In memoriam

1945

James Lucas Walker, Oct. 23, 2023, Clinton, S.C. Walker was a physician who served in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. He operated a private practice in Clinton for nearly 50 years. In 1989, Walker was named the Family Physician of the Year by the South Carolina Academy of Family Physicians.

1946

William Clarence Wilson, Dec. 7, 2023, Rock Hill, S.C. Wilson served as a dentist for 42 years and was president of the South Carolina Academy of General Dentistry. He was a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church and enjoyed woodworking as a hobby. His work was featured in Fine Woodworking magazine.

1950

Bob Prevatte, Nov. 23, 2023, Gaffney, S.C. Prevatte joined the U.S. Navy the day he graduated from high school and served aboard the USS Baxter during World War II. After his military service, he enrolled at Wofford, where he earned small college All-America honors and the Jacobs Blocking Trophy as a member of the football team. He was inducted into the college’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 1980. Prevatte began his high school coaching career at Fayetteville (N.C.) High School after graduating. He came to Gaffney in 1956 and began a legendary career that included a 129-29-11 record and five state championships. He was named state Coach of the Year four times. He was inducted into the South Carolina coaches Hall of Fame in 2019. After leaving football and education, Prevatte entered the private sector. He worked for Spartan Foods, owned by his former player and dear friend Jerry Richardson ’59. The Bob Prevatte Athletics Complex was dedicated at Limestone University after a $4.1 million donation from Richardson. Members of the 1962 Gaffney High football team started the Bob Prevatte Educational Foundation in 2006 to honor a Gaffney student-athlete each year.

The Rev. Robert Garfield Strother, Feb. 21, 2024, Spartanburg, S.C. Strother was a United Methodist minister who served at a variety of churches in the South Carolina Conference during his career. He partially retired in 1990 but continued serving churches in the Spartanburg area. After fully retiring, he taught two Sunday school classes at Bethel United Methodist Church, where he was a member. Strother served as a mentor to beginning ministers from 1964 to 2008. He served on the United Methodist Conference board of trustees from 1960-68 and again from 1979-83. He was a trustee of the Greenwood Methodist Home from 1969-72 and served as a member of the founding board. Strother enjoyed fishing in his younger days, but traded his rod and reel for golf clubs later in life.

The Rev. James Herbert Thomas, Feb. 10, 2024, Smoaks, S.C. The third of 10 children, Thomas served in the U.S. Navy during World War II aboard the USS Donaldson. After graduating from Wofford, he attended Lutheran Seminary. A member of the South Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church, Thomas spent 64 years in the ministry before retiring at age 90. After retirement, he enjoyed spending time in his garden, where he grew summer vegetables and sugar cane.

1953

Charles Carlyle “Charlie” Stratford Jr., Jan. 24, 2024, Tryon, N.C. Stratford joined the U.S. Army as a first lieutenant upon graduation. Following his military service, he worked for Stratford Motor Co. and later Liberty Life Insurance. He retired in 1992 and served as a volunteer at Habitat for Humanity ReStores.

Thomas Allison Hipp Sr., Dec. 29, 2023, Greenville, S.C. Hipp worked in textiles with Anderson Clayton, Burlington Industries and the I.L. Donkle Co. After his retirement, he was involved with the Christ Church Episcopal School Learning Service Program helping serve breakfast and distributing shoe donations to the homeless.

1956

Edgar Randolph Hensley, Nov. 11, 2023, Waynesboro, Ga. Hensley was a physician and member of the U.S. Navy Reserve. He served as University Hospital’s first chief of the Department of Family Medicine and was a life member of the American Academy Family Practice. Hensley was a charter member of Quail Unlimited, a member of Augusta South Rotary Club and chairman of the board of directors of Edmund Burke Academy. He was a deacon of First Baptist Church of Waynesboro.

The Rev. Theodore Holt “Ted” Walter, Nov. 17, 2023, Columbia, S.C. Walter spent his career serving churches in the South Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church. He also served as district superintendent of the Spartanburg and Columbia districts. Prior to his retirement in 2003, he coordinated clergy services for the conference. During his retirement, he was interim president of Epworth Children’s Home for two years. Walter was active in many organizations, including the Golden K Kiwanis Club and the Columbia College board of trustees, where he served as chairman.

1957

Dan W. McMillan, Oct. 16, 2019, Kingsport, Tenn. McMillan was a commercial artist and U.S. Army veteran. His artwork garnered various awards and was displayed throughout Kingsport.

Robert Malcourt Watson Jr., Nov. 26, 2023, Spartanburg, S.C. Watson served as a dental officer in the U.S. Air Force in England. After military service, he opened a dental practice in Spartanburg. He was a member of the Episcopal Church of the Advent, where he served on the vestry, and a longtime Rotarian. He was a veteran actor at the Spartanburg Little Theatre, playing his namesake, “Dr. Watson,” in a Sherlock Holmes mystery. He was a lifelong gardener and a graduate of the South Carolina Master Gardener program.

1958

Abner Pierce Stockman Jr., Dec. 31, 2023, Greenwood, S.C. Stockman served as the president of Stockman Oil and Stockman Lands. He founded CEF – Lakelands (Good News Club), was a board member of the Railroad Historical Center and served as board chair of the Greenwood Methodist Home. Stockman also served as a Boy Scout leader and was a national life member of the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution.

Bates L. Scoggins Jr., Dec. 10, 2023, Jonesville, S.C. Scoggins was in senior management at the Kohler Co. for nearly four decades. The former Wofford tennis player and U.S. Air Force veteran was a member of Grace United Methodist Church in Union, where he served on the finance committee and as an usher.

Charles Roland Smith, Nov. 5, 2022, Marietta, Ga. Smith was a member of Sandy Plains Baptist Church, previously serving as chairman of deacons. He dedicated 20 years to American Red Cross Disaster Services and was a member of the Wheels Around square dance club.

1960

Carroll Dean Cochran, Dec. 19, Spartanburg, S.C. Cochran joined the U.S. Navy during the Korean War. When he returned, he worked for Milliken & Co. He then joined the U.S. Air Force, where he was part of the missile program in Kansas. He joined IBM as a computer programmer and assisted NASA’s rescue of the Apollo 13 crew. Cochran retired from IBM after 25 years and later became an apple farmer in Spartanburg.

Franklyn Farquhar “Frank” Sanders, Oct. 23, 2023, Winston-Salem, N.C. Sanders was editor of the Old Gold and Black while at Wofford. He was a professor at Wake Forest University and an editor at the Winston-Salem Journal. He enjoyed reading and spending time with his dogs. Sanders also liked surprising people with little acts of kindness, like a warmed car on a winter day or $20 that would magically appear in a wallet.

The Rev. Robert C. Hopper, Dec. 7, 2023, Sylva, N.C. Hopper was ordained in 1964 as a pastor in the South Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church. A former regional director for the state Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse, he founded the Inner-City Ministry in the Charleston Heights neighborhood of North Charleston. He was president of the Sullivan’s Island Elementary School PTA and was elected to the Sullivan’s Island Town Council. Hopper was an avid woodworker, semi-professional photographer and private pilot.

1964

Monnie Lee Broome, Dec. 30, 2023, Greenville, S.C. Broome spent his entire career in the textile industry with JPS Industries in Greenville, S.C., serving as executive vice president of human resources until his retirement in 2014. During his career, Broome enjoyed serving in leadership roles for the Carolina Society for Training and Development and the South Carolina Textile Manufacturers Association. He taught Sunday School at Edwards Road Baptist Church. In retirement, he loved dipping his toes in the water at Litchfield Beach and Lake Keowee.

Robert Bundy McDuffie Jr., Dec. 20, 2023, Sumter, S.C. McDuffie started his career in Forest City, N.C., at McDuffie Furniture Co. He later worked for Thomasville Furniture Industries. He was a captain of Wofford’s golf team for two years and a member of the French Huguenot Society and the Quixote Club.

1965

Kirby Darr Shealy Jr., Dec. 30, 2023, Columbia, S.C. Shealy was a Richland County magistrate until his retirement in 2017. In his younger years, he was a part-time municipal judge for the city of Forest Acres, and he practiced law with Wise, Wise & Shealy. He enjoyed playing tennis and golf and was an avid hunter and fisherman.

1967

Rudy Mancke III, Nov. 7, 2023, Cayce, S.C. “When you try to touch one thing by itself, you find it hitched to everything in the universe.” Mancke shared that wisdom with Wofford students during visits to campus and with the world as a naturalist on the SCETV show NatureScene, a program that ran across the globe for 25 years. He most recently worked as naturalist in residence at the University of South Carolina and hosted “NatureNotes” on public radio. Mancke enjoyed spending time in the classroom and in the field with students and always found time to speak and lead walks for churches, schools and other groups. Wofford President Emeritus Bernie Dunlap knew Mancke well. They started out at SCETV at the same time. “No one has ever embodied the value of a Wofford education more impressively than Rudy. Flags should fly at half-mast at every nature center in the state,” says Dunlap. Mancke joined the U.S. Army after graduation, serving in Germany as an X-ray technician. After his military service, he taught biology and geology at Spartanburg High School before moving to Columbia in 1975 to become curator of natural history of the South Carolina State Museum. In 1992, Wofford conferred upon him an honorary doctor of science degree.

1969

Jimmy O. Jacobs, Dec. 14, 2023, Fort Smith, Ark. Jacobs was a U.S. Army veteran who served during the Vietnam War. He retired from the military in 1998 after 28 years of service. He accepted a position with the American Battle Monuments Commission, where he served as the project director for the National World War II Memorial. Jacobs, who was an Eagle Scout, worked for several years at Camp Coker, serving in leadership positions, including waterfront director. Boating was his favorite hobby.

Wayne Thomas Lineberger, Feb. 5, 2024, Chapin, S.C. Lineberger served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He went into law enforcement and served as a deputy sheriff and investigator in Richland County, chief of campus police at Morris Village and chief investigator for the South Carolina Department of Mental Health.

1970

Herbert Alvin Lanford Jr., Feb. 1, 2024, Spartanburg, S.C. Lanford was a retired deputy director with the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission in Columbia. A veteran of the U.S. Army, he was a member of the National Rifle Association’s executive board and served on the board of the South Carolina State Credit Union. Gov. Mark Sanford awarded Lanford the Order of the Palmetto, the state’s highest civilian honor, on July 10, 2009.

Dr. Thomas Alexander Whitehead, Jan. 15, 2024, Rancho Mirage, Calif. Whitehead earned his medical degree from the Medical University of South Carolina and completed his residency in therapeutic radiology at Emory University. He served with various private practices in the Atlanta, Ga., area. He was a world traveler, and one of his favorite pastimes was skiing in Aspen, Colo.

1972

Richard Langdon Odiorne Jr., Feb. 12, 2024, Columbia, S.C. Odiorne served in the U.S. Navy for four years before attending Wofford. In 2017, he retired from the Siebels Bruce Group. He was a member of Eastminster Presbyterian Church.

1974

Billy Wayne Hicks, Dec. 3, 2023, Georgetown, Ky. Hicks coached high school basketball in Kentucky for 38 years. He retired in 2019 with 1,023 wins (the most in state history), 14 regional titles and two state championships. In 2012, he coached the McDonald’s All-American team. Off the court, he enjoyed fishing, hiking, kayaking, gardening and canning his harvest. Hicks was known for his Southern-style cooking, legendary chili, smoked brisket and fried fish.

Leonard Robert Schwinn III, Dec. 25, 2023, Taylors, S.C. Schwinn started his career in life insurance before following his passion for food into the restaurant industry, where he managed, co-owned and cooked for various restaurants in the Upstate. He enjoyed the outdoors and animals and would adopt the strays that showed up at his door.

1978

Dr. Mary Kathryn Hall, Feb. 5, 2024, Tampa, Fla. After graduating from medical school, Hall worked for Bay Pines Veterans Hospital in Seminole, Fla., until 1988. After transferring to James A. Haley Veterans Hospital in Tampa, she served as the chief of urology and chief of surgery. She loved to travel and took many trips overseas.

The Rev. Michael Alec Black, Dec. 29, 2023, Myrtle Beach, S.C. Black was a retired Methodist minister, educator, musician and realtor. He worked in commercial insurance and risk management with his family’s insurance agency in the 1990s and as a commercial and industrial leasing specialist for Tradd Commercial Realty. He earned a master of divinity degree from Duke Divinity School and a master of mass communication degree from the University of South Carolina. He specialized in documentary and architectural photography, as well as audio and video production, and taught studio music production and photography at USC. Black enjoyed the outdoors, including paddling his canoe on the Waccamaw River. He was a gifted musician, who enjoyed playing his beloved Martin Herringbone, writing and recording music, and restoring vintage amplifiers, guitars and radios.

The Rev. Keith Lentz Riddle, Feb. 17, 2024, Mount Pleasant, S.C. Riddle was a Presbyterian minister who served as vice president of mission integration with the University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center and St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Champaign, Ill. He also was managing director for J. Henry Stuhr Funeral Chapel in Mount Pleasant. Riddle served on the National Leadership Team of the Presbyterian AIDS Network. He developed KLR Support Services Inc., a group that supports caregivers in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and he served as the first president of South Carolina Stonewall Democrats and as a longtime board member of Bridges (formerly the Hospice of Charleston Foundation). He was a former member of the Fort Lauderdale Gay Men’s Chorus and was a member of the Charleston Men’s Chorus.

1984

Charles Allen Houston, Dec. 24, 2023, Marietta, Ga. Houston was the president and owner of Houston Brothers Inc. He enjoyed traveling, woodworking, reading and gardening. No one left his home without a new birdhouse, book recommendation or freshly picked vegetables.

1992

Travis Patton George, Dec. 16, 2023, Columbia, S.C. George was a field auditor for the state of South Carolina. He was an avid golfer, who could be found on the course on weekends and days off.

1999

Angelique Sheree “Angel” Gray, Dec. 28, 2023, Beaufort, S.C. Gray earned a master of social work from the University of South Carolina. She served as a social worker in private practice and as a student counselor at the Technical College of the Lowcountry. She loved watercolor painting, interior design and puffy paint sweatshirts. Her love of animals was evident in her curly-coated retrievers and in the ducks, quail, rabbits and geckos that shared her home.

2001

Dr. Howard Charles “Charlie” Malpass III, Sept. 14, 2023, Charlottesville, Va. Malpass was a pulmonologist with the University of Virginia Medical Center. He was an avid runner, and his claim to fame was competitive running (and winning his age group) in races as someone who had recently completed cancer treatment. Malpass loved working outside around the house, cooking and family game nights.

2020

Elizabeth Tien “Bess” Marcum, Dec. 26, 2023, Concord, N.C. Marcum was an IT business systems analyst II for the American Red Cross’ production support team. She loved listening to music, dancing and traveling. Marcum, who was born in Vietnam, had visited England and France. She planned to take a trip to Korea this spring.

FRIENDS

Edwin Wallace “Ned” Johnson II, Jan. 20, 2024, Spartanburg, S.C. Johnson served as a labor and employment attorney with Burr & Forman, previously the McNair firm, until his retirement in December 2023. He mentored many young attorneys throughout his career and ran former U.S. Sen. Bob Dole’s 1988 presidential campaign in South Carolina. Johnson served as secretary of the Palmetto Business Forum for 35 years. He was a voracious reader, beginning each day with his print newspapers and ending the day with a book in hand. He enjoyed fishing, flying and hunting. He was the brother of George Dean Johnson Jr. ’64.

Dexter Olan McCarter, Feb. 2, 2024, Spartanburg, S.C. McCarter was a member of Wofford College’s IT department for eight years. He spent four decades in computers, working for companies like Bigelow, Telecom USA, Equifax, Flagstar, Insignia Financial Group and AIMCO. He retired from Wofford in 2016.