Kirby Player receives South Carolina’s highest civilian honor

An unsuspecting Kirby Player was just enjoying the fellowship at Clemson University’s 26th annual CAFLS Alumni and Friends Golf Tournament when College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences dean Matt Holt gathered everyone around for a surprise announcement.

Holt presented Player with the Order of the Palmetto, the highest civilian honor awarded by the State of South Carolina.

“There could be no more fitting recipient than Dr. Kirby Player,” Holt said. “Kirby has dedicated his entire life to promoting, advancing and strengthening agriculture in South Carolina. From his early years growing up on his family’s farm in Lee County, to his many decades of service here at Clemson University, Kirby’s passion for agriculture – and his commitment to developing leaders across agriculture, forestry and natural resources – have been unmatched.”

Player, lecturer and coordinator of the Palmetto Leadership Program for the Environment, Agriculture and Forestry, was caught off guard. A three-time graduate of Clemson and employee of the University for 37 years, Player was honored. It was even more special to  receive the honor at the golf tournament in front of former students, alums and agricultural leaders that he worked with.

“I had absolutely no idea,” Player said. “And then when (Holt) said the Order of the Palmetto, it was a moment of disbelief because so many of my heroes and agricultural icons have received that award. The idea that it was something that I could receive was the furthest thing from my mind at this point and time in my life.

“I was just so humbled that people would think of me to nominate. I’m a man of faith so gratitude to God and all of those who helped me to get there. Just that aspect of thinking of my parents, my family, my teachers, my faculty, my incredible coworkers, all the deans. I’ve had 14 deans and interim deans in my whole career. So much of what I’ve done has been a function of other people and what they’ve asked me to do. All of that went through my mind at one time.”

It was a childhood friend, Curt Spencer, who nominated Player. The two have known each other since high school. Spencer was in Player’s second cohort of Palmetto LEAF and now serves as a commissioner for the South Carolina Department of Transportation representing the 5th congressional district.

In his letter to South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, Spencer explained how Player convinced him to participate in Palmetto LEAF. He wrote, “This course has given me and so many others a firm foundation and broad knowledge of business and experiences revolving around our state’s agriculture and forestry resources, all the while including the most worthy goal of protecting our environment and ensuring the protection of our most valued assets for generations to come. His unbridled enthusiasm for PLEAF and all things agriculture, and of course Clemson, has become contagious to many students and leaders of our beautiful South Carolina.”

It was Jean Bertrand, CAFLS associate provost, who approached Player about setting up Palmetto LEAF. With his love for agriculture, forestry and natural resources, Player welcomed the opportunity. Palmetto LEAF became the 40th such program in the country and the eighth in the world. This May, it will begin recruiting for its fourth cohort.

“I can think of no one more deserving of the Order of the Palmetto than Dr. Kirby Player,” said Thomas Dobbins, professor and director of Clemson’s Cooperative Extension Service. “His unwavering dedication to enhancing the lives of CAFLS students, alumni, and friends is truly commendable. Through his work with the South Carolina Soil and Water Conservation Board, he has made significant contributions to conservation practices that benefit all of South Carolina.”

Player received his bachelor’s degree in agricultural education in 1983, his master’s in parks, recreation and tourism management in 1987 and his doctorate in therapeutic recreation in 2015.

“Dr. Player is an incredible leader, teacher, researcher, and mentor,” said University President Jim Clements. “He has dedicated his life to advancing agriculture and elevating Clemson University’s land-grant mission of education, research and service. I am thrilled that Dr. Player has been awarded the Order of the Palmetto and I am proud of his significant impact on agriculture in the great state of South Carolina and beyond.”