Clemson Extension agent and host of “Making It Grow!’ Amanda McNulty visited The Clemson University Outdoor Lab and talked with Director Leslie Conrad about Hope Grown, the garden developed by Joe Williams and featured in our Spring 2014 issue.
Click here to read the story about “Hope Grown.”
England: Grant Walczak ’13 was positioned perfectly to view the Tower Bridge in London.
What you need to know first about Beth Clements is that she’s real. That smile is genuine, and she speaks from the heart. When she’s passionate about something, you see it in her face and hear it in her voice. “Being fake is too hard,” she says. “It’s too much work.”
Beth grew up in western New York on the Finger Lakes, and she and Jim met at Towson University, where she earned her bachelor’s in elementary education and her master’s in reading. A six-month courtship was followed by a six-month engagement, and six months after the wedding, they were expecting their first child. Tyler, now a fourth-year student at WVU, was followed by twins, Maggie (a freshman at WVU) and Hannah (a freshman at Clemson), and Grace, a 13 year old at R.C. Edwards Middle School.
Speaking of Grace, who has special needs, Beth says, “She’s really just the cornerstone of our lives. She’s made not just our immediate family, but our extended family, better.” With curly red hair, beautiful blue eyes and freckles, Grace had become somewhat iconic in Morgantown. She was surrounded by peers in school who championed her and was active in a community sports program. With the move to Clemson, she’ll be surrounded by extended family as well. Beth’s two brothers and their families are here, providing an instant “village” of love and support.
Grace has introduced Beth to a new passion for people who learn differently. “My passion found me, and my purpose found me,” says Beth, “and that’s Grace and others.” Because of that passion, she hopes to bring more awareness of the Clemson LIFE program, both for parents whose children might qualify and for people who might be interested in supporting the program.
As she looks to the year ahead, Beth is looking to create a home where her family can feel comfortable and settled, and to begin to put down roots. She loves the feeling of family that comes with being at Clemson. “When we were announced, people said, ‘Welcome Home. Welcome to the Clemson Family.’ We do feel that, and we appreciate it. I love their passion, and that it doesn’t go away, and that they pass it along to their kids.”
“It’s contagious,” she says, “and we’ve all caught it.”
Slovenia Shoue Bell ’11, Scott Rickard ’12, Kyle Sporrer ’12 and Will Gordon ’13 climbed Mt. Triglav, the tallest point in the Julian Alps.
Betsy Byars Duffey and Laurie Byars Myers
These Clemson sisters have blazed a trail in the publishing world. Together they have published more than 35 children’s novels and won numerous awards, including the S.C. Children’s Choice Award. Their names are known and loved by children all over the state of S.C., across the country and even around the world with books translated into Japanese and Korean.
Betsy Byars Duffey and Laurie Byars Myers The Shepherd’s Song book.
Rembert R. Stokes Cultivating Generosity: Giving What’s Right,
Thomas R. Waldron I Flew with Heroes
In 2012, Clemson surpassed the $600 million goal of the Will to Lead campaign. In an act of optimism and confidence, the campaign leadership and Board of Trustees decided to dream big and raise the challenge to a new goal of $1 billion. Here are a few illustrations of the progress we’ve made, thanks to your generosity, as well as what still lies ahead to be accomplished.
Clemson is now home to one of the world’s largest and most capable electrical grid simulators. Thanks to the work of Clemson graduate and eGRID creator Curtiss Fox, one day, renewable energy sources like wind, solar and more will do even more to make things go.
When the lights flicker, we barely notice. Our homes stay warm. Our laptops switch to battery backup. Maybe an old clock radio needs a reset, but otherwise life goes on uninterrupted.
In the world of distributed-energy production, however, even a momentary disruption in power can be a big deal.
Whether it’s something as small as a voltage fluctuation (think: a squirrel in a transformer or a tree falling on a power line) or something as significant as a cyber attack on the power grid, knowing how the next generation of energy will respond to these disruptions matters — a lot.
J. Curtiss Fox receiving his doctoral (2013) degree in electrical engineering from Clemson.
J. Curtiss Fox (right) chats with U.S. Secretary of Energy Daniel Poneman at the dedication of the SCE&G Energy Innovation Center.
Richard Balikoowa from Uganda was one of 16 teachers from seven different countries who studied on campus and taught in local schools from January through May. They are part of the International Leaders in Education Program, a professional exchange program funded by a subgrant from the International Research and Exchanges Board (IREX), which is funded by the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The teachers completed an on-campus academic program with some of Clemson’s School of Education faculty, and then interned with a partner teacher at Riverside Middle, Liberty Middle and Seneca High.
As part of this program, which is in its sixth year at Clemson, the teachers engage in formal and informal cultural activities in which they learn about American culture and share about their own. Teacher Fellows go through a yearlong selection process; they are nominated by their own country, approved through that country’s American embassy and local Fulbright commission, and screened through the U.S. State Department and IREX. Clemson is one of four universities selected to host the group.
Clemson’s Solar Decathlon team
President Clements presents Self Regional’s Jim Pfeiffer with a bowl crafted from a cedar tree at Fort Hill, the historic home of John C. Calhoun and Thomas G. Clemson.
John Ballato 2013 recipient of the Class of ’39 Award.
Apparao (Raja) Rao