Our Founder
Clark "Corky" Graham
Dr. Clark ‘Corky‘ Graham is the Founder of the non-profit LET’S GO Boys and Girls, Inc. Dr. Graham retired from Northrop Grumman in July 2008 as a Senior Vice President in the shipbuilding sector. Positions at Northrop Grumman included Technical Director of the Zumwalt Destroyer program and Senior Vice President in charge of Northrop Grumman’s Gulf Coast shipbuilding operations with over 10,000 employees. Dr. Graham joined Northrop Grumman Ship Systems from a former Litton Division, Litton Marine Systems, where he served as President. Prior to joining Litton, Dr. Graham completed a 30-year career with the U.S. Navy after graduation from the United States Naval Academy in 1964, attaining the rank of Captain. He received a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from MIT in 1969 and a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the US Naval Academy.
The LETS GO Story
On the Tuesday after Thanksgiving in 2008, Dr. Clark "Corky" Graham worked with his first group of students from the Boys and Girls Club in Annapolis. He decided to do a STEM activity and purchased a Lego Robotics Kit the previous evening. About 15 kids participated. As Corky remarked, "The kids were curious and wanted to know more about designing and building an autonomous robot. They asked me to teach them how to build a robot. I said I did not know, and we would have to learn together." This was the start of what is now LETS GO Boys and Girls!
Corky's passion and commitment to our mission burns within each of us as it did on that historic day. Since that time, LETS GO has impacted over 27,000 students, delivered 1,825 activities, trained 1,484 teachers, and worked with 141 program sites in Anne Arundel County, Baltimore City, Washington, DC, Transylvania County, NC, and Haiti.
Thank you, Corky, for inspiring all of us!