1970
Sam Clawson was ordained as a deacon at St. Andrew's Anglican Church in Mount Pleasant, S.C., on April 15, 2021. He is a semi-retired attorney.
1974
At the age of 70, Joseph M. Grant completed his doctorate in political science at Howard University in Washington, D.C. He survived a serious illness halfway through the program but was able to complete his work. His dissertation topic was “The Efficacious Application of Senatorial Prerogatives: A Case Study of Black South Carolina Senators, 1983-2020.” It focuses on evaluation instruments and methods for determining legislator efficacy, and the appropriateness of applying the instruments and methods to Black state legislators operating in a hostile legislative environment.
1977
Dr. Raymond K. Allen retired in May after 31 years at Kingstree Family Medicine in Kingstree, S.C.
1982
Richard C. Meehan Jr., vice president of Marko Inc., in Spartanburg, S.C., has published a new book, “Duck Tale: Memoir of a Quacking Good Trek to Manhood.” It describes a boy’s struggle to maturity under the guidance of his exceptional father, an avid waterfowler.
1985
Howard Coker received the S.C. Chamber of Commerce 2021 Business Leader of the Year Award. Coker is president and CEO of Sonoco, the largest publicly traded company headquartered in South Carolina. Coker also serves on the Wofford College Board of Trustees.
1986
Michael B. Burrell has joined Holliday Ingram, a real estate law firm headquartered in Greenville, S.C. He will serve as managing attorney and lead the firm’s new Anderson location.
1988
U.S Army Col. (retired) Reginald Bostick was recently appointed as a principal faculty specialist at the Applied Research Laboratory for Intelligence and Security at the University of Maryland. He also was recently named to the Myrtle Beach High School Football Hall of Fame.
1991
David Byrd has been named head football coach at his alma mater, Lincolnton High School in Lincolnton, N.C. Byrd played linebacker, defensive line and offensive line during his time at Wofford.
Frances Sanford Platock recently joined Novant Health Cancer Institute in Charlotte, N.C., as a nurse practitioner. She earned her master’s degree in nursing from the University of South Carolina in 2020.
1992
Dwight Fleming “Pat” Patterson III will be featured in an episode of the HBO documentary series “We’re Here.” The episode was filmed in the spring in Spartanburg and includes a storyline about Patterson and his brother, Olin, a former Wofford employee. HBO also hired Samuel Verdino ’21 and Mary Thalassinos ’20 as production assistants for the episode. Additionally, Patterson has earned a master’s degree in communication from the College of Charleston. He teaches theatre and public speaking at Midlands Technical College in Columbia, S.C.
Gary A. Pickren has been appointed to the S.C. Real Estate Commission. He is a founding owner and attorney in the law firm of Blair Cato Pickren Casterline in Columbia, S.C. He’s also an author, podcaster, real estate instructor and licensed real estate broker.
Paul Walter has been inducted as Rotary International’s District 7770 governor. He will lead 76 clubs and 3,500 Rotarians in the eastern half of South Carolina, which includes 28 counties. He is a member of the Rotary Club of Hilton Head Island.
1993
Dr. Richard L. Williams Jr. has been named president of Combined Insurance Co. of America. He also serves on the Prisma Health Children’s Hospital – Midlands board and the President's Advisory Council at Columbia International University.
1994
Col. Todd Burroughs earned his Ph.D. in public policy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His dissertation is titled “Bargaining Over Boots on the Ground: Civil-Military Decision-Making on Force Allocation.”
1998
Nicole Whitlock Pelfrey has been named deputy manager of the Science Research and Projects Division at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Ala. She will help lead MSFC’s Earth, astrophysics, heliophysics and planetary science portfolios, the science project management team, and the X-ray and cryogenic test facility.
1999
Elizabeth “Peaches” Wells-White and Terenthial “Boss” White ’01 announce that their son, Treylen “T.J.” White, was selected by the Washington Nationals in the fifth round of the MLB Draft after his senior season at Dorman High School in Roebuck, S.C. After signing with the Nationals, T.J. joined their affiliate in the Florida Coastal League in West Palm Beach, Fla. Both Wells-White and White played basketball at Wofford.
2000
Brantli Grubbs McMillan is the author of “The Wofford Way,” a children’s book about the many opportunities Wofford affords students of past and future generations. The book was published in November 2020.
2001
Jil Littlejohn Bostick has been named the first head of diversity, equity and inclusion for Winnebago Industries, which is headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minn. She has 20 years of experience in corporate and nonprofit leadership, most recently serving as director of inclusion and diversity at Hubbell Inc.
Dr. David Dennis was recently named assistant principal at Seneca High School in Seneca, S.C. Before being named to his new position, he served as the school’s director of assessment and careers after receiving his Ed.D. from the University of South Carolina.
Craig Melvin was named a 2021 Father of the Year honoree by the National Father’s Day Council. His new book, “Pops: Learning to Be a Son and a Father,” was released June 15. Melvin is host of NBC News’ “TODAY” Show, a news anchor for NBC News and MSNBC, and a host of “Dateline.” He’s also a member of Wofford’s Board of Trustees.
2002
Laura Blackwell Melton and Jason Melton announce the birth of a daughter, Ansley Reese, on April 9, 2021. She joins brothers Asher (10) and Avery (8), and is the granddaughter of Joyce Blackwell, who has worked at Wofford since 1967.
2003
Case Brittain just completed his first year in the South Carolina Legislature. He was elected to the House of Representatives from District 107 (Horry County) in November 2020. He is an attorney in the Brittain Law Firm in Myrtle Beach, practicing alongside his father, Tommy ’75; brother, Preston ’02; and sister, Mary Madison Brittain Langway.
Justice Littlejohn has exhibited new, personal artworks at a collaborative art show at the 701 Center for Contemporary Art in Columbia, S.C. He teaches art at Boundary Street Elementary School in Newberry, S.C.
2004
Dr. Gray Camp recently moved to Basel, Switzerland, where he will become professor of genomics at the University of Basel and lead a research group at the newly founded Roche Institute for Translational Bioengineering. His research is focused on developing new stem cell engineering technologies for modeling human organ development.
Elizabeth Hunter Gardner has been promoted to chief executive officer at Duke Eye Center/Department of Ophthalmology at Duke Health in Durham, N.C. An executive senior member of the leadership team, she is a key thought leader for financial strategy, accounting consistency and controls, resource planning, and clinical, academic and research administrative operations. She has been at Duke for 13 years and at Duke Eye Center for 11 years.
Jarvis Jones has accepted a position as business intelligence technology enablement and delivery executive in the Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Analytics Department at IBM in Sandy Springs, Ga. His interest in computers began at age 10, when he received a free personal computer from Wofford in 1992 as part of the Wofford Summer Science Program.
2007
Jesse Cole, founder of Fans First Entertainment and owner of the Savannah Bananas baseball team, was recently the subject of a feature on the ESPN+ website. Cole was a pitcher on Wofford’s baseball team.
Steven Fusaro was selected as the 2021 Person of the Year by the Spartanburg Herald-Journal and the Best of the Best Spartanburg. He also was recognized by Waldrop Heating and Air and the Greenville Drive as a Community Difference Maker. He is currently the head baseball coach, assistant athletic director and an ESOL teacher at Chapman High School in Inman, S.C. He lettered in baseball while at Wofford.
Dr. William Pratt has purchased Bridge Dental in Charleston, S.C. He has practiced in the Charleston area for 10 years.
2008
Virginia McClinton Bowden was recently the subject of a feature story in F&I and Showroom magazine. Bowden is the dealer principal at McClinton Auto Group in Parkersburg, W.Va. She is the fourth generation of her family to lead the business.
Sara Hite Kennedy and Whitner Kennedy ’09 welcomed a daughter, Virginia Kabrich Kennedy, on Aug. 19, 2021.
Ann Haywood Harvey Richards, daughter of Caroline and Steve Richards, was born on Aug. 18, 2021.
2009
Brent Troxell was recently named director of strategic growth for Ensemble Innovation Ventures, the holding company of Delta Dental of Colorado. In 2020, he earned an MBA from Daniels College of Business at the University of Denver.
Jonathan Spitz and Jescelyn Spitz welcomed their son, Tillman Edward Spitz, on July 1, 2021. Jonathan and Jescelyn are both attorneys and live in Columbia, S.C.
2010
Evan George Conard of Charleston, W.Va., was recognized by Super Lawyers as a “Rising Star” in the area of energy and natural resources. He is an associate with the Bowles Rice law firm.
Jay Carlson recently received a Ph.D. in philosophy from Loyola University-Chicago. He is a MacLean Center Clinical Ethics Fellow at the University of Chicago.
Gus Herlong of Columbia, S.C., was recently named to The State newspaper’s 20 under 40 class for 2021. Herlong is the president of Palmetto Garage Works, which operates 13 Midas Tires and Auto Service locations and six SpeeDee Oil Change and Auto Service locations. He also was appointed to the South Carolina Small Business Regulations Review Committee. He was a Camp Cole founding donor and is involved with Harvest Hope Food Bank and the Lowcountry Food Bank.
Sadie Bettis Williams and Blake Williams welcomed a son, Bettis Campbell Williams, on June 9, 2021. They live in Columbia, S.C., where she teaches preschool at Shandon Methodist Preschool and Kindergarten and he is a partner at Nelson Mullins law firm.
2011
Alex Tillotson recently completed residency training in general psychiatry at the Medical University of South Carolina. In July he began a fellowship in forensic psychiatry at MUSC and was appointed a clinical instructor of psychiatry in the MUSC Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in August.
2012
Joe Bailey started a new job as the athletic academic advisor at Erskine College. He and his wife, Kaitlin Watkins Bailey, and son, Davis, are now living in Simpsonville, S.C.
2013
Kellee-Morgan Abercrombie has been promoted to principal technology strategist at Ally Bank, which is based in Charlotte, N.C.
Jay Reid has been named head boys basketball coach at Ben Lippen High School in Columbia. Reid spent the past three seasons as an assistant coach at Lincoln Memorial University in Harrogate, Tenn. While at Wofford he spent four seasons as a student assistant and a member of the practice team.
Dr. Rachel Woodlee Riley, an associate partner at the global management consulting firm McKinsey & Co., was interviewed in June on the ChattFaithWorkCulture podcast in Chattanooga, Tenn. Riley was a member of the Wofford volleyball team and in 2012 was a Rhodes Scholar.
Dr. Laurel Ann Sams has joined Beaufort Chiropractic in Beaufort, S.C., as a chiropractor.
2014
Greyson Mann co-authored an opinion piece in the Washington Post supporting transportation equity in Washington, D.C.
Holli Rebekah Branum Reynolds and Berry Mayfield Reynolds IV ’15 welcomed a daughter, Everett Reese Reynolds, on March 1, 2021, in Raleigh, N.C.
Hart Thompson has joined British Petroleum as a business writer in Washington, D.C.
2015
Dr. Stephanie Ackerson completed her Ph.D. in biological sciences and accepted a job teaching at the University of South Carolina.
Dr. Aristide Gumyusenge has been appointed as a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the department of materials science. A U.S.-based Rwandan researcher, he will teach graduate and undergraduate courses and will run a research group at MIT focusing on the development of new materials for biology-inspired electronics.
Hunter McGahee and Julia McDonough were married on April 24, 2021 in Savannah, Ga. McGahee was a member of the cross country and track and field teams while at Wofford.
2016
Jonathan Franklin has joined NPR’s Digital News Hub as a reporter. He has reported on local and national news in Washington, D.C., for the past five years, most recently as a digital multiplatform reporter/producer for WUSA-TV.
Phifer Nicholson has been admitted to Duke Divinity School with full funding. He is currently completing the doctor of medicine program at Duke. He was Wofford’s 2015-16 Presidential International Scholar, traveling to Turkey and living with an Arabic-speaking minority Christian community in a majority Muslim country.
Amelia Poore has been named the 2021 winner of the Allan R. Dameron Legal Internship Award, presented annually by the North Carolina Real Estate Commission to a law student in the state who has demonstrated an interest in public service and real estate. Poore is a rising third-year law student at Campbell University Law School, where she works with the Stubbs Bankruptcy Clinic and in the law library. Before going to law school, Poore was an elementary school teacher. She earned a master’s degree in elementary education and teaching from Meredith College in Raleigh, N.C.
Sarah Schultz and Tanner Hawley ’15 were married on May 22, 2021 at Garden Café in York, S.C. She is a senior risk advisory associate for Grant Thornton, and he is a senior accountant for Large & Gilbert. They reside in Atlanta, Ga., with their two dogs.
Matthew Waldman has accepted a position to teach 7th grade special education social studies at Woodbridge Middle School in Bridgeville, Del. He will be completing the Alternative Routes to Certification Program through the University of Delaware to finish his teaching certification while working in this position.
Tyler Woolley was featured on the SC Codes website in July. He is a senior associate analytical consultant with SAS Institute in Lexington, S.C., and a mentor with SC Codes.
2017
Laura Roddey Aiello and Raymond Joseph Aiello were married on Feb. 27, 2021 in Beaufort, S.C.
John Besson has joined the Gulf Conservation Foundation in Osprey, Fla., as a land steward. Besson will help manage protected land, monitor conservation easements and acquire new assets.
Emily Jones recently earned a master’s of healthcare administration from Maryville University in St. Louis, Mo. and has joined Luma Brighter Learning, based in Mount Pleasant, S.C., as a training specialist. She also has been accepted into the master of science in instructional design and technology program at Purdue University.
Claire O’Loughlin earned a doctor of pharmacy degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Christopher Paschal has joined the Goings Law Firm in Columbia, S.C. He received his law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in 2020. While at Wofford, he was elected student body president in 2016. In his spare time, he coaches mock trial at USC Law and runs Front Porch Football, a website dedicated to Southeastern Conference football.
Megan Bartel Reeves has joined Global Wealth Management in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. as a Medicare specialist. She received her master’s degree in health administration from the Medical University of South Carolina in 2019.
Sarah J. Sarb has joined Hunter Maclean, a business law firm with offices in Savannah and St. Simons Island, Ga., as an associate focusing on corporate law and business transactions. She earned her law degree from the Emory University School of Law in 2020.
2018
Daniel Cooper recently started a new position as production lead for Commercial Metals Co. in Irmo, S.C. He also has been promoted to the rank of E-5 sergeant with the Army National Guard Reserves. He serves as a combat engineer with the National Guard based in Saluda, S.C.
2019
Andrew Brehmer is a law clerk at the Goings Law Firm in Columbia, S.C. He is pursuing his joint J.D./MBA law degree at the University of South Carolina School of Law.
Miles Brown has signed with the Detroit Lions. Brown, a free agent nose tackle, played in three games with the Arizona Cardinals in 2019. He joined the Tennessee Titans in November 2020 and became a free agent in January 2021. Brown played in 50 games at Wofford, starting 49. He made 174 total tackles and finished with 13.5 sacks.
Cameron Jackson has signed to play for Chieti Basket 1974, which plays in Italy’s Serie A2 league, for the 2021-22 basketball season. This will be Jackson’s third professional season in Europe. In 2020-21, he played for Portugal’s Sport Lisboa Benfica, which went 22-11. Jackson played in 31 of 33 games and averaged 11.7 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals in 19.7 minutes per game.
2020
Samantha Baker and Trent Ryan Silfies were married on Dec. 12, 2020. She is a principal program marketing manager at Red Hat in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area of North Carolina.
Ryan Holmes has joined Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices C. Dan Joyner Realtors as a sales associate in Greenville, S.C.
DeLacy Louise Rowland recently graduated from the Nashville Fellow Program and has accepted a full-time position as marketing manager of EvidenceCare, a healthcare information technology company in Nashville, Tenn.
2021
Jacob Hollifield has been named assistant editor of The Local Palate, a Southern food magazine based in Charleston, S.C. While at Wofford he served as managing editor of the Old Gold and Black.