DATE: June 30, 2009

CONTACT: Wil Brasington, 864-656-5652
wil@clemson.edu

WRITER: Angela Nixon, 864-656-0382
anixon@clemson.edu

Clemson Alumni Association names two honorary alumni

CLEMSON — The Clemson Alumni Association has named Robbie Templeton of Greenwood and Van Jones of Charlotte honorary alumni of Clemson University.

A lifelong Tiger fan, Templeton attended Baptist College, now named Charleston Southern University, where he ran on the track team, and graduated from Lander College. He has served as an IPTAY representative for Greenwood County since 1993 and is an active member of the Greenwood Clemson Club. He is the club’s secretary, but also has served as president, vice president, treasurer and director. He received the alumni association’s Super Tiger Award in 1998. He has assisted with Clemson’s Board of Visitors' high school reception in the Greenwood area.

Templeton, who is an assistant vice president for Countybanc Insurance, also has served as president of the Greenwood Touchdown Club and the Greenwood High School Booster Club. He has been chairman of the Greenwood County Council since 2005.

“Through his work as chairman of the Greenwood County Council and his high profile with Countybanc, he continues to promote Clemson University in Greenwood County and beyond,” wrote one nominator. “Ninety-five percent of people in Greenwood would be very surprised to find out that he is not a Clemson University graduate.”

Templeton’s son, Rett, is a junior at Clemson.

Jones, a director at Wells Fargo and Co., graduated from Brown University, where he played football, but according to one nominator, “Van’s heart was in Clemson during his years at Brown.”

Jones has been involved with the Charlotte Clemson Club for 16 years, having served as president, vice president for membership and special-events coordinator. He revived the club’s Young Alumni Chapter and has been recognized with the Golden Tiger Award for his service.

Jones was the North Carolina Region 1 IPTAY chairman for several years, an IPTAY donor since 1993, and he and his wife, Ashley, a 1994 Clemson graduate, are Fort Hill Society scholarship donors. Jones is actively involved with the High School Yield Reception hosted by the Charlotte and York County Clemson clubs.

Jones is an elder at the First ARP Church in Gastonia, N.C. He and his wife have four sons: Evan, 7; Eli, 5; Gray, 3; and Gavin, 2.

“In today’s hectic society, it is unfathomable that an individual would be so willing to be involved in volunteering for and helping promote the Clemson brand and not be a Clemson graduate,” wrote one nominator.

“These two gentlemen exemplify the passion and spirit that is typically found among the most dedicated of our former students," said Wil Brasington, Clemson’s senior director of alumni relations. "Therefore, we felt it was only fitting to pay tribute to them by officially welcoming them to the ranks of Clemson alumni through this honor."

Any Clemson alumnus can nominate someone to be an honorary alumnus. Honorary alumni are selected by the Alumni Council for their outstanding service, lifelong devotion and loyalty to Clemson University or the Clemson Alumni Association. To see past honorary alumni or to view the award guidelines, visit http://cualumni.clemson.edu/ha.