St. Mark’s once had two grassy enclosed gardens side by side, just next to the Chapel. These two gardens were honored two founding members of the church – Gladys McConaughy Gros and Amy Bassett Clarke.
Frances Gladys McConaughy was born in 1891 in Salt Lake City. Her father was in mining, and then lumber and real estate (U.S. Census). News clippings of the time document her attendance at many social events, picnics, and parties. In 1913, while attending finishing school in Vermont, Gladys met and married Lt. Duncan Richart (Lake Harold Republican). Gladys’ son Robert was born in 1914, and her daughter, Mary Ellen, in 1917 (U.S. Census). Richart was a military man, and Gladys and the children followed him from post to post. In 1918, they were in Douglas, Arizona. In 1920, Duncan was stationed at Fort Russell, Laramie, Wyoming (The Salt Lake Tribune). In December of 1920, they left for Honolulu, Hawaii and were still there in August of 1921, where Gladys performed a piano solo at the Schofield Musical Club (Honolulu Star-Bulletin). Sometime after 1921 the couple separated. Gladys eventually met Schuyler Gros, a commercial diamond merchant, and the two were married in Salt Lake City in November of 1929 (The Salt Lake Tribune). Both of Gladys’ children took Schuyler’s last name, and he was a devoted stepfather. By 1940, they had moved to San Mateo (U.S. Census). Their son, Robert, attended Stanford and then settled in Palo Alto. By 1948, Gladys and Schuyler were also living in Palo Alto at 537 Coleridge Avenue…just in time to help found St. Mark’s (US. Directories). Although she was part of St. Mark’s first years, Gladys was unwell and on October 3, 1951, she passed way after a long illness (The San Francisco Examiner).
Amy Bassett Clark was the daughter of Almeron Cornelius “A.C.” Bassett. A.C. was a big personality who built railroads for the Confederacy during the Civil War, was a superintendent of the Southern Pacific railway (and a close friend of Leland Stanford), and for 25 years was the general manager of the Loma Prieta Lumber Company (in partnership with Timothy Hopkins) (The Californian). Amy and her only brother, Harvey, were raised in “society” in San Francisco and at their estate off Glenwood Avenue in Menlo Park (US. Census). Although Amy was a debutante, and would have been considered very “eligible” given her social standing, she did not marry until she was 30. Amy’s mother was an invalid, and Amy was with her in 1910 in Santa Barbara when she died (San Francisco Call). They had gone seeking relief for her mother’s asthma. It was only after her father died in 1914, that Amy got engaged. In January of 1915, she traveled to “the Orient” to stay with friends in Manila, the Philippines. That was where she met Robert E. Clarke, who had been in “business” in the Philippines for several years (Oakland Tribune). The couple married in December of 1915 and moved to New York City (The San Francisco Examiner). Their only child, Harvey Bassett Clarke, was born in 1919. In 1920, they lived in Westchester, New York. During the 1920’s, they lived in Salt Lake City, where they likely were friends with and traveled in the same social circles as Gladys and Schuyler Gros. In 1930, they lived in San Francisco and Robert started his career working for chemical companies. By 1933, they lived in Palo Alto, first on Guinda, and then at 1437 Dana Avenue, where they lived for the rest of their lives.
Despite many blessings, there was a lot of tragedy and loss in Amy’s life. She lost both her parents before she was 30. Her brother’s only child (her only nephew), died in 1917. Her only son, Harvey, died in 1942 during World War II. Her beloved only brother, Harvey, died in 1947 (The San Francisco Examiner). By 1948, she was the only member of her family left. Amy created a foundation in her son’s name to benefit children’s medical research and was also very involved and on the Board of the Stanford Convalescent Hospital (and rummage sales to support the hospital were held at St. Mark’s for many, many years) (The San Francisco Examiner). She was active at St. Mark’s until she passed away at 66 in 1952, and is buried in Colma, CA (Find A Grave).
The gardens were created side by side in 1952 (Gros Garden) and 1953 (Clarke Garden) to honor the memory of these two woman. They were enjoyed by generations of St. Mark’s parishioners until they were removed during the 1993 remodel (St. Mark’s Archives).
Thank you for this excellent history!