Norman F. Pulliam, Sr. ’64

Norman F. Pulliam Sr. of Spartanburg has been presented with the 2015 Distinguished Service Award, the association’s highest honor.

Pulliam is a 1964 graduate of Clemson, who was president of the student senate, president of the Blue Key Honor Society and winner of the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, which honors service to campus and community. He received his MBA from Harvard University in 1967.

After graduating, Pulliam became a successful businessman, developing over half a billion dollars worth of properties throughout the southeast – primarily apartments and senior housing – as founder and president of Pulliam Investment Company Inc. for over 35 years. He has been very involved in his community, serving as either chairman or president for many organizations in Spartanburg, including the South Carolina School for the Deaf and the Blind, the Spartanburg Development Council, and the Spartanburg Boy’s Home. He is the former chairman and current trustee of the Spartanburg Regional Hospital Foundation, and currently serves on the S.C. Department of Natural Resources Board of Directors.

Pulliam continued his dedication to Clemson by providing the initial funding for the Clemson Masters of Real Estate Development program. He is a past member of the Clemson Board of Visitors, the Clemson Alumni Association Board of Directors and is a longtime major IPTAY supporter.

In 1985, he was awarded the South Carolina Order of the Palmetto, the state’s highest civilian award for extraordinary lifetime service and achievements of national and statewide significance.

In her letter supporting Pulliam’s nomination for the DSA, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley said, “As a Clemson alumnus and citizen of the Palmetto State, Mr. Pulliam exemplifies servant leadership and civic engagement in the highest form.”

Pulliam lives in Spartanburg with his wife, Jo. They have three grown children – Tracey Rogers of Pawleys Island, Norman Pulliam Jr. of Spartanburg, and Thomas Pulliam of Greenville – and three grandchildren.