Month: November 2023

November 1, 2023

November 6, 2023

November 8, 2023

November 13, 2023

November 15, 2023

November 20, 2023

November 22, 2023

November 27, 2023

November 29, 2023

George Emmitt Carter, Jr., Professor Emeritus of Plant Pathology and Physiology and former Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies, passed away on November 25, 2023, at the age of 77.

Dr. Carter earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Wake Forest University before graduating with a Ph.D. in plant pathology and physiology from Clemson University. He spent the next 36 years at Clemson, first as a professor, and then in administration as Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies until he retired.

Visitation will be held Wednesday, November 29, 2023, from 12-1 p.m. at Thomas McAfee Funeral Home, 639 N. Main St., Greenville, SC 29601. The funeral service will begin at 1 p.m. in the Downtown Chapel. Burial will follow the service in Mountain View Cemetery, 408 North Fairplay St., Seneca, S.C. 29678.

Clemson University mourns the death of Mary Ashley Brown Cutler, an administrative assistant at the Marion County Cooperative Extension Office. She passed away on November 17, 2023.

She was hired at Clemson on December 1, 1997, and had more than 18 years of service to the University.

“Mary Ashley was a thoughtful, caring person as well as a very dedicated employee,” said Michael McManus, Cooperative Extension’s district extension director for the Pee Dee region. “She will certainly be missed.”

The family will receive friends Tuesday, November 21, from 2-3 p.m. at Cox-Collins Funeral Home of Mullins. A service in remembrance will follow at 3 p.m. in the Funeral Chapel of Cox-Collins. A burial will follow at a later date in Rose Hill Cemetery, and will be announced by the funeral home when scheduled.

Her obituary is available online.

Counseling services are also available to faculty and staff through ComPysch, the University’s Employee Assistance Program provider, at 866-365-0813.

Clemson University Obituaries

Obituaries for active employees, retirees and current students are issued by Marketing and Communications once we are able to confirm the information. Since faculty and staff live and work throughout the state, we depend on university departments, colleagues or friends to notify us of the deaths of active employees and retirees.

Clemson University mourns the death of H. ‘Roger’ Grant, Professor, History. The University was notified on November 17 that Dr. Roger Grant had passed away.

Grant was hired at Clemson on August 15, 1996, and he was in his 27^th year at the University. 

“Roger was one of the leading historians of American railroads with an amazing record of having published more than 40 books, but what his colleagues will remember is his kindness and generosity, especially to new faculty,” said Stephanie Barczewski, Acting Chair, Department of History and Geography. “Beyond his academic accomplishments, Roger was instrumental in building community within the department and university, and he will be greatly missed.”

Grant, who intended to retire at the end of the semester, was continuing his research, with two more books in development when he died. He was recognized as the University’s Centennial Professor in 2004. He was also honored as one of 75 people worthy of praise in the 75^th anniversary of Trains magazine.

Grant is survived by his wife, Martha, and his daughter, Julia Grant.

A family graveside service will be held at a future date at Oakview Cemetery, Albia, Iowa.

His full obituary is available online.

Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) provides grief counseling to students. Any student who wants to speak to a counselor should contact CAPS at 864-656-2451. An after-hours CAPS counselor can be reached by calling 864-656-2451 and selecting option 2 to speak to a counselor.

Counseling services are also available to faculty and staff through ComPysch, the University’s Employee Assistance Program provider, at 866-365-0813.

Lieutenant Colonel Wesley Witcher, Professor Emeritus of Plant and Environmental Sciences, passed away on November 9, 2023, at the age of 100, in Clemson, S.C.

Lt. Col. Witcher joined the faculty of the Clemson University Department of Botany and Bacteriology, which later became the Department of Plant Pathology, in on July 1, 1960. He taught classes, researched, and worked in the Forestry Department before retiring from Clemson in 1988 with 28 years of service. In addition to membership to several scientific organizations, he worked for 17 years with crop pest regulatory services and was also a registered forester in South Carolina.

He enlisted in the Army Air Corps at age 19 was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in 1943. He flew 45 missions in New Guinea, Hawaii, and the Philippines. He flew both B-24 and B-25s in the South West Pacific Area (SWPA) during World War II. After separation from service, he took commission in Army Reserves and was the first commander at the National Guard in Chatham, Va. When he moved to Clemson in 1960, he joined the 205th Reserves, retiring in 1972 at the rank of Lt. Colonel.

He graduated from Virginia Tech with a bachelor’s degree in Forestry and Wildlife. In 1956, he returned to the school for a master’s in Plant Pathology before receiving his Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from NC State.

There will be a private graveside service. Contributions can be made to Mt Zion Methodist Church, 310 Church Street, Central, S.C. 29630 or Hospice of the Upstate, 1835 Rogers Road, Anderson, S.C. 29621.

His obituary is available online.