Gift creates professorship in parks and environmental ethics

The legacy of a legendary parks champion will be extended even further with the creation of the George B. Hartzog Jr. Professorship in Parks and Environmental Ethics. The professorship is made possible with a $524,500 gift from John M. Kauffmann, himself a veteran of the National Park Service that Hartzog served.

The gift was announced Wednesday, Nov. 11, during Clemson University’s 2009 annual environmental awards program named for the late Hartzog.

Kauffmann served the National Park Service for 20 years and was chief planner for two of the parks when Hartzog served as director of the service from 1964 through 1972. Hartzog was a mentor to Kauffmann, and Kauffmann was an adviser to Hartzog.

Kauffmann was a widely respected member of the National Park Service team and an early advocate of conservation measures in the parks. He is the author of the books “Alaska’s Brooks Range: The Ultimate Mountains” and “Flow East: A Look at Our North Atlantic Rivers.” Kauffmann has served on the governing boards of the Wilderness Society, American Rivers, the National Parks and Conservation Association, the Natural Resources Council of Maine and the Maine Coast Heritage Trust, among many others. He is an honorary trustee of the Forest Society of Maine.

His gift will establish the George B. Hartzog Jr. Professorship at Clemson University, and the professorship will be affiliated with the George B. Jr. and Helen C. Hartzog Institute for the Parks.

“It is fitting that a selfless public servant such as John Kauffmann helps us create this professorship in the name of his friend and mentor,” said Larry Allen, dean of the College of Health, Education and Human Development. “Both he and George Hartzog have dedicated their very full lives to service.”

The announcement was made during the 30^th annual George B. Hartzog Jr. Environmental Awards Program. The Hartzog Fund at Clemson University allows the department of parks, recreation and tourism management to sponsor the Hartzog Lecture Series in Resource Management.

Established in 1966, Clemson’s parks, recreation and tourism management department is one of the largest and oldest of its type in North America. The department has had a longstanding relationship with the National Park Service and other federal and state land-management agencies.  

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