The Clemson Medallion

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Clemson awarded its highest honor to two distinguished alumni

THE CLEMSON MEDALLION is presented to individuals who have rendered notable and significant service and support to the University and who exemplify the dedication and foresight of founder Thomas Green Clemson. Professor Emeritus Beverly “Ben” Skardon ’38 and Trustee Emeritus Allen Price Wood ’75 were honored with the Medallion at a presentation ceremony in February.
“Both of these men have helped shape the University in important ways,” said President James P. Clements. “Col. Skardon made a lasting impact by teaching countless students during his career, and students are being educated every day in buildings that Allen Wood designed. It is safe to say that our University would not be what it is today without these two outstanding leaders.”
Ben SkardonBEVERLY “BEN” SKARDON ’38 Ben Skardon, a U.S. Army veteran, fought in the Philippines in World War II, earning two Silver Stars and a Bronze Star for valor before becoming a prisoner of war when American troops were forced to surrender to the Japanese on April 9, 1942. Skardon survived the Bataan Death March and more than three years in Japanese prison camps, despite becoming deathly ill. Two fellow Clemson alumni, Henry Leitner and Otis Morgan, kept him alive by spoon-feeding him and eventually trading his gold Clemson ring — which he had managed to keep hidden — for food. It is a story now told at every Clemson ring ceremony, when Clemson seniors receive their class rings.
Leitner and Morgan did not survive the war. Skardon honors them every year by walking in the Bataan Memorial Death March at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico.
After retiring from the Army at the rank of colonel in 1962, Skardon earned a master’s degree from the University of Georgia, then joined the Clemson faculty in the English department in 1964. He taught at Clemson until his retire-ment in 1983. Skardon has received several honors from the University, including the Alumni Distinguished Service Award. In 2013, the University established the Skardon Clemson Ring Endowment, which helps fund the ring ceremony, and in 2016 the Memorial Stadium flagpole was dedicated in his honor. On Skardon’s 100th birthday, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster presented him with the Order of the Palmetto, the state’s highest honor. In March 2018, Skardon received the Congressional Gold Medal honoring Filipino and American veterans of World War II.
Allen WoodALLEN PRICE WOOD ’75 Allen Wood, who lives in Florence, South Carolina, and graduated from Clemson in 1975 with a degree in architecture, served on the University’s board of trustees from 1988 to 2003. He served as vice chair of the board from 1995 to 1997.
An architect by profession, Wood was chair of Moseley, Wilkins and Wood Architects of Florence before retiring in 2004. He designed and/or was the architect of record for several University buildings, including Lehotsky Hall, the CCIT Information Technology Center, and the Pee Dee Research and Education Center in Florence. Wood was an early proponent and supporter of the Charles E. Daniel Center for Building Research and Urban Studies, which opened in 1972 in Genoa, Italy.
He and his wife, Josie, endowed a fellowship to support architecture graduate students to spend a semester in Genoa or at the architectural program in Barcelona, Spain. He has been an active supporter of the Emerging Scholars program and played an important role in the creation of Clemson’s Wood Utilization + Design Institute.
He was honored for his service to the state with the Order of the Palmetto, the state’s highest honor, in 1995, and Wood also received the University’s Alumni Distinguished Service Award in 1996.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Norville Family Makes Transformational Gift to CECAS

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Mitch and Carla Norville have been loyal supporters of Clemson since the 1980s. They have faithfully given back to the University they love, strengthening programs and initiatives in both academics and athletics. Throughout the years the Norvilles have been instrumental in helping Clemson and its students thrive.
Now, they are showing their support once again with a transformational $2.5 million gift to the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences. With this, Mitch and Carla Norville became the eighth Cornerstone partner for the University and the first for CECAS.
Past contributions from the Norville family include a gift that created the Ernest R. Norville Endowed Chair in Biomedical Engineering, named in honor of Mitch Norville’s father, and significant contributions to IPTAY, including the Norville Family Gate at the West End Zone of Memorial Stadium.
Since the first degrees were granted in 1896, Clemson engineers and scientists have made significant contributions to our state, our nation and the world. Recognized as South Carolina’s leader in educating engineers, Clemson’s College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences places high priority on state-of-the art facilities, student scholarships and endowed professorships. The Norville family’s gift will go a long way toward making sure those priorities are met.
Focusing on the three areas as outlined by Dean Anand Gramopadhye, the gift provides flexibility and adaptability as the priorities evolve and change over the years, ensuring CECAS will continue preparing students to be intellectual leaders who can tackle tomorrow’s challenges.
Gramopadhye calls the Norvilles’ gift forward thinking: “As our first Academic Cornerstone partners, they are paving the way for others. Great talent, exceptional facilities and cutting-edge programming leading to impactful experiences are the three ingredients for success in academia. The Norvilles’ gift brings together all three.”
Mitch Norville graduated from Clemson in 1980 with a degree in mechanical engineering. He retired as chief operating offi-cer of Boston Properties and is the owner of Atlantic South Development Inc. His willingness to give back to his alma mater has resulted in leadership roles within the Clemson University Foundation, where he is the immediate past chair and continues to serve on the board of directors.

The Lessons of Nature

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Quattlebaum CenterStudents have new opportunities to enjoy and learn about our surroundings

WHILE HE WAS A STUDENT in the Bridge to Clemson program, Andy Quattlebaum spent many happy hours at the Snow Family Outdoor Fitness and Wellness Complex. Along with an interest in wildlife conservation, Andy loved camping, rock climbing, boating and many of the activities that the complex offers.
[pullquote]When Andy passed away in 2019, his parents, Don and Hayden Quattlebaum, wanted to honor his memory in a way that would reflect his love for the great outdoors and also provide an expanded learning opportunity for future generations of University students.[/pullquote] Their gift created the Andy Quattlebaum Outdoor Education Center on the grounds of the Snow Family Outdoor Fitness and Wellness Complex.
Blending with the natural beauty of its surroundings, the Quattlebaum Center reflects Clemson’s dedication to sustainability and preservation while focusing on education and leisure activities. As one of two facilities in the country to use southern yellow pine cross-laminated timber (material first tested by a Clemson Creative Inquiry group), the 16,500-square-foot Outdoor Education Center will serve as a national model for educational recreation and leisure space.  A patio and second-level deck offer commanding views of Lake Hartwell while a boathouse and equipment rental offer a more active lake experience. Dedicated multiuse classroom spaces provide room for trip planning and experiential learning.
The Quattlebaum Center houses the Clemson Outdoor Recreation and Education Program (CORE), which provides the Clemson community with a variety of outdoor adventure opportunities. Recreational trips and instructional programs are scheduled throughout the year and include backpacking, whitewater rafting, paddle boarding, kayaking, skiing and rock climbing. Trips are designed for every skill level, from beginner to advanced adventurer.
Created to be a destination that brings students together and connects them with outdoor recreation, activities provided at the Quattlebaum Center will place an emphasis on wellness, relaxation and experiences that promote physical, mental and emotional health.
The center also provides opportunity for student leadership. Clemson senior Katie Hansen says that serving as a CORE trip leader has been one of her most rewarding Clemson experiences. “Every mile or extra pound of gear in my backpack becomes infinitely worth the work when I see the empowerment and joy of the outdoors being shared,” said Hansen, who has led more than 20 trips with CORE. “We may only have these students for hours or days at a time, but the privileges of leadership, service and teaching are ones that we strive to make the most of each and every trip.”
Andy Quattlebaum’s love for Clemson came naturally. His father, Don, graduated in 1976, his grand-father in 1934 and his great-grandfather in 1909. His grandfather, Alexander McQueen Quattlebaum, was an engineering professor at Clemson and went on to serve on the board of trustees from 1958-74.
Now the Quattlebaums continue the family legacy of giving back to Clemson, as they become the University’s seventh Academic Cornerstone Partner with their $2.7 million gift. $500,000 will be used to support the Baruch Institute of Coastal Ecology and Forest Science in Georgetown, along with support for Clemson students who work at the institute. But it is the creation of the campus outdoor education center named to honor the memory of their son that is especially meaningful to their family.
“It is our hope that this beautiful facility will help many others learn about, appreciate and love the outdoors as Andy did,” said Don Quattlebaum. “In this world where there is a growing concern for the environment and man’s place in it, the more that people can learn about the outdoors and participate in all that it has to offer, the better chance that they will make better choices in life about the world around us.”

New Endowment Supports Snelsire, Sawyer and Robinson Clemson Career Workshop

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Clemson career workshop

Anthony L. Mattis ’86, chair of the fundraising committee for the endowment, spoke during the gala.


Since its beginning in 1977, the Clemson Career Workshop has invested in academically talented, underrepresented high school students by introducing them to Clemson through a summer residential program. The program’s original goals were to increase the number of students of color at Clemson in general as well as students of color majoring in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM). The workshop provides college preparation, networking and residential campus experiences.
Last October, a fundraising gala was held to honor the two founders and an outstanding alumnus of the program by renaming the CCW as the Snelsire, Sawyer and Robinson Clemson Career Workshop. The event also celebrated the establishment of an endowment to provide resources for the ongoing operation of the workshop. The program’s advisory board set a goal of $1 million in support of the program, with a kickoff pledge goal of $250,000 to establish the initial fund.
The three honorees have dedicated their lives to supporting STEM education at Clemson. Robert Snelsire is an emeritus professor of electrical engineer-ing who served as the director of the then College of Engineering’s Minority Program from 1977-1991. He founded the Programs for Educational Enrichment and Retention (PEER) and the Math Excellence Workshop. His engineering workshop was the inspiration for the Clemson Career Workshop.
Corrine Sawyer is an emerita professor of English. In 1982, she helped Snelsire expand the minority recruitment engineering workshop to a summer program, officially creating the Clemson Career Workshop.
Darryl Leshay Robinson is an alumnus, former head counselor and longtime advocate of the CCW. After earning undergrad-uate and graduate degrees in industrial engineering, he continually gave back to his alma mater through the CCW. Throughout his career in executive management, Robinson has been devoted to inspiring high school students, showing them a path toward academic success and professional achievement.
For more than 40 years, the career workshop has played a major role in attracting talented, high-achieving students from across South Carolina to Clemson. The newly established endowment will ensure that the SSRCCW continues its work for many future generations.

The Good House

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Student athletes completed a Habitat for Humanity home build project

Athletes build Habitat for Humanity house
Clemson Athletics and Pickens County Habitat for Humanity teamed up to construct a home build project in the city of Clemson. Three hundred and thirty student athletes logged over 1200 hours to build the home from scratch and were present from day one to the day of the house’s dedication on January 16th. The project took over a year to complete.
Funded in part by IPTAY and the Nieri Family Student-Athletics Enrichment Center, the home build was completed by student athletes representing all of Clemson’s athletic programs, making this the first time Clemson athletes have built a Habitat house from start to finish.
Weather conditions posed the most serious challenge for the group. Some days it was freezing; other days it rained and turned the ground to mud, forcing the volunteers to lay down tarps before they could continue to work on the foundation. Their tireless efforts resulted in a three-bedroom house — where Tabitha Good and her family now live.
Many student athletes had the opportunity to work alongside the Good family, including former men’s track and field runner Darron Coley.
“I knew they were coming from a rough situation, I knew about the time and energy they put in, and I knew that they worked hard to get their house,” said Coley. [pullquote]“Knowing that I made an impact, no matter how small, was really great.”[/pullquote]
The student athletes who participated appreciated the chance to not only bond with their fellow classmates but also pitch in for the greater community. The project provided ample time to reflect.
“The little things we do can actually be a lot bigger than us,” said Maura Chozick, a senior on the women’s rowing team. “Putting in a couple nails, having fun with my friends, hammering some things turned into a house.”
Several coaches and faculty members were also able to work on the build with their students. Women’s soccer coach Eddie Radwanski was thankful for the opportunity to contribute meaningful work alongside his students.
“All of our student athletes, they all come from different backgrounds; they have different stories. I think these moments provide great perspective,” he said. “Obviously there are things that you can talk about as a coach: You can try to educate or give a life lesson to somebody. But in moments like these, no words are really needed.”