Dr. Boyd Hobson Parr ’76
Dr. Boyd Hobson Parr ’76
Amazing volunteer. Dedicated public servant.
Dr. Boyd Hobson Parr of Newberry has devoted his life to professionalism and public service.
Boyd entered Clemson in 1972 as a dairy science major and was accepted into the University of Georgia’s veterinary school in 1974. His Clemson degree in pre-professional studies was awarded in consideration of the hours he completed while earning his doctorate in veterinary medicine from UGA in 1978. He is a member of the Clemson class of 1976.
He began his professional private practice by starting Piedmont Farm Services, and for the next 25 years he was involved in animal production medicine in both the Carolinas and Georgia. In 2004, he joined Clemson’s Livestock Poultry Health (LPH) programs, rising to become LPH director and South Carolina State Veterinarian.
Though Boyd officially retired in 2021, he continued to support the establishment of Clemson’s Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine, which is under construction, by co-chairing the college’s steering committee from 2022 to 2025. He currently volunteers as a special assistant to the dean of the college and as an adjunct professor of animal and veterinary sciences in the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences.
He has held numerous positions in 4H, the South Carolina Farm Bureau, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the South Carolina Association of Veterinarians and other organizations. He served two terms on the United States Department of Agricuture Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Animal Heath and is a past president of United States Animal Heath Association.
His many awards include the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest civilian honor. He received Clemson’s Rowland P. Alston Sr. Award for Excellence in Public Relations and UGA’s College of Veterinary Medicine Distinguished Alumni recognition. He is in the South Carolina Dairy Hall of Fame and has received the South Carolina Pork Board’s Distinguished Service Award twice.
In Newberry County, Boyd continues to work on his family farm, serves the dairy industry and the veterinary profession in various volunteer roles and supports the Farm Bureau as a member of the state legislative committee. He and his wife, Cheryl, are active members of Aveleigh Presbyterian Church.
The Parrs’ son, Timothy ’15, played football for Clemson and they are longtime donors to IPTAY in support of student-athletes. Other Clemson alumni in the Parr family include Boyd’s father, Henry ’47, and brother, Calhoun ’80.