1952
Max Burton Trout, June 20, 2023, Cumming, Ga. Trout was drafted into the U.S. Navy during World War II. He worked for the U.S. Postal Service before entering Wofford. During his career as a real estate officer, he acquired hundreds of postal sites and buildings in the Southeast. He served as a ruling elder in four Presbyterian churches and chairman of the building committee in three. After retirement, he developed numerous commercial and residential properties and was qualified as an expert witness on real estate values. He was a life member of the Sons of the American Revolution, serving once as president of the Daniel Morgan Chapter and twice as a South Carolina regional vice president. He was a longtime member of the Piedmont Historical Society and was also a life member of American Legion Post 45 in Inman, S.C. For the past 40 years his hobby was genealogy.
1954
Gene Eldredge Collins, Aug. 11, 2023, Effingham, S.C. Collins was a U.S. Army veteran. He retired as supervisor of the Florence Vocational Rehabilitation Center.
Walker Reid McBride, May 14, 2023, Pacolet, S.C. McBride was a veteran of the U.S. Army. He served for two years in Japan and an additional six years in the Army Reserve. He founded his own company, Night Guard Associates. McBride retired in 2016 at the age of 84. He was a lifelong member of Pacolet United Methodist Church.
1956
Grover Cleveland Whitmire, May 25, 2023, Sunny View, N.C. Whitmire was a veteran of the U.S. Navy who served during the Korean War. He was a retired postal carrier. He was a member of Coopers Gap Baptist Church for 70 years, serving as chairman of the deacon board, Sunday school superintendent and Sunday school teacher. He served on the St. Luke’s Hospital board of directors and the Polk-Rutherford-McDowell Health board.
1958
Joseph Nates “Jack” Blanton Jr., May 9, 2023, Greenwood, S.C. A U.S. Army veteran, Blanton worked as senior vice president and comptroller of South State Bank until his retirement in 2000. He served as chairman of the Orangeburg County Board of Special Needs and Disabilities. He was a member of First Baptist Church of Orangeburg for many years and was one of the youngest men of the church to be ordained as a deacon. Blanton was an active member of the Orangeburg Lion’s Club and served as president and secretary-treasurer. After moving to Greenwood, he joined South Main Street Baptist Church and the Martin Moore Sunday School Class. He also was a member of the Greenwood Lions Club, serving as secretary. In 2014, he received the Melvin Jones Fellow Award for dedicated humanitarian service, the Lions Club’s highest international award. He also was an avid golfer.
Basford Belew “B.B.” Bryson Jr., May 14, 2023, Spartanburg, S.C. Bryson was the retired president of Kelley Olds-Nissan. He was a former president of the Cherokee County Chamber of Commerce, former president of the S.C. Automobile Dealers Association and a longtime member of the Spartanburg Downtown Rotary Club, where he was a Paul Harris Fellow. Bryson was a member of First Baptist Church of Spartanburg for 35 years, where he was chairman of the finance committee and a deacon. He was a former member of Wofford’s Alumni Association board.
Dr. William Bonner Thomason Sr., July 15, 2023, York, S.C. Thomason was a U.S. Army and Army Reserve veteran. He retired with the rank of colonel and was commander of the 321 U.S. Army Hospital. His residency in internal medicine was at Walter Reed General Hospital. During his residency, he was flown to Fort Gordon, Ga., aboard Air Force One as part of a select team attending President Dwight D. Eisenhower following a heart attack. Thomason continued to serve his country as the assistant chief of urology at Madigan General Hospital at Fort Lewis in Tacoma, Wash., and as chief of urology at Fort Ord, Calif. He later moved to Charleston, S.C., and entered into private practice. He chaired the urology departments at Roper Hospital and Saint Francis Hospital. Thomason enjoyed the outdoors and hunting.
1959
Dr. Thomas James Gasque, July 12, 2023, Columbia, S.C. Gasque moved to Vermillion, S.D., in 1968, where, for 35 years, he taught in the English department at the University of South Dakota. For the last 45 years of his life, Gasque researched and wrote about his aunt, Carrie Durant Reaves, whose letters home from her time in an Appalachian mission school have been a treasured family heirloom. Half a lifetime’s work was finally completed in 2022 with the publication of his historical biography, “Letters from Kentucky – My search for Aunt Carrie.” He was a Boy Scout and Order of the Arrow Eagle Scout. As both camper and counselor, he wrote plays that were produced at camp over the past 70-plus years.
The Rev. Harry Robert Stullenbarger, June 24, 2023, Pawleys Island, S.C. Stullenbarger was a retired United Methodist minister who served for over 50 years. He was a trustee of the Methodist Oaks, chairman of the S.C. United Methodist Conference Board of Higher Education and Campus Ministry, trustee and chair of the United Methodist Center and trustee of Aldersgate Special Needs Ministry.
1962
Donald Baxter Gibson, July 15, 2023, Spartanburg, S.C. Gibson’s served in the South Carolina Army National Guard. His career in chemical engineering, development and management spanned 45 years. He was a member of First Baptist Church of Spartanburg, where he served as a deacon, Sunday school teacher and member of the media ministry team.
Aquilla Richard “Dickie” Johnston Jr., June 9, 2023, Columbia, S.C. Johnston, a U.S. Coast Guard veteran, was founder and president of the Johnston Co. He enjoyed seeing new places and meeting new people. Spending time on the water, playing tennis and hunting were some of his favorite pastimes, and he most enjoyed the end of the day, when he could build a fire, make a cocktail and settle down with a good book.
Dr. Robert Clyde “Bob” Monson, July 18, 2023, Spartanburg, S.C. Monson served as a United Methodist pastor and chaplain for 42 years.
1964
Dr. Wilbur Cunningham Ormond Jr., June 30, 2023, Hookerton, N.C. Ormond taught English, writing and literature at the college level for almost 40 years. He also served as a pastor for four decades in the United Methodist Church. He enjoyed music and played several instruments.
1966
William J. “Bill” Bates, July 23, 2023, Charleston, S.C. Bates was a partner in the law firm of Young Clement Rivers, where he worked for 46 years until his retirement. He served as president of Land Title Agency and was chairman of the real estate section of the S.C. Bar Association. An avid lifelong reader and student of history, he served as a board member and trustee of the Charleston Museum. A special area of interest was South Carolina’s role in the Revolutionary War. He served as president of the Charlestowne Neighborhood Association and as a member of the Wofford Alumni Association board. As a member of Bethel United Methodist Church, Bates attended the Everett Spell Sunday School Class, taught Senior High Sunday School and volunteered as a parent helper with the Methodist Youth Ministry. Chock, an English Springer Spaniel, was his constant companion for 11 years. Bates walked Chock several times a day, making friends with those with two legs and four all along the way.
John Whitley Hinks Sr., May 25, 2023, Columbia, S.C. Hinks established Hinks Mortgage Co. in 1983, a company he operated for 30 years. He was an avid golfer, and he was the “Big Splash Champion” at Wildewood Country Club. Hinks co-founded Carolina Sunshine for Children, a nonprofit that fulfills wishes for children with life-threatening illnesses. He also was a member of the Columbia Rotary Club.
James Douglas McLain, June 19, 2023, Kannapolis, N.C. McClain served in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War. During his career, he worked for Propst Brothers Distributors and Cooperative Christian Ministries. He enjoyed playing golf, going to the beach and reading.
1968
Harry Latané Johnston, July 16, 2023, Mount Pleasant, S.C. Johnston was a U.S. Air Force Veteran. He spent most of his career as a CPA in Spartanburg and Greenville. In 1992, he founded an independent accounting and financial advisory firm. He was an avid reader of the Bible and literary classics, an aviation enthusiast, a fly-fishing fanatic and a curious traveler.
1969
Jackson “Jack” Mizell Jr., July 10, 2023, Jacksonville, Fla. Mizell was a veteran of the U.S. Army who served in Korea during the Vietnam War era. After his service, he worked in the financial banking industry for more than 30 years.
1970
Sidney Allan Allred, June 12, 2023, St. Augustine, Fla. Allred spent many years building Valley Shore Farms. He enjoyed traveling the world and snow skiing throughout Europe. He also enjoyed fishing and hiking in North Carolina. Allred played football at Wofford, earning Associated Press Little All-America honors as a linebacker in 1968. He was inducted into Wofford’s Athletics Hall of Fame in 1991.
Holman Cleveland Gossett Jr., July 18, 1970, Greenwood, S.C. Gossett was a veteran of the U.S. Army Reserve. He won four terms as seventh circuit solicitor, serving Spartanburg and Cherokee counties. During his 16-year tenure, he established the victim’s advocate program in his office and instituted an automated case management system. Following his service as solicitor, he returned to private practice before retiring. He enjoyed tennis and played regularly.
Dr. Jimmy Randall “Randy” Grant, May 26, 2023, Woodruff, S.C. Grant was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force. He taught in the public school system in Woodruff from 1974 to 1987, starting in the history classroom and retiring as assistant principal at Woodruff Primary School. He served as an assistant coach for the seventh- and eighth-grade football, seventh- and eighth-grade girls’ basketball and varsity baseball teams. He was head coach of the Woodruff High varsity basketball team for three seasons and the varsity volleyball team for one. He also served as statistician for the varsity football team. Grant worked as an adjunct professor at several colleges and universities from 2001 to 2022, serving the majority of the time at Spartanburg Methodist College and Spartanburg Community College. He was vice chairman of the Spartanburg County School District 4 Board of Trustees and served on the board at R.D. Anderson Applied Technology Center. Grant was a member of First Presbyterian Church of Woodruff.
1975
Martin Field Smith, June 24, 2023, Milton, Ga. Martin worked for Citicorp and then Bank of America for many years before retiring in 2013. He enjoyed playing basketball, golf and tennis, as well as traveling and deep-sea fishing.
1979
Dr. Marshall LeRoy Meadors III, July 17, 2023, Anderson, S.C. A founding partner of Primary Care Associates and the medical director of National Health Care of Anderson for 30 years, Meadors died in a tragic accident. He was associate medical director of Arthrex of South Carolina, president of the medical staff of the AnMed Health and medical director of AnMed Wellspring. He served as president, secretary and treasurer of the state medical association and was named the association’s Communicator of the Year in 2017. In 2018, he received the inaugural Robert M. Rainey Philanthropy Award, sponsored by Foothills Community Foundation. His civic involvement included membership on the board of directors of the Anderson Area Chamber of Commerce, Upstate Forever, Anderson Interfaith Ministries and Anderson Arts Center. He was a member of St. John’s United Methodist Church of Anderson, where he served on numerous committees. Meadors enjoyed entertaining his family, friends and co-workers, and his fireworks displays and oyster roasts were always big hits.
Rickie Leonard Miller, July 1, 2023, Spartanburg, S.C. Miller was an anesthesiologist tech at Spartanburg Medical Center. He also was employed at Dillard’s in the shoe department at WestGate Mall. He was known for his generosity, often buying items simply to give them away. Miller was a stylish dresser and was involved in a yearly fashion and arts showcase in the Spartanburg area.
1996
Justin Joseph Hage, Aug. 3, 2023, Lakeland, Fla. Hage was the CEO and publisher at Front Door Press. He was previously the controller at Victory Church and the chief information officer and controller at NuTech Plastics. He started his career as a cost accountant with Milliken and Co. and worked for the company in Japan.
2009
Murray Melinda Meetze, June 21, 2023, Boulder, Colo. Meetze started her career working for the University of South Carolina before forging her path westward. She loved nutrition, writing, travel, nature, capturing images with her camera, hiking and spending time in a hammock while reading and listening to folk music. She enjoyed helping others, contributing to the Uniquely Striped website for Ehlers Danlos Syndrome to raise awareness and enrolling in clinical trials. At Wofford, Meetze was an admission ambassador and member of the Wofford Success Initiative. She participated as an exchange student in Japan for two semesters.
FRIENDS
Lisa Barbee Switzer, July 18, 2023, Pauline, S.C. Switzer was an administrative assistant in Wofford’s Office of Financial Aid. She retired in 2014 to spend more time with her grandchildren. She was a member of Southside Baptist Church in Spartanburg.