David Miller Beacham ’77
For over four decades, David Beacham has been a key member of the administration of Wofford College. He began his career at Wofford shortly after completing his bachelor’s degree there in 1977. His work has included service on the admission and advancement staffs, including 12 years as chief advancement officer, during which time he oversaw a successful $90 million campaign, the largest achieved by the college up to that time.
Since 2002, Beacham has been secretary to the Wofford College Board of Trustees, in addition to being senior vice president for administration. He has served three different presidents at Wofford, and in his current role, was the main liaison between the college and the Presidential Search Committee. He continues to serve President Nayef Samhat, who took office in July 2013. At Wofford, Beacham has staffed searches for provost, chaplain, and several vice presidencies, including marketing/communications and advancement. He is also an important link within the college’s relationship to the United Methodist Church.
Beacham is committed to civic and church activity in Spartanburg, having served on the boards of Partners for Active Living (chair), the Piedmont Chapter of the American Red Cross (chair), St. Luke’s Free Medical Clinic, Habitat for Humanity and currently serves on the board of the Cancer Association of Spartanburg and Cherokee Counties. He is a member of the Board of Governors of The Piedmont Club, chairs its membership committee and is currently the club’s vice president (president-elect). Serving as a church leader is of signal importance to Beacham; he has served as elder and deacon at First Presbyterian Church of Spartanburg, where he has chaired numerous committees, campaigns and projects, and most recently as chair of the senior pastor nominating committee.
Beacham has been married to Cynthia Corbett Beacham for 41 years. Beacham was awarded the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina’s highest civilian honor, during his final meeting with the Wofford Board of Trustees earlier this month.
Honorary degree recipients:
Dr. Michael A. Dirr
Dr. Michael A. Dirr is considered a legend in the horticultural world and is recognized for his energy for teaching, writing and growing plants. Dirr, emeritus professor of horticulture at the University of Georgia, began advising Wofford College on horticulture with a special emphasis on the planting of trees. He was introduced to the college by Wofford Trustee Emeritus Roger Milliken.
In November 2002, Wofford’s campus was designated as a national arboretum. Dirr helped the college place more than 4,000 trees across campus over several years.
Dirr earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from The Ohio State University and a Ph.D. in plant physiology from the University of Massachusetts. He has published more than 300 scientific and popular papers and articles. His book, “Dirr’s Hardy Trees and Shrubs” sold over 500,000 copies and counting. His influence in the world of horticulture has been profound. It is Wofford’s great fortune that he was brought to the college to help develop the campus into the showplace that it is today.
Alexandra Nunez
Alexandra Nunez is the president and CEO of Esperanza, a microfinance institution in the Dominican Republic that serves entrepreneurs, women, families and children. Seven years ago, Wofford College formed a 10-year partnership with Esperanza in which the James-Atkins Student-Managed Investment Fund provides $7,000 annually to Esperanza for making microloans in the Dominican Republic. Esperanza provides local knowledge and expertise that’s coupled with Nunez’s knowledge, skill, experience and commitment to transform poverty alleviation measures. Wofford’s student investors are learning how to experience leveraging their wealth creation ability in the United States to have a significant impact abroad.
Dr. Leo Franklin Twiggs
Leo Franklin Twiggs is one of South Carolina’s most distinguished and talented citizens, a supremely talented and well-recognized artist who works in the medium of batik, a process of wax-resist dyeing cloth of Indonesian origin.
He is a native of St. Stephen, South Carolina, is a summa cum laude graduate of Claflin University. He earned a master’s degree from New York University and was the first African-American student to receive an Ed.D. from the University of Georgia. He developed and chaired the fine arts department at South Carolina State University, where he taught for 25 years, and has held the position of distinguished artist-in-residence at Claflin and professor emeritus at SCSU.
In 2021, Twiggs curated the exhibition “Elevation from Within: The Study of Art at Historically Black Colleges and Universities,” comprised of artwork from the Johnson Collection.