THE GIFT -- The Clemson University Class of 1941 made a $1,000,000 pledge at their 60th class reunion, giving money to create a home for the Class of 1941 Studio for Student Communication. This pledge represents only a small part of the more than $11.8 million members of the class have contributed over the years. Says P.W. McAlister of Laurens, "The members of the Class of 1941 are pleased that we can make this gift. We're already proud of the graduates that come out of Clemson, and we're proud that the millions of dollars previously contributed by this class make those graduates even better prepared for their place in the world" (qtd. in CLEMSONews, 08/13/01).

The $1 million contribution went toward renovating a section of the bottom floor of Daniel Hall to make a suitable home for the Class of 1941 Studio for Student Communication. The Studio works in tandem with Clemson's Communication Across the Curriculum program to make Clemson students better speakers, writers, and users of technology. Notably, the Communication Across the Curriculum program is the same program that earned Clemson TIME Magazine's title of "Public College of the Year" in 2001.

The hallway outside the Studio and a portion of the Studio itself soon will be used to display memoribilia from the Class of 1941. A portrait of class president R.Roy Pearce (seen standing in the picture above) and his wife Marnie hang in the Studio reception area, and other items of significance to the class will be displayed inside the Studio on a rotating basis. This web site and the Studio newsletter will highlight individual members of the Class of 1941 as well as tell some of the stories behind the items displayed in the Studio.