Emeritus College

2025 Memorials

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George M. Moore (1931-2025) George M. Moore, Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement, Retired, passed away on April 23, 2025. George enjoyed a 29-year career at Clemson University serving from 1959 until his retirement in 1988. The youngest son of the late Thomas Stephen Moore and Irene Elrod Moore. George entered Clemson College as a Freshman ROTC Cadet in September 1949 but left to enlist in the USAF during the Korean War. He served with the 12th Fighter Wing, 8th Air Force, out of Austin, TX with extended duty at Manston RAF in England and Misawa AFD in Japan. After military service he studied Public Relations at The University of Texas and earned his Bachelor of Science degree at Clemson University in 1958. He was a member of Tiger Brotherhood, Blue Key, and PKA Fraternity.

Herman Frank Senter (1943-2025) Associate Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at Clemson University, passed away on April 25, 2025, in Clemson, South Carolina. He was born on July 9, 1943, in Charlotte, North Carolina, to the late Loy and Ruby Frank Senter. He is survived by his beloved partner, Thelma Miller of Walhalla, SC, his sister, Kathryn Senter Gettys of Pittsboro NC, and his brother, George Loy Senter Jr. (Patty) of Norfolk, VA. Herman earned his Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics from North Carolina State University in 1965, followed in 1967 by a Master of Science in Textile Technology from the Institute of Textile Technology in Charlottesville, VA.  He returned to NC State to earn his PhD in Mathematical Sciences in 1973.  He began his academic career at Fayetteville State University in 1973 as an Assistant Professor of Mathematics before joining the faculty at Clemson University in 1974. Over the course of his distinguished career, he rose to the rank of Associate Professor and was named Professor Emeritus upon his retirement in 2009

James Wayne Patterson (1948 — 2025) Dr. James Wayne Patterson, Professor Emeritus of Management, passed away unexpectedly on March 27, 2025. Wayne was born in 1948 to James Ebbie and Maudie Vitina Patterson. He grew up in a rural area very close to Andalusia, Alabama. He married his high school sweetheart, Cheryl Cook, in 1967. He completed a BS and MA in Business Statistics at the University of Alabama, and a PhD in Business Administration from the University of Arkansas. Wayne embodied the role of educator with a distinguished career as a college professor, teacher and researcher, dedicating over 40 years to teaching at Troy University, The Citadel, and Clemson University, retiring as full Professor from Clemson in 2008. Beyond his professional life, Wayne enjoyed bass fishing, hunting, gardening, and attending sporting events, particularly those of his alma mater, the University of Alabama. Wayne was an exemplary member of First Baptist Church of Pendleton and served in every leadership and/or supportive position possible- be it working with youth, teaching Sunday school, serving as Chair of Deacons among others.

John Henry Walker (1937-2025) Dr. John Henry Walker, Clemson Professor Emeritus of Educational and Organizational Leadership Development, and resident of Anderson, passed away Monday, March 3, 2025. Born August 24, 1937, in Harrison, Arkansas, he was the son of the late Albert Monroe and Ruby Clementine Klepper Walker. Dr. Walker was a professor at Clemson University. He earned two doctorates, a PhD from the University of Texas-Austin and EdD from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. John was very active in volunteer work. He traveled to Bucharest, Romania several times to work with the Ruth School, which serves the Romany People. He also built houses, and did construction work for several non-profits. John was a member of Boulevard Baptist Church for over 51 years.

Richard Delose Ringeisen (1944 — 2025) Dr. Richard Ringeisen, former Clemson Professor and Assistant Chair of Mathematics, and member of the Emeritus College, a resident of Seneca, SC, passed away on February 18, 2025. Dr. Ringeisen graduated from Manchester University (Manchester, IN) in 1966, and obtained a Doctorate in Mathematics from Michigan State University in 1970. He spent the first ten years of his career teaching and doing graph theory research at Colgate University, Indiana-Purdue at Fort Wayne, and at the Air Force Research Laboratory (Dayton, OH) before settling at Clemson University in 1979, becoming the Assistant Department Chair at the Mathematical Sciences Department. Dr. Ringeisen was promoted to Head of the Department in 1988 and served in that capacity until he left the University in 1993. Throughout his career he continued research and published in areas including graph embedding, crossing numbers, and maximum genus.

Larry Wilson Hudson (1942-2025) Larry Wilson Hudson, Professor Emeritus of Animal and Veterinary Science, of Central, SC, passed away on Sunday, February 9, 2025, at Upstate Community Hospice House in Landrum, SC due to complications from a chronic illness. Larry retired from Clemson University in 1999 after working 28 years in the Animal Science department as both a professor and horse specialist within the Extension Service. He consulted on equine issues across the state of SC and fostered youth education initiatives, such as district and state level horse camps and 4-H programs. Larry was actively involved in making the Garrison Arena’s presence in Clemson a reality. In 1988, he was awarded for his support of the Southern Regional 4-H Horse Championships. He was active in regional and national horse shows and served annually in leadership roles with the State Horse Show, while working to establish the Garrison Arena in Clemson. He served as the President of the Extension Senate and earned awards in both 1988 and 1996 for Superior Service in the Clemson Extension Service. He was a National Extension Leadership Development Program intern from 1990-1993. In 1993 he won the Extension Master Teacher Award

Michael Bader Pursley (1945-2025) Dr. Michael B. Pursley, husband of Lou Ann Pursley, passed away on Tuesday, January 14, 2025. In 1992, Dr. Pursley became the first Holcombe Endowed Chair in Electrical and Computer Engineering at Clemson University. After retiring in 2018, he was granted the title of Emeritus Professor at Clemson University in recognition of his service to the university and students. Dr. Pursley received the Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1967 and the Master of Science in Electrical and Computer Engineering in 1968, both from Purdue University. From 1968 to 1974, he was employed in the Space and Communications Group of the Hughes Aircraft Company in Los Angeles. During this time, he also worked toward his Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Southern California. After completing his Ph.D. degree in 1974, he joined the faculty of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, where he was promoted to the rank of Professor in 1980.

Posted in In Memoriam

Holiday Sing Along @ Coffee House Music Sessions, December 20, 2024, 10:00 am – 11:30 am

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Please mark your calendars for a special Coffee House Music Session: Holiday Sing Along on Friday December 20, 2024, 10:00 am-11:30 am!

  • Date: 12.20.24
  • Time: 10 am – 11:30 am
  • Place: Emeritus College Seminar Room
  • Fun: Bring yourself, friends, favorite songs, an instrument if you like
  • Snacks: Punch & Cookies
  • Craft: Decorate a cookie while they last!
Posted in Announcements, EC Events

Annual Holiday Social – December 3, 2024, 11:30 – 1:30 pm! Registration Required.

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The Annual Holiday Social is always a favorite event within our Emeriti community because it’s a party – hanging out together, meeting new people and catching up with old friends, and just having some good old-fashioned fun – no agendas, no awards, no business. We hope to see you there. Please register in advance REGISTER TO ATTEND HERE

EMERITUS COLLEGE HOLIDAY SOCIAL – See you there!

Date: Tuesday, December 3, 2024

Time: 11:30 am – 1:30 pm

Place: Palmettos Catering and Event Center

REGISTER TO ATTEND HERE

Posted in Announcements, EC Events

Two Emeriti Faculty Receive Emeritus Award for Research and Scholarship!

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The Clemson University Emeritus College gathered on Tuesday, October 29 for the annual Fall Picnic and Business Meeting. Around 150 emeritus faculty enjoyed great food and conversation; welcomed new members; approved changes to the college’s by-laws; and awarded the prestigious Emeritus Award for Research and Scholarship to two very deserving Emeritus Faculty for their outstanding contributions to scholarly research: Dr. Frankie O. Felder and Dr. Jack C. Peck!

Dr. Frankie O. Felder

Dr. Felder, 2024 Fall Picnic and Business Meeting, Emeritus Collegge

Since retiring in 2017, Dr. Felder has devoted a significant amount of time to researching and writing two important historical documents. These include a history of her family, whose roots are from deep southern states, and the history of graduate education at Clemson University.
Both publications invite critical thought about subjects that impact those living in the South. Her publication OURstory, Unchained and Liberated from HIStory (pronounced HIS-story), was published in 2021, and describes the lesser-known aspects of an African American family experience prior to and through the Civil War, Reconstruction, and Jim Crow.

Dr. Frank Smith, director of the African American Civil War Memorial Museum, called this book “a must read for any serious scholar wishing to understand this period of American history.” Dr. Vernon Burton, who wrote her foreword, said she “opens the doors to the history of education of blacks in the South to the general reader through the rise of her ancestors’ descendants as they passed through the doors of Rosenwald School and Historically Black Colleges and Universities.” Her book … “addresses how the South’s very dark period of American history has changed in her lifetime” offering “hope for the future in the victories of the past.”

Dr. Felder has also researched the history of graduate education at Clemson. Her book Graduate Education at Clemson and the Evolution to a University is due out in the spring. She was the opening plenary speaker at the Conference of Southern Graduate Schools this year where she shared her premise that graduate education transformed a rural college into a world-class university. Her nominator notes that she received a resounding standing ovation for her presentation on the relevance of graduate education not only to Clemson University, but to all southern colleges and universities. Her book recognizes more than one hundred graduate “trailblazers” and reflects on one hundred years of graduate education at Clemson from1924 to 2024.

Dr. Jack C. Peck

Upon his retirement from Clemson in 2000, Dr. Peck was among the top Computer Science faculty in publications and funded research. He continues to be a successful serial entrepreneur. In 1987, he co-founded Foxfire Technologies Corporation to create software for both the manufacturing and distribution industries. Beginning operations in a Clemson University incubator, Foxfire grew to more than twenty employees. Foxfire’s products were employed by such well-known companies as Levi, Wrangler, Playtex, Sara Lee, Jantzen, Intertape Polymer, and Carters.
In 2006, after a successful exit from Foxfire Technologies, Dr. Peck co-founded FastFetch Corporation to supply innovative hardware and software solutions for eCommerce order fulfillment.

He provided the creative impetus that formed the basis for FastFetch’s products. One such product employs artificial intelligence to determine a right-sized container for shipping multiple items of different sizes and shapes with minimal wasted space. This problem has long been recognized as a difficult problem in the computer science field. In 2019, this development was judged as the most innovative supply chain management product in the US by the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP), edging out Intel Corporation.

While there are numerous artificial intelligence applications currently being developed for the supply chain industry, the FastFetch solution is one of only a few that are in production daily by well-known companies such as Snap-on, Staples, FedEx, and UPS. In addition to receiving the CSCMP innovation award in 2019, FastFetch was a finalist for the innovation award in 2018 and the runner-up in 2023. Dr. Peck has been granted 5 US patents and several international patents on the innovations employed in FastFetch products. Jack is recognized as a thought leader in the supply chain industry. He has frequently presented technical talks at industry conferences, served on industry panels, been interviewed on several occasions by supply chain media outlets, and been quoted in trade publications. Additionally, Dr. Peck continues to publish scholarly papers in a refereed, international supply chain journal with publications in 2019, 2023, and a publication scheduled for 2025.

Posted in Announcements, Awards, Faculty

Doug’s Holiday Gift Tech Talk – Nov. 4, 2024, 10-11am

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November 4, 2024, (Monday), 10:00 am – 11:30 am, Hybrid, Doug’s Holiday Gift Tech Talk! Join Doug, our CCIT Support Consultant, as he provides his suggestions and moderates others’ ideas on helpful small, inexpensive, and more expensive tech products to consider this holiday buying season. Doug will feature items under $10 and others to fit all budgets with freebie suggestions. He will also discuss how to repurpose or upgrade existing tech. Stay to the end for some giveaway prizes for online/in-person participants!” Light refreshments will be served. Contact emerituscollege@clemson.edu for the Zoom Meeting Link.

Posted in Announcements

Canceled- Annual Fall Picnic Tuesday, October 1, 2024, 11:30 am to 1:30 pm!

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Members of the Emeritus College truly enjoy getting together for the Annual Fall Picnic and Business Meeting! Come on out to Palmettos Event and Catering Center at 11:30 am on Tuesday, October 1, 2024. Bring a guest (suggested donation of $20 per guest). Registration is required. Thank you. See you then!   

Come on Out for the Fall Picnic – Oct 1, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm
Posted in Announcements, EC Events

Mac Arnold, legendary blues performer, visits with Coffee House Music Sessions on Friday, October 18, 2024

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Join Us for a Special Event!

SPECIAL EMERITUS COLLEGE MUSIC EVENT – OCTOBER 18TH

Event: Interview Mac Arnold and enjoy Mac’s music along with one band member

Date: Friday, October 18, 2024, at 10:00 am (Coffee House Music Session)

Place: Emeritus College Seminar Room

Cost: Free (donations are welcome!)

The Clemson University Emeritus College has arranged for legendary Blues performer Mac Arnold to discuss his career and provide musical entertainment during our regularly scheduled Coffee House event on Friday, October 18, 2024, beginning at 10 AM.

You may be familiar with Mac, but here is a brief bio: Born in Ware Place, SC to a family of sharecroppers, he and his brother, Leroy, taught themselves how to play guitar by fashioning a broom stick and a gas can into an instrument. As a teenager, Mac formed a band with James Brown playing the piano. In 1965, he moved to Chicago to be close to the electric blues scene and became a part of Muddy Waters’ band. By the 1970s, Mac was in Los Angeles and began coordinating music on the TV show Soul Train, later playing bass on the theme song for the extraordinarily successful television show Sanford and Son, starring Redd Fox. Mac became remarkably busy doing recording work with Otis Redding, B.B. King, Bill Withers, and others. In the 1980s, he returned to South Carolina to become an organic farmer. Mac eventually formed the Plate Full O’Blues band, and they toured together.

We will interview Mac about his career and enjoy a jam session with a member of the Plate Full O’Blues band. Please invite friends and family who would appreciate getting to know this South Carolina treasure. He is a very humble and approachable man. Please feel free to ask him questions as this will be very informal and lots of fun. Sponsored by The Debbie and Vince Jackson Endowment for Music and your contributions, which make music events at the Emeritus College possible.

Posted in Announcements, Art, EC Events

Scheduling 24-25 Speakers for Two Programs!

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Dr. Cecil Huey Introduces Dean Marks, Emeritus College

Guess Who is Coming to Dinner & Virtual Tours

The Programming Committee of the Emeritus College urges you to consider presenting one of these interesting programs. Our seminars are always hybrid and typically scheduled from 10:00 to 11:30 am, with 45 minutes to one hour for the speaker and the remaining time dedicated to Q&A.

Guess Who is Coming to Dinner

Guess Who is Coming to Dinner Concept and Guidelines: Create a Power Point presentation featuring one or more historical figures. Your “dinner guest” can be famous (or infamous) but should be someone of consequence and importance. One approach is to organize a group of 3 or 4 who each present 15 minutes. Another approach is for you to present alone – creating an in-depth presentation about one person or vignettes on a few people (dinner party). Your final slide should pose questions you would ask your guest if they came to your house for dinner.

Example of Solo Presentation: Nancy Dunlap – “What Do We Really Know About William Shakespeare?” Not much it seems. There are no surviving accounts from colleagues, friends, or family, and he had no known (legitimate) descendants. Who was this man whose works have been taught, quoted, and performed for over four hundred years? Was he, indeed, the GOAT, or was he, as his contemporary and fellow dramatist Robert Greene called him, the “Upstart Crow?”

Example of Multiple Presentations: Dr. Dee Stegelin’s dinner guest is Dwight D. Eisenhower, 34th President of the United States and Supreme Commander of the European forces during WWII. He was raised in Abilene, Kansas near Dee’s family dairy farm. Dr. Cecil Huey’s dinner guest is Isambard Kingdom Brunel, a 19th century engineer who built ships, railways, bridges and the first tunnel under the Thames. Brunel was voted second greatest Briton of all time in a 2002 national poll, second only to Winston Churchill. Dr. Skip Eisiminger’s dinner guest is Leonardo da Vinci, the illegitimate son of a notary public and an unschooled woman who should, but has not, put to rest the import of “good breeding.” The focus will be on da Vinci’s brainstorming drawings (not his famous paintings).

Virtual Tours

Virtual Tour Concept and Directions: Create a Power Point Presentation about a place you have come to know intimately. Perhaps you were born and/or raised in a different country or have traveled there many times with students or have researched an area deeply for your own purposes.

Example: Virtual Tour of Dominica – A True Paradise – with Dr. John Hains. Dominica is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. Columbus encountered this island on his second voyage in 1493. If Columbus returned today, Dominica is the only island that he might say is most unchanged from the 15th Century. This presentation will focus on the natural features of ‘The Nature Island of the Caribbean’ along with two recent eco-tours and several study-abroad trips with Clemson students. Hains hopes you will enjoy this virtual tour of one of the most unspoiled and beautiful places on earth.

Example: Dr. Bill Stringer presents: D-Day Landings, A Virtual Tour. The liberation of German-occupied Europe was a huge triumph of courage, technology, planning and execution. The first segment examines the military problems to be solved, the planning and preparation, and the launch on June 6, 1944.

Example: Another take on this presentation can combine Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner with a Virtual Tour. For example, Dr. Steve Wainscott’s dinner guest was the Baroque master Peter Paul Rubens, who lived and painted in Antwerp, Belgium, a historically important port and one of the world’s great art cities.

Please contact Victoria Musheff at vmushef@clemson.edu

Posted in Announcements