Author: vmushef

On September 30, 2025, Clemson’s Emeritus College honored Dr. Cecil O. Huey, Professor Emeritus of Mechanical Engineering and Past-Chair of the college’s Advisory Board, with a Resolution of Appreciation for his unwavering commitment in service to others. Thank you Dr. Huey!

Laura Shick, Ben Sill, and Samuel Bruce Martin

Laura Shick, Senior Lecturer Emerita of Mathematical Sciences, was recently awarded the 2025 Emeritus Award for Community Service. Read the Clemson News Article!  

Ben Sill, Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering, has an article in Clemson World featuring his work in hybridizing bromeliads. Read the Clemson World Article!

Bruce Martin

Samuel Bruce Martin, Professor Emeritus of Plant Pathology, was recently inducted into the Myrtle Beach Golf Hall of Fame for his dedication and expertise in agronomy and the impact it had on Myrtle Beach area courses, as well as courses around the world. Read Article in playgolfmyrtlebeach.com 

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.

Join the Emeritus College for a tour of the Brooks Center for the Performing Arts with its new Director, Dr. Catherine Hughes, on October 15, 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm.

Register at this link: https://forms.office.com/r/KBRQ7GaC07

Book Presentation (Hybrid): Southern Shepherds, Savage Wovles:  Presbyterian Domestic Missionaries and Race in SC, 1802-1874

Author: Dr. Otis Pickett, Clemson University Historian

Date: Thursday, October 30, 2025

Time: 10:00 am – 11:30 am

Place: Clemson Emeritus College at 511 Westinghouse Rd, Pendleton, SC

Sales: Barnes & Noble will be on site offering Southern Shepherds

Signing: Dr. Pickett will sign your copy of Southern Shepherds

Email emerituscollege@clemson.edu for the Zoom Link!

Ann Wetsel, professor in the Clemson University School of Nursing (CUSON), received the highest civilian honor in the state of South Carolina, the Order of the Palmetto, in recognition of her lifetime achievements and contributions to the field of nursing and commitment to the health and well-being of individuals and communities across South Carolina and beyond. 

Clemson News – Read More!

AN AROHE EDUCATION PRESENTATION

NOVEMBER 13, 2025    3:00 PM EST

Please join this panel discussion hosted by the Association of Retirement Organizations in Higher Education [AROHE] on the importance of community building in retirement organizations, with a focus on shared writing experiences.

• Debbie Jackson, Director, Clemson University Emeritus College
• Marilyn DeLong, President, University of Minnesota Women’s Creative Writing Circle
• Cecil Huey, Past Chair, Clemson Emeritus College Advisory Board and active member of writing groups: Memoir Writing and Moments and Memories at Clemson Emeritus College.

In this panel discussion, you will learn about the critical role of Community Building in Retirement Organizations, led by Dr. Debbie Jackson. She will share successful community building strategies for the Clemson Emeritus College.

Marilyn DeLong will share the history of the very successful Women’s Creative Writing Circle at the University of Minnesota, a storied community building effort that has brought women together through shared writing experiences.

Cecil Huey will share his own experiences as an author and leader in two writing groups at the Emeritus College at Clemson. A noted and creative writer, Cecil will describe ways to build relationships and to foster a sense of belonging through shared writing groups.

An open discussion and idea exchange will follow, so please join with your ideas and questions.

REGISTER HERE

EVENT FLYER

All library borrowers, including members of the Emeritus College, can request books and other materials by browsing the libraries’ online resources collection and simply selecting the Emeritus College as the delivery location. Pickups are made there too.

View instructional video. 

The Details

The Emeritus College Office (map) located at 511 Westinghouse Road in Pendleton will serve as a pick-up and drop-off hub for Clemson Libraries. 

More than 800,000 items, such as books, DVDs and audiobooks on CD, are available to request from the main collection at Cooper Library as well as other library locations — Gunnin Architecture Library, Education Media Center, and off-site storage at the Library Depot. Requested materials are paged each morning for delivery, and items from Cooper Library are typically delivered within 24 hours. Items coming from a branch library will take an additional 24 hours.

Items in Special Collections and Archives are not available for delivery; however, appointments to view materials may be made by emailing archives@clemson.edu.