Aug 3, 2026
Clarke’s legacy lives on through new endowment
Long before virtual classrooms became commonplace and lecture recordings were just a click away, Gerald “Jerry” Clarke was quietly making distance education work.
As the information technology specialist for VCU’s College of Health Professions – and then specifically the Department of Nurse Anesthesia – Clarke spent more than a decade ensuring students across Virginia received the same educational experience, regardless of where they were learning.
When technology faltered, he found a solution. When students struggled with computers, he stayed until the problem was fixed. And when faculty envisioned new ways to expand nurse anesthesia education, he helped turn those ideas into reality.
Today, his impact continues through the Gerald “Jerry” F. Clarke Endowment Fund, established this year through gifts from 102 faculty members, administrators, alumni, and friends. The fund will support simulation training, distance education, student needs, and faculty development within the department – areas that reflected Clarke’s life’s work.
“He was relentless in making sure things worked,” said Beverly George-Gay, DNP, associate professor and director of distance education. “He would just keep trying and trying and trying until we got it.”
To Kendall Satterwhite, DNAP, ’18, Clarke was her great uncle – and her initial connection to VCU.
“My family and I are so happy and excited that Jerry’s invaluable contributions to the program and his memory are being honored,” she said. “Jerry was passionate about his work at the program, but most of all he loved the students. He wanted to see everyone succeed.”
Learning about the field when she was a young teen, Satterwhite didn’t know until a later conversation with her grandparents that she had a direct line to the profession. The summer before her senior year of high school, she spent her first day at VCU, shadowing her uncle.
“Jerry showed me the program – located in West Hospital at the time – and the simulation lab. I also met a few students, faculty and staff,” Satterwhite said. “I found out what I needed to do to one day attend that program, and I set goals to make it happen. Jerry was very proud when I was accepted into the program for the Class of 2017.”
Building a career at VCU
Clarke joined what was then the VCU School of Allied Health in 1998 as an IT assistant before advancing to IT analyst. By the mid-2000s, he had become the department’s dedicated technology specialist – and much more.
“He felt like one of our own,” George-Gay said. “He became a real part of our department.”
His arrival coincided with the growth of the department’s distance education program in Abingdon, where every lecture delivered in Richmond was taught live to students more than 300 miles away. Years before Zoom transformed higher education, every class depended on reliable connectivity, carefully coordinated technology and constant troubleshooting.
“There were some problems here and there,” George-Gay recalled. “He would be right there to jump in, troubleshoot and get it fixed immediately. His heart was there for us to make this work.”
As the program expanded, Clarke helped establish the department’s Roanoke distance education site, spending countless hours selecting equipment, testing connections and solving technical challenges before the first students arrived. When increasing enrollment strained the university’s network capacity, he successfully advocated for additional bandwidth to keep classes running smoothly.
He also recorded every lecture presented in the department through the fall of 2016, creating a study resource that generations of students credited with helping them succeed. Whether repairing a student’s laptop or answering late-night emails from faculty, Clarke was known for always being there.
“Day or night, Jerry would respond,” George-Gay said. “He was so connected to us.”
A ‘cheerleader’ for students
Satterwhite echoed that, calling her great uncle the “biggest cheerleader” for all nurse anesthesia students.
“He worked tirelessly to make sure that everything ran smoothly. If anyone ever had an issue with technology, he was there immediately and had it fixed,” said Satterwhite, a Caroline County native who now works at Memorial Regional Medical Center in Mechanicsville. “He was also there for us every morning and throughout the classroom days – offering support and words of encouragement.”
Over the years, Clarke became part of the department’s close-knit culture. Faculty came to know his family, just as he came to know theirs.
“We always say our department is like a family,” George-Gay said. “He was part of that family.”
After Clarke suffered life-changing injuries in a traffic accident in 2016, colleagues and alumni rallied around him. When the department later announced plans to establish an endowment in his honor, the response reflected the profound impact he had made on generations of students and faculty.
Rather than simply recognizing his years of service, the endowment carries forward the work that mattered most to him: supporting educational innovation, expanding access and enhancing the student experience.
“Jerry just meant so much to our students, our graduates and to us as colleagues,” George-Gay said. “He was just a tremendous soul – a giving person.”