Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Farris Carlos Hill ’86 Receives the 2023 Distinguished Service Award

Natural leader. Accomplished professional. Highly respected Clemson role model.

Retired Brig. Gen. Carlos Hill, a Ninety Six native and Air Force ROTC scholarship recipient, graduated from Clemson in 1986 with a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. A 32-year military career followed, culminating with his service as Mobilization Assistant to the Director of Legislative Liaison in the Office of the Secretary of the Air Force.

In that role he was the liaison between the Air Force and Congress for all programs, air and space weapons systems and legislative inquiries. He was responsible for ensuring the full authorization of the Air Force’s $145 billion annual budget.

In addition to his Clemson degree, Carlos earned a master’s degree in management and human relations from Abilene Christian University in Texas. He also attended several military schools and programs, including the Squadron Officer’s School, the Air Command and Staff College and the Air War College, all at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama, and the U.S. Air Force Enterprise Leadership Program at the Darden School of Business at the University of Virginia.

Carlos received numerous awards and recognitions for his service, including the Air Force Legion of Merit, Air Force Meritorious Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, Air Force Commendation Medal with two oak leaf clusters, Air Force Achievement Medal with oak leaf cluster, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal and Air Force Expeditionary Service Ribbon.

He was promoted to Brigadier General in 2015 and retired from military service in 2019. He continues to work at the Pentagon in the civilian role of Director of Air Force Reserve Policy Integration.

Carlos served on the Clemson Alumni Association’s board of directors from 2014 to 2019. As a board member, he chaired the Diversity and Inclusion Committee in 2016 and was the CAA’s representative on the Clemson University Board of Visitors for 2017-2018. He is president of the Northern Virginia Clemson Club, which is a part of the regional Baltimore/Washington, DC Clemson Club.

He has played a leadership role in efforts to make Clemson’s military history an important component of the Library of Congress’ Veterans History Project. Through this project, the Library of Congress is collecting, preserving and providing access to the personal accounts of American war veterans. Carlos has helped to add the stories of 25 Clemson veterans to the project.

Carlos frequently returns to Clemson to speak to and mentor current students, including Air Force ROTC cadets. In 2015, he established the Farris Carlos Hill Diversity and Inclusion Excellence Endowment to support retention of underrepresented Clemson students.

In 2022, he established the first endowment to support Clemson’s nationally acclaimed Call Me MISTER program. His gift created the Call Me MISTER Endowed Scholarship Fund. Call Me MISTER works to increase the pool of teachers from diverse backgrounds available to serve particularly in South Carolina’s lowest performing elementary schools. Student participants are largely selected from among underserved, socio-economically disadvantaged and educationally at-risk communities.

Click here to nominate a Tiger for the 2024 Distinguished Service Award.

David P. Rochester Sr. ’68 Receives the 2023 Distinguished Service Award

Business and finance expert. Helping hand to others. True Clemson ambassador.

David Rochester of Aldie, Virginia, sets the standard for impactful service and effective leadership in everything he does – as a professional, in his community, and especially for Clemson.

The Clemson, S.C., native earned a bachelor’s degree in economics from Clemson University in 1968. He went on to earn a master’s in economics from North Carolina State University in 1970 and a doctorate in business and finance from the University of Georgia in 1974. He served in the United States Army from 1968 to 1982.

Today, he is chairman of Capital Resources Group Inc., the investment banking firm that he founded in 1983, and owner and operator of Cool Spring Farm, an award-winning Angus cattle and sport horse enterprise. He also is president of WorldWideWord Inc., a Christian ministry that he and his wife, Catherine, founded in 2000 to fund schools and orphanages, promote health care and provide micro business start-up loans throughout Africa, India, Nepal, the Philippines and Eastern European countries.

David, who was chief economist for the Federal Savings and Loan Insurance Corp. from 1977 to 1980, has frequently served as an expert witness on federal and state levels, including in court cases and before Congressional subcommittees. He has published scholarly articles in numerous professional journals and has held faculty positions at the University of Georgia, the University of Alabama, Virginia Tech and George Washington University.

Among his many community service activities and accomplishments in Virginia, he is a longtime member of the Piedmont Environmental Council and received the Clean Water Farm Award for the Potomac River Basin from the Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation. He is founder and president of the Leesburg Church Foundation for funding Christian ministries and is a leader of the Leesburg Community Church, the Middleburg Humane Foundation and several other local organizations.

Since 1996, David has been active in multiple roles for the Baltimore/Washington, DC Clemson Club. His contributions, leadership and relationships have been instrumental in the club’s growth and success in alumni engagement throughout Maryland, the District of Columbia and northern Virginia and in fundraising initiatives to support scholarships and other University priorities.

He is noted for his willingness to assist Clemson officials and students who visit Washington and for creating global opportunities for Clemson by hosting receptions and programs in the embassies of countries such as Belgium, Germany, Canada, the Philippines, the Czech Republic, Slovenia, India and China. He and his wife also established the Rochester Passport Program to support student travel overseas to learn about servant leadership by reducing poverty through the creation of small businesses in developing countries.

David has helped to arrange business and government internships for Clemson students and regularly mentors Clemson alumni in the greater Washington area. He also meets with local high school students and parents to promote their interest in Clemson.

David and Catherine have two children: daughter Caroline Rochester Dickens and son David P. Rochester II.

Click here to nominate a Tiger for the 2024 Distinguished Service Award.

Robert J. Stanzione ’69 Receives the 2023 Distinguished Service Award

Industry pioneer. Selfless philanthropist. Passionate Clemson supporter.

Robert (Bob) Stanzione developed an interest in math and science as a high school student in his hometown of Hartsville. For college, he chose Clemson because he thought it would be the right fit for pursuing those subjects. He graduated in 1969 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering, and more than 50 years later, Bob and Clemson continue to be the right fit for making a positive difference in the world.

During his early professional career, Bob held a range of engineering and management positions at AT&T. In 1995, he was appointed president and CEO of ARRIS Interactive, a Nortel Networks/ANTEC joint venture. He grew the start-up company into a world market leader in cable networking products. In 1998, he became president, chief operating officer and a director of ANTEC and was appointed CEO in 2000.

In 2001, ANTEC acquired Nortel’s share of ARRIS Interactive and re-named the company ARRIS Group. Bob served as ARRIS Group’s CEO until September 1, 2016, when he became its executive chairman and chairman of the board of directors. ARRIS Group was sold in 2019 for $7 billion. Bob retired from the company but remains active in managing his family’s farm and private investments.

Bob sits on The Cable Center Board of Directors’ executive committee and is a former trustee on the Committee for Economic Development in Washington, D.C. He was inducted into the Cable TV Pioneers in 2010 and is a member of the Class of 2016 Cable Hall of Fame. He was awarded the Society of Cable Telecommunications Engineers’ 2008 Chairman’s Award and the 2009 Vanguard Award for Associates and Affiliates, which recognizes important contributions made by equipment manufacturers and service suppliers to cable industry innovation. He is a past board member of both the National Cable and Telecommunications Association and Symmetricom, a developer and manufacturer of timekeeping technology.

In addition to his Clemson degree, Bob earned a master’s degree in industrial engineering (MIE) from North Carolina State University. He also has completed executive development programs at the University of Richmond, Babson College and the International Institute for Management Development in Switzerland.

Bob and his wife, Kaye, live in Alpharetta, Georgia, where they are active in many organizations and causes. He has served on the board of directors of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s Georgia chapter and chaired its major gifts fundraising campaign. He recently received the chapter’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He also has engaged with St. Jude’s Children Hospital as a fundraiser and has been a scholarship sponsor for Cristo Rey High School.

The ClemsonLIFE program is of special interest to Bob and Kaye, who serves on the program’s advisory board. The Sue Stanzione Distinguished Professorship for ClemsonLIFE, established with a gift from the Stanziones, has been instrumental in the development and retention of leadership for the program and under-girded its significant growth.

The Stanziones also have made a $2.5 million Academic Cornerstone gift to Clemson’s College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences. The gift includes support for student scholarships, the Dean’s Excellence Fund and new faculty incentives and learning experiences in the Department of Mechanical Engineering.

Since joining the Clemson University Foundation’s board of directors in 2017, Bob has served on the Executive, Investment, Finance and Development committees. He also has been instrumental in the board’s restructuring and with the newly established Order of the Oak fundraising advisory board.

Bob and Kaye have three children. Daughters Marie Stanzione Anderson ’93 and Jennifer Stanzione Hanson are Clemson graduates. Son Robert Jr. (Bobby) attended Clemson before graduating from the University of South Carolina at Beaufort. Three of their 12 grandchildren – Emma, Owen and Alex – are current Clemson students.

Click here to nominate a Tiger for the 2024 Distinguished Service Award.

Longtime Leader in the Student Financial Aid Field Will Receive Clemson Alumni Association’s Distinguished Service Award

Nationally respected student financial aid leader Marvin G. Carmichael of Seneca will receive the Clemson Alumni Association’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award.

Carmichael, a Dillon, S.C., native, earned two degrees from Clemson University in 1971 and 1976 respectively. He started working at Clemson as a student in 1967, began working as a full-time employee of the university in 1971 and joined the Office of Student Financial Aid in 1973. Over the next four decades, he became a driving force in shaping state and national student financial aid policy, legislation and funding.

He was instrumental in crafting legislation and regulations for the South Carolina LIFE Scholarship, serving as an advisor to the South Carolina General Assembly. He held various leadership roles in the financial aid field, including chair of the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators. He also served as a trustee for the South Carolina Student Loan Corporation. He volunteered in various roles with the National Collegiate Athletic Association, including chairing the Committee on Financial Aid and Amateurism.

In addition to his student financial aid responsibilities at Clemson, in 2000 Carmichael became Assistant to the President and liaison to the University’s Board of Visitors and President’s Advisory Board. In 2005 he was appointed Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff, the post he held until his retirement in 2016.

Carmichael’s numerous community roles have ranged from volunteer firefighter to being a South Carolina State Constable. He has been an active volunteer for various organizations including, but not limited to: the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce; the Oconee Economic Development Board; the Clemson Area Chamber of Commerce; the Greenville Urban League; the Clemson Fellowship Club; and the Rotary Club of Clemson.

He currently volunteers with and serves as vice president of Mountain Findings, which supports multiple charities in the Highlands, N.C., area. He also serves as president of the Apple Mountain Homeowners Association in Highlands.

He and his wife, Felicia, who graduated from Clemson in 1973 and 1976, have two children: Their daughter, Ashlee Carmichael Moses, is a 2001 Clemson graduate, and their son, Brooks Butler Carmichael, is 2006 Clemson graduate.

The Clemson Alumni Distinguished Service Award is based on three main criteria: personal and professional accomplishments; dedication and service to Clemson University; and devotion to community and public service. Members of the Clemson family nominate potential honorees, who are then selected by the Clemson Alumni Association as outstanding alumni, public servants and examples to others. The 2021 award presentation will occur during the fall.

The Clemson Alumni Association is an open-membership, nonprofit organization that exists to connect alumni with their alma mater. Through a variety of programs and services, the Alumni Association works with alumni around the world to ensure they have a Clemson Experience every day.

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Great Southern Homes Founder to Receive Clemson Alumni Association’s Distinguished Service Award

One of America’s leading homebuilding entrepreneurs, Michael Pennington Nieri of Chapin, will receive the Clemson Alumni Association’s highest honor, the Distinguished Service Award.

Nieri, who graduated from Clemson University in 1986 with a Bachelor of Science in Construction Science and Management, is the founder, owner and president of Irmo-based Great Southern Homes, ranked by BUILDER magazine in 2020 as the nation’s 44^th largest homebuilder. Also in 2020, Nieri received BUILDER magazine’s Hearthstone Humanitarian Award, a national recognition honoring homebuilders who demonstrate a lifetime commitment to public service.

He was inducted into the S.C. Housing Hall of Fame in 2018 and was twice recognized as “Builder of the Year” by the Building Industry Association. He is a past president of the BIA Charitable Foundation.

Professionally and personally Nieri has contributed significantly to improving the quality of life for individuals and communities across South Carolina. Beneficiaries range from the Boys Farm in Newberry, a haven for boys facing difficult family situations, and Camp Cole, a summer camp for children with cancer, to Habitat for Humanity projects in the Midlands and Pickens County.

For Clemson, Nieri and his wife, Robyn, who was named an Honorary Alumna in 2020, are Cornerstone Partners for both academics and athletics. In 2015, they made a $2.5 million Cornerstone gift to develop the Nieri Family Student-Athlete Enrichment Center in Memorial Stadium, and in 2019 they donated $5 million dollars for the Department of Construction Science and Management, which now bears the family’s name.

The Nieri Family Department of Construction Science and Management is the first named department in the College of Architecture, Arts and Humanities and the fifth named department at the university. Michael Nieri serves on the department’s advisory board and recently contributed to and led fundraising efforts for a new remote laboratory classroom.

Michael and Robyn Nieri have three children, all Clemson graduates: son Pennington, Class of 2015; daughter Maigan, Class of 2018; and son Patrick, Class of 2019.

The Clemson Alumni Distinguished Service Award is based on three main criteria: personal and professional accomplishments; dedication and service to Clemson University; and devotion to community and public service. Members of the Clemson family nominate potential honorees, who are then selected by the Clemson Alumni Association as outstanding alumni, public servants and examples to others. The 2021 award presentation will occur during the fall.

The Clemson Alumni Association is an open-membership, nonprofit organization that exists to connect alumni with their alma mater. Through a variety of programs and services, the Alumni Association works with alumni around the world to ensure they have a Clemson Experience every day.

Hartsville physician presented with Clemson’s Distinguished Service Award

Hartsville, South Carolina physician Thomas James “Jimmy” Bell, Jr. is being honored by the Clemson Alumni Association with the Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor that the association bestows on former Clemson Tigers.

Bell was a pre-med student at Clemson University, graduating summa cum laude in 1965. He continued his education at the Medical University of South Carolina, graduating in 1969 with a Doctor of Medicine degree.

As a Clemson student, Bell received the Norris Medal, an award presented to the best all-around graduating senior at Clemson. He was president of his sophomore and junior classes and the student body president during his senior year. Bell received the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, was a Sigma Tau Epsilon Award honoree and a member of the Clemson Tigers Football team where he served as an alternate captain, defensive safety and quarterback. In 1964, Dr. Bell was named to the Academic All-ACC team and was inducted into the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame representing District three for football performance, academic achievement and campus leadership. A member of Tiger Brotherhood and Blue Key, he was awarded the Air Force ROTC Scholastic Award and was a member of Phi Kappa Phi, Phi Eta Sigma and Sigma Tau Epsilon.

After graduating from medical school and completing a rotating internship at Charlotte Memorial Hospital, Bell entered the U.S. Air Force where he served his country and completed his family medicine training at the U.S. Air Force Pediatric Clinic. He was also the U.S. Air Force Practice Clinic Director. In 1972, he began practicing medicine at Family Practice Hartsville in Hartsville, South Carolina where he continues to practice today.

In service to his alma mater, Bell has served on the Clemson Alumni Council and the Clemson University Board of Visitors. He is a member of the President’s Club and the Annual Major Gift Club as well as an IPTAY Life Donor and an IPTAY Representative in Darlington County. He served as the president of the Clemson Alumni Physicians Society and is a member of Block ‘C,’ Clemson’s letterman’s association.

Bell has made an impact in his local community through his volunteerism on the City Council of Hartsville, as chairman of Darlington County Emergency Medical Services, and Coker College Team Physician and Board of Trustees member. He has volunteered as a physician at the Free Medical Clinic of Darlington County and has traveled on a mission trip to Trinidad with First Baptist Church for six summers serving six medical clinics.

For his dedication to his community and his profession, Bell was awarded the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest civilian honor, by Governor Nikki Haley. He has received the Pioneer Award for Rural Health Service in South Carolina, the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award from Coker College, which he had also received as a student at Clemson and has served his community as a family physician for more than forty-seven years.

The prestigious Clemson Alumni Distinguished Service Award is based on three main criteria: personal and professional accomplishments; dedication and service to Clemson University; and devotion to community and public service. Members of the Clemson family nominate potential winners, who are then selected by the Clemson Alumni Association as outstanding alumni, public servants and examples to others.

Bell and his wife, Nancy, have three children. A son, Thomas James Bell III ‘91, (deceased), and wife Mary Gwinn; daughter, Elizabeth Bell Quinn ‘94 and her husband Terry; and daughter, Andrea Bell Trader ‘96 and her husband Derek ’95. They have four grandchildren, Matthew, Lizzie, Abby and Mia.’ He currently resides in Hartsville, South Carolina.

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The Clemson Alumni Association, an open-membership, nonprofit organization since its inception in 1896, connects members of the more than 161,000-strong Clemson Family, inspiring pride, celebrating achievement, providing service and strengthening relationships with Clemson University and with each other. For more information, visit Clemson.edu/alumni.

WYFF News 4 anchor presented with Clemson’s Distinguished Service Award

WYFF News 4 anchor, Jane Robelot DeCarvalho, is being honored by the Clemson Alumni Association with the Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor that the association bestows upon former Clemson Tigers.

DeCarvalho was born in Greenville, South Carolina and graduated from Clemson University in 1982 with a Bachelor of Arts in economics. She began her professional career in radio before making the move into television journalism with WSPA-TV, the CBS affiliate in the Greenville-Spartanburg-Asheville-Anderson market. After leaving the Upstate, DeCarvalho joined CBS-owned WCAU-TV in Philadelphia. The hallmark of her professional career came in 1995 when she was promoted to CBS News in New York City where she anchored CBS Morning News and later CBS This Morning.

During her career, DeCarvalho has covered major national and international events including the Oklahoma City bombing, death of Princess Diana, Pope John Paul II’s visit to Cuba and the Olympic Winter Games in Nagano, Japan. After a move to Atlanta, she and her family moved to Greenville and launched Carolina Zoon Productions. DeCarvalho also joined the WYFF News 4 team as a news anchor and correspondent. Her work has been recognized locally and nationally with numerous awards, including two National Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award.

During her years as a Clemson student, DeCarvalho served on Central Spirit Committee and coordinated pep rallies prior to football games. She also reported for Clemson’s student radio station, WSBF-FM. Her professional radio career began in Clemson with WCCP-AM as news and sports director, sending her “voice reports” to radio stations throughout the country on Clemson home football games. After graduating, she moved to Greenville to work with the Clemson Network flagship station WFBC-AM/FM as the co-host of Tiger Tailgate Show. While anchoring for WSPA-TV she also co-hosted The Danny Ford Show and The Cliff Ellis Show.

As an alumna, she has remained in close contact with Clemson and been a very public ambassador for the University. She was honored to be the Clemson University Young Alumnus in 1989. DeCarvalho has also focused her attention on enriching the lives of Clemson’s students through mentorship and speaking in the classroom. She served on numerous boards and committees for the University including The President’s Advisory Board of President Emeritus James F. Barker and was a founding member of the board for the Center for the Visual Arts. She has often served as an emcee of major events at Clemson. DeCarvalho and her husband have also provided pro-bono video production services for the University.

Giving back to her community, she served on the original board of AID Upstate, donated her services to Goodwill Industries, the United Way, Upstate Forever and the Cancer Survivors Park in Greenville, South Carolina. She is involved in St. Francis Foundation’s “Pearls and Pumps,” a fundraiser to raise awareness and financial support for breast cancer, volunteers her time in Upstate schools, and has hosted the Women’s Health segment for Dabo’s All In Foundation Ladies Clinic. DeCarvalho is a Fellow of the Riley Institute Diversity Leadership Initiative and a member of the Greenville Professional Women’s Forum.

The prestigious Clemson Alumni Distinguished Service Award is based on three main criteria: personal and professional accomplishments; dedication and service to Clemson University; and devotion to community and public service. Members of the Clemson family nominate potential winners, who are then selected by the Clemson Alumni Association as outstanding alumni, public servants and examples to others.

DeCarvalho and her husband, Mario, have one son, George, who is currently a junior at Clemson. She currently resides in Greenville, South Carolina.

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The Clemson Alumni Association, an open-membership, nonprofit organization since its inception in 1896, connects members of the more than 161,000-strong Clemson Family, inspiring pride, celebrating achievement, providing service and strengthening relationships with Clemson University and with each other. For more information, visit Clemson.edu/alumni.

Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of Scientific Research Corporation presented with Clemson’s Distinguished Service Award

Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of Scientific Research Corporation (SRC), Steven “Steve” Kenneth Watt, is being honored by the Clemson Alumni Association with the Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor the association bestows upon former Clemson Tigers.

Watt graduated from Clemson University in 1981 with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration. Following his graduation from Clemson, Watt continued his education at Brenau University, receiving his Master of Business Administration.

Watt began his career in Washington, D.C., working for the Department of Transportation. He later joined the ZEP Corporation, a chemical company in Atlanta, Ga., moving on to the position of Director of Operations at Georgia Tech Research Corporation. He is currently the executive vice president and chief administrative officer of Scientific Research Corporation (SRC), a company founded by his family, which provides training, communications, intelligence systems and innovative defense solutions to the United States Government, the private industry and international clients.

Watt is a dedicated donor and volunteer to Clemson University. He has served in a leadership role on the Clemson University Board of Visitors and is currently a member of the President’s Advisory Board. Along with his family, Watt helped Clemson in creating and achieving the vision of the Watt Family Innovation Center, the most technologically enhanced academic building on campus. The Watt Center’s mission is to create an environment where collaboration among students, faculty, and leaders from industry and government agencies generates ideas and solves complex problems. The Watt Center is available for students and faculty in all disciplines as a flexible space for collaboration, innovation and project development. Watt currently serves on the advisory board for the center.

Watt and his wife, Pam, are members of the Thomas Green Clemson Society and the Legacy Society, ensuring the success of Clemson University for years to come. They also served on the Will to Lead Capital Campaign committee and are dedicated to supporting the College of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences; the School of Nursing; and the President’s Leadership Circle.

Watt’s generosity has extended well beyond Clemson University to his local community and to organizations whose reach spans the country. He is an avid supporter of the Blue Angels Foundation, the Salvation Army, the Giving Tree, Toys for Tots, the Fischer House and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. He is also a supporter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) in Clemson and in Western North Carolina and has served on the Marietta Country Club Board of Directors. With more than forty percent of the workforce at SRC being comprised of military veterans, Watt has focused significant attention on assisting with the health and wellbeing of veterans. He, along with his company, provides significant support to the Wounded Warrior Project, and recently, he led a campaign to rally his employees around a charity focused on assisting veterans suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Through his efforts, the campaign raised more than $70,000 in combined employee and corporate matching contributions.

The prestigious Clemson Alumni Distinguished Service Award is based on three main criteria: personal and professional accomplishments; dedication and service to Clemson University; and devotion to community and public service. Members of the Clemson family nominate potential winners, who are then selected by the Clemson Alumni Association as outstanding alumni, public servants and examples to others.

Watt and his wife, Pam, have two children, Brandon (’08), who is married to Janani Raman, and Brittany Watt Childers (’13), who is married to Chase. Watt currently resides in Kennesaw, Ga.

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The Clemson Alumni Association, an open-membership, nonprofit organization since its inception in 1896, connects members of the more than 161,000-strong Clemson Family, inspiring pride, celebrating achievement, providing service and strengthening relationships with Clemson University and with each other. For more information, visit Clemson.edu/alumni.

Titus Duren was born in Sumter, South Carolina and graduated from Clemson University with a degree in Political Science in 1971. Following his time at Clemson, Duren received a master’s degree in education from the University of South Carolina (’78) and completed 30 hours above his master’s degree with an emphasis in education administration at South Carolina State University.

Duren was one of the first African American students to attend Clemson after

Sumter native and long-time educator Titus Duren is being honored by the Clemson Alumni Association with the Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor that the association bestows on former Clemson Tigers.

desegregation and while attending, he was a founding member of the Student League for Black Identity (SLBI). After graduation, Duren helped found the Clemson Black Alumni Council; served on the both the Harvey B. Gantt Scholarship Committee and the 50^th Anniversary of the Integration Planning Committee; was a speaker for the Call Me MiSTER Summer Institute; and is a Clemson University Legislative Advocate. Duren is also a long-time supporter of IPTAY and Clemson Athletics and played an integral role in establishing and annually awarding a scholarship to an African American Clemson student from Columbia, South Carolina.

A former principal at Edisto High School, Lower Richland High School and Hunter Kinard Tyler High School, Duren spent more than 40 years as a professional educator and administrator. Since his retirement, Duren has dedicated his experience in the development and implementation of sound educational systems and effective administration and teaching to assist schools in improving their school report cards and testing scores through his consulting firm, Titus Duren Educational Consulting. In addition to his impact on education in South Carolina, Duren was a beloved football, basketball and track coach and mentor to many of his students.

In 2001, Duren was selected as the 4A Principal of the Year by the South Carolina High School League and is recognized as an innovator in education, speaking occasionally at the Summer Institute for School Leaders, the South Carolina Alliance of Black School Educators and school districts throughout South Carolina.

Duren has served his local community and South Carolina through the Columbia Chamber of Commerce East Columbia Area Council, the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Advisory Committee, the South Carolina Education Association, the National Association of Secondary School Principals (member and former state president) and the Ten Tear Evaluation Team of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Duren lives in Eastover, South Carolina, with his wife, Beverly. The Durens have four children, Nycole Waters, Tobias Tubbs, Saudah Collins and Tahirah Spann.

Watch the Distinguished Service Awards Tribute Video for Titus Duren.

John Nichols McCarter Jr. was born in Clover, South Carolina and came to Clemson in 1973 as a walk-on linebacker on the Clemson Tigers football team. Although his time on the football team was cut short, he remained involved in the football program and developed integral relationships that would impact his future career.

In 1980, he graduated from Clemson University with a Bachelor of Science in

Clemson University Board of Trustees member John N. McCarter Jr. is being honored by the Clemson Alumni Association with the Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor that the association bestows on former Clemson Tigers.

administrative management and was recruited by a former teammate to begin his professional career with Defender Services, a provider of professional services for industrial and manufacturing facilities, commercial and retail businesses, educational institutions, and health care facilities. For more than 35 years, McCarter has remained with the company in various roles, and today is the president and CEO of Defender Services, Inc.

McCarter was elected to the Clemson University Board of Trustees by the General Assembly in 2008 and was reelected in 2010, 2014 and again in 2018. Since his initial election, McCarter has served as Vice Chair for the Board of Trustees and during his tenure on the board, he has served on the following committees, chairing several of them: Agriculture and Natural Resources; Executive and Audit; Finance and Facilities; Institutional Advancement; and Student Affairs. He has also served on the university’s Board of Visitors, the Alumni Board of Directors, the IPTAY Board and the Clemson University Professional Development and Continuing Education Board.

McCarter’s ability to build relationships on behalf of Clemson University with the General Assembly has proven to be a valuable asset, leading him to be an informed, trusted and respected resource among the members.

McCarter is a member of the Thomas Green Clemson Society, the South Carolina Waterfowl Association, the NBSC Columbia Advisory Board, and he is the past president of the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame. An Eagle Scout, McCarter serves on the Indian Waters Council Executive Board and is a recipient of the Boy Scouts of America’s Distinguished Service Award, the Order of the Arrow. McCarter is also a Mason and a Shriner.

McCarter has dedicated his time and experience to youth athletic associations coaching baseball in the Palmetto Baseball League, basketball at the Cardinal Newman School, and youth softball for the Columbia City League.

McCarter and his late wife, Cass, have two children, Lauren (’12) and Cole (’16). McCarter currently resides in Columbia, South Carolina.

Watch the Distinguished Service Awards Tribute Video for John N. McCarter Jr.

The Clemson Alumni Association presented A. Neill Cameron, Jr. of Liberty, South Carolina with the 2018 Distinguished Service Award, the association’s highest honor for a Clemson graduate.

“The Distinguished Service Award allows us to take time to recognize a few truly remarkable members of the Clemson family, and Neill Cameron is certainly one of those,” said Clemson University President James P. Clements. “Neill achieved incredible success in his career both in advertising and as vice president of Advancement at Clemson, through his devotion to community service and in his commitment to making Clemson University better every day. We are proud of Neill and the example of service he sets for all of us.”

Originally from Atlanta, Cameron attended Clemson University like his father. In 1967 he was drafted into the

A. Neill Cameron, Jr.

U.S. Army, where he served three years on active duty and 10 years active reserve. Cameron went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University, an MBA from Emory University and a certificate in international business from the London Business School.

Cameron spent 30 years in advertising, the last 22 with Ogilvy & Mather, where he became the youngest division president and board member. He oversaw campaign development for brands such as American Express, Shell Oil, IBM and the Centers for Disease Control. Cameron’s numerous awards include the 1995 Silver Medal for Advertising’s Man of the Year and the U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary’s Medal for Distinguished Service.

In 1999, Cameron was asked to join Clemson as the vice president for Advancement. For 17 years, he oversaw the university’s brand marketing and communications, development, alumni relations, Clemson University Foundation visitor programs, conference center services and historic properties. He served on President James F. Barker’s executive team, which was responsible for implementing the “Top 20” initiative to have the university ranked as one of the top-20 public universities in the country. During the run to top 20, the Advancement Division led efforts to raise more than $1.5 billion, became the No. 1 alumni network, encouraged innovative ideas like CU-ICAR and developed legacy branding such as “Solid Orange,” “One Clemson” and “Determined Spirit.”

Cameron also served on the board of the Clemson University Foundation in 1996-2016, chaired the Clemson Finance Corporation, regularly taught undergraduate classes and became a life member of IPTAY. He established the Albert Neill Cameron Sr. Endowed Engineering Scholarship and the Albert “Neill” Cameron Jr. Endowment for the Brand. Cameron received the Most Preferred Administrator Award from marketing students and was named an honorary member of Clemson’s Class of ’39.

Cameron has served on boards including the Atlanta Ballet, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta Egleston Hospital, Emory University’s Center for Leadership and Change, the Houston Grand Opera and the Statue of Liberty Centennial Restoration Foundation. He was on the Organizing Committee for the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and chaired the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl Association.

The prestigious Clemson Alumni Distinguished Service Award is based on three main criteria:  personal and professional accomplishments; dedication and service to Clemson University; and devotion to community and public service. Members of the Clemson family nominate potential winners, who are then selected by the Clemson Alumni Association as outstanding alumni, public servants and examples to others.

“Let me state clearly that I have never had a finer colleague and friend than Neill Cameron,” wrote Clemson President Emeritus James F. Barker. “Neill taught me that Clemson is in the forever business, and he has changed Clemson forever.”

Cameron is now president of SCHA Solutions, the private business development arm of the South Carolina Hospital Association. He and his wife, Jill Young Cameron, split their time between Columbia and Liberty. They have two grown children, Christine Martin and Kendall Cameron, and six grandchildren.

The Clemson Alumni Association presented Anthony L. Mathis.  of Evendale, Ohio with the 2018 Distinguished Service Award, the association’s highest honor for a Clemson graduate.

“The Distinguished Service Award allows us to take time to recognize a few truly remarkable members of the Clemson family, and Tony Mathis is certainly one of those,” said Clemson University President James P. Clements. “Tony achieved incredible success in his career in the Air Force and at GE, through his devotion to community service and in his commitment to making Clemson University better every day. We are proud of Tony and the example of service he sets for all of us.”

Anthony L. Mathis

Originally from Fitzgerald, Georgia, Mathis has lived in cities all around the United States in pursuit of education, career and leadership opportunities. He came to Clemson University on an Air Force ROTC scholarship and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1986. On campus, he was involved in his fraternity, Omega Psi Phi Inc., and was member of Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society.

As a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force, Mathis was sent to Edwards Air Force base in California to work in the flight test center. He earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from California State University-Fresno in 1990, then married his college sweetheart, Stephanie Green ’89. They moved to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio and Mathis earned a master’s degree from Xavier University in 2000.

Mathis started with General Electric (GE) Aviation in 1997 and held several senior roles in engineering, product support and marketing. In November 2016, he was named the president and chief executive officer of military systems at GE Aviation. He served as president of the GE African American Forum and runs the GE Omega Leadership Development Program.

Elevating his company and fulfilling his passion for serving others, Mathis served as the business champion for Developing Health in Boston, the March of Dimes in Seattle, ArtsWave in Cincinnati and the Jackie Robinson Foundation in New York. He is past president of the Wright-Patterson Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen Inc. Mathis has held leadership positions in various Catholic churches and is a member of the Knights of Peter Claver. He is also a member of the Air Force Association and the National Society of Black Engineers.

Mathis serves as the GE liaison to Clemson, spearheading collaboration and student opportunities between the two organizations and facilitating increased funding from GE to the university, including naming a GE classroom at the Watt Family Innovation Center. Since 2015, he has served on the board of directors of the Clemson University Foundation. Additionally, Mathis led his fraternity’s successful fundraising efforts for the Chi Zeta Diversity Scholarship Endowment and the William C. “Bill” Clinkscales Sr. ’74 Endowed Diversity Scholarship.

The prestigious Clemson Alumni Distinguished Service Award is based on three main criteria:  personal and professional accomplishments; dedication and service to Clemson University; and devotion to community and public service. Members of the Clemson family nominate potential winners, who are then selected by the Clemson Alumni Association as outstanding alumni, public servants and examples to others.

“Tony has always been a focused, tenacious and intelligent leader. These attributes shine through in his daily personal and professional dealings,” write Jesse G. Turner Jr., senior director of human resources at The Kroger Co. and a fraternity brother of Mathis’s.

The Mathises now live in Evendale, a suburb of Cincinnati, with their daughters, Jasmine, a high school junior, and Carmen, who is in fifth grade.

The Clemson Alumni Association presented Michael L. Watt of Kennesaw, Georgia with the 2018 Distinguished Service Award, the association’s highest honor for a Clemson graduate.

“The Distinguished Service Award allows us to take time to recognize a few truly remarkable members of the Clemson family, and Mike Watt is certainly one of those,” said Clemson University President James P. Clements. “Mike achieved incredible success in his career in technology, through his devotion to community service and in his commitment to making Clemson University better and more innovative every day. We are proud of Mike and the example of service he sets for all of us.”

Watt was born in North Carolina, grew up in the suburbs of Washington, D.C., and moved to Charleston at age 12. Like his father and brother, Watt chose Clemson University, graduating with a bachelor’s degree in 1984 in the new field of computer engineering. Throughout all four years at Clemson, Watt dated his future bride, Kimberly K. Fowler ’85. They were married in 1985.

With encouragement from his mentor, John Gowdy, Watt went on to graduate school, earning a master’s degree in electrical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1986. He then began work at the Georgia Tech Research Institute designing radar systems, satellite communications systems and computer networks for the U.S. Department of Defense. In 1989, Watt joined his father’s startup company, Scientific Research Corporation (SRC), which provides innovative technology solutions to government, military and private organizations. Over the last 29 years, SRC has grown to employ more than 1,300 high-tech professionals tackling some of the military’s greatest challenges. He currently serves as the chairman and CEO of SRC.

Watt has held leadership positions in several organizations, including the British American Business Group and the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce. He received the National Small Business (Tibbetts) Award in 2000 for small business research contributions and was recognized with a top job-creator award in South Carolina. Watt and his family have supported Mount Paran Christian School, Grady Memorial Hospital and North Metro Church in Kennesaw, Georgia, as well as Clemson Athletics.

Michael L. Watt

Watt has served in several key leadership roles for Clemson advisory boards, including in the Clemson University Research Foundation; the Holcombe Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering; the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences; and on the Clemson University Foundation board of directors. His gifts and vision helped create the state-of-the-art Watt Family Innovation Center. For his commitment to promoting innovation on and off campus, Watt was inducted into the Thomas Green Clemson Academy of Engineers and Scientists in 2008.

The prestigious Clemson Alumni Distinguished Service Award is based on three main criteria: personal and professional accomplishments; dedication and service to Clemson University; and devotion to community and public service. Members of the Clemson family nominate potential winners, who are then selected by the Clemson Alumni Association as outstanding alumni, public servants and examples to others.

“It has been a pleasure to follow Mike’s career and see the impact he has made on Clemson University, the engineering profession, the well-being of our state and nation, as well as the lives of many people,” wrote A. Wayne Bennett, dean emeritus of the Clemson University Graduate School.

The Watts have two sons, Wes ’13 and Austin ’16, and a daughter, Mary Katherine, a freshman at Clemson. As a hobby, Watt enjoys competitive automotive racing in Ferrari and Le Mans prototype cars. His racecars are decorated with Clemson colors and themes.

The Clemson Alumni Association presented John W. Kelly Jr. of Boca Raton, Florida, with the 2017 Distinguished Service Award, the association’s highest honor for a Clemson graduate.

“John Kelly sets an extraordinary example of what a Clemson graduate can accomplish,” said Clemson University President James P. Clements. “He is a leader in his career, he is a dedicated public servant who gives back tirelessly to his community, and he is a loyal and devoted Clemson supporter. We are exceedingly proud to call him part of the Clemson family.”

Kelly began his career in 1982 as an assistant professor at Texas A&M University. Three years later he returned to Clemson, rising from professor to chair of the horticulture department as well as director of the Clemson Botanical Garden. He helped the garden become the official South Carolina Botanical Garden and developed its Wren House and geology museum. In 1997, he was named vice president for Public Service and Agriculture (PSA) and, in 2010, became Clemson’s vice president for economic development.

During his 28 years at Clemson, Kelly led initiatives to create, build and fund some of Clemson and PSA’s most extensive projects. He spearheaded and then directed the Clemson University Restoration Institute (CURI). He then led a team to secure the largest competitive renewable energy grant in U.S. Department of Energy history at the time, which along with public and private grants, built the SCE&G Energy Innovation Center at CURI. During his tenure, he helped obtain several of the largest gifts in Clemson’s history.

Kelly served on Clemson’s board of trustees’ university land and capital assets stewardship committee; the president’s administrative council, cabinet and implementation teams; and assisted in outlining Clemson’s clean energy strategy. He was one of three mission vice presidents and helped lead the development of two 10-year strategic plans for Clemson. Kelly secured funding for several endowed chairs and helped form academic partnerships between Clemson and other state schools. A longtime member of IPTAY and the Clemson Alumni Association, Kelly has also hosted many alumni events.

In 2014, Kelly became the seventh president of Florida Atlantic University, which he has led up the rankings to become the top-performing university in the state according to state accountability rankings. Nationally, he served on the boards of the Administrative Heads Section of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities and the American Distance Education Consortium.

The prestigious Clemson Alumni Distinguished Service Award is based on three main criteria:  personal and professional accomplishments; dedication and service to Clemson University; and devotion to community and public service. Members of the Clemson family nominate potential winners, who are then selected by the Clemson Alumni Association as outstanding alumni, public servants and examples to others.

“Dr. Kelly’s contributions to Clemson University and to the people of South Carolina will be of long-lasting value to our farmers, our citizenry, and to the state’s economy,” wrote George Askew, dean of Clemson’s College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences and vice president for Public Service and Agriculture.

Kelly lives in Boca Raton with his wife, Carolyn Boltin Kelly (CU ‘99), and their children Carly and Stella. His children, Christopher and Kimberly, are both Clemson graduates.

The Clemson Alumni Association presented Perry Sprawls Jr. of Black Mountain, North Carolina, with the 2017 Distinguished Service Award, the association’s highest honor for a Clemson graduate.

“Perry Sprawls sets an extraordinary example of what a Clemson graduate can accomplish,” said Clemson University President James P. Clements. “He is a pioneer and leader in his career, he is a dedicated public servant who gives back tirelessly to his community and communities around the world, and he is a loyal and devoted Clemson supporter. We are exceedingly proud to call him part of the Clemson family.”

Born on a farm in Barnwell County, South Carolina, that had been in his family since 1812, Perry Sprawls Jr. grew up working in agriculture and learning the new technology of electricity.  Sprawls earned a bachelor’s degree from Clemson University in industrial physics in 1956 and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Army Signal Corps. After serving and working at Bell Labs, he returned to Clemson for the new nuclear science program, earning a master’s degree in 1961 and then earning Clemson’s first doctorate in bioengineering in 1968.

Sprawls found the opportunity to apply nuclear physics to medicine as a professor in the radiology department at Emory University. After 45 years, he retired in 2005 and became a distinguished professor emeritus. His career in medical physics includes serving as director of Medical Physics in Radiology at Emory; co-director of the College of Medical Physics at the International Centre for Theoretical Physics in Trieste, Italy; director for Medical Imaging Continuing Education for the American Association of Physics in Medicine; and co-editor of “Medical Physics International.”

His passion for expanding medical education on a global basis, particularly in developing countries, led to establishing the Sprawls Educational Foundation, which provides textbooks, online resources and collaborative teaching methods to improve global medical education. He led the establishment of the Emory University-Xi’an Cooperative Program in Radiology in China. In pursuit of expanding and improving medical education, Sprawls has taught in 14 countries and had post-graduate students working in more than 70 countries.

Sprawls’ love for Clemson led him to help the class of 1956 select the Class of 1956 Academic Success Center as their 50-year anniversary project. The center opened in 2012 and contains a suite of rooms dedicated to his parents, Neva and Perry Sprawls Sr.

Sprawls has served as a deacon and leader in the Baptist church and on the board of directors for the Asheville Lyric Opera. With an ongoing interest in preserving rural South Carolina history and heritage, one of his current projects is hosting the Barnwell County Virtual Museum.

The prestigious Clemson Alumni Distinguished Service Award is based on three main criteria:  personal and professional accomplishments; dedication and service to Clemson University; and devotion to community and public service. Members of the Clemson family nominate potential winners, who are then selected by the Clemson Alumni Association as outstanding alumni, public servants and examples to others.

“Clemson University can take pride in one of its graduates who has, and continues to, make major contributions to improve health care and education in virtually every country of the world,” wrote Dr. Debra Monticciolo, FACR, professor of radiology at Texas A&M University and vice-chair for research in breast imaging at Baylor Scott and White Health, who worked with Sprawls to modernize mammographies in China.

Sprawls now lives with his wife, Charlotte, in Black Mountain. Their son, Charles Perry, is a professional singer based in New York.