Clemson World Archive

You Brought Your Daughters!

September 1, 2017 / in Lifelong Tigers, My Clemson / 0 Comments / by: Nancy Spitler

The Women’s Alumni Council held the 19th annual Bring Your Daughter to Clemson event in May. More than 40 volunteers from the council hosted and staffed the event that brought 132 girls aged 6-18 and their chaperones to campus.
A mix of activities was planned to provide participants a better idea of what life as a Clemson student entails. Faculty members from eight different departments led educational activities for the girls, who also explored campus through tours that ranged from the football operations facility to the Carillion. The group attended a Breakfast of Champions held in the football stadium.
The event also serves as a fundraiser for the Women’s Alumni Council, with proceeds going to the Alumni Council Scholarship Endowment Fund. Registration for next year’s event will open in early spring.
See more photos:

Travelers Summer-Fall 2017

September 1, 2017 / in My Clemson, Travelers / 0 Comments / by: Chris Waldrop

Lindsay Rodenkirchen shows off her Tiger Rag while sitting in a pen of pedigree Border Leicesters sheep. She is studying at the University of Glasgow in Scotland as part of an agreement between Clemson Animal and Veterinary Science and the University of Glasgow.

Analytics leader is Watt Center founding innovation partner

September 1, 2017 / in Clemson Forever / 0 Comments

Emily Baranello, vice president for education practice at SAS, spoke during the announcement of the SAS Clemson partnership.

Clemson’s research goals and thousands of students and professors have gained a powerful ally — analytics leader SAS. Through a new educational partnership, SAS and Clemson will provide research, software, services and funding to the Watt Family Innovation Center.
Thanks to the new partnership, professors, students and researchers can access and apply advanced SAS Analytics, business intelligence, cybersecurity and data management software toward that mission. SAS also provides teaching materials, onsite faculty and staff training and helps develop analytical programs.
Professors will be able to easily integrate SAS software into coursework, giving students hands-on experience with this highly marketable skill. In fact, a study of 54 million employee profiles on PayScale.com identified “Knowledge of SAS” as the No. 1 career skill that translates into salary bumps.
The Watt Center promotes student engagement, interactive learning and partnership with industry and government. SAS was recognized in March as the sixth Founding Innovation Partner for the Watt Center, joining Comporium Inc., Haworth Inc., Philips Lighting, Scientific Research Corporation and SCRA.
“The Watt Family Innovation Center is a unique educational facility that quickly has become invaluable to our students and faculty and one of the most innovative in the nation,” said President Clements. “This partnership with SAS, a leader in innovative software solutions, will allow us to better serve our University community, and we are very appreciative of their generous support of Clemson’s mission.”

“The Watt Center brings together students, faculty and industry in a hothouse for learning and research,” said SAS CEO Jim Goodnight. “With data and analytics at the heart of innovation today, that means Clemson can generate more of the talent in high demand worldwide.”

Long Live Longleaf Pines: Ryan Bean '04

September 1, 2017 / in Alumni Profiles, My Clemson / 0 Comments

Ryan Bean has his sights set on turning three acres of land at Clemson’s Sandhill Research and Education Center in Northeast Columbia into an educational opportunity for South Carolina landowners.
Restoration of longleaf pine trees is important for enhancing the South Carolina landscape, according to Bean, a Clemson Extension and Forestry Natural Resources agent. “At one time, South Carolina had 7.6 million acres of longleaf pines,” he said. “That figure has decreased, and today the state has just 569,646 acres.”
The Sandhill REC plot once was home to pecan trees used for research. Knowing the pecan tree research was no longer ongoing, Bean proposed a new plan for the site. “This is a great piece of land, perfect for a forestry education site,” Bean said. “It will be a place where landowners can come and see firsthand how different planting techniques work. They can use this information when planting trees on their own properties.”
The longleaf pine ecosystem once covered more than 90 million acres across the Southeast, Bean said. Today there is only a fraction of that left due to land clearing, mostly for agriculture. Bean said the longleaf pine ecosystem is home to about 100 bird species, 36 mammal species, and 170 species of reptiles and amphibians. In addition, 29 species associated with longleaf pine forests, such as the red-cockaded woodpecker, are listed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as threatened or endangered.
“There is a huge push to restore this ecosystem,” said Bean.
Bean said he loves working outside and helping people achieve their goals, noting he’d “go crazy” if he had to sit at a desk or in a cubicle for a job.
“I field many questions regarding tree planting and proper care for timber stands,” he said. “It will be nice for forestry and natural resource agents to be able to show landowners and others their options for planting and management practices using this demonstration site.”
Bean also will use the demonstration plot to collect data and reference information specifically for South Carolina.

“Our goal as Clemson Extension agents is to bring information and education to the people of South Carolina,” Bean said. “This demonstration plot will be an excellent way to collect local data, as well as educate people about the proper way to plant and maintain longleaf pine trees here in South Carolina.”

Class of 1967 inducted as Golden Tigers

September 1, 2017 / in Lifelong Tigers / 0 Comments / by: Nancy Spitler

Tigers celebrating more than 50 years since graduating returned to campus for reunion this year. Members of the Class of ’67, plus representatives of 19 other Golden Tiger classes, gathered for meals and memories at the Madren Center. Tours of campus, class parties and updates on construction and future Clemson initiatives provided opportunities to reminisce about the Clemson experience, then and now.
At the induction of the 76 members of the Class of ’67 into the Golden Tiger Society, the class presented the University with a gift of more than $336,000 for need-based scholarships, scholarships for first-generation students and resources for student veterans.
Next year’s Golden Tiger Reunion is scheduled for June 7-8, 2018. If you graduated in 1968 or earlier, mark your calendar now!

Privilege to Command: John "Jay" Raymond '84

August 31, 2017 / in Alumni Profiles, My Clemson / 0 Comments

Making sure your GPS keeps the most up-to-date information for your drive is one of the small responsibilities of the satellites in the sky that Air Force Gen. John “Jay” Raymond oversees from his headquarters at Peterson Air Force Base in Colorado.

“It’s really hard for the average American to understand just how reliant their life is on space. Space capabilities like GPS and communication satellites fuel our American way of life,” he said.
Raymond took command of Air Force Space Command in October 2016 after the U.S. Senate confirmed his appointment and promotion to four-star general. Prior to his current position, Raymond served as deputy chief of staff for operations of the U.S. Air Force headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The career military officer said he has prepared his whole life for this role. From growing up in a military family with service dating back to 1865 to attending Clemson’s ROTC program under the leadership of Col. Lew Jordan, Raymond said he knew he wanted a career in the military. “I love belonging to something bigger than myself and having the privilege of serving my country,” he said. “That was instilled in me at a young age.
Raymond’s command provides critical space capabilities for all of America’s joint military forces and the nation. His team operates eleven satellite constellations which enable global communications, deliver satellite imagery, ensure precision navigation and weather data, provide missile warning and guide precision weapons the United States employs.
“A vast majority of those weapons are GPS-guided,” Raymond said.
Commanding 40,000 space and cyberspace professionals in 134 locations doesn’t come easily. “I set high standards, and hold myself and the airmen I am privileged to lead, accountable to meet those standards. I come to work every day focused on removing any potential roadblocks that may interfere with mission success.”
While there isn’t an Apollo-type mission right now, it is an extremely exciting and critical time to be in the space business. The command works with industry and commercial partners to create an innovative satellite sector, which continues to expand the use of space-based technologies. Raymond said with space becoming a more congested and contested environment, working together with all nations ensures that “we protect the critical space domain so everyone can receive the benefits that it provides.”

“It’s my highest privilege to command,” Raymond said. “I’m privileged to serve alongside a great team making sure we defend and protect our space assets, which are absolutely critical to our American way of life.”

Goodbye Guy: Berlyn Kessler "B.K." Sutton '50

August 31, 2017 / in Alumni Profiles, My Clemson / 0 Comments

After 67 years in the women’s shoe business, B.K. Sutton said goodbye to his family storefront on Orchard Park Road in Greenville this past spring.
With more than 6,500 pair of shoes to part with, the Suttons saw hundreds of customers filtering into Sutton’s Shoes from March to May to say how much they were going to miss Sutton and his son Robert “Bob” Sutton ’79.
“We’ve had some hug us; we’ve had a few cry with us,” he said. “We have three generations of customers.”
B.K. Sutton said the decline of customers in the last 10 years, especially since the recession of 2008, ultimately drove the decision to close up the last storefront of three the family has operated since 1950. The family opened three Greenville locations, including the Pleasantburg Shopping Center and Haywood Mall, which remained open into the 1990s.
But B.K.’s looking forward to a full-time retirement with more golf and traveling. “My son is 61 years old. I’m 88 years old. It’s time,” he said.
B.K., a textile manufacturing major, began at Clemson in 1946. “There’s no other place I’d ever thought about going,” he said with a wide grin.
While working his first job at the Judson Plant in Greenville, he was called into active duty in the Korean War. “It wasn’t a shock. We all sort of expected it,” he said.
While B.K. was making headway in a military career, his father O.W. had aspirations of opening a department store. Sutton’s father worked at the Belk store in downtown Greenville in fashion merchandising. Opening an entire department store wasn’t in the cards in 1950, so O.W. and his wife Clara moved forward with one specialty — women’s shoes.
“It was in Lewis Plaza off Augusta Road. It was unheard of at that time to have anything off Main Street whether that was here or in Atlanta,” said B.K. “We priced shoes from $8 to $30. People were standing in line for our merchandise.”
After four years in the Korean War, Sutton remained in the reserves, but took his service-oriented heart back to the shoe store to help his father build their generations of legacy. Bob joined the store after completing his degree at Clemson.
“I hate to see the Sutton name leaving the big community, but I’ve really enjoyed my civilian life,” he said.

One family. Twenty-four hours. Infinite impact.

August 31, 2017 / in Clemson Forever / 0 Comments

The second annual Give Day at Clemson more than doubled the results of the first one. Donors gave $2,107,270 in support of scholarships, teaching and facilities during the 24-hour Give Day 2017 on April 6. Last year, 3,082 donors gave $907,603 on the first Give Day.
“We are overwhelmed by the generosity of the Clemson family in support of our second Give Day initiative,” said Brian O’Rourke, vice president for development and alumni
relations. “Our students, faculty and staff will benefit now and for years to come from the more than 3,000 individuals and corporations who united to move Clemson forward in a spectacular way.“
Gifts came from 3,265 donors. Fifty-one percent gave online; others donated at campus locations and by phone. Volunteers thanked many on social media who used the hashtag #ClemsonGiveDay.
The average online gift was $134.97, but several alumni donors pledged large “challenge gifts” that could be collected only when milestones were reached during the day:

Vic and Susie Parker of Brookhaven, Georgia, made a $25,000 gift and designated it for the Samuel J. Cadden Chapel — given when the number of donations reached 500.
Ed and Kelly Rose of Daniel Island gave $50,000 for the Dean’s Excellence Fund of the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences — given when the number of donations topped 1,000.
The Fort Hill Clemson Club gave $60,000 for the Fort Hill Clemson Club Endowment for scholarships — given when donations totaled 1,500.
Pat Harman of Burlington, North Carolina, gave $400,000 to the J. Pat Harman and Phoebe Harman Unrestricted Endowment for Excellence — given when the number of donations reached 2,000.

Clemson alumni employees of GE pledged a gift of $100,000 to the Watt Family Innovation Center and corporate partner Dräxlmaier gave $50,000 to support graduate fellowships in automotive engineering.
“We are so grateful to everyone who demonstrated their Clemson spirit by participating in Give Day,” O’Rourke said. “These gifts will make a difference for Clemson today, tomorrow and forever.”
Next year’s Give Day is scheduled for Wednesday, April 4. Mark your calendar now and plan to contribute.

My Clemson: Ashley Stumpff Jones '07

August 30, 2017 / in Alumni Profiles, My Clemson / 0 Comments / by: Jon Harp

Clemson Family means going to Texas for a conference the same day as the national championship game and having the San Antonio Clemson Club welcome a stranger with open arms, high fives, cheers and hugs as we watched the Tigers beat ’Bama.
It means having Clemson Kappa Delta sisters donate money to help care for my family as my 21-month-old daughter was dying, and years later give again to support other families through Love Not Lost.
It means moving to Chattanooga, Tennessee, and finding immediate friends. It means visiting my in-laws at Hartwell Lake and seeing Tiger paws and hearing “Go Tigers!” everywhere.

It means love. It means support. It means unity. The Clemson Family is one of great character and pride. And I am honored to be a part of it.

Ashley Stumpff Jones is the founder and executive director of Love Not Lost, a nonprofit that photographs families facing a terminal diagnosis to help them preserve memories. She started Love Not Lost after losing her daughter Skylar to Spinal Muscular Atrophy.

Yokohama, Japan: Meagan Hoffman ’13, Tate Fennell ’11 and Lauren McDonald ’15

August 20, 2017 / in Travel stories / 0 Comments / by: Jon Harp

In May, I had the opportunity to travel to Yokohama, Japan for business with Nissan North America. I traveled with fellow Clemson alumna Meagan Hoffman ’13 and met up with Tate Fennell ’11 — who is currently on Nissan North America foreign assignment in Japan. We spent two weeks analyzing and optimizing packaging for a new program model coming up during this fiscal year. It was a great experience exploring Japan with some fellow Tigers!