Morris Brown alumni give $700,000 to help restore historic Fountain Hall
More than 50 years after graduating from Morris Brown College, Eleanor Powell Clark and Benny Franklin Clark are giving back to the school that helped shape their lives and brought them together.
The couple donated $700,000 Wednesday toward the restoration of Fountain Hall, one of the Atlanta college’s most historic buildings.
The gift is part of a $1 million pledge they now expect to fulfill years ahead of schedule.
And they’re hoping their generosity inspires other alumni to follow.
“We’re going to put pressure on our classmates,” Benny Clark said.
Morris Brown President Kevin James thanked the couple in a Facebook post Friday, writing, “We are truly grateful!”
The Clarks pledged $1 million to Morris Brown in 2025, originally planning to spread the gift over 10 years to account for potential family caregiving expenses. After contributing $100,000 last year, they accelerated the timeline with Wednesday’s $700,000 donation. They expect to deliver the remaining $200,000 by the end of November.
The entire $1 million will support the restoration of Fountain Hall, a landmark building the Clarks hope to see restored during their lifetimes.
“I’d like to see it rehabilitated before I move on to a higher ground, and that’s why we decided to go ahead and make the donation now rather than over the next nine years,” Benny said.
A landmark worth saving
Built in 1882 as Stone Hall for Atlanta University, Fountain Hall is the oldest surviving building in the Atlanta University Center.
Scholar and civil rights activist W.E.B. Du Bois taught at Atlanta University and conducted research in the building. His influential 1903 book, “The Souls of Black Folk,” drew in part on his experiences studying Black life in the South.
When the Clarks were in school, Fountain Hall was used for classes. However, it has not been in use since 2004.
“Last time I was there, it didn’t look too good,” Benny, a 1975 graduate, said.
Fountain Hall is a registered National Historic Landmark. The building is currently going through a series of repairs in a rehabilitation project.
Morris Brown lost its accreditation in 2002 amid financial and administrative turmoil, beginning a two-decade struggle to survive. The historically Black college regained accreditation in 2022, a milestone that renewed efforts to rebuild the institution and restore its campus.
A Morris Brown love story
Morris Brown gave the Clarks more than an education. It also helped bring them together.
While enrolled at Morris Brown as a business administration major in 1974, Benny got an internship at what was then the United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare, a predecessor of today’s Department of Health and Human Services, where Eleanor was an assistant to the regional attorney.
She had graduated the previous year with a degree in business education.
Eleanor said they began dating after Benny “bummed” a ride from her after work.
“He was a city bus rider, and I had a car,” Eleanor said. “So, he asked for a ride home.”
They started dating four months later and married Oct. 15, 1977.
After their government careers, Eleanor and Benny operated multiple McDonald’s restaurants in South Carolina for 20 years. They retired in 2019.
The Clarks hope their gift encourages other Morris Brown graduates to invest in the college’s future.
Benny offered a blunt argument for giving while there’s still time.
“You’re going to die, and your kids are going to throw away the money,” he said. “Put it to a good cause.”