1940
The Rev. Dr. Charles Henry Mercer, July 9, 2022, Durham, N.C. Mercer celebrated his 102nd birthday in January, and at the time of his death, he was the oldest serving elder in the North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church. He was a United Methodist pastor for 58 years, serving at churches across North Carolina. In addition, he served as the district superintendent of the New Bern district and later the Durham district, as well as the executive director of the United Methodist
Church North Carolina Conference Council on Ministries. He fully retired from the ministry in 2001. He served as a member of the board of visitors for Duke Divinity School. He also was a trustee of Louisburg College and a trustee of Lake Junaluska Assembly. He was a past president of the Fairmont Rotary Club and the Laurinburg Kiwanis Club, chairperson of the Johnston County Chapter of the American Red Cross and a member of the executive committee of the Mental Health Association in Johnston and Scotland counties.
1954
George Frierson Altman, May 25, 2022, Moncks Corner, S.C. Altman was a veteran of the U.S. Army who served in Korea. He played basketball and was the quarterback for the first football team at Aynor High School. He later returned to Aynor to teach science and coach the girls basketball team. He was a retired counselor for the South Carolina Vocational Rehabilitation Department. He enjoyed fishing and playing tennis, which he continued to do into his 80s.
1955
Dr. Granville Lassiter Sydnor, April 30, 2022, Denton, Texas. He was the owner of Sydnors and Associate, which assisted nonprofits, schools, colleges and universities in fundrais- ing and evaluations.
1957
Cermette Justing Clardy Jr., June 25, 2022, Isle of Palms, S.C. Clardy served two tours of active duty in the U.S. Army, including one in Vietnam. He worked in college and university advancement for more than 20 years, begin- ning his career at Wofford. He also worked at public and private colleges and universities in South Carolina, Florida and Mississippi. He started his own firm, Clardy and Associates, in 1983, working for over 30 years with colleges, hospitals and museums on capital campaigns and strategic planning. He retired in 2015 at age 80. He was a fierce advocate for education and remained dedicated to helping others. He was especially proud of his connection to the Hollings Cancer Center at the Medical University of South Carolina and to the Hispanic Museum in New York City, where he served as a consultant for almost two decades. After fully retiring, he volunteered at Shifa Free Clinic in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
George Arthur Meares Jr., June 30, 2022, Folly Beach, S.C. A veteran of the U.S. Army, Meares became a programmer in the late 1950s in the early days of computers. Although he loved algorithms and logical thinking, he was not a fan of the corporate world. He dabbled in screen printing, real estate and eventually sustainable construction. In 1978, he opened the bar Group Therapy in Columbia, S.C. For decades he mentored young men and women with his knowledge of business, woodworking and human relations. He retired to Folly Beach in the late 1990s and took up stock trading as his sixth career.
1958
Dr. Charles Warren Derrick Jr., June 5, 2022, Columbia, S.C. Derrick served as chair and professor of pediatrics at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine for 29 years. He was a U.S. Army veteran, serving for two years as battalion surgeon for the 34th Artillery, 2nd Active Component. He was awarded the Order of the Palmetto, the state of South Carolina’s highest civilian honor.
1959
John King Williams Sr., July 27, 2022, Spartanburg, S.C. Williams was retired from Norfolk Southern Corp. In 2013, he established the Leila King Williams and John Lafayette Williams Endowed Scholarship Fund at Wofford in honor of his parents to benefit students with demonstrated financial need.
1960
Harry Thomas Jordan, May 29, 2022, Marion, S.C. He was the owner of Jordan Scrap Metal of Florence, S.C. He was a member and past president of Woodbury Hunting Club.
Wallace Robert “Mickey” Reeves III, July 24, 2022, Camden, S.C. Reeves was the former personnel manager for Skyline Manufacturing and retired owner of Reeves Block Co. He was an avid golfer and a member of the Camden Country Club. A Shriner, Reeves was a part of the Nomads Go-Kart team. He also was past president of the Camden Jaycees, where he received the Distinguished Service Award.
1964
The Rev. Jerry Leroy Phillips Sr., July 23, 2022, Lancaster, S.C. Phillips was a veteran of the U.S. Army and served as chaplain in the Army Reserve. He was a 50-year life member mason, becoming a master mason in 1971. He served as grand chaplain of Grand Lodge of Ancient Free Masons of South Carolina from 2008-15. In 2015, he was elected grand chaplain emeritus. He was past master and current chaplain of Great Falls Lodge 277 and was a 32nd degree Scottish Rite Mason. He was awarded the Albert Gallatin Mackey award, the highest award one can receive in the masons. He was a pastor in the South Carolina United Methodist Church for over 39 years and enjoyed mentoring young pastors. He enjoyed hunting, telling jokes, reading, watching movies, traveling, working crossword puzzles and attending Wofford football games.
1965
Charles Albert Bethea, June 5, 2022, Darlington, S.C. Bethea was a veteran of the U.S. Navy. He served during the Vietnam War. Bethea worked as a senior control room operator and senior training manager at Carolina Power and Light for most of his career. He was a member of the American Legion in Florence, S.C., and in 2017 he received the National Achievement Award for distinguished service. He also was a member of the Kiwanis Club. He was an avid fisherman, and he ran in the Cooper River Bridge Run for 25 consecutive years.
John Spence “Jack” Reid, July 17, 2022, Richmond, Va. Reid began his career as a high school teacher and assistant football coach. He later coached football and track at the University of Richmond. During the height of the Cold War, he helped bring athletes to Virginia for the U.S.-U.S.S.R. track meets. He moved into school administration and co-managed the Henrico and Chesterfield school systems, creating the Chesterfield Public Schools foundation at the end of his career. He served as chairman of the Republican Party in the 3rd Congressional District for several years before seeking office himself. In 1989, he became the first Republican in the modern era elected to represent Henrico County in the Virginia House of Delegates, a position he held through nine election cycles before retiring in 2008.
1967
Donald Chester Williams, May 23, 2022, Forest City, N.C. Williams served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War, reaching the rank of lieutenant colonel before retiring. He had a second career working as a civilian for the Department of the Navy before retir- ing in 2009. He played defensive tackle on the Wofford football team and was named to the Associated Press Little All-America team.
1968
William Harlan “Willie” Pegram, July 15, 2022, Sanford, Fla. Pegram attended Wofford on a basketball scholarship; he became team captain and earned MVP honors his senior year. Pegram was inducted into the college’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 2001. A veteran of the U.S. Army, Pegram began working for Church’s Fried Chicken after leaving the military. In 1980 he became a franchisee in Sanford. He enjoyed supporting his children’s sporting events and keeping tabs on his stock portfolio. He was an avid bridge player, golfer and tennis player.
1969
James Daniel Dantzler, June 29, 2022, Orangeburg, S.C. Dantzler spent several years in the banking industry before transitioning to telecommunication sales. He served in the National Guard. He enjoyed playing golf and making artichoke relish and other dishes for his friends and family to enjoy.
John Murchison “Chuck” Jackson III, July 3, 2022, Bennettsville, S.C. Jackson served in the U.S. Army and Army Reserve. He graduated from the War College and retired as a lieutenant colonel. He worked as a bank manager at SCNB in Florence before moving to Bennettsville, where he worked as a land surveyor for 45 years. He served several terms on the Bennettsville City Council and the Bennettsville Housing Authority. He was a lifelong member of St. Paul’s Anglican Church, where he served on vestry. Jackson was also a member of Rotary International. No longer able to play golf or hunt in recent years, he still enjoyed nature and the friendships developed at his hunt club and among the breakfast crowd at Magnolia Cafe.
1970
Joseph Carroll Moon, June 8, 2022, Greer, S.C. Moon had a long career in textile sales. He also was the co-inventor of the spirit car flag, which was first created in the basement of his home. He was an avid golfer and a devoted fan of high school and college football. During the late 1980s, he served as the president of the Greenville Touchdown Club and was influential in starting the Greer Area Touchdown Club, serving as the club’s first president. In semi-retirement he volunteered with Greer First Presbyterian Church’s Dunbar Buddies Program, reading weekly to students at the Dunbar Child Development Center.
Loyless Thomas Wright Jr., June 1, 2022, Spartanburg, S.C. Wright was a U.S. Army veteran who served during the Vietnam War. He retired from Bank of America as assistant vice president after 30 years of service and then worked for National Bank of South Carolina for five years.
1971
Walter Franklin Bacon, June 27, 2022, Irmo, S.C. Bacon retired from SCANA, where he was a chemical engineer. A U.S. Navy veteran, he was a member of Union United Methodist Church in Irmo.
1973
Merle Darrow Russ, June 6, 2022, Lovettsville, Va. Russ retired from the U.S. Army as a colonel in 1998. He then worked as a senior executive in the defense industry before retiring a second time to grow grapes for the wineries of Northern Virginia. He enjoyed cooking, traveling, skiing, sailing, golfing, riding his Harley Davidson and writing political commentaries. He established the Hobby Horse Vineyard in 2015, and the grapes from the vineyard are already acclaimed. The 2019 Winery at Bull Run Petit Manseng, made exclusively from Hobby Horse grapes, won a gold medal in the Virginia Governor’s Cup in 2021. In the last weeks of his life, he continued to be active in his vineyard, planting the last acre of grapes just days before his death.
1983
John Zachary Carnes, June 30, 2022, Kennesaw, Ga. Carnes attended Wofford on a football scholarship. He earned a degree in mechanical engineering before discovering accounting. He then earned his CPA and started his own firm.
1985
Verlinda Ruth “Linda” Gunter, July 5, 2022, Wagener, S.C. Gunter had an extensive career as a librarian in Beaufort and Orangeburg county schools. She was a lifelong learner, taking classes online and expanding her wealth of knowledge throughout her life. She enjoyed reading, traveling and attending church.
1987
Timothy Edward Powers, June 23, 2022, Spartanburg, S.C. Powers was the vice president of the Problem Asset Division for Regions Bank. He previously worked for Wachovia.
2026
Kelly Marie Herring, Aug. 22, 2022, North Augusta, S.C. Herring was a 2022 graduate of North Augusta High School, where she was a member of the marching and concert bands. Enrolled to begin at Wofford this fall, she enjoyed literature, poetry and music.