Clemson alumni honored with college awards

The annual College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences (CAFLS) Alumni Reception and Awards kicked off at the South Carolina AgriBiz and Farm Expo in Florence on Jan. 12. Many alumni, friends and families were in attendance as the CAFLS Agriculture Alumni Board presented awards to five deserving alumni who have exhibited a dedication to the college and for achievements in their respective fields.

The three awards presented were the Young Alumni, Professional Development, and Distinguished Service. The CAFLS Young Alumni award is presented to alumni who have graduated in the last 10 years. They are chosen based on their dedication to Clemson and their impact in business, leadership, community, educational and philanthropic endeavors. This year’s recipients were Kevin Sox of Lexington and Keenan Adams of Lakewood, Colorado.

The CAFLS Professional Achievement Award was presented to Pat Earle of Hartsville and Glenn Stevens of Belton for their dedication in their professional responsibilities, as well as their service to Clemson and CAFLS.

The final CAFLS award presented was the Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor bestowed upon a former student by the college. The award recognizes an alumnus for outstanding service to Clemson University, success in professions or personal callings, and commitment to their communities. The recipient of this year’s award was Dr. Oscar Lovelace of Chapin.

“I have had the opportunity to work with each of these recipients on various projects over the years and each of them are very deserving,” Sennah Honea, assistant to the board and coordinator of the CAFLS awards program. “It is great to be able to recognize our alumni who are successful in their professions, but who are also willing to give back to their communities and Clemson University’s College of Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences.”

Kevin Sox

Sox graduated from Clemson University in 2007 with a degree in Agricultural Education. He now serves as the agricultural education instructor at the Center for Advanced Technical Studies in Chapin.

“Kevin is among the most outstanding young Agricultural leaders in the nation as evidenced by his development of one of the most modern, up-to-date and scientific-oriented agriculture education departments,” said John Parris, former executive director of the S.C. Land Resources Commission.

Beyond the classroom, Sox is active in the agricultural community, serving in leadership positions with the S.C. Agricultural Educators Association and the county Farm Bureau. His work in the community earned him the recognition of the National Farm Bureau Federation, as one of 10 recipients of the national Excellence in Agriculture award.

Keenan Adams

Adams graduated from Clemson University with a master’s degree in forest resources in 2007 and a Ph.D. in wildlife and fisheries biology in 2010. He works for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a wildlife biologist. At Clemson, he concentrated his work on human dimensions of forest/wildlife management and land ethic.

“Keenan values his Clemson Family and credit’s Clemson with leading him to the career that he loves,” said Patricia Layton, a Clemson forestry professor.

Pat Earle

Pat Earle is known for his passion of teaching young students, serving as an agriculture teacher at McBee High School. “The greatest testament of professional achievement for a teacher is the influence exercised with students,” said Dennis L. McDaniel, principal of McBee. “With Mr. Earle, this influence is most evident as students not only publically thank him for what he teaches, but also privately as they return over and over again after graduation to share with him their successes and reiterate how his teaching molded that success.”

Receiving his bachelor’s degree in agricultural education from Clemson in 1978 and his master’s in 1980, he has had a magnificent career in teaching and serving the agricultural community.

Earle has the distinction of being the only agricultural educator in the nation to be inducted into the National Teacher Hall of Fame. He was one of 50 teachers recognized in the national publication “American Teachers: Heroes of the Classroom.” Earle also received the Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Association of Agricultural Educators, as well as being honored as one of five finalists in the National Rural Educators Teacher of the Year award.

Beyond his success in agricultural education, he has served as chair of the CAFLS Agriculture Alumni Board from 2001 to 2003. Earle is also recognized as a distinguished FFA adviser and is often chosen by state leaders to advocate for career and technical education to Congress.

Glenn Stevens

Stevens received his bachelor’s from Clemson in animal science in 1983 and his master’s in agricultural education in 1988. He also has exhibited a passion for teaching young students, serving as an agriculture instructor at Belton-Honea Path High School.

Stevens was selected twice as the S.C. Association of Agricultural Educators Outstanding Teacher, as well as Teacher of the Year at Belton-Honea Path. He has been given the Outstanding Conversation Teacher award by the Greenville County Soil and Water Conservation District. Stevens has also received his S.C. FFA and National FFA honorary degrees and has been awarded the Gold Rating for FFA chapter activities.

“He has encouraged countless students to appreciate agriculture in ways they never would have considered had they not been in his class. His students know he cares about each one of them individually in addition to caring that they learn the material being studied,” said Lester McCall, principal at Belton-Honea Path. “Many parents have told him that their children would likely have left school before graduation were it not for him and his class.”

He has made a positive impact on his students and the community through his emphasis on community service and instilling philanthropic values. He has been awarded multiple times with the Governor’s Citation for Outstanding Community Service. His students cultivate and maintain the gardens at the local elementary schools, teaching them about horticulture and the importance of serving the community, as well as providing elementary students with the knowledge of caring for plants. His students also organize large-scale donations at the Toys for Tots drive.

Oscar Lovelace

Dr. Lovelace graduated from Clemson in 1981 with a bachelor’s degree in Zoology. Receiving his doctorate at the Medical University of South Carolina in 1985 and completing his residency in family practice at the University of Virginia’s School of Medicine in 1988, he has had an extremely successful career as a family practitioner.

In the medical community, Lovelace actively serves as a teacher and mentor to medical students. He was the first doctor in South Carolina to be selected as the Family Physician of the Year in 2014 by the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Lovelace has served as the chief of medicine service and chief of staff at Newberry County Memorial Hospital. He has received faculty appointments to the Medical University of South Carolina, the University of Virginia and the South Carolina School of Medicine. He has also served on the South Carolina Academy of Family Physicians board of directors. He currently serves as associate medical director of Abbey Road and Blue Ridge Hospice.

He has showed a strong dedication to giving back to Clemson University, gathering Clemson physicians for networking, as well as sharing insights with current academic officials to assist in educating tomorrow’s medical professionals. He also spoke at the “Tigers on Call” networking event for current Clemson students.