Dr. Leo F. Twiggs, '56, a distinguished artist-in-residence at Claflin University, helped launch Claflin's year-long sesquicentennial celebration with a walk down memory lane, enlightening and enthralling his listeners about the institution's rich legacy of access and visionary leadership. "God's not finished with Claflin yet," said Twiggs during his keynote message at Claflin's 150th Founders' Day Convocation on Sunday, November 18, at the Jonas T. Kennedy Health and Wellness Complex.

Twiggs echoed a statement made by the late Dr. Joseph Bethea to respond to those who believe that Claflin's steady emergence as one of the nation's premier institutions of higher education signals the fulfillment of the University's destiny .  Bethea, who was elected the first black bishop of the South Carolina Conference of The United Methodist Church, was a frequent visitor to Claflin.

Twiggs recited an impressive list of achievements that are a testimony to the University's proud legacy of student success and visionary leadership. Included were Claflin being founded as South Carolina's first historically black college/university (HBCU) and the first in the state to admit all students regardless of race, gender, religion or ethnic origin; becoming the first college in South Carolina to establish an art department that offered a full curriculum in art history and criticism; and the late Arthur Rose's selection as the first black president of the Art Education Association. Rose provided leadership for Claflin's art department and the University's art museum bears his name.

"The word 'visionary' was used before Dr. Tisdale arrived at Claflin," said Twiggs. "It's in the University's DNA. It was here in the beginning when Claflin was founded on a hilltop high. But Dr. Tisdale demonstrated the true meaning of being a visionary leader."

Twiggs praised Tisdale with increasing Claflin's overall fundraising, especially alumni giving, and enhancing the appearance of the campus with the construction of new facilities with state of the art technology.

"There was a reason Claflin was founded on higher ground," said Twiggs. "You have better vision when you are high on a hill. The founders had a higher level of thinking. They wanted to create a school that would prepare students to go somewhere else after Claflin. And you are reminded of that vision and Claflin being founded on a hilltop high each time you sing the Alma Mater."

"Yes, some are asking what's going to happen to Claflin after Dr. Tisdale and First Lady Alice Carson Tisdale leave?," said Twiggs. "My response is where is your faith? We are the sons and daughters of Claflin who have been called upon to be visionaries. The God we serve is the same today as he was yesterday and he will be tomorrow. I think Rev. Bethea's vision and his prophecy are still as powerful today as it was when he proclaimed it 25 years ago. God is not through with Claflin."

Twiggs, a summa cum laude graduate of Claflin, went on to earn a master's degree from New York University where he studied with the acclaimed African-American muralist, Hale Woodruff. He then earned a doctorate degree in art education in 1970 from the University of Georgia, making him the first African American to do so. Recently, Twiggs completed a series of nine paintings titled "Requiem for Mother Emanuel" commemorating the lives of the nine Charleston church shooting victims. Galleries across South Carolina exhibited the paintings, and the paintings were featured on ESPN and CBS Evening News. 

 

The 2018 Hall of Fame Inductees are: Brigadier General Twanda Young, '89; Vernon Wallace, '73; Jessie Ruth Littlejohn, Gerald Mackey, '74; Cathy L. Jordan (accepting for her husband, the late Senior Master Sergeant Leonard A. Jordan, '76); and  Lieutenant Colonel Leon Bradley, '74.

Click here to read their full bios. 

 

The special honorees at this year's luncheon were Joel M. Harris and Philip G. Harris and Cherryetta Williams and Family.

 

	The late Dr. James O. (Pete) Harris

Joel M. Harris and his brother, Philip G. Harris, recently established the James O. and Louise M. Harris Scholarship Fund with a gift of $75,000 in their parents' honor to support chemistry and biochemistry students at Claflin University. In so doing, they are helping the University to address one of America's greatest challenges: its pressing need for well-trained college graduates in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.

 

Some 60 years ago, when America took up the challenge of building a 41,000-mile network of interstate highways, their father, Dr. James O. (Pete) Harris, was a scientist with Monsanto who recognized the relevance of his opportunities. Faster speeds and more cars on the road would require new materials in American tires and new technologies for testing them. Thirty years later, with some 40 patents to his credit, their father retired from corporate life and turned his attention to an even greater opportunity.

"I was going to plow back some of what I'd reaped," the senior Dr. Harris had written. "I decided that these kids needed me a lot more than did kids at bigger schools."

 

Dr. Harris accepted an appointment teaching chemistry at Claflin University in 1975, where he served faithfully until his retirement in 1994. The difference that Dr. Harris made at Claflin cannot be measured in dollars or understood with statistics, but it is surely seen in the lives he changed. His creativity and drive shaped community leaders, encouraged inventors and entrepreneurs, and inspired future physicians.

 

Joel M. Harris earned a Bachelor's of Science degree in chemistry from Duke University in 1972 and a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry from Purdue University in 1976. He then joined the faculty of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, where he has been teaching and running a research lab for the past 42 years. Joel is married to Frances Harris and has a son, Peter, who lives in Portland, Oregon.

 

Philip G. Harris earned a Bachelor's of Science degree in chemistry from Muskingum College in New Concord, Ohio, in 1968. After three years as a research chemist at Goodyear Tire and Rubber, he continued his education earning a Ph.D. in organic chemistry from Clemson University in 1977. He joined Milliken & Company in 1977 holding research and development positions in Milliken Research, Impression Products Business, and Milliken Chemical during his 36-year career. Philip is married to Reyne Harris and has a son, Matthew (Pamela), living in Raleigh, N. C., and a daughter, Sarah (Chris Carter), living in Inman, S.C.

In 1952, Cherryetta Williams' father, a man she never met, gave his life for his country when his F-21 Bomber was shot down during a mission in North Korea.

 

	The late Reverend Geneva Belton Williams

Suddenly a single parent, Cherryetta's mother, the Reverend Geneva Belton Williams, was determined to continue her professional career, as well as her civic and religious involvements. As she moved forward to fulfill her responsibilities and achieve a lifetime of remarkable achievement, Cherryetta and her sister Edwina, were blessed with stunning lessons. Through their mother, they learned about faith in action, selfless service, and unconditional love. Indeed, watching their mother's fine example, the girls learned to cope with the unanswered questions about their father's military service and, at the same time, to appreciate the exquisite beauty of the full spectrum of the liberal arts and sciences. Naturally, Cherryetta and her sister were not the only ones whose lives were strengthened by the Reverend Geneva Belton Williams' service.

 

Rev. Williams served Claflin University faithfully for more than 60 years, and she took her responsibilities as a professor and administrator very seriously. She became a role model for perseverance and tolerance and for the tenacity required of all of life's journeys. Her students became part of her extended family as she nurtured, mentored and supported them through their various academic and personal endeavors. Students were greatly benefited by her generous tutelage, which helped them achieve their individual goals in medicine, law, theology, music, science and more.

 

As a community member, Rev. Williams enjoyed her service to numerous organizations, which, among others, included Eastern Star, Ladies Auxiliary of the VFW, Gold Star Wives, Church Women United, and the United Methodist Women.

 

The family of the late Reverend Geneva Belton Williams is pleased to establish an endowed scholarship fund with a gift of $50,000 in memory of her exemplary record of academic and administrative service to Claflin University. Through this endowed scholarship fund, future students at Claflin University will learn to follow her example and vigorously champion excellent education programs and explore challenges facing our global society.

Claflin University hosted a Junior Achievement Day on October 25, at Marshall Elementary in Orangeburg.  Junior Achievement was founded in 1919 and is the nation's largest organization dedicated to giving young people the knowledge and skills they need to own their economic success, plan for their futures, and make smart academic and economic choices. Junior Achievement's programs in the core content areas of work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy have ignited the spark in young people to experience and realize the opportunities and realities of work and life in the 21st century. Students that participated in the JA Day (all members of the freshman class) included  Raven Townsend, psychology major;  Aaleeyah Housey, computer science major;  Zya Harrell, elementary education;  Zamar Jager, biology major;  Aniyah Woodard, business administration major;  Bettina Stearns, political science;  Nana-Aba Kwofie, undeclared major; and  India Eady, biology major.