Dr. Boyd Parr ‘76 has been named a 2026 Distinguished Service Award recipient by the Clemson Alumni Association! Dr. Parr was co-chair of the Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine (PCVM) steering committee that laid the groundwork for the creation of the college.
“Dr. Parr has been a valuable part of the PCVM team,” said Founding Dean, Dr. Steven Marks. “In addition to co-chairing the steering committee, he has been a great ambassador for Clemson and the veterinary profession in general.”
Parr enrolled at Clemson University in 1972, majoring in dairy science, and was accepted into the University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 1974. His Clemson degree in pre-professional studies was awarded based on coursework completed while pursuing his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at UGA, which he earned in 1978. He is recognized as a member of Clemson’s Class of 1976.
“I was very surprised and also humbled when I first learned I would be receiving a Distinguished Service Award,” said Parr. “Certainly, I had never expected such a high honor and feel there are a lot of great people who I had the privilege of working alongside that played a significant role in my successes. It’s a tremendous honor to be included in this select group of high achieving Clemson Alumni.”
Dr. Parr began his career in private practice by founding Piedmont Farm Services. Over the next 25 years, he worked extensively in animal production medicine across the Carolinas and Georgia. In 2004, he joined Clemson’s Livestock Poultry Health (LPH) programs, where he advanced to serve as LPH director and South Carolina State Veterinarian.
“When I retired from Clemson as State Veterinarian in 2021, I never dreamed helping create and construct a College of Veterinary Medicine at Clemson would be in my future,” said Parr. “However, it has been an incredible experience. I am increasingly confident that the citizens of South Carolina and Alumni of Clemson University will be proud of the Harvey S. Peeler Jr. College of Veterinary Medicine and that it will eventually be among the top Colleges of Veterinary Medicine in North America and beyond – starting with the first class of 80 students enrolling this August.”
Parr currently volunteers as a special assistant to Dean Marks and as an adjunct professor of animal and veterinary sciences in the College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences (CAFLS).
“I come from a Clemson family–since my early days in the 4-H Dairy project right up through my career as a private veterinarian. Through the Extension Service, the State Veterinarian’s office and the Dairy Science Department (which later was integrated into the current AVS department in CAFLS), Clemson University was a constant, a regular part of my career and my life.”
