B-Note October 26, 2017
October 26, 2017
Greetings fellow Tigers!
In one of their last big moments at Clemson University, 1,503 seniors crossed the Littlejohn Coliseum stage to receive their Clemson rings on Tuesday night. The Clemson ring and the ring ceremony are two of Clemson’s most recognizable traditions. This is a special memory that will stay with our seniors as they transition from students to alumni. You can view photos here and watch a short recap of the ceremony here.
The Clemson Young Alumni Council has named 10 alumni to its “Roaring 10,” recognizing these outstanding young alumni for their influence in business, leadership, community, education and philanthropic endeavors. The honor is given to individuals who exemplify Clemson University’s core values of honesty, integrity and respect. The 2017 Roaring 10 recipients – Suzanne Pickens Alvarez ’11; Elizabeth Armstrong Boylan ’08, Capt. Kevin Joseph Fitzsimmons ’08, Adam Thomas Haldeman ’09, John Mark Hendrick III ’08, Steven McMillian Hughes ’17, Kevin Michael McKenzie ’97, Connelly-Anne Bartle Ragley ’05, Joseph Cyrus Semsar ’09 and Mark Nicholas Ziats ’07 – were honored at a ceremony on Oct. 6 held under Library Bridge on Clemson’s campus. You can read more about this year’s “Roaring 10” here.
We are looking forward to the 14th Annual Tiger Golf Gathering on Thursday, Nov. 30 at Greenville Country Club’s Riverside Course and on Friday, Dec. 1 at Greenville Country Club’s Chanticleer Course. The primary beneficiary of this event is the Clemson University men’s and women’s golf teams, but support is also provided to the Professional Golf Management Program at Clemson and South Carolina Junior Golf. We have a lot to celebrate this year with Kyle Stanley, Lucas Glover, Ben Martin, Jonathan Byrd and Sam Saunders all earning PGA Tour cards for the 2017-2018 season. The Havemeyer Trophy, won by Clemson’s Doc Redman at the U.S. Amateur, will be on display. The success of the Tiger Golf Gathering has allowed more than $1.8 million to be distributed to the event’s designated beneficiaries since the inception of the event. You can find additional information and details about participating in the 14th Annual Tiger Golf Gathering here.
Retired chemical engineer Jeffrey Gude worked odd jobs to save the money needed for his first year at Clemson, but after his freshman year, he realized he could not afford to continue his education and had to drop out. His dream of returning to Clemson to finish his degree came true five years later with his expenses paid for through the GI Bill. In 2013, Gude established an endowed scholarship that provides financial assistance to deserving chemical engineering students. In 2014, he created an annual scholarship to help additional students. Gude is continuing to build on his legacy today with a pledge of $1 million to the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences to fund numerous scholarships. You can read more about Jeffrey Gude and his generous contributions to the Clemson here.
We hope you can all join us tomorrow for the groundbreaking of one of the biggest academic building projects in the history of the University – Clemson University’s College of Business. The event will commence at 1 p.m. in front of the Alumni Center, north of Walter T. Cox Boulevard. Shuttles will begin transporting participants at noon from public parking lot R6 to the groundbreaking site. There will be an opportunity at the event to cast bricks that will be fired and used in the building. A reception will follow the ceremony, and shuttles will start returning to the parking area at 2 p.m. You can read more about the new building and the event here.
Mark your calendars for Nov. 10, when Clemson University will celebrate Legacy Day by honoring alumni and members of the extended Clemson Family who live out its tradition of philanthropy. Activities, including tours of the grounds and a scavenger hunt, will be at Fort Hill from 2 to 4 p.m. Copies of the wills of Anna Calhoun Clemson and Thomas Green Clemson will be on display. A formal ceremony under the trees at 4 p.m. will dedicate a bronze leaf to the newest inductee to the Fort Hill Legacy Society, a posthumous honor for those who bequeath $1 million or more to the university.
Clemson University is making positive changes that will move us forward on the path to be the best. There are transformations occurring around our campus, but we remain a university steeped in our traditions. Football weekends in the fall are synonymous with tradition at Clemson, and I hope to see you all at the game on Saturday when the Tigers return to Death Valley for an ACC match-up against Georgia Tech at 8 p.m.
Go Tigers! Beat Georgia Tech!
Brian O’Rourke