Terry Don Phillips (1947-2026). Dr. Phillips, Clemson University Athletic Director (2002-2012), inducted into the Emeritus College in 2013, passed away on May 26, 2026. Phillips earned his undergraduate degree from Arkansas in 1970, earned a master’s degree from Virginia Tech in 1974 and his Ph.D. from Virginia Tech in 1978. He earned his J.D. degree from Arkansas in 1996. He taught a sports law class while he was the athletic director at Clemson and enjoyed a 42 year career in athletics. Over his 10 years as Clemson athletic director, Clemson won 13 ACC Championships in eight different sports, including five different women’s sports. Clemson athletic programs had 57 top-25 national finishes, 37 top-20s, and 14 top-10s during his time leading the program. Fifteen different sports had a top-25 finish, including six different sports that recorded a top-10 finish in that time frame. Clemson went to the Final Four of national tournaments in three different sports during this time: baseball, women’s tennis and men’s soccer. A major facility enhancement took place in every program over his 10 years, with an investment over $140 million with just $25 million of debt. The combined unrestricted fund reserve grew approximately 90 percent between 2002-12. Phillips was inducted into the Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame in 2019 and was also made an Honorary Alumnus of Clemson University by the Clemson Alumni Association on August 22, 2019.
Stephan Grove (1950-2026) Dr. Steve Grove, Professor Emeritus of Marketing at Clemson University, who retired in 2016, passed away on April 22, 2026.
Stuart Silvers (1937-2026) Dr. Stuart Silvers, Professor Emeritus of Philosophy and inaugural Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Clemson, passed on April 11, 2026. Stuart was born in New York in 1937 and attended college at Michigan State, graduating with an interdisciplinary Social Science Divisional degree in 1958, followed by an MA in Philosophy in 1960. He then moved on to the University of Pittsburgh, one of the top departments for the study of the philosophy of science, completing the thesis The Evolutionary Development of Scientific Method in England from Bacon to Mill under the direction of Nicholas Rescher, receiving his PhD in 1963. Stuart held positions at Florida State University, Cal State Fullerton, University of Leiden, and Tilberg University before joining Clemson in 1989 to serve as Chair of the newly created Department of Philosophy and Religion, which before then had been part of what is now the Department of History and Geography. He served as Chair until 1998 and retired at the end of the fall 2011 semester. He continued to teach through the Emeritus College and was later named an I. Dwaine Eubanks Emeritus College Fellow.
Col. Tyler Bennett Huneycutt III (1942-2026) Tyler Bennett Huneycutt III, Clemson University Lecturer Emeritus, of Seneca, SC, passed away at Greenville Memorial Hospital peacefully surrounded by his family on Saturday, April 18, 2026, after bravely fighting cancer. Ben attended The United States Military Academy at West Point, before choosing a career with the US Air Force. Ben earned his master’s in Aeronautical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology. He served as a C-130 pilot for two tours in Vietnam, taught as a flight instructor, and worked on contracts for Air Force One and Two. During his service, he received several honors including the Distinguished Flying Cross, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Force Organizational Excellence Award, and Small Arms Expert Marksman Ribbon. His Air Force career led the family across the US and overseas. He had the privilege of flying Queen Elizabeth’s car on one of her visits while serving as a liaison officer in the RAAF. His final assignment was as commander of Clemson’s Air Force ROTC. After leaving the Air Force, Colonel Huneycutt continued at Clemson University as an educator and administrator.
Raymond Karl Schneider (1940 – 2026) Raymond Karl Schneider, Associate Professor Emeritus of Construction Science and Management, of Pickens, South Carolina went to his Heavenly home on March 28, 2026. Ray, a native New Yorker, earned a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute (now part of New York University) where he was a member of the Pershing Rifles. Upon graduation he served in the Corps of Engineers of the United States Army. He earned the Professional Engineer license in multiple states and was a life member of ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers). He later earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Long Island University – C.W. Post Campus. In semi-retirement he transitioned in 2000 to a professorship at the School of Construction Science and Management at Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina. For 16 years, he actively mentored many students who have gone on to roles in industry across the United States and Asia.
Ernest Harry Law (1940-2026) E. Harry Law, Clemson Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering, passed away Saturday, February 28, 2026, after a long battle with heart failure. Harry earned a B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1962, M.S. in Flight Mechanics from Princeton in 1965, and a Ph.D. in Engineering Mechanics at the University of Connecticut in 1971. He retired from Clemson University in 2003 after 42 years of teaching. At Clemson, he was a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers, and Sigma Xi (Clemson University chapter of the Scientific Research Society). Harry contributed to the mechanical engineering department in many ways, among which were coordinating a student exchange program with Hiroshima University, and co-founding the Motorsports Engineering Program.
Richard (Dick) A. Underwood (1933-2026) Clemson Professor Emeritus of English Language and Literature, passed away on January 3rd, 2026, at Clemson Downs Medical Care Facility. Dick retired from Clemson University in 1998 after 28 years of teaching. Dick Graduated from Plymouth High School and received his bachelors, masters, and doctorate degrees from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan. He served his country as a first lieutenant in the United States Army Counterintelligence (CIC) in Frankfurt, Germany and in the United States. While in Germany, Dick was also a race car driver on the Nurburgring. Dick left his career at General Motors Corporation in Detroit, Michigan to live in and travel through Europe for a year with his wife, Sandra. After having his novel, A Little Bit of Love, published by Holt Rinehart & Winston in NYC (and reviewed in Life Magazine and Publishers Weekly), he was awarded a Breadloaf Fellowship for his writing at a workshop for the writers created by Robert Frost at Middlebury College in Vermont. In 2010, My Years at General Motors and Other Stories, a memoir, was published and his website was created. He was an internationally noted scholar and the author of several books on Shakespeare. Dick was also a professional jazz musician (on piano) and performed with his band over many years and at many venues.
Claude Everette Cooper Jr. (1940-2026) Lieutenant Colonel (Ret) Claude Everette Cooper Jr., passed away Tuesday, February 10, 2026. He was a 1958 graduate of Sumter High School and enrolled in Clemson University in the Fall of 1958. He spent two years at Clemson and then enlisted in the Army. He served as a Special Forces medic in Vietnam in 1963-64. After completing his enlisted service in the Army, he returned to Clemson University and graduated in 1967. While at Clemson, he was a member of Delta Kappa Alpha fraternity, the Central Dance Committee and Tiger Brotherhood, and he served as student manager of the Clemson baseball team. Upon graduation from Clemson, he re-enlisted in the Army and attended Officer Candidate School for his commission. While at OCS, he was president of his class and later inducted into the US Army Officer Candidate School Hall of Fame. Claude served 28 dedicated years in the United States Army. He served two tours with Special Forces units in Vietnam and also completed assignments with the 82nd Airborne Division, the 7th Special Forces Group, and ROTC. His exemplary service earned him numerous accolades, including the Legion of Merit, two Bronze Stars, a Purple Heart, four Meritorious Service Medals, The National Defense Service Medal, the Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, and the Master Parachutist Badge. Because of his unique opportunity to serve separate tours as an enlisted combat medic and as a commissioned combat infantryman, LTC Cooper is one of a rare breed of soldier in the history of the Army to have received both the Combat Medic Badge and Combat Infantryman Badge. These honors reflect not only his bravery but also his dedication to serving his country. Upon retiring from the Army, he served as the Director of Administrative Support Services at Appalachian State University. In the summer of 2014, Claude and his wife, Louise, moved to Clemson. His passion for Clemson University was evident throughout his life, as he attended as many sports events as possible and held the position of head of research with Clemson Corps and chairman of the Scroll of Honor Memorial Committee. Claude was an affiliate member of the Clemson University Emeritus College, an honor he received due to his academic service at ASU along with his long relationship with Clemson Corps.
