DATE: March 31, 2008
CONTACT:
Kirby Player, (864) 656-3886
kplayer@clemson.edu
CONTACT:
Keith Barber, (864) 656-3824
kbarber@clemson.edu
WRITER:
Susan Benson, (864) 650-4615
benson2@clemson.edu
WRITER:
Amy Jesse, (864) 650-4615
jesse2@clemson.edu
Clemson University honors Rauch family for gift
CLEMSON — Clemson University honored Elizabeth "Libby" Monts Rauch and her family at a luncheon March 29 at the Madren Conference Center for their gift in memory of both her late husband and son.
Her husband, Clyde McRay "Ray" Rauch attended the university and received honorary Clemson alumnus status in 2005. Her late son, Clyde McRay "Chip" Rauch, Jr. was a member of the Tiger Band and a 1991 Clemson graduate. The gift of real estate valued at more than $500,000 will endow creative inquiry programs in the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences and provide support for the Tiger Band. The gift adds to a tradition of Rauch family giving to Clemson that began when Chip graduated from the University.
Rauch was joined at the luncheon by her children, grandchildren and many relatives and friends. Among them were Robert Rauch, his wife, Pam, and their children Robert Jr. and twins Taylor and C. McRay Rauch III; Christopher Rauch, his wife Kimberly and their two children, Blake and Tallie; and Elizabeth “Beth” Cutshall, her husband Matt and their daughter Lauren. Clemson President James Barker was unable to attend but opened the celebration with a personal video greeting to Rauch. Dean Alan Sams spoke on behalf of the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences, and Kirby Player, director of College Relations, recounted his Clemson memories of son Chip. Long-time family friend John “Nick” Mathewes delivered a moving spoken tribute to Ray.
The Clemson Tiger and 10 members of the Tiger Band entertained throughout the event.
"Ray and I decided early in our marriage that if we ever had extra money, we wanted to give it in support of scholarships. That would be our charity," Rauch said. "We wanted other children to have the opportunity for an education."
As a math educator of 35 years with two master's degrees, she knows the value of a college education. She would have attended Clemson but it didn't have women's dorms at the time. Five generations of her family are Clemson graduates. Her grandfather was a Clemson graduate and two of the other Rauch children are Clemson graduates.
Chip Rauch was the member of the Tiger Band who played the saxophone with the dyed-orange Tiger paw shaved on his head. His other passion was research, which he pursued before his death. He studied the use of ozone to destroy salmonella in chicken embryos at Mississippi State University.
The Rauch family gifts celebrate both of his passions and the Rauch passion for providing young people with opportunities for achievement and success in higher education. The Rauch gifts will endow the Clyde McRay "Ray" Rauch Sr. and the Clyde McRay "Chip" Rauch Jr. Memorial Student Enrichment Fund to support the Creative Inquiry program in the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences for undergraduate research. An endowment has also been created for a memorial scholarship for grants-in-aid to members of the Tiger Band who play the saxophone.
“Research inspires so many innovative ideas, and I don’t believe you need to be a graduate student to be innovative,” Rauch said about the decision to focus on undergraduate initiatives. “We wanted undergraduates to gain research experience because the more students are involved, the more they are going to love Clemson. The research being performed at Clemson will not only help the University and South Carolina, but the world at large. The tentacles of research reach far and wide.”
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