Past and future join as one at College of Science 2019 philanthropy reception

CLEMSON – Those who have given and those giving back gathered together on a crisp winter evening on the campus of Clemson University to view the fruits of their collaborations face to face.

On Feb. 8 in the glistening atrium of the Life Sciences Facility, donors representing the many private endowments gifted throughout the College of Science attended a reception that included meeting and mingling with young scholarship recipients. Impressive stories from these rising stars were featured during the festivities. (Please scroll through our gallery of photos.)

In her opening remarks, Dean Cynthia Y. Young thanked the donors. “Today we celebrate those of you who invest philanthropically to strengthen our Clemson connections,” Dean Young said. “For many of you, your legacies as supporters of Science began with the connections made years ago – as freshmen in these hills, faculty or staff, parents, or friends.”

John and Trina Jones arrived early for the event so that John could stop by his father’s old office in the Poole Agriculture Center. Dr. Champ Jones, Sr. was a 1939 graduate and eventually came back to teach at Clemson for more than 33 years. John and his brothers, Mac and Henry, grew up at Clemson and often roamed the halls while their father worked. The Champ M. (’39) and Alma Brooks “Brooksie” Young Jones Scholarship Endowment provides support for students in the department of genetics and biochemistry.

Scholarship recipient Kendra Gordillo attended Friday’s event and met the Joneses. Afterward, John Jones said, “I remember growing up in the ‘Clemson Family.’ While Clemson has grown, it was great to witness the same culture and attitude. The close faculty student relationship was still evident.”

Every person who makes the decision to give back to Clemson does that for his or her own reasons. Alumni and friends in the Clemson Family want to advance the mission of the University, their college, athletics, or specific programs. In response, students, faculty and staff are grateful for the investment in discovery, learning and engagement.

Many donors choose to give in their lifetime in celebration of what Clemson represents. Many in the College know Tripp and Anne Jones, who provide scholarships for students from Lexington County, S.C. who major in Biological Sciences. From a 2018 article about the Joneses, Tripp said, “I don’t feel like I could ever give enough back to Clemson for what it has done for us and for our family. We felt like we needed to do something to give back to Clemson because Clemson has meant so much to us.”

An endowment creates a legacy at Clemson. The main gift, or corpus of the endowment, is left untouched. Once the endowment matures, the payout is used to support scholarships, fellowships, research, operations, and more throughout every discipline. In 2017-2018, more than $800,000 was available to College leadership. This is based on the combined payouts of all Science endowments.  Moreover, this represents generations of giving to Science at Clemson.

Read more about one of our special students, Lauren Skrajewski.