Photo courtesy of the city of Arlington
Former Arlington mayor and council member Robert Cluck, who oversaw the construction of AT&T Stadium and brought the Dallas Cowboys to the city, died Tuesday at 87.
Credited for shaping Arlington’s skyline and bolstering the city’s economy, Cluck served two terms on the City Council before becoming mayor from 2003 to 2015, according to an obituary published on the city of Arlington website.
“His ability to build partnerships and see the community’s future potential fundamentally changed our trajectory,” Arlington Mayor Jim Ross said in the obituary. “We are a more vibrant, competitive, and world-class city today because of his bold leadership and belief in Arlington.”
Born in Cisco, Texas, in 1939, Cluck studied at Southern Methodist University and UT Southwestern Medical School. He later served two years as a general medical officer in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War, stationed in the Philippines.
After the war, Cluck worked as an obstetrician-gynecologist in Arlington before serving as vice president of medical management at Harris Methodist Health Plan and medical director at the Arlington Memorial Hospital.
The Cowboys, now a staple of Arlington, started their move into the city in 2001. While on the City Council, Cluck reached out to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones after hearing the franchise was interested in a new location, according to the obituary. Cluck’s efforts succeeded, and in 2009, his leadership helped open AT&T Stadium, which now attracts millions of visitors to Arlington annually.
In 2015, Jones named the AT&T Stadium atrium the Mayor Robert N. Cluck Atrium. Two years later, Cluck received the inaugural Arlington visionary award, created to honor citizens who have provided direction for the tourism industry.
Beyond the stadium, Cluck’s partnerships helped the city become part of developments such as College Park Center, Levitt Pavilion and downtown Arlington’s redevelopment.
The mayor’s history in medicine is also reflected in his tenure.
Cluck launched CPaRlington, a program to improve cardiac arrest survival in the city, in 2005. The program led to the Public Access Defibrillator program.
He also started Let’s Move with the Mayor, a fitness campaign in the Arlington Independent School District, helped extend hike and bike trails, and contributed to health and fitness programs through the parks department’s Naturally Fun Neighborhoods Program.
Cluck served on various boards and commissions as mayor, including the North Texas Commission Clean Air Coalition, Greater Arlington Chamber of Commerce, Tarrant County American Heart Association and Salvation Army Youth Education Town Advisory Council, among many others, according to the obituary.
Cluck is survived by his wife, Linda; daughters, Katherine Cluck Williams and Jennifer Cluck Bills; son, Robert Cluck III; and grandchildren, Lindsay Hardesty, Robert Austin Williams, Michaela Cluck and Payton Cluck.
@PMalkomes