Category: EC Events

On Thursday, May 28, 2026, 10:00 am – 11:30 am, Hybrid, Bert Fox, retired photo editor for the National Geographic (1996-2007) will present “Celebrating the First Ascent of Mt. Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary & Tenzing Norgay” at Clemson University’s Emeritus College 511 Westinghouse Rd, Pendleton, 29670. Open to the public so bring your friends and family!

Bert Fox will discuss producing the visual content for National Geographic Magazine’s 50th Anniversary edition celebrating the first ascent of Mount Everest by Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay. Bert was responsible for the entire visual production of the May 2003 issue of the magazine. His fieldwork included travel to New Zealand to meet Sir Edmund Hillary, and to Nepal to retrace the British trek to the summit and contact several Sherpa families. Upon his return to National Geographic’s offices in Washington DC, he directed the selecting, editing, and arranging of the visual content for the issue. 

Bert Bio
Bert Fox was a photo editor for National Geographic from 1996 – 2007, during which time he edited the visual content for over 100 stories from ideas to print – procuring, negotiating contracts, overseeing work, editing the photographs, and selecting those that would be included in the magazine. Bert began his 40+ year career as a newspaper photographer. He was a photo editor and Sunday Magazine art director at the Philadelphia Inquirer from 1982-1996. Over the course of his career he was a five-time winner of the prestigious “Photo Editor of the Year” prize awarded by the University of Missouri and National Press Photographers Association in their “Pictures of the Year” International competition. In 2007 he and his wife Nanine Hartzenbusch moved to Charlotte to raise their son Charles, and they relocated to the Upstate in 2019.

Join the Emeritus College on a tour of Susan Lenz’ Mouse House Studio [ Register below!]

Cateechee was once an active, self-contained mill village with a church serving those who labored in the Norris Cotton Mill, the first big manufacturing plant in Pickens County. The village included a company store, school, post office, cafe, barber shop, hotel, and more than ninety houses. The mill closed and the village declined. In 2023, the church was purchased by Susan Lenz and Steve Dingman and renovated into their home and sanctuary-sized fiber arts studio.  They moved from Columbia in March 2024. The tour will include both the studio where artwork is for sale and the two-story living space that was once Sunday school rooms and office space. Susan’s artwork has been part of both the Philadelphia Museum of Art and Smithsonian Craft Shows. She has pieces in the permanent collections of the Textile Museum and the Department of Interior Museum, both in Washington, DC.  Susan creates a variety of artwork, from inexpensive but original greeting cards to wall-hanging work that is also carried by the Grovewood Gallery in Asheville North Carolina and Spiralis Gallery in Easton, Maryland.

Place: Mouse House Studio [Cateechee Mill Church]

Date: April 8, 2026

Time:  Meet at the church at 9:45 am

Park:  Parking is on the grass on the left side of the structure

Bring: Cash and card in case a piece of art catches your eye

Register Here

PDF Invitation

Registration Link for Current Members of the Emeritus College

Please mark your calendars and plan to attend two special events on the American Revolution in South Carolina as we mark the 250^th anniversary.

~On February 26, at 10:00 am, Dr. Rod Andrew, Clemson Professor of History, will present “Andrew Pickens and the Revolutionary War in the South Carolina Backcountry, 1775-1782.”

~On March 27, at 10:00 am, Carolyn Nations, Chair, Pickens County SC250 Committee, will discuss the work of the SC250 Commission and the Pickens County Committee, featured events, and the American Revolution in the Upstate.

The Memoir Interest Group is excited to share with you that they recently published a book, “The Sixties: The Long Decade, 1954-1974.”  To celebrate this special occasion, the Emeritus College is hosting a book signing event on Friday, February 13, 2026, 4:00 pm – 6:30 pm.  Details are provided below. 

All 13 authors will be on site to chat and sign your copy of The Sixties book.  During this gathering of friends, we will enjoy light refreshments and brief readings from the authors. Barnes and Noble will be present to sell copies of the books. Please come on out and enjoy this special social occasion!   

Event: The Sixties Book Presentation and Signing Social

Date:  Friday February 13, 2026

Time: 4:00 pm – 6:30 pm

Place: The Emeritus College, 511 Westinghouse Rd. in Pendleton

Special notes: Barnes and Noble and 13 authors present

Refreshments Served: Come on out and enjoy friends during this special time of sharing memories of the Sixties period.

Email emerituscollege@clemson.edu for the zoom links.

December 10, 2025, Wednesday, 10: 00 am – 11:30 am, Hybrid, Forgotten Narrative and the Passage of Time: Making a Plan for Your Precious Possessions by renowned fiber artist, Susan Lenz. Susan is a fiber and mixed-media artist renowned for her ability to transform found objects, such as those found at estate sales, antique shops, flea markets and mother nature, into meticulously composed works of art. The daughter of German immigrants, Susan has built a life devoted to creativity, craftsmanship, and artistic exploration. Working from her studio in a restored church within the historic Cateechee mill village near Central, South Carolina, Susan employs both hand and machine stitching, alongside book arts and three-dimensional assemblage. Her obsession with repurposing found treasures reflects her fascination with forgotten narratives and the passage of time. Her work has been featured in national publications, juried exhibitions, and esteemed fine craft shows, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Smithsonian. She has appeared on art quilting television programs and South Carolina ETV’s Palmetto Scene. Her pieces are included in the permanent collections of the Textile Museum and the Department of the Interior Museum in Washington, D.C., as well as the McKissick Museum in South Carolina. 

Date: Wednesday, December 10, 2025

Time: 10:00 am to 11:30 am

Hybrid: Zoom and In Person at the Emeritus College. Please email emerituscollege@clemson.edu for the Zoom link or attend in person at the Emeritus College in Clemson’s Regulatory Building at 511 Westinghouse Rd.

DETAILS

Sponsorship:  This program is brought to you by the Clemson University Emeritus College Creative Works Committee and Diane Smathers, Chair

What: 2025 Holiday Social Event – the 2025 Holiday Craft Fair & Cookie Share

Date: December 2, 2025, 3:00 pm – 5:30 pm

Location: at the Emeritus College – 511 Westinghouse Road, Pendleton, SC (In Clemson’s Regulatory Building)

Goings On: Crafters will be selling goods, Emeritus College Coffee House Musicians are playing, Eats & Cookies served, and Socialize with new and old friends

What to Bring: Optional – 1) Sign up for a food item; 2) Bring dozen favorite cookies for dessert (home baked is not a requirement!) 3) Donation for Paw Pantry Food Drive

Needed: Crafters – Contact Victoria if you have recommendations or share the Crafter Registration link below

Registration: If you plan to attend, please register (so we can provide enough food)

REGISTRATION TO ATTEND THE EVENT (Click)

CRAFTER REGISTRATION FOR THE EVENT (Click)

USE SIGN UP GENIUS TO BRING A DISH OR ITEM (Click)

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