SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Wofford College awarded 452 baccalaureate degrees during the 171st Commencement Exercises on Sunday, May 18.
Margaret Young, a 1992 Wofford graduate and a member of the college’s board of trustees, delivered the keynote address to those gathered on the lawn of Main Building.
“My wish for you today is to remember that you have the power to shape your destiny,” Young told the Class of 2025 in her speech. “Continue to learn, seize new opportunities, nurture meaningful relationships and focus on becoming the best version of yourself.”
Honorary degree, teaching and service awards
The college also conferred honorary degrees on two individuals: Jerry Cogan and the Rev. John Wesley Culp (see details below).
Special teaching awards were presented to Dr. Trina Jones, professor and chair of religion, and Dr. Matt Cathey, professor of mathematics. Jones received the Philip Covington Award for Excellence in Teaching of Humanities and Social Sciences. Cathy received the Roger Milliken Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Science.
The college presented the prestigious Algernon Sydney Sullivan and Mary Mildred Sullivan awards. The Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award went to James Moon V (student recipient) and Dr. Russell W. Booker (non-student recipient). The Mary Mildred Sullivan Award went to Hope Moreno (student recipient) and Dr. Loreta Dylgjeri (non-student recipient).
Honor Graduates
Ten Honor Graduates were recognized for earning a perfect 4.0 GPA throughout their college careers:
- Havalynn Madison Abernathy
- Walker Reed Barrett
- Kaylin Brooke Bell
- Conner Michael Eberhardt
- Promise Faith Henry
- Alexander Gerhard Ollinger
- Diego Reyes
- Sealy Ann Smith
- Katherine Lynn Sullivan
- Rivers Douglas West
Retiring faculty
Two retiring faculty members were recognized during the ceremony: Dr. Charles Smith, associate professor of biology (16 years of service), and Dr. Chris Waidner, associate professor of chemistry (18 years of service).
ROTC commissioning
The college recognized two students who were commissioned as second lieutenants into the U.S. Army on Saturday, May 17.
Simon Augustus Holland
Julia Ann Slaughter
Class of 1975
Commencement speaker
Margaret Young ’92
Read the Commencement speech.
Young is the managing partner of PwC’s Spartanburg office with more than 25 years of experience advising privately held businesses across a range of industries. She previously served as east region leader for PwC’s private company services practice, where she oversaw a staff of 600 employees and 65 partners focused on delivering audit, tax and personal financial services to private companies with domestic and international operations. PwC is a global professional services firm with approximately 330,000 professionals in 152 countries. It is one of the Big Four accounting firms, with approximately 4,000 partners and 55,000 personnel in the U.S.
A 1992 Wofford graduate, Young currently serves on the board of trustees, where she leads the audit committee. She has also chaired the enrollment committee. She has served on the boards of the Mary Black Foundation, the Chapman Cultural Center, the United Way of the Piedmont, the Girl Scouts of South Carolina – Mountains to Midlands as well as numerous other organizations. She and her husband, Mike Young, have been generous supporters of Wofford, recently initiating a major funding initiative as members of the Parents Leadership Council to renovate and name Wofford’s track in memory of Jeremiah Tate ’17. Their son, Davis, graduated from Wofford with the Class of 2025. They also have a daughter, Cooper.
Honorary degree recipients
Jerry Cogan, Doctor of Science
Cogan served as president of Milliken Research for 36 years until his retirement in 2001. He began his career at Milliken & Co. in 1961 as a chemical engineer and quickly rose through the ranks to manage the organization’s then-new chemical business. Under his leadership, Milliken Research earned more than 1,280 patents, developing breakthroughs such as Visa, a washable polyester fabric, and Millitron, a digital patterning technology for carpets. He received the American Chemical Society’s Earle B. Barnes Award for Leadership in Chemical Research Management in 1994 and the Dr. Charles Townes Individual Achievement Award in 2006 in recognition of his efforts to enhance research in the textile and chemical industries and improve his local community.
Cogan served on Wofford’s board of trustees from 1990 to 2002 and chaired the $33.3 million “Investment in People” campaign. He and his wife Sally have supported the annual operations of Wofford, as well as numerous scholarship funds and other campaigns over the past 50 years.
Heavily involved in the community, Cogan has served on the board of Habitat for Humanity, and he has chaired boards for the Spartanburg Philharmonic, Charles Lee Center Foundation and Spartanburg’s Adult Learning Center. At the age of 90, he continues to volunteer with the ALC, managing new student intake and testing. He also delivers Mobile Meals and remains active in the Episcopal Church of the Advent.
Cogan holds degrees from Amherst College and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The Rev. John Wesley Culp, Doctor of Humanities
A longtime leading member of the South Carolina United Methodist Conference, Culp is the founder of Salkehatchie Summer Service, a youth outreach camp that rehabilitates homes for people living in substandard housing. Since 1978, more than 70,000 young people — many who were involved as Wofford students — have participated in Salkehatchie Summer Service, helping more than 6,500 families and updating hundreds of homes.
In addition to ministering to seven churches around the state, Culp has served on the National Shalom Committee and the United Methodist’s AIDS Fund Committee. He is the recipient of the Order of the Palmetto, the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award for humanitarian service and the University of South Carolina Outstanding Alumnus Award. In 2011, Culp was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award for service to the community from Emory University’s Candler School of Theology.
A native of Union, South Carolina, Culp graduated from the University of South Carolina in 1967 and earned a Master of Divinity degree from Emory University in 1971. He and his wife, Margaret, have been married for 57 years.
Dr. Trina Jones, Philip Covington Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Humanities and Social Sciences
Dr. Trina Jones, professor and chair of religion, is the 19th recipient of the Philip Covington Award. Jones is professor of religious studies and chair of the department. She teaches, mentors, inspires, loves and guides students in religious studies research and life. She teaches courses in Buddhist and Hindu religious traditions and interreligious studies, and her current research interest focuses on the intersections of end-of-life care, religion and spirituality and pluralism.
The award is named for a beloved, long-time professor and academic dean. It carries with it a $15,000 award, allocated over a period of three years, designed specifically to provide further opportunities for professional development.
Dr. Matt Cathey, Roger Milliken Award for Excellence in the Teaching of Science
Dr. Matt Cathey, professor of mathematics, is the 21st recipient of the Roger Milliken Award. Cathey is a staunch advocate for the importance of getting to know students personally and providing individualized instruction. He is always working on ways to make math more accessible, and his recent research into the mysterious illness of King George III, which involves applying mathematics and statistics to royal physician notes, led to an invitation to present research at the British Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies annual conference in Oxford this past January.
The recipient is chosen by a special secret committee and receives an award of $50,000 allocated over a decade designed to provide opportunities for professional development.
Hope Lauren Moreno, Mary Mildred Sullivan Award, student
James Walter Moon V, Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, student
Moreno is a biology major from Duncan, South Carolina. She is a Richardson Scholar and has served the campus community as a resident assistant. She was initiated into Phi Beta Kappa this spring and will use the next year to gain clinical experience and hone her application to medical school. Moon is a biology major from Greenville, South Carolina, who returns to Greenville after graduation to attend medical school. He chaired the Judicial Commission and has been a student-athlete on the cross country/track and field teams. They have both led by example in the Wofford community, and they honor the college and the Sullivans by accepting these awards.
Dr. Loreta Dylgjeri, Mary Mildred Sullivan Award, non-student
Dr. Russell W. Booker, Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, non-student
Both Dr. Loreta Dylgjeri and Dr. Russell W. Booker have led educational advancements in and around Spartanburg. Dylgjeri has spent decades advocating for the neurodiverse community, teaching special education and serving on many boards, including as vice chair for the Charles Lea Center Foundation. Booker is the chief executive officer of the Spartanburg Academic Movement and the former superintendent of Spartanburg County School District Seven, where he led notable efforts such as district restructuring, digital immersion and capital planning.