Clemson University Trustee Emeritus William Green DesChamps Dies
April 8, 2009
CLEMSON, SC – April 8,2009 – Clemson University mourns the loss Wednesday of Trustee Emeritus William Green DesChamps.
DesChamps was elected to the Clemson University board of trustees in 1975 and served until 1995 as a life trustee.
William Green DesChamps served his alma mater with distinction. As a member of the board of trustees for 20 years and trustee emeritus to his death, he attended every board meeting until recently because of failing health. He served on the IPTAY board and as IPTAY president. He was respected and loved by the Clemson family. His wisdom and guidance will be deeply missed, said Leon J. (Bill) Hendrix Jr., chairman of the board.
DesChamps received several awards in recognition of his service to Clemson University, including the Alumni Association’s Distinguished Service Award in 1962 and Clemson’s highest public honor, the Clemson Medallion, in 1990. He also was a recipient of South Carolina’s highest honor for service and leadership, the Order of the Palmetto, in 1992.
Professionally, DesChamps was president of Bishopville Petroleum Co. Inc. He also served on the Bishopville Town Council for 11 years before being elected the town’s mayor in 1958. DesChamps served in the South Carolina State Senate from 1962 to 1967 and in the House of Representatives from 1971 to 1979.
DesChamps earned a degree in agricultural economics from Clemson in 1938.
