Matthew Stark

Matthew Stark (January 27, 1930 – April 10, 2018) was a noted civil rights activist in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Lee County, Florida. Stark was born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated from Ohio University in 1951 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and a Bachelor of Science degree in education. He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1959 with a master's degree in Educational Psychology. Stark received his Ph.D. in Educational Administration and Counseling in June, 1963 from Case Western Reserve University. He was dean of students at Moorhead State University 1962–63. He was assistant professor and coordinator of human relations programs at the University of Minnesota, 1963–1970.

American Civil Liberties Union involvement Stark left the University of Minnesota in 1973 to head the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, then known as the Minnesota Civil Liberties Union (MCLU). Stark was elected president of the MCLU in 1966. Until then, the board of the MCLU had taken an accommodationist position on religion in the schools, but Stark persuaded them in 1967 to take a separationist position. Stark claimed to have been "greatly inspired" by the leading church-state separationist in Minnesota, Samuel Scheiner of the Jewish-Christian Community Relations Council of Minnesota. From then on, he was "the undisputed leader" of the church-state separation movement in the state. which they contended had led to "serious organizational problems," but the slate was defeated. Stark resigned from the MCLU board in 1995. In March 1996, a pro-Stark faction of the board voted in six new board seats, and elected members to fill them for terms as long as six years. However, the national ACLU rejected these bylaw changes as "undemocratic."

Awards and recognition The University of Minnesota established the Dr. Matthew Stark Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Faculty and Student Award to recognize contributions to civil rights and liberties. It annually presents an award to both a faculty member and a student. The Hennepin County Bar Association awarded Stark its Advancement of Justice award in 1987. In 2008, Stark presided as grand marshal of the Twin Cities Gay Pride Festival and Parade and received the Pride award from Twin Cities Pride. He won the medal of merit from the Ohio University Alumni Association in 2011.

Personal life Stark married Terri Stark in 1985. They have no children. Stark wintered in Florida, where he continued to be active in the ACLU chapter in Lee County and in the local Gay Social Network and serves on the ACLU national advisory council. He died on April 10, 2018, at the age of 88.