NAHB Mourns the Passing of Texas Builder Oliver “Sam” Clark Jr.
NAHB mourns the passing of three-time East Texas Builders Association (ETBA) president Oliver Heartsill “Sam” Clark Jr. Clark, 70, passed away on Jan. 9, after a year-long battle with pancreatic cancer.
As the owner of Classic Homes in Longview, Texas, Clark was highly respected in his community. He was also an ETBA and NAHB Life Director, having served more than a decade with the associations.
A graduate of Marshall High School and Texas Christian University, Clark is survived by his wife of 39 years, Mary, his children and grandchildren.
A celebration of Clark’s life will be held on Jan. 15, at the ETBA’s Event Center that he built in 2009. Donations may also be made in Clark’s name to ETBA’s scholarship fund.
Latest from NAHBNow
Jan 02, 2026
Trump Delays Higher Tariffs on Furniture, Kitchen Cabinets for One YearPresident Trump has announced he will be rolling back higher tariffs on furniture, kitchen cabinets and vanities that were set to go into effect on Jan. 1, 2026, until Jan. 1, 2027.
Jan 02, 2026
FHA’s MMI Fund Capital Ratio Remained Solid in Fiscal Year 2025The capital reserve ratio for the Federal Housing Administration’s Mutual Mortgage Insurance Fund ended the fiscal year at 11.47% — unchanged from the capital ratio for fiscal year 2024 and well above the congressionally mandated 2% capital ratio.
Latest Economic News
Dec 22, 2025
State-Level Employment Situation: September 2025In September 2025, nonfarm payroll employment was largely unchanged across states on a monthly basis, with a limited number of states seeing statistically significant increases or decreases. This reflects generally stable job counts across states despite broader labor market fluctuations. The data were impacted by collection delays due to the federal government shutdown.
Dec 19, 2025
Existing Home Sales Edge Higher in NovemberExisting home sales rose for the third consecutive month in November as lower mortgage rates continued to boost home sales, according to the National Association of Realtors (NAR). However, the increase remained modest as mortgage rates still stayed above 6% while down from recent highs. The weakening job market also weighed on buyer activity.
Dec 18, 2025
Lumber Capacity Lower Midway Through 2025Sawmill production has remained essentially flat over the past two years, according to the Federal Reserve G.17 Industrial Production report. This most recent data release contained an annual revision, which resulted in higher estimates for both production and capacity in U.S. sawmills.