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Claflin Trustee Emeritus and Retired Chief Justice Ernest A. Finney Jr. Passes Away
 

Ernest A. Finney Jr., a distinguished and pioneering Claflin University alumnus and retired Chief Justice of the South Carolina Supreme Court Justice, passed away on Sunday, December 3, 2017. Justice Finney became the first African-American to hold the highest office in South Carolina's justice system. 

"The Claflin University family is deeply saddened by the passing of Chief Justice Ernest A. Finney Jr. My wife, Alice, and I are personally touched by his loss. He was a friend and confidant and one of the University's most treasured and beloved graduates. As chairman of the Board of Trustees for Claflin University, his dedicated and devoted service was transformative. Chief Justice Finney was a man of remarkable humility and a strong advocate for equality and human rights. He was an outstanding leader and his legacy as the first African American to rise to the top position in the Supreme Court of South Carolina will live on. He undoubtedly will be an inspiration for current and future generations of Claflinites. Our thoughts and prayers are with Frances and their children and we join them in cherishing the distinguished accomplishments and life of Justice Finney," said P resident Henry N. Tisdale.

Born in 1931 in Smithfield, Va., Finney graduated from Claflin with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1952. In 1954, he received a law degree from South Carolina State University. Upon graduation, he taught in Conway's (South Carolina) public school system for five years before setting up his law practice in Sumter, S.C. 

In 1961, Finney represented the Friendship 9, a group of black college students who were arrested for trying to desegregate a McCrory's Lunch Counter in Rock Hill. Two years later, Finney was appointed as chairman of the S.C. Commission on Civil Rights. 

Finney was elected to the S.C. House of Representatives in 1972 and was the first African American to serve on the House Judiciary Committee since the Reconstruction era. In the House, Finney was a co-founder of the Legislative Black Caucus and served at its first chairman.

The Claflin alumnus was elected as a judge to the S.C. Third Circuit Court in July 1976, becoming the Palmetto State's first African-American Circuit Court judge in the process. Nine years later, he was appointed to the S.C. Supreme Court, later becoming the Chief Justice. He held that position until he retired in March 2000.

In 2002, he was the interim president of South Carolina State University, a post which he held for one year.
Finney served on Claflin's Board of Trustees for two decades, elected as its chairman in 1986. In 2003, the University granted him the status of trustee emeritus.
In 2002, the State of South Carolina honored him with two prestigious distinctions:
  • In February 2002, he was inducted into the S.C. Hall of Fame for his contributions to the state's legal, civil rights and educational realms.
  • In July 2002, the Renaissance Cultural Arts Center Museum in Columbia was renamed the Ernest A. Finney, Jr. Civil Rights Museum. The museum houses historical artifacts and documents from the contributions made by the African-American Ecumenical Faith Community and features the United Black Fund of South Carolina Hall of Fame's inductees.
Finney was a member of the American Law Institute, the American Judges Association, the Conference of Chief Justices, the American and National Bar Associations, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America and the NAACP. He was a past chairman of the Board of Directors of Buena Vista Development Corporation. He was also a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.

He received honorary degrees from Claflin, The Citadel, Johnson C. Smith University, Morris College, College of Charleston, South Carolina State University, Wofford College, Francis Marion University and the University of South Carolina. He was also a 1998 inductee of the National Black College Hall of Fame, in addition to being a 1994 recipient of the South Carolina Order of the Palmetto.

He leaves to cherish his memory his wife, Frances Davenport Finney, '56; children Attorney Jerry Leo Finney, Nikky Finney and Attorney Ernest (Chip) Finney III; and five grandchildren. 

The family of the late Chief Justice (Ret.) Ernest A. Finney Jr. requests that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Ernest A. Finney Jr. Endowed Scholarship Fund at Claflin University. Contributions may be made  online or mailed to: Claflin University, Office of Institutional Advancement, Attn: Rev. Whittaker Middleton, 400 Magnolia Street, Orangeburg, SC 29115.

Funeral Information for Chief Justice Ernest A. Finney Jr.
 
Lying in Repose
Thursday, December 7, 2017, 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
South Carolina Supreme Court
1231 Gervais Street
Columbia, SC 29201
 
Public Viewing
Thursday, December 7, 2017, 3-7:00 p.m.
Palmer Memorial Chapel - Columbia
1200 Fontaine Place
Columbia, SC 29223
 
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. Omega Ceremony
Friday, December 8, 2017, 4-5 p.m.
Morris College
Neal-Jones Auditorium
100 West College Street
Sumter, SC 29150
 
Visitation
Friday, December 8, 2017, 4-7 p.m.
Morris College
Neal-Jones Auditorium
100 West College Street
Sumter, SC, 29150
 
Celebration of Life
Saturday, December 9, 2017, 10-11:30 a.m.
Claflin University
James & Dorothy Z. Elmore Chapel
400 Magnolia Street
Orangeburg, SC, 29115
Claflin Alumna Promoted to Brigadier General 

On December 1, Twanda "Tia" Young, '89, was promoted from colonel to brigadier general at Fort Bragg, N.C. at the USARC, Headquarters. She is the first female that was commissioned from the ROTC Program at South Carolina State University (SCSU) to obtain the rank of brigadier general. Pictured above with Young are her  daughters,  Tyra and  Lea, and husband Tracy

Almost 30 years ago, an Army battalion commander told Young who was then a second lieutenant he would make sure she would never be promoted to first lieutenant because women had no place in the Army. "I said, 'Sir I'll be here when you retire.' And low and behold, I was there shaking his hand and saying thank you for your service, when he retired, she said.

Young had never thought about joining the Army until a college friend at Claflin University suggested she check out ROTC. Determined she would have a job upon graduation so she wouldn't have to move back home with her parents, she signed up for ROTC at South Carolina State University (SCSU) as a cross-enrollment student from Claflin. She later went on to earn two Master's degrees from Ball State University. 

Claflin University has offered Air Force and Army ROTC programs through a cross-enrollment agreement with SCSU since 1967. Since its inception, more than 120 cadets from Claflin have successfully completed the ROTC program and been commissioned as officers in the U.S. military. Young's promotion is a "first" for the ROTC program at Claflin University.

Click  here to see a video of Brig. Gen. Young's promotion ceremony.

(Photo supplied by U.S. Army Human Resources Command, Fort Bragg)
Claflin University Announces 2017 Hall of Fame Inductees

Eight Claflin University alumni were inducted into the Hall of Fame on November 17 at the Presidential Scholarship Gala. The purpose of the Claflin University Hall of Fame is to recognize and honor Claflin University alumni and other persons who have made significant contributions to society and brought credit to Claflin University. 

Congratulations to the following:

Paul Wilson, '77 (Community Service)
Carolyn Williamson-Martin, '63 (Education) 
Dr. Verlie A. Graham Tisdale, '71 (Education)
Alvenia Singleton, '74 (Arts and Entertainment)
Attorney William H. Johnson, '72 (Law)
Hezekiah Lynwood Hayes Jr., '75 (Military)
Charles W. Ellis, '64 (Military)
Gladys P. Morgan Bell, '61 (Science)

Click here for the biographies of the honorees. 
Claflin University STEM Scholars Win National Awards at Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students

The winners from left to right are Ashleigh Farmer, RISE; Adriana Dacres, Kia Cobb, Jira White, Taaliah Campbell, RISE; and Janeala Morsby.
 
Six research scholars from Claflin University won national awards during the 2017 Annual Biomedical Research Conference for Minority Students (ABRCMS) held recently in Phoenix, Arizona.
 
Kia Cobb and Adriana Dacres captured honors for Outstanding Poster Presentations. Cobb won for research presented in the category of Computational and Systems Biology and Dacres placed first in the Microbiology section.  Janeala Morsby and Taaliah Campbell received awards in the Cancer Biology category, Jira White earned recognition for her investigation in the Chemistry category, and Ashleigh Farmer was honored in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
 
Claflin was represented at the conference by 29 students, five faculty and two staff members. Claflin's Research Initiative for Scientific Enhancement (RISE) program - a 1.3 million grant funded by National Institutes of Health-National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIH-NIGMS) - provided financial assistance to several Claflin students who made presentations. The group was accompanied by Dr. Gloria S. McCutcheon, interim chair and professor of biology at Claflin. McCutcheon is also the grant's principal investigator. 
 
ABRCMS comprises the  largest communities of underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Students attend the organization's annual conference to present their research, explore graduate schools, and network.

This year's conference was attended by more than 4,000 registered participants. Included were nearly 2,000 students from over 350 colleges and universities who participated in poster and oral presentations in 12 STEM disciplines. All undergraduate student presentations are judged and those receiving the highest scores in each scientific discipline were presented award during the closing banquet. 
Student Spotlight
Shaquille Moultrie, '18, was recently featured in the Spring 2018 edition of the Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College Magazine. Moultrie earned his associate degree in welding technology and industrial maintenance technology in 2016. In the feature story, Moultrie speaks highly of his experience at Claflin where he maintains a 3.9 GPA and is set to graduate with a degree in business administration in 2018.  
Employee Notes
Dr. Karl S. Wright, provost and chief academic officer, is currently in China with an HBCU delegation that is negotiating an extension of the HBCU-Government of China Scholarship Agreement which expires in 2018. Under the agreement, HBCU students are provided scholarships (tuition, room and board) to attend select Chinese universities for one summer, one semester, or one year. You may follow Dr. Wright on Twitter as he documents this experience at @Claflinprovost1.
Alumni Notes
Keisha Clay, '11, was recently named the 2018-2019 Teacher of the Year at Summit Parkway Middle School in Columbia, S.C. Clay is a sixth-grade science teacher for the STEM Institute of Design and Innovation (SIDI) Magnet program. She is also co-sponsor of the Beta Club and a leader among her colleagues.  

The Jennie J. McMahan Library in St. George, S.C., is hosting a photography exhibit by the legendary artist Cecil Williams, '60, until January 25, 2018. The exhibit, titled Unforgettable: Celebrating a Time of Life, Hope and Bravery, showcases some of Williams' most powerful work.

PantherCam


Members of the Class of 1972 pose for a picture during Homecoming 2017. See how many members of the class you can identify.


Members of the Class of 1977 pose for a picture during Homecoming 2017. See how many members of the class you can identify.
Panther Pride
Williams Hits Game-Winner to Lift Claflin Over Winston-Salem State

Benjamin "Tre" Williams drained a three-pointer with two seconds left as the Claflin University Panthers came-from-behind to defeat Winston-Salem State University 73-70 in a non-conference basketball game on Monday, December 4.
 
With the win, Claflin runs its season record to 9-1 and extended its consecutive winning streak to eight games, including seven straight on the road.
 
The Panthers will return to action on December 9 when they host Saint Augustine's University in a non-conference matchup at 3 p.m.


Claflin Lady Panthers Pushes Its Winning Streak to Three with Win Over Livingstone

Jhanice Stokes came off the bench to produce a double-double with a season-high of 22 points and 12 rebounds in leading the Claflin University Lady Panthers past Livingstone College, 75-62, on Monday, December 4 at the Tullis Arena.
 
With the win, Claflin avenged a season-opening 80-61 loss to Livingstone on Nov. 15th in Salisbury, N.C.
 
Claflin will return to action on December 9 at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, Ala.
December 6, 2017
In This Issue
Connect with Us
@Claflin is published by the Office of Communications & Marketing 
President: Dr. Henry N. Tisdale, '65
Vice President for Institutional Advancement: Rev. Whittaker V. Middleton, '73
Assistant Vice President for Communications & Marketing: George Johnson Jr.
Public Relations Director: J. Craig Cotton
Social Media and Public Relations Coordinator: Bernita Cooper, '12
Web Communications Manager: Colin Myers, '07
Sports Information Director: Romanda Noble-Watson
Photographers: Cecil Williams, '60, Geoff Henderson and Colin Myers, '07
Student Workers: Tydreona Dantzler, Nathaniel Fields, Alexis Garner, Timothy Lyons and Curtis Patterson