Inside Clemson

Virginia ‘Jenny’ Bourne, retiree – January 13, 2024

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Virginia Carol “Jenny” Bourne, 71 of Fayetteville, Ark., passed away Saturday, January 13, 2024.

She served Clemson University for more than 19 years as a Program Manager in the Department of Bioengineering before retiring in March 2022 as the Bioengineering program’s administrator for Outreach and Research Services.

She was instrumental in helping the department put together several large inter-institutional projects and grants including Clemson’s first NIH COBRE center, SC BioCRAFT. She also taught technical writing and communications courses and workshops for students and postdocs.

A full obituary is available online.

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Employee Shout-outs – February 1, 2024

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Abbey McQueen, Assistant Director of Housing Administration, Clemson Home

“Abbey is organized, positive, and solutions-focused. I work with her directly to discuss housing assignments for students who are eligible for specific ADA accommodations–some of these requests are quite complex–and she always is able to find an option that meets the need!” – Jamie Martin, Assistant Director of Auxiliary Accommodations, Student Accessibility Services

Beth Stephan, Director of Academics, General Engineering, CECAS

“Beth is an instrumental key to our department’s success. She is always looking for ways to reach students and adjust the teaching methods to meet their needs and help them to succeed.” – Anonymous

Michael Parrish, (Assistant Director, Fraternity Sorority Housing Operations and Technology) and Tiffany Deal (Assistant Director, Fraternity Sorority Housing), as well as all others who helped with the Wannamaker flood

“Great team work managing the flood in Wannamaker Hall and all of the follow up and student support that followed!” – Brianna Lombardozzi (Director, Housing Operations) and Amber Dees (Director, Residential Living)

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Gordon Lewis, Professor Emeritus of Ceramic Engineering – January 24, 2024

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Gordon Lewis, Professor Emeritus and former department head of Ceramic Engineering, passed away on January 24, 2024 at the age of 90.

Lewis joined Clemson in 1985 and retired as the department head of Ceramic Engineering in 1998 after 13 years of service. He joined the Emeritus College in 2017.

He earned his bachelor’s degree and Ph.D. in Ceramic Engineering from Alfred University in Alfred, N.Y. He completed his post-doctoral fellowship at the University of Kansas and was a former professor at the University of Missouri -Rolla (now Missouri University of Science and Technology).

A memorial service to honor Dr. Lewis’s life will be held at a later date.

A full obituary is available online.

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Employee Shout-outs – January 25, 2024

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Weston Link, Building Manager for Biological Sciences (Jordan Hall)

“Weston always goes above and beyond to help and assist others whenever or wherever he is needed. He has done an excellent job since joining the BioSci team!” – Anonymous

Jessica Kohout-Tailor, Interim Learning Commons Director, University Libraries

“Dr. Jessica Kohout-Tailor cares deeply about the students at Clemson and works hard to ensure that the newly developing Learning Commons at Cooper Library does all that it can to become a hub for student growth and development. The events and collaborations taking place within the Learning Commons are shaping how students perceive the connections between various campus support services.” – Anonymous

Dr. Charles Privette III, Department Chair & Professor, Agricultural Sciences

“Dr. Privette is an EXCELLENT chair and a visionary leader, we love how he leads our department. He is very kind and collegial. We appreciate you, Dr. Privette!” – Anonymous

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Subhash Chandra Anand, Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering – January 21, 2024

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Subhash Chandra Anand, Professor Emeritus of Civil Engineering, passed away on January 21, 2024, at the age of 90.

Anand joined Clemson in August 1972, where he joined the Civil Engineering department. He taught numerous undergraduate and graduate courses and was principal advisor for several master’s and Ph.D. students. He received several prestigious awards, including the Quattlebaum Faculty Achievement award from Clemson University and a Fulbright award to teach in Uruguay. His research work was funded by various local and national agencies, including the National Science Foundation, and published in prestigious engineering journals. He retired from the University in 2006 after more than 33 years of service, joining the Emeritus College in 2015.

He is survived by Vera Anand, Professor Emerita of Engineering and Science Education.

Anand received his Civil Engineering degree from Banaras Hindu University before moving to the United States, where he received his Ph.D. from Northwestern Engineering.

A memorial service is planned for February 4, 2024, at 1 p.m. at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home in Cary, N.C. with a reception to follow.

A full obituary will be shared when available.

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Melissa King, Staff, Clemson Athletics – January 18, 2024

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Clemson University mourns the death of Melissa King, Associate Director of Business Operations for Clemson Athletics. She passed away on January 18, 2024. King started her Clemson career on August 10, 2006.

Melissa King

“We are devastated about Melissa’s passing,” said Director of Athletics Graham Neff. “She has been a valued member of our business operations team for more than 17 years, and brought light to our Clemson Family. Her loss is profound, and we extend our deepest condolences to her loved ones, including her husband, BJ, and daughters, Ashley and Hannah.”

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m., Sunday, January 21, 2024, at Oakdale Baptist Church, 6724 Highway 24, Townville, S.C.

The family will receive friends from 5 p.m. until 7 p.m. Saturday at Sullivan-King Mortuary.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions be made to Oakdale Baptist Church Children’s Ministry, 6724 Highway 24, Townville, S.C. 29689.

A full 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.

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Donald D. Clayton, Professor Emeritus of Physics and Astronomy – January 3, 2024

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Donald D. Clayton, Professor Emeritus of Physics and Astronomy, passed away on January 3, 2024, at the age of 88.

An esteemed talent in the field of astrophysics, he joined Clemson’s Department of Physics and Astronomy in August 1989 and served 16 years before retiring in 2005. He joined the Emeritus College in 2016.

At Clemson, he played an instrumental role in establishing a cutting-edge graduate research program in astrophysics. His dedication and research spanned projects such as the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory, where his predictions regarding radioactive nuclei in supernova remnants were confirmed.

Even after his official retirement, Clayton remained an active force in the field, with a particular focus on the condensation of dust within supernovae. Notably, he assembled a comprehensive web-based photo archive detailing the history of nuclear astrophysics and chronicling his own contributions from 1990 through 2014.

Prior to Clemson, he taught and conducted research at the California Institute of Technology, Cambridge University, Rice University, Heidelberg University and the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg. He earned the prestigious Andrew Hays Buchanan Professorship of Astrophysics at Rice in 1968, a position he held for two decades.

He earned degrees from Southern Methodist University and the California Institute of Technology.

A memorial service will be on March 16, 2024 at 11 a.m. at Seneca Presbyterian Church in Seneca, S.C.

A full obituary is available online.

Posted in Obituaries