A native of Fort Worth, Randolph Lee Clark worked as a cowboy on the XIT Ranch as a young man. After graduating from Add-Ran Christian University, he worked for state educational offices in Austin. He served as school superintendent in Wichita Falls from 1915 to 1923, when he moved to Gainesville to accept a similar position. With the help of the Kiwanis Club, he convinced the city to open Gainesville Junior College in 1924. Active in state and national educational organizations, Clark was considered a pioneer in the Texas Junior College movement.