of staff including helping to enact the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), organizing the 1994 Summit of the Americas in Miami and structuring the 1995 Mexican peso stabilization program. He also served as Counselor to the President, Special Envoy for the Americas and on the National Executive Council in the Clinton administration.
McLarty also served as a member of the Hendrix Board of Trustees from 1981-1987. Currently, he is the vice-president of Kissinger McLarty & Associates, his international consulting company with Henry Kissinger, and the Non-executive Chairman of Asbury Automotive Arkansas, also known as The McLarty Group, just recently giving up the post of Chief Executive Officer last year.
"Mack's distinguished record of business leadership and public service and his long-standing passion for Hendrix and for young adults make him the ideal speaker and role model for our graduating seniors who have been encouraged to engage with the world," Hendrix College President J. Timothy Cloyd said.
Commencement exercises will begin at 9:00 a.m. on May 13 on the lawn between Ellis and Fausett Halls. An outdoor reception for graduates and guests will follow. In case of rain, commencement will be moved to Staples Auditorium.
Thomas F. (Mack) McLarty III was born in Hope in 1946 and has had a distinguished political and business career including serving as President Clinton's chief of staff from 1993 to 1994.
McLarty graduated from the University of Arkansas in 1969 and was elected to the state legislature at the age of 23 eventually serving as chair of the state Democratic Party from 1974-1976.
In 1976, he became the youngest member ever elected to the Board of Directors of the Arkla Gas/Arkla, Inc., a Fortune 500 natural gas company; he eventually became its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in 1983.
He would go on to serve as a key adviser to three different U.S. Presidents - Bill Clinton, George H. W. Bush and Jimmy Carter. He played key roles in several major global initiatives during his tenure as chief of staff including helping to enact the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), organizing the 1994 Summit of the Americas in Miami and structuring the 1995 Mexican peso stabilization program. He also served as Counselor to the President, Special Envoy for the Americas and on the National Executive Council in the Clinton administration.
McLarty also served as a member of the Hendrix Board of Trustees from 1981-1987. Currently, he is the vice-president of Kissinger McLarty & Associates, his international consulting company with Henry Kissinger, and the Non-executive Chairman of Asbury Automotive Arkansas, also known as The McLarty Group, just recently giving up the post of Chief Executive Officer last year.
"Mack's distinguished record of business leadership and public service and his long-standing passion for Hendrix and for young adults make him the ideal speaker and role model for our graduating seniors who have been encouraged to engage with the world," Hendrix College President J. Timothy Cloyd said.
Commencement exercises will begin at 9:00 a.m. on May 13 on the lawn between Ellis and Fausett Halls. An outdoor reception for graduates and guests will follow. In case of rain, commencement will be moved to Staples Auditorium.
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