Ireland: Dan Joy '93, Andy Monin '94, Pax Briley '93 and Brook Mickler '94
Dan Joy ’93, Andy Monin ’94, Pax Briley ’93 and Brook Mickler ’94 played in the Donn na Duiche Golf Tournament at Trump Doonbeg on the west coast of Ireland.
When in Berlin
Let AJ Zeilstra ’11 show you around the historical and edgy city of Berlin.
Alaska: David Knoblauch '94
David Knoblauch ’94 and his family took a trip to Anchorage, Alaska, where they traveled to Matanuska Glacier. They also went glacier kayaking and salmon fishing in Spencer Lake.
China: Tharon Howard, English professor, Wendy Howard '05, M '12, Xiaoli Li Ph.D. '11 and Wu Dan Ph.D. '10
Tharon Howard, English professor, and Wendy Howard ’05, M ’12 visited with Xiaoli Li Ph.D. ’11 and Wu Dan Ph.D. ’10 (and their children Yiyi and Daniel, who were both born when Wu Dan and Xiaoli were Ph.D. students at Clemson) in Xi’an, China.
In With the Old: Peter Galloway '08
In Galloway’s spare time, he pores over history books, immersing himself in 17th- and 18th-century architecture.
“My wife thinks I’m crazy because all I do is read books on old houses,” he laughs. “She’s like, ‘You’re a little obsessed.’”
But there’s a method to the madness.
Peter Galloway is the owner and operator of the Printmaker’s Inn in Savannah, Georgia, a 19th-century Italianate Victorian mansion. The inn is complete with four suites, each outfitted with a bedroom, kitchenette and living space: the Henry Suite, the Button Suite, the Nichols Suite and the High Cotton Suite. The rooms are furnished with period antiques but aren’t without all the luxuries of modern living, including larger bed frames, fresh paint, comfier cushions and mattresses, and up-to-date bathroom fixtures.
The goal, for Galloway, is to give guests the feel of a bed and breakfast without all of the forced togetherness that can come with it. If guests want to mingle with others, they can hang out in the community spaces, like the outdoor seating area. Or, if they want to have a private getaway, everything they need is in their room.
Galloway bought the Printmaker’s Inn after leaving an unfulfilling management job in Florida, relocating his family to the Georgia coast. The renovation process was challenging but fun for him and his wife, and the property also left space for more development since it came with an empty lot next door. When Galloway found a circa 1740 Georgian home in New England, he was sold.
“There’s nothing like it in Savannah,” he says. “What is really incredible about the house is all the original woodwork with wood-paneled walls and huge fireplaces.”
Moving the house from Connecticut to Savannah was ambitious, requiring disassembling, moving and reassembling, but Galloway says it also has its perks, like getting to install new plumbing and electrical as they go.
“What’s cool is we can kind of customize more in this house because it has new construction elements, likethe foundation, roof and bathrooms, but with the original frame and woodwork,” he says. “It will be the most intact 18th-century house in Savannah.”
The disassembled house arrived in Savannah in mid-June, kicking off the reconstruction stage.
When Galloway talks about the project, it’s obvious he’s excited about the new addition to the Printmaker’s Inn. But more than anything, he’s happy they could save it: “The house was going to be taken down or demolished if nobody saved it or moved it, so that’s really cool that we can help preserve it, even if it’s in a different city, different state.”
What Would You Do: Raven Magwood '12
With a highly successful, multifaceted career, Magwood didn’t always know what she wanted to do. Until her mother asked her a question that changed her life.
Raven Magwood co-owns and operates her own gymnastics training facility; has written four books; established a foundation to support underserved kids in Upstate South Carolina; has written and helped produce an independent film; and gives motivational speeches to schools and groups all over the country.
And she’s only 26.
Magwood, a Greenville native, started school and gymnastics early. At age 10, she was competing in the highest level of the sport while getting perfect grades on her report cards, which fast-tracked her through middle school and saw her starting high school at age 12. That same year, she became a national gymnastics champion.
During this time, Magwood was once asked if she’d ever thought writing about her unique experiences. She replied tongue-in-cheek: “No, I’m 12 years old!”
Nevertheless, she did start writing. Her first published book, On to Victory! The Winning Edge, scored her an invitation to be the keynote speaker at a promotional event for Stedman Graham’s new book at the time, Move Without the Ball, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Despite her nerves and nausea, 12-year-old Magwood got a standing ovation.
It’s obvious that writing and speaking came naturally to her at a young age, and yet Magwood remembers always hearing, “‘You’re smart, so you should be a doctor.’ It was just kind of drilled into me, not by my parents, but just by outside people.”
So, when it came time for college, she followed a pre-med track and excelled in her classes — but she wasn’t happy. Her mom noticed, sat her down and asked her, “What would you do if someone would pay you any amount of money to do it?”
Magwood’s answer was almost immediate: “I would speak. I would write. I would inspire people.”
Magwood changed her major and graduated from Clemson at 19 with a degree in communication studies. Since then, she’s continued her filmmaking; gymnastics coaching; writing with her most recent book, The 7 Practices of Prosperous Women; and motivational speaking. One speaking experience in Columbia has stayed with her.
After a day filled with speeches in different schools, Magwood remembers feeling tired and worried that she might not have gotten through to the kids who were on free or reduced lunch at the first school she spoke at, or the kids whose parents were paying $15,000 in tuition at the next. Then she heard the coordinator of the Columbia tour say to one of the school’s principals, “It’s amazing how Raven has spoken to all of these kids with all of these different backgrounds, and they’ve all related to her and gone away inspired.”
In that moment, she knew she had found it — what she would do if someone paid her any amount to do it.
Deadline Doctor: Kristi Vissage Scruggs '03
The year is 2030. The government has seized complete control of the health care system. And treatment has become dehumanized for the sake of efficiency.
One troubled reporter uncovers a dangerous conspiracy beneath it all, embarking on a shocking and equally chilling search for the truth.
Welcome to the world of Kristi Scruggs’s What They Don’t Know. Scruggs successfully published the medical thriller (her first book) in June 2017, which she wrote amidst her full-time job as a hospitalist and now outpatient doctor in Raleigh, N.C. — not to mention the births of her two sons, Henry and Jack.
Despite having her hands full with a growing family and demanding career, Scruggs was inspired by her experience in the medical field, and she made writing a book a top priority. She became especially determined after reading the memoir When Breath Becomes Air by neurosurgeon Paul Kalanithi, an intimate reflection penned in his last years fighting stage IV lung cancer.
“It was the motivation I needed,” Scruggs said. “You know, a lot of people talk about writing a book, but not a lot of people actually write a book and publish it. You’re not promised tomorrow, so I figured I needed to make this happen while I could.”
As a doctor, author, mother and wife, things can seem overwhelming at times for Scruggs. But her understanding of balancing work, family and creativity has a healthy dose of confidence and realistic expectation: “Everywhere I look, someone is doing a better job than me at something. But I try to remind myself that no one’s doing life exactly how I am. No one’s doing ‘me’ better.”
For now, Scruggs is focusing on her outpatient work, often visiting and treating elderly patients in their homes, a far cry from the futuristic and machine-like treatments What They Don’t Know imagines. “We do most of our care in the homes,” she says. “It’s really great because it’s mostly elderly folks who can’t get out — they’re very appreciative, and their families are very appreciative.”
While her personal and professional life is keeping her busy, Scruggs is excited about the future for her writing: “People come to me now asking, ‘Oh, it was such a good book! Do you have a sequel you’re writing?’ So, that’s definitely very validating.”
Vegas Visionary: Paul Steelman '77
Before Steelman graduated from Clemson with an architecture degree, there was only one city in the country where you could place a legal bet: Las Vegas.
Then, in 1976, New Jersey legalized casinos in Atlantic City.
As a native New Jersian, Steelman was attracted to the area. He’d had experience working under his father, also an architect, in Longport, New Jersey, doing smaller projects. Schools,
funeral parlors, summer homes. But he was ready for something bigger.
“I was offered a position as [Atlantic City] planner, and I took the job mainly because I wanted to see how this rebirth of the city was going to work,” Steelman says. “I was the architect of the city even though I wasn’t [working as] an architect at the time.”
Growing Atlantic City into a thriving resort destination meant working with some of the day’s most famous architects. Through them, Steelman got a glimpse of his dream career. And then he got a job offer from high-profile architect Joel Bergman. He worked for nine years on Vegas design projects like the Golden Nugget and the Mirage before opening his own architecture firm, Steelman Partners, in 1987.
Now, Steelman Partners has designed more than 4,000 casino and integrated resorts worldwide, including Galaxy Macau Phase II, Sands Macao and Solaire Resort & Casino. With so much
experience in the business, Steelman understands that a casino’s design must walk the fine line between brand culture and achieving profitability, versatility and ease.
“We have a lot of experience with what people like and are comfortable with, and we start from that experience.” Steelman explains. “We want to follow a set of rules.”
These rules consist of certain design elements that he doesn’t often stray from, things like fast elevators; soothing colors; easy access to exits, cashiers and restrooms; and ample lighting. The goal is to create a space that’s not only exciting for guests but also comfortable. Too much experimentation with core revenue features can lead to failure, Steelman
warns. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for creativity: “The direction of the columns of the garage or the color of the carpet or where you place a mirror — that’s the reason I became so interested in this [career]. It’s fun!”
Looking forward, Steelman isn’t even close to tapping out. “I’m not sure I ever want a break,” he says.
“Monday is always my favorite day of the week.”
Ring Story: Buried Treasure
When Wade Crow ’69 lost his Clemson ring, he didn’t think he would ever see it again. He tells the story of how it came back to him.
As a senior engineering student in the class of ’69, I ordered my Clemson ring and couldn’t wait to get it on my finger. It symbolized not only a substantial amount of hard work but also a rewarding and fun-filled college adventure. Eight years later, when my first son was an infant, I took my ring off and left it in my car while doing some yardwork. When I looked for it later, it was nowhere to be found. Although heartbroken, I never seemed to have the extra funds to replace it as our family grew to four children.
Fast forward 25 years. My son is also graduating in engineering, and I offered to give him a ring as a graduation gift. I realized it was a good time to replace mine, so I ordered two rings. The lead time on the rings was six weeks; I was like a kid waiting for Christmas. Two weeks before my ring was due to arrive, I was working in the yard with a shovel and hit something metallic. I turned over a shovel-blade of soil, and an unmistakable glitter of untarnished gold was right in front of me — “Class of ’69.”
Two weeks later, I was the proud owner of two rings. My second son also finished Clemson in engineering and received his ring in 2013. We are likely one of the only families with four Clemson rings and only three graduates to wear them!
Looking back, I recognize that it was never really about the ring. It is all about the wonderful friends and memories associated with Clemson. Same football seats for 45 years, and still going.
My Clemson: Rupal Shah M '07
Shah moved to Haiti in 2017 for a short-term position with Partners in Health. Now, she’s living and working in Haiti long term — and is gearing up for her 11th marathon in her seventh continent: Australia.
Q: YOU GOT YOUR MASTER’S IN MICROBIOLOGY AT CLEMSON IN 2007. WHAT CAREER STEPS DID YOU TAKE AFTER GRADUATING?
A | After I finished my master’s at Clemson, I went to Harvard University and worked at the school of public health for about five years as a research associate and lab manager for the department of immunology and infectious diseases. After that, I went back to school to Boston University to get my master’s in public health, then I worked as a quality improvement specialist for Boston Children’s Hospital, where I was working closely with pediatric practices with a focus on quality improvement. And then I got my job with Partners in Health.
Q | YOUR PARTNERS IN HEALTH POSITION SENT YOU TO HÔPITAL UNIVERSITAIRE DE MIREBALAIS IN HAITI. WHAT WERE YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES THERE?
A | I was hired as a tuberculosis lab consultant and quality improvement consultant. I had two big jobs. One was to set up the tuberculosis lab, which was a biosafety level 3 (BSL3) lab. I was there to help set up the equipment and the protocols; to ensure that the operational tasks in the BSL2 and the BSL3 were up to date; to make sure that operational management was in place; to help with fine-tuning standard operating procedures; and to help recruit, hire and short list candidates for interviews to work in the BSL2 and BSL3 labs. I was also working with the clinical staff, identifying issues with sample preparation, testing and patient care.
Q | WHAT ABOUT YOUR NEW, LONG-TERM POSITION IN HAITI?
A | My new job is at St. Boniface Hospital in a town called Fond-des-Blancs. I’m a grant manager, so I work closely with the monitoring and evaluation team and the clinicians to make sure we’re meeting grant deliverables and that the needs on the ground are met so we can seek donations and funding accordingly.
Q | SWITCHING GEARS: YOU’VE BEEN RUNNING MARATHONS ALL OVER THE WORLD, AND YOU RECENTLY FINISHED YOUR 10TH MARATHON IN ANTARCTICA. HOW DID YOU GET STARTED RUNNING LONG DISTANCE?
A | I ran my first marathon in 2008 because of TeamAIDAsha, a nonprofit organization that raises money for developmental projects in India for issues such as social justice, children’s education, women’s empowerment and health care. I actually started volunteering with AID in Clemson; I was president of that chapter for a year. Their biggest fundraiser in Boston is hosting a marathon training program, so I trained with the team and ran my first marathon in Chicago in October 2008. Soon after, I learned about the Abbott World Marathon Majors, which comprises the largest, most renowned marathons in the world: Chicago, New York, Boston, Berlin, Tokyo and London. Since I ran the Chicago marathon, I thought, “Well, I should probably do the others.” I actually ran Boston twice because I ran it first during the bombing in 2013 and wasn’t able to complete the race. I ran it again the following year. Once I finished the World Marathon Majors, I was like, “Well, I guess the next thing would be to run a marathon in each continent.” My last continent is going to be in Australia on September 15, 2019. By the time I finish my Australia marathon, I will have finished 11 marathons in 11 years.
Q | HOW DID IT FEEL TO CROSS THE FINISH LINE IN ANTARCTICA?
A | It feels amazing. I feel on top of the world. There’s nothing I can’t do now. Really, when people say, “Oh, I couldn’t call them because I didn’t have time” or, “Oh, I didn’t get a chance to finish this” — there’s just no “I can’t” anymore. I feel like anything that you want to do, literally anything, is possible. I honestly believe that.