When he retired in 2015 as associate vice president of communications at Wofford, Dr. Doyle W. Boggs ’70 was asked how he wanted to be remembered.
“I want to be remembered for joining Wofford, as a student, Old Gold and Black editor and student sports information director, then as a member of the alumni association and employee. I worked side-by-side with great people through the years, and I am especially fond of the student workers who I jokingly called Boggs Scholars. I still treasure those relationships.”
Boggs died on Nov. 4 in Spartanburg.
One of those “Boggs Scholars” was Josh Whitley ’05, who now serves on the Wofford College Board of Trustees and was the student chair of the public policy committee Boggs established to engage students with communications, especially in thanking and making requests of legislators.
“I am grateful that I had the opportunity to work for Dr. Boggs all four of my student years at Wofford,” says Whitley. “He was a mentor, endlessly kind and absolutely devoted to Wofford College.”
Boggs served most of his professional career at Wofford College, editing Wofford Today, which he likened to cutting the grass, for more than 32 years. Even after retirement, he would read it cover to cover and call the Office of Marketing and Communications with praise. Boggs was forever chasing mistakes, or “gremlins” as he called them, when he edited the publication, but he never pointed them out after retirement.
Boggs edited the college’s sesquicentennial history, writing much of it. He always said yes to opportunities to share Wofford’s history as well as the history of Spartanburg and the state, contributing to books and articles as well as taking over the Leadership Spartanburg roving history tours, following in the footsteps of his mentor, Dr. Lewis P. Jones ’38.
A member of Phi Beta Kappa, Boggs completed masters and doctoral degrees in history at the University of South Carolina. He is a past president of the Spartanburg County Historical Association and the South Carolina Confederation of Local Historical Societies. He retired from the South Carolina Army National Guard with the rank of lieutenant colonel.
Boggs edited with a green felt-tip marker because he felt it was kinder. He introduced students to the importance of sharing their gratitude for South Carolina Tuition Grants. He held a special place in his heart for Newman Club (Catholic) students.
In his Historic Spartanburg County book documenting the county’s first 225 years, Boggs wrote: “Living the life of the mind with colleagues, friends and fellow alumni at Wofford College has been a source of inspiration and great pleasure. My wife, Sara Nell, is an excellent teacher and historian in her own right, and she, my children, and my grandchildren are all beloved fellow travelers in my personal journey through South Carolina history” … and, of course, Wofford history.