Homecoming is an exciting time at Claflin University and we are expecting another overwhelming crowd of alumni and supporters next week. Administrators, faculty, staff and students are eager to greet you as you return to campus on November 15 through 18 to enjoy the many activities that have been planned to ensure that Homecoming 2018 is both rewarding and memorable.

 

We are especially excited about this year's Homecoming as it falls during our celebration of the 150th anniversary of the founding of South Carolina's oldest HBCU - Claflin University! The year-long celebration will be launched at Founders' Day Convocation on Sunday, November 18, at 4 p.m. in the new Jonas T. Kennedy Health and Wellness Complex. I invite your attendance and support.

 

During our Homecoming ReUnion Weekend, we will honor the classes of 1943, 1948, 1953, 1958, 1963, 1968, 1973, 1978, 1983, 1988, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2008, and 2013. I am confident you will enjoy seeing your classmates and reminiscing about the days spent at the University. 

 

I encourage you to get better acquainted with your University and share your time, talent, and treasures. I also encourage you to recommit yourself by joining the nearest alumni chapter.

 

The Homecoming Committee has worked tirelessly to plan events with you in mind as you enjoy each other's company at your Alma Mater. Be sure to review the schedule  below.

 

Thank you for your support and enjoy your stay in Orangeburg next week. I hope you will take the time to share with our students what Claflin means to you. Your stories along with their stories help to continue Claflin's rich legacy. Always remember that together, we are Claflin University!

 

Happy Homecoming!

 

Henry N. Tisdale, '65

President

Grammy Award-winning singer Gladys Knight will headline the 25th Annual Presidential Scholarship Gala on Friday, November 16, at 6 p.m. in the Jonas T. Kennedy Health and Wellness Complex. The gala has raised more than  $3.3 million  since its inception to benefit the Claflin University Presidential Scholars. The scholars are high-achieving students who receive full tuition, room and board, and a book stipend as a result of their outstanding academic accomplishments.

 

Georgia-born, Gladys Knight began performing gospel music at age four in the Mount Mariah Baptist Church and sang as a guest soloist with the Morris Brown College Choir. Three years later, she won the grand prize on television's "Ted Mack's Amateur Hour," and the following year, her mother Elizabeth Knight created the group consisting of Gladys, her brother Bubba, her sister Brenda and her cousins William and Elenor Guest. They called themselves The Pips in honor of their cousin/manager, James Pip Woods. In 1959, Brenda and Elenor left the group, replaced by cousin Edward Patten and friend Langston George. The group was renamed Gladys Knight & The Pips, and following George's departure in 1962, the classic line-up was in place. 

 

The group debuted their first album in 1960, when Knight was just 16. With Knight singing lead and The Pips providing lush harmonies and graceful choreography, the group went on to achieve icon status, having recorded some of the most memorable songs of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Top 20 hits, like "Every Beat of My Heart," "Letter Full of Tears," "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" and "If I Were Your Woman," set the stage for an amazing run in the mid-1970s, with Top 10 gold-certified singles like "Neither One of Us (Wants to be the First to Say Goodbye)," "I've Got to Use My Imagination," "Best Thing to Ever Happen to Me" and the #1 smash "Midnight Train to Georgia" established Gladys Knight and The Pips as the premiere pop/R&B vocal ensemble in the world. Knight enjoyed another #1 hit in 1985 when she teamed with Stevie Wonder, Elton John and Dionne Warwick on "That's What Friends are For."  All told, Knight has recorded more than 38 albums over the years, including four solo albums during the past decade.

 

Six visionary leaders will also be inducted into the Hall of Fame at the Presidential Scholarship Gala. Individuals that are selected each year have made their mark  in areas such as community service, military, education, athletics, government and philanthropy.

 

The 2018 Hall of Fame Inductees are: Lieutenant Colonel Leon Bradley, '74; Senior Master Sergeant Leonard A. Jordan, '72 (posthumously); Jessie Ruth Littlejohn,  Gerald Mackey, 74; Vernon Wallace, '73; and Brigadier General Twanda Young, '89.

The educator who became known as the "Handshake Teacher," Barry White Jr., '14, will serve as the parade marshal in the 2018 Claflin University Homecoming Parade which begins at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, November 18, in downtown Orangeburg. The parade will begin on Russell Street at Edisto Memorial Gardens and will end on campus at the Jonas T. Kennedy Health and Wellness Complex on Magnolia Street.

 

White, who earned his Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education from Claflin, teaches fifth-graders at Ashley Park Elementary School in Charlotte, North Carolina. In 2016, a video of White giving personalized handshakes to each of his students went viral, landing him a segment on the Today Show and mentions on ABC News, Forbes and other media outlets. He also appeared on the Steve Harvey Show.

White continued to attract fame as the "Handshake Teacher," and found himself in the spotlight again as one of the first contestants on "Total Knock Out," an obstacle course competition series on CBS hosted by comedian Kevin Hart. White not only had a chance to share a handshake with Hart, but he was also the winner of the $50,000 prize.

 

Although White's TV appearances have made him a national celebrity, his students remain his top priority. He believes in empowering his students to "utilize their personal platforms and gifts to motivate and inspire others." White is hopeful that he can motivate his students to continue their education by attending college and push them to go beyond their local surroundings.

White is the founder of the Barry White Jr. Foundation that aims to help educators like himself provide students greater experiences in learning. He serves as a liaison for other teachers by connecting them with resources and expanded opportunities that will help them become effective educators. White also helped to co-found the Ashley Park Blue Wings Step -  the school's first-ever step team.

Now in his third year of teaching, White's career aspirations include continuing his career in educational leadership and eventually becoming a school principal.  

Rev. Dr. Walter Butler, '73, will be the guest pastor for Claflin University's annual Homecoming Worship Service on Sunday, November 18, at 9:30 a.m. in the James and Dorothy Z. Elmore Chapel. Rev. Dr. Butler is currently the assistant professor of religion at Morris College in Sumter, S.C.

 

Rev. Dr. Butler is a native of Saluda, South Carolina. He attended the public schools of Saluda County and received his diploma from Riverside High School in 1969. In 1973, he received a Bachelor of Science degree from Claflin College.

 

In 1985 he received a Bachelor of Divinity degree from Morris College. He has done further studies at The Lutheran Southern Theological Seminary, in Columbia, S.C. He received a Master's of Divinity degree from The Morehouse Interdenominational Theological Seminary, located in Atlanta, Ga. He has a Doctor of Ministry degree from the Hood Theological Seminary in North Carolina. In May 2001 he received the honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Morris College, Sumter, SC.   

 

Rev. Dr. Butler is married to the former Clara M. Bookhardt of Santee, S.C They have four daughters: Lakeshia, Deneathra, Waretha, and Corinth Butler. He also is a proud grandfather.