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Clemson football team sings the alma mater after win against Louisville.

B-Note October 24, 2019

October 24, 2019

Greetings fellow Tigers!

It is Homecoming on the Clemson campus, which means that it is a week of Clemson traditions, from Homecoming floats to the Habitat for Humanity Homecoming Build to Tigerama to Clemson football. It’s a time when we welcome generations of Tigers home during several days of reunions and celebrations. I hope to see many of you in Tiger Town this weekend!

Homecoming weekend will officially kick off at Tigerama tomorrow night at 6:45 p.m. in Memorial Stadium – rain or shine! I hope you all are making plans to join the Clemson family during “Welcome to the Dynasty” and to also be a part of an event that gives back to Clemson students through scholarships.

There are various alumni tailgates planned for Saturday, and we’re looking forward to reconnecting and reminiscing with fellow Tigers. The Tigers face Boston College at 7:30 p.m. for what is going to be an exhilarating ACC battle, as our Tigers look to remain undefeated. You can view a complete list of Homecoming tailgates and events here.

Since last week, the Clemson community has been working together on the Habitat for Humanity Homecoming Build on Bowman Field. Over the past 25 years, the Clemson community has built 26 homes that are still occupied and have given families opportunity and empowerment by removing the physical and mental hardships that occur with housing instability.

Clemson University’s Habitat for Humanity club has more than 50 active members who work to raise funds and solicit materials for the project throughout the year along with organizing the 900-plus student and employee volunteers for the build. The Campus Chapter officers coordinate with Pickens County Habitat for Humanity, which builds approximately three houses a year for families in need with volunteer labor. Amazingly, the Homecoming Build has more than 943 hour-long spots for volunteers, allowing even students and staff who have limited time to contribute their services. The build on Bowman Field is an opportunity for the wider Clemson community to give back and help make a difference with local residents. This year, the house is being built for a U.S. Postal Service employee and her daughter. As the university has grown, so has the cost of living in the area. By having an annual build, Clemson University is giving back to its expanding community and creating a home that allows stability for a local hard working family. It’s an amazing cause and one of our greatest traditions!

Clemson students and volunteers work on the Habitat Build on Bowman field.

Service and dedication are the principles Dr. Louis Williams and his wife Elise have always lived by. Dr. Williams, a native of Abbeville, served honorably in the United States Air Force before beginning his path for higher education at Clemson University in 1956, eventually earning both his undergraduate (1959) and master’s degree (1961) from the University. Upon graduating in 1961, Dr. Williams and the love of his life, Elise, began their professional journey in academia that would span more than 30 years. Throughout his professorial career within the agricultural economics industry, Dr. Williams taught at several colleges and universities, ultimately ending up at Auburn University – where he retired in 1992. Several years into retirement, the desire to be closer to their children grew, leading them to come back “home” to Clemson. They reside in the Clemson Downs Retirement Community and are delighted to be near family, friends, football, and to relive joyous memories from their time at Clemson while making new ones along the way. With the revenue from the sale of their home in Florida, the couple had two goals in mind: establish funding to suit their retired lifestyle and give back to their beloved Clemson. Through a charitable gift annuity, Dr. Williams is able to give back to the university that gave him so much – beginning with an education. Thank you, Dr. Williams and Elise, for making a gift that will provide future generations of Clemson Tigers with life-changing opportunities. You can read more about their gift to Clemson here.

Dr. Williams and his wife, Elise, have established a charitable gift annuity to support Clemson Unviersity.

6 days – 5 people – 5 cities – 4 hotels – 1 minivan – 575 miles – 6 events – and more than 400 Tiger alumni and friends. Last week, the Clemson Alumni Association, Annual Giving and IPTAY teamed up for Tigers on Tour: Midwest Trek. The team traveled first to Chicago to meet with Clemson alumni and friends for a gathering at Randolph Tavern. While they saw many familiar faces from the Chicago Clemson Club, they had the wonderful opportunity to meet with a Tiger who had not been to a Clemson event in more than 17 years! He reached out to one of the team members at the event, made a $1,000 gift and expressed interest in getting engaged with Clemson – that is the spirit of the Clemson Tiger! The team then headed southeast to meet with Tigers in Indianapolis and then moved on to Columbus, Ohio for a lunch event. They spoke with alumni, parents and friends about the exciting happenings at Clemson, and the group expressed how proud they are to be Tigers in the middle of Buckeye territory. The staff also toured the Ohio State Alumni Association and met with one of their staff members to share ideas. Tigers on Tour concluded in Cincinnati, Ohio, where the group hosted alumni, parents and friends at Queen City Social – a Clemson-owned establishment in downtown Cincinnati. Once wrapping up the tour, the team finally headed to Louisville to greet our Tigers on the road at our Welcome Event and our Clemson Family Tailgate! What an amazing trip for members of Development and Alumni Relations. I know they are eager to get back on the road for the next tour through Florida in 2020!

 Clemson University Alumni Association, Annual Giving and IPTAY traveled throughout the Midwest to gather with Clemson alumni and friends.

B-Dedicated!
I hope you are coming home to Clemson this weekend. And as you walk around campus, you will see new faces, reminisce with old friends and take in the amazing changes happening throughout our campus. It’s a great time to be a Clemson Tiger!

Clemson Tigers are fiercely dedicated to our University’s traditions, and Homecoming Week is no exception. At the core of every Clemson tradition is the bond among Clemson Tigers. It is why no matter how far we may travel, Clemson will always be “home.”  I hope to see many of you this weekend.

Go Tigers! Beat Boston College!

Brian O’Rourke