Scroll of Honor – Stephen Randolph Hilton
Missed Rendezvous
Written by: Kelly Durham
On Wednesday morning, October 3, 1945, Rebecca Lane Horton and her sister-in-law Jennie Horton departed Clemson for the
long drive to Fayetteville, North Carolina. There, they intended to rendezvous with Rebecca’s husband, Clinton Childs Horton, Jr., then serving as a doctor in the Naval Reserve. The reunion never took place.
Clinton Horton, Jr. was the son of Dr. and Mrs. Clinton C. Horton, Sr. of Pendleton. He attended Clemson College for two years as a pre-med major and was assigned to Company M of the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Regiment of the Cadet Brigade. He graduated from Emory University’s Medical School and interned at Charleston Hospital. Horton entered active duty in June 1945 while the world was still at war.
Horton was ordered to Camp Lejeune, the Marine Corps’ sprawling training base near Jacksonville, North Carolina. On the night of October 3, Lieutenant (JG) Horton left Camp Lejeune for the two and a half hour drive to Fayetteville to meet his wife and sister. At approximately 10 p.m., Horton was killed instantly in a single-car accident. He was believed to have been traveling alone at the time of the crash.
Authorities from Camp Lejeune notified Horton’s family of the tragedy the next morning. Lieutenant (JG) Horton was survived by his parents, his wife, his sister, and brother. He is buried in Pendleton Cemetery.
For more information on Clinton Childs Horton, Jr. see:
https://soh.alumni.clemson.edu/scroll/clinton-childs-horton-jr/
For additional information on Clemson University’s Scroll of Honor visit:
https://soh.alumni.clemson.edu/