Summer/Fall 2009 — Vol. 62, No. 3

Building blocks

Guests at the Major Donors Breakfast in June were put to work building the new Lee Hall. Each guest received a piece of an image of the structure and was challenged to work with others at the table to put the pieces together to create the total picture.

President Jim Barker used the exercise to emphasize the importance of renovating and expanding the real Lee Hall: “We need your help to get this project done. The picture won’t be complete without your piece of the puzzle.” The Major Donors Breakfast is held annually on the Sunday morning of Alumni Reunion Weekend.

Major donors are essential to the overall Clemson experience. Their support expands scholarship opportunities for students, helps develop and retain excellent faculty, and improves learning environments. For more on becoming a major donor, go to www.clemson.edu/giving/donors.

Investing in women’s leadership

Clemson graduate Cheri Dunmore Phyfer ’93, M ’99 of Dallas, Texas, an executive for Sherwin-Williams, has given $25,000 to support the Women’s Leadership Initiative in Clemson’s Division of Student Affairs. Sherwin-Williams is matching her gift with a $25,000 contribution, meaning a total of $50,000 will be given over a five-year period.



The money will be used to support existing and new women’s leadership initiatives, including the Food for Thought luncheon series and the annual Women’s Leadership Conference. The program brings to campus keynote speakers, workshops and monthly gatherings to enhance confidence, ethical decision-making and civic engagement in female students.

Phyfer is the president and general manager of the Southwestern Division of Sherwin-Williams, a region that includes 800 stores.

Left: Students, professionals and others learn the latest in building leadership skills in young women as they enter the work force.

Gift for China Studies

An anonymous donor has given $10,000 to the Clemson University Center for China Studies to support its mission and programs. 



“This gift will assist the College of Business and Behavioral Science in maintaining an international focus at a time when having an international presence is crucial but funding is limited,” says Claude Lilly, dean of the college.



The Center for China Studies promotes a better understanding of the U.S.-China relationship, China’s economic development and its impact on the world. It also assists in arranging scholarships and study-abroad programs for Clemson students with top Chinese universities.

Students meet with Chinese Embassy diplomats in D.C.

Oxford bound

2009 Duckenfield Scholar Adrienne Rankin of Johnsonville gets a send-off from her family and the Duckenfield family before leaving for St. Peters College, Oxford University.

The scholarship, in memory of longtime Clemson administrator Chris Duckenfield, supports an honors student’s summer study in England each year.

Rankin is the fifth student to advance her studies and world travel experience thanks to private donors’ endowment for the scholarship.

Left: Scholar Adrienne Rankin (right) with Marty Duckenfield

 

Orange 'blood brothers'

After years of study, service, athletics and other activities on the Clemson campus, saying goodbye after graduation can be difficult. This was the case with Steve “Hutchy” Hutchinson ’68 and roommate, fraternity brother and friend Jimmy Addison ’68, whom he calls, even some 40-plus years later, a “blood brother.”

“The day that we graduated, I was heading to Summerville, Jimmy to Alabama, and we just hugged one another and cried,” he recalls. “Clemson represented four of the best years of my life. The people I got to know, like Jimmy, have been extremely influential to me. My life wouldn’t have been the same if I hadn’t gone to Clemson.”

Right: Brenda Patton and Steve Hutchinson with Jimmy and Dinny Addison

Clemson legend Frank Jervey first introduced Hutchinson to campus. But, upon enrolling, he wasn’t too crazy about college life. “All your hair got cut off, you had to wear a little orange cap, and no girls would date you being bald!”

But, soon, he discovered the Delta Kappa Alpha fraternity, which completely reversed his prior opinion. “The fraternity was always very supportive, and it’s where I bonded with some of the best friends I’ve had,” he says, “Jimmy Bell, Jimmy Addison, Frank Cox, Randy Mahaffey, Harry Frampton, Jim Sutherland, John Welborn. …”

Through the fraternity, Hutchinson made friends with a young pledge named Jim Barker. “I was the pledge master of Clemson University’s president!” says Hutchinson. “To have been there and known Jim all these years is unique and has encouraged me to do something to support Clemson.”

Prompted by his long-term friendship with college roommate and best friend, Jimmy Addison, and the desire to help students achieve their aspirations despite economic situations, Hutchinson established the James W. “Jimmy” Addison ’68 Scholarship Endowment to provide scholarships for College of Business and Behavioral Science students who demonstrate financial need.

Hutchinson endowed the scholarship fund with a $25,000 initial investment because he understands how critical scholarship dollars are for today’s students. To be sure this endowment could touch as many students’ lives as possible, he set up a charitable remainder unitrust in which he named the Clemson University Foundation as one of three beneficiaries of his estate.

“My parents taught me about giving back at an early age,” says Hutchinson. “Whether it was to church or school or other small organizations, I was raised to be involved, to invest in the future.”

Thinking back to his college days, Hutchinson gets a little choked up. “I feel very emotional about Clemson. The ties that
I made, the connections with people, it is just all so special,” he says. “And there is no question about the inner reward you get for giving back. ... It’s a great sense of self-satisfaction.”

For more information about supporting the University through planned giving, please contact JoVanna King, senior director of gift and estate planning, Clemson University, PO Box 1889, Clemson, SC 29633-1889 or call (864) 656-0663 or 1-800-699-9153 or e-mail jovanna@clemson.edu.