Later in life, Clark took to farming a 40-acre plot of land in Dripping Springs, outside Austin. The state is appealing.Ĭlark resigned from the court in 1989 and spent 10 years in the Austin office of the law firm Vinson & Elkins. Last August, state District Judge John Dietz found the system unconstitutional, not only because of inadequate funding and flaws in the way it distributes money to districts, but also because it imposes a de facto state property tax. That case was one of several legal challenges to Texas' system for financing public schools. His decision was unanimously upheld by the Texas Supreme Court. In 1987, Clark ruled that the state's system of financing public schools violated the Texas Constitution because of funding disparities between property-rich and property-poor school districts.
He worked as a trial lawyer in the 1960s and '70s and was appointed judge for the state's 250th Judicial Court in 1977 by then Gov. The hand sign made a cameo in the 2002 "Spider-Man" movie, as well.Ĭlark earned a bachelor of arts degree from the university in 1957, a master of arts degree in 1960 and a law degree in 1962. Bush's daughter Jenna Bush flashed the sign in Norway and drew international attention after the Norwegians mistook it for a Satanic salute. The "Hook 'em" sign has spread beyond Longhorn lore over the years.
His love and dedication to UT Austin will never be forgotten." "Harley Clark introduced the Hook 'em Horns hand sign, a symbol of Longhorn pride that is recognized and shared around the globe. Kay Bailey Hutchison, president of the Texas Exes, the university's alumni organization, said in a statement.
"Today, Texas Exes mourn the passing of a man who embodied the spirit of our beloved university," former U.S. The hand sign caught on quickly at the game the next day. Clark demonstrated the sign to the crowd and declared, "This is the official hand sign of the University of Texas, to be used whenever and wherever Longhorns gather," the news release said. The 1966 ruling, in favor of four white men rejected from UT's law school, was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2003.Ĭlark, who was head UT cheerleader, introduced the hand sign during a rally in Gregory Gym the day before UT played a big game against Texas Christian University. Texas case was the first successful challenge of UT's use of race in its admissions process. "We'll miss his good-natured presence on our campus." "Apart from Judge Clark's role in helping establish a UT tradition, he was a longtime supporter of the university in other important ways, including contributing to our legal defense in the Hopwood case and volunteering his time," UT President Bill Powers said in a statement. He died on his farm near Dripping Springs, where he spent the last months of his life surrounded by books, dogs, family and friends, according to a news release. Clark, as a state district judge from Austin, also issued a landmark ruling in 1987 in a challenge to the state's school finance system, an issue that continues to reverberate in the courts today.Ĭlark introduced the hand sign at a pep rally in 1955, and it became a universal symbol over the next six decades.