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The Roaring10 2020 Nominees

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Young Alumni Council recognizes its 2020 nominees

 

The Roaring10 honor is given to individuals who exemplify the University’s core values of honesty, integrity and respect. Each year, 10 outstanding young alumni are recognized by the Young Alumni Council for their impact in business, leadership, community, educational and/or philanthropic endeavors.

 

The Roaring10 Class of 2020 were recognized in Fall 2021:

Brittany M. Hall ’11
certified nurse-midwife, Easley, S.C.

Caroline Aneskievich ’10, ’11, M ’15
BMW Group’s talent management specialist for the Americas, Greenville

Josh Tew ’10, M ’14
commercial real estate, Pintail Capital Partners, Greenville

Edwin Sabuhoro Ph.D. ’18
assistant professor in both the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Management and the African Studies Program at Penn State University,
State College, Penn.

Dorothy H. Askins ’17
anesthesiology resident at Tulane University, New Orleans

Ansley Cartee Minor ’17
co-owner of Carolina Superstars Baton and Dance, Anderson, S.C.

Rebecca Leigh Stratford ’10
laboratory manager at the Blanchfield Army Community Hospital, Clarksville, Tenn.

Spencer C. McLeod ’12, M ’14
operations manager for McLeod Farms, McBee, S.C.

Jordan M. Burns ’12
financial adviser and field director at Northwestern Mutual, Greenville

Lauren Harroff Trondsen ’12
Citywise Advisory Services, Sanergy, Ithaca, N.Y.

 

Club News

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Crab Feast

The Baltimore/D.C. Clemson Club held their 19th Crab Feast on August 7, 2021, hosted by Cindy ’90 and Mark ’91 Derrick and their family. “It was a very memorable day for our Clemson Club members and guests as we appreciated being able to gather again in person to enjoy each other’s company and plenty of crabs!” wrote club president Rachael Wiker ’00.

 
Funds for Food

The Villages Chapter of the Central Florida Clemson Club secured their third-straight first-place trophy for the Funds for Food annual food drive. The chapter raised $12,359.25. “My husband, Riley, would have been proud of our ‘little ole Clemson Club’ beating Ohio State and Penn State and all the others again!” wrote chapter president Amy Huckaby ’79. “Club member Bob Bienvenue and his extremely talented drumline led us around the square and to victory for our first-ever first-place spirit award!”

 
Clemson Family Tailgate

Tigers from all over the country gathered in Pittsburgh to cheer on Clemson Football and to celebrate Clemson’s first visit to Pittsburgh since the University of Pittsburgh joined the ACC Conference. Upon arrival on Friday evening, members of the Clemson Family gathered at Federal Galley in Pittsburgh’s North Shore for a Welcome to Pittsburgh event.

Prior to the game on Saturday, 400 Tigers set sail with the Clemson Alumni Association, IPTAY and the Gateway Clipper Fleet for the first-ever floating Clemson Family Tailgate. Guests enjoyed a sailing tour of Pittsburgh on The Empress and a Pittsburgh barbecue feast.

 

Orange Shoe Event

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Fall gathering kicks off Fall Into Fitness Challenge

 

The Women’s Alumni Council held their second Orange Shoe Event on the night of September 10, 2021, in the courtyard at the Inn at Patrick Square following its annual Fall Meeting. The council also collected donations for the Paw Pantry, Career Closet and the ClemsonLIFE program. In addition to the Fall Meeting, the council held a blood drive for the Blood Connection during the afternoon. There were 23 donors, and the Blood Connection gave a donation to the WAC Scholarship Endowment for each donor.

At the Orange Shoe Event, attendees enjoyed perusing tables full of silent auction items and milling about the front lawn area of the Inn at Patrick Square, which was transformed into a large tailgate, complete with helmet blow-ups, tents, chairs and outdoor games. The Tiger mascot entertained the crowd, and DJ Sha  kept everyone dancing with music throughout the night. Boulevard Catering also provided food and beverages. Proceeds from the silent auction went toward WAC’s scholarship endowment, which awards 10–12 scholarships to Clemson students each year; just under $5,000 was raised.

All attendees were encouraged to wear orange shoes to the event, and styles ranged from sandals to casual sneakers to high heels with orange flames. The event also kicked off WAC’s second Fall Into Fitness Challenge — Orange Shoe edition. This virtual fitness event was started last year during the pandemic. This year, participants are encouraged get active with their family and friends while sporting their orange shoes and sharing on social media.

 

Good Luck Charm

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Brannon Traxler ’04 recalls how her grandfather got his start at Clemson

 

My maternal grandfather, Gaines Evatt, grew up on his parents’ farm in Central, South Carolina. He was the oldest child and the first to go to college. He started out at what’s now Southern Wesleyan University because the family was part of that church.

As the family story goes, my grandfather was working on the farm one day, and somebody from the church drove by and saw him and asked, “Why aren’t you at Clemson? You’re so smart. Why are you not there?” He said, “Well, we can’t afford it.” The church friend replied, “We’ll see what we can do about that.” They paid for my grandfather’s first semester, confident that he would get a scholarship from there. And he did.

Of course, nobody in the family is alive now who would remember who that friend from church was, but I do know that my grandfather walked the couple of miles to Clemson and back every day. He couldn’t afford textbooks, so he would do all his studying in the library. He would get up early and stay up late to work on the farm. In 1933, he graduated from Clemson A&M College with a math degree.

Two of my great aunts who stayed in Central passed away five years ago; when we were cleaning out their belongings, we found my grandfather’s Clemson class ring, which my mom didn’t even know he had. We also found his graduation ceremony program and a few other things. We have his diploma. He was the first person in our family to go to Clemson, and he helped all his other siblings to go to college and get their degrees. My grandfather was a junior high principal for most of his career, and he ended up getting a master’s degree from Duke some years later. He and my grandmother settled in Spartanburg and raised my mom and her brother.

I wore his ring to the 2017 National Championship game in Tampa, and now, I either wear it on a necklace or on my index finger or thumb at games. It’s become a superstition — a good luck charm.