Palmer E. 'Satch' Krantz receives Clemson alumni Distinguished Service Award

Published: March 12, 2012

Palmer E. “Satch” Krantz image by: Riverbanks Zoo

CLEMSON — The Clemson Alumni Association has recognized Palmer E. “Satch” Krantz of Columbia as one of six 2012 winners of the Distinguished Service Award, the association’s highest honor.

Distinguished Service Award honorees demonstrate a dedication to enhancing the value of the university for future generations; church, professional and public service; and personal accomplishments that serve as a model for present and future Clemson students.

A 1972 Clemson graduate, Krantz is the executive director of Columbia’s Riverbanks Zoo and Garden, a multimillion dollar scientific, cultural and recreational facility recognized as one of the state’s largest and most successful public attractions. Responsible for building Riverbanks Zoo into one of the top 10 zoos in the country, Krantz is the longest-serving zoo director of a single zoo in the United States.

Krantz has been president of the World Zoo and Aquarium Association, one of only four Americans to do so. He has twice served as chairman of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and has served three terms on the organization’s board of directors.

He is a former member and past chairman of the board of directors of Palmetto Health’s Children’s Hospital.

Krantz is a founding member of the Second Century Society, Columbia’s Clemson Luncheon Club. He has served as president of the Rotary Club of Columbia, a member of the board of directors of the River Alliance and the Greater Columbia Chamber of Commerce. Krantz has been chairman of the University of South Carolina’s University Associates. He has been honored by numerous organizations, including the World Affairs Council, which gave him its Global Vision Award; the Committee of 100, which honored him with its International Ambassador of the Year; and the city of Columbia, which awarded him the Key to the City. He received a Woodrow Wilson Award in 1993 for fostering community relations. Krantz has served on the Clemson Alumni Association’s board of directors since 2007. He is a former chairman of the university’s Board of Visitors.

Krantz and his wife, Rebecca, have two sons, both of whom have graduated from Clemson University.

The other Distinguished Service Award winners are William Kelly Durham of Clemson; Theodore G. “Ted” Westmoreland of Shelby, N.C.;  Gosnold Graham “Goz” Segars Jr. of Hartsville; E. Smyth McKissick III of Greenville; and Charles Lenson Sullivan Jr. of Hartsville.

END