|
William W. "Bill" Lesesne
Bill serves as president of the EC Foundation. Growing up in Due West (while his father was an
Erskine professor and later president) was the beginning of Bill's life-long relationship with the greater Erskine community.
He graduated from Erskine in 1961, did graduate work at the University of South Carolina and later
earned a masters degree from Clemson University. After teaching and coaching at Edmunds High School in
Sumter, SC, Bill returned to Erskine as an administrator. For 28 years, he served in numerous roles in
the areas of admissions, student services, and athletics, cumulating with 13 years of service as Vice President of Student
Services and Athletics. Bill and his wife Emily have been married for over 47 years and have three children
and five grandchildren. Two of the three children (Billy and Holly) graduated from Erskine, and two (Billy
and David) have served Erskine in athletics and admissions. Bill and Emily are members of Due West ARP
Church where Bill has served as deacon, elder, Sabbath School teacher, and member of various committees including Presbytery
Minister and His Works. Since his retirement, Bill has been active with hobbies such as raising Boykin
Spaniels, hunting, fishing, golfing, gardening, and working on his 170 year old home in Due West. In his
community, he has served on various boards such as Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission, United Way, Abbeville Area Medical Center,
Covenant Way Retirement Center, United Christian Ministries of Abbeville County, and the Dixie High School Foundation. In
the area of civic affairs, he has served as president of Rotary Club, Lions Club, and as the institutional representative
and committee chairman for the Boy Scouts of America.
Lee
W. Logan
Lee serves as Treasurer of the EC Foundation. A native of
Spartanburg, Lee graduated from Erskine with a bachelor of science degree in 1967, from University of Georgia with a masters
of education in 1969, and received an honorary doctorate from Erskine in 2009. After working at John de la Howe School
in McCormick as Business Manager, then Director of Social Work, Lee returned to Erskine for 33 years of service.
His Erskine career included Director of Alumni Affairs, Vice President for Development, Vice President for Administration,
Director of Capital Campaigns, and Senior Philanthropic Advisor. Lee is also a partner in two local businesses
for construction and real estate development. Lee and his wife, Eleanor (1967 Erskine graduate) have three
children (who all graduated from Erskine) and three grandchildren. Lee and Eleanor are members of Due West ARP Church where he has served as deacon, elder, Sabbath School teacher,
and member of various committees. Lee has also served as moderator of the Second Presbytery. In
community service and civic areas, Lee is currently the president of West Carolina Rural Telephone Cooperative and has served
as member and secretary of the Chester Telephone Company (TruVista) Board of Directors. Lee is currently
secretary of the Bonclarken Board of Directors, secretary of the Dixie High School Foundation, a director of the
Bell Enrichment Fund, and a director of the Stephenson Trust. He has also served on the board of directors
for Covenant Way and the Donalds-Due West Water and Sewer Authority.
John serves as the Secretary of the Foundation. A native of
Anderson, SC, John graduated from Erskine in the class of 1965. He subsequently went to Emory University
Medical School and received his MD degree in 1969. He recently retired after 35 years in the practice of
Surgery in Anderson. For many years, he hosted premedical “January Interim” Erskine students
in his practice in order to give these students a realistic exposure to the practice of Medicine. John served on the Board
of Trustees of Erskine and has been active in the South Carolina Medical Association. For the last 25 years,
he has served on the Board of Trustees of AnMed Health and has twice served as its Chair. He also serves
on the Board of the Greenwood Genetics Center. He and his wife, Betty, are active members of the Young
Memorial ARP Church in Anderson. He has served several terms as a Deacon and as an Elder. John has the
distinction of receiving the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award both when he graduated from Erskine and again in 2003, when he
received the Alumni version of this same award. He is very proud of this honor. He is
also very grateful for the work of the EC Foundation and its support of Erskine College.  James “Jim”
Wylie Gettys Jim’s great-great grandfather was a founder and the first President of Erskine
and both of his parents graduated from Erskine in the Class of ’36. A native of Rock Hill, SC, Jim (Class of ’62)
was a member of the fourth generation of his family to graduate from Erskine. In 1962 he married Sandra Lockaby, an Erskine
classmate, and they have two children who earned Erskine degrees: James III, employed in the Information Technology department
at Lexington Medical Center, and Kathy, an attorney and administrator at the Department of Social Services in Columbia. Jim
holds M. A. and Ph. D. degrees from the University of South Carolina. He bergan his career at Erskine in 1965 as instructor
of history. He also served Erskine as Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid for two years, and from 1988 to 1999 he served
as Vice President and Dean of the College. In 1999 he was named the first McDonald-Boswell Professor of History. He
retired from the Erskine faculty in 2006. Jim and Sandra have been members of the Due West ARP Church since 1965, where Jim
has served as deacon, Sunday school teacher and elder. He was Vice Moderator of Synod in 1982, and has served on the Bonclarken
Board and on committees of Second Presbytery. In 1982 he and Dr. Lowry Ware co-authored The Second Century: A History
of the Associate Reformed Presbyterians 1882-1982. He is currently a member of Lions and Rotary and serves on the
Greenwood-Abbeville United Way Board. Since 2006 Jim has served pro bono as the Municipal Judge of Due West.  Joab M. (Joe) Lesesne Joe
Lesesne graduated from Erskine College in 1959 and earned his master’s degree and Ph.D.
from the University of South Carolina. He currently teaches history and is Director of Football Operations
at Wofford College and serves on the board of the Watson Brown Foundation, Upstate Forever, and the SC Independent Colleges
and Universities. Joe has served on the Erskine Board of Trustees. Joe served as president of
Wofford College for 28 years—from 1972 until 2000 and is a respected leader in state and national higher education circles.
In addition to important leadership in the South Carolina Tuition Grants Commission, he has
served on the South Carolina's Commission on Higher Education, the South Carolina Research Authority, and as a member
of the United Methodist University Senate. He was the chairman of the board of directors of the National Association
of Independent Colleges and Universities and a member of the board of directors of the American Council on Education. Joe
has served as chairman of the boards of the Spartanburg Area Chamber of Commerce, the Spartanburg County Foundation, and the
South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. He was also a brigadier general and brigade commander of the South Carolina
Army National Guard, now holding the rank of major general, retired. Joe and his wife, Ruth (who is also an Erskine graduate)
are active members of the Central United Methodist Church. They have four children and eleven grandchildren.
Robert B. Cunningham
A distinguished alumnus of Erskine, Bob was involved while a student in the piano ensemble, choraleers, tennis, and
in particular, assisted Arrow editor Milli Andrews, who became his wife now of 51 years. He subsequently studied at
Indiana University and was granted a PhD in Political Science. His teaching career includes 3 years with the Presbyterian
Church in Syria, 5 years in Canada, and 39 years at the University of Tennessee. Bob’s research on
organization behavior, management, and leadership has resulted in 4 books and more than 30 peer reviewed journal articles.
He has consulted with public and non-profit organizations, served on various boards, and received teaching and service awards.
In 1992 he was a Fulbright Teacher/Scholar. His extraordinary contributions to public service were acknowledged with
the Faculty Public Service Award presented to him by the University of Tennessee College of Arts and Sciences in 2003.
Daughters Nina (physical therapist) and Ann (Wake Forest Associate Professor) graduated from Erskine in 1983.
Milli was a trial attorney in family law for 5 years with the UT Legal Clinic, then for 24 years in solo
practice. She co-chaired the committee establishing the Knoxville Bar Association mediation unit. Both Milli and Bob have served as
deacon and elder in the Sequoyah Hills Presbyterian Church, have been active in World Missions, and on the Erskine alumni
board. We are excited about working with colleagues for the Erskine that was so important in our lives.
 |
|
W. Andrew "Andy" Byrd
Andy serves as vice-president of the EC Foundation. He is a 1988 graduate
of Erskine College. Andy is a past president of the Erskine Alumni Association and chairman of the Advancement Committee for
the Board of Counselors. While at Erskine, Andy played on the Men's Tennis team and served as President of the Student Government
Association. After graduating from Erskine in 1988, Andy went to work with Cone Mills. He joined a wealth management team
at Smith Barney in 1999. Andy is now Managing Director for Nachman Norwood and Parrot, an independent wealth management consultancy
firm in Greenville, SC. Andy and his wife, Tyree (also a 1988 Erskine graduate) and their three children live in Greenville,
S.C. They are all active members at Buncombe Street United Methodist Church. Andy and Tyree enjoy their Sunday School class,
New Beginnings Sunday School class, and both serve on the Youth Advisory Board for the church. Andy is the director of "Homeward
Bound" family ministry, he co-leads a weekly Bible study for high school boys in their home every Friday morning
before school, and he and Tyree have been active participants with the Greenville chapter of Young Life. He currently
serves on the Board of Directors for The Family Effect. Andy was named a 2011 St. Francis Fellow through
the Bon Secours St. Francis Hospital System Foundation Forum.
Betty Bigham Hunt
Betty
is a 1965 graduate of Erskine College, graduating with a BA in Music Education. She sang in the Choraleers
and studied voice with Tom Owen. Betty has taught public school music and has sung in community choruses
and church choirs in a number of communities around the southeast. She and her husband John R.
Hunt (1965 Erskine graduate) are members of Young Memorial ARP Church in Anderson, SC. They have two married
children and six grandboys. Betty, who started and directed the Youth and Children's Choirs for 30 years
at YMARP, continues to direct the Adult Choir. She served a term as President of the
Erskine Alumni Association in the mid 90s and has served on the Board of Counselors. In the ARP Church
Betty has served on the Worship Committee, the Committee on Theological and Social Concerns, and the Bonclarken Board of Trustees.
She presently teaches an adult Sunday School class, the Flora Halliday Circle, and has served on the Christian Education
Committee of Young Memorial and of Second Presbytery. Betty was on the founding Board of the Habitat for
Humanity affiliate in Anderson and has served as chairman of the Alzheimer's Memory Walk Committee and continues to support
that cause.
Sarah Wightman Brice
Sarah is a 1971 graduate
of Erskine College. She moved to Due West with her family from England in 1955. Her father, Dr. Joseph
Wightman, served Erskine as history professor, academic dean, and finally, as president from 1965-1973. With
a history major from Erskine, Sarah then went on to earn her Masters of Science in Library Science from the University of
North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Sarah has worked as a middle school social studies teacher and as a school
librarian at elementary, middle and high schools until her retirement in June of 2010. Sarah married James Brice in May of
1972 and they have lived the last 34 years in Greenville, South Carolina, where James is an attorney. They
raised three children, two of whom attended Erskine where they met their future spouses. Sarah has served
as an elder at Westminster Presbyterian church and currently serves as the Wedding Committee Chairman. She
was very involved in her children’s schools, and served as PTA president at various levels. At Erskine,
she has served as secretary and president of the Alumni Association, as Annual Fund co-chair, and as her class representative.
Sarah is honored to be a part of the EC Foundation, and pledges to help the school that has meant so much to her family
in any way that she can!
Steve S. Southwell
Steve is a 1980 graduate of Erskine College, graduating
with a BS in Business and Economics. While at Erskine, Steve played on the baseball team and was a member of the Chi Lambda
Sigma literary society. He currently serves as President-Elect of the Erskine Alumni Association. At Erskine, he has served
as President of the Alumni Association, President of the Flying Fleet Club, Chairman of the Erskine Athletic Committee and
as a member of the EB Kennedy Scholarship Interview Committee. Steve has also served as a member of the past two Presidential
Search Committees. After graduating from Erskine, Steve went to work for Wachovia Bank in Charlotte, NC. He is currently a
Senior Vice President with Arthur State Bank in Rock Hill, SC. Steve and his wife Jane have been married for over 29 years
and have two children. He is a member of the Rock Hill Rotary Club where he serves as chairman of the Rotary Youth Leadership
Awards (RYLA) that selects students every year to attend RYLA camp at Erskine. Steve is past president of the Rock Hill Sertoma
Club and served on the Rock Hill High School Improvement Council for 10 years. Steve and Jane are members of Neely’s
Creek ARP Church in Rock Hill where Steve has served as Deacon, Elder, Congregational Chairman, Synod Representative, Sunday
School Superintendent and Trustee. Steve expresses his sincere gratitude to the EC Foundation members and pledges his support
to accomplish the Foundation’s mission and vision.
Robert, of Greenville, South Carolina, is a former member of the Board of Trustees of Erskine and is the product
of a long line of supporters of Erskine and the ARP Church, from which his love and support for Erskine springs.
Robert’s dad, grandfather, great grandfather and great-great grandfather grew up or lived to maturity in Due
West. His great-great grandfather was a founder of the Due West Women’s College. His great grandfather was a founder
of Bonclarken. His grandfather served as varsity coach at one time or another for all Erskine athletics teams. His great grandfather
and grandfather owned and operated the Associate Reformed Presbyterian (printing) Company. His aunt, the Honorable Jean
Galloway Bissell, served on the Board of Trustees of Erskine for many years. Both his great grandfather and his maternal
grandfather served as Moderators of the ARP General Synod. Robert
is a graduate of the College of William and Mary and the University of South Carolina School of Law. He
practices public finance law with Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd, P.A., where he is group leader of that firm’s well-established
public finance practice. He represents numerous colleges and universities, as well as many other state and local governments
and agencies, in their financing endeavors. He is a member of the National Association of Bond Lawyers and is a past president
of the Government Law section of the South Carolina Bar. In
addition to spending as much time as possible with his two college-age children, Robert’s principal hobbies are spending
time in the mountains in Flat Rock, and enjoying folk and old-time country music. Robert is proud to be associated with
the EC Foundation and is grateful for its support of Erskine.
Ann Clarke Judd Ann is a 1974 graduate of Erskine College. She obtained her clinical laboratory training as
a Medical Technologist at Self Memorial Hospital in Greenwood and her Specialist Certification in Blood Banking at the University
of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. Over the past 30 years, she has served in various leadership positions within American Red
Cross Biomedical Services. Currently she is the Chief Executive Officer for the American Red Cross National
Testing Laboratory in Charlotte, NC, which annually performs infectious disease testing on 1.5 million volunteer blood donations
collected in the US and Puerto Rico. A native of Due West, Ann was reared in the Due West ARP Church. She
is the daughter, granddaughter, and great-granddaughter of Erskine College or Erskine Seminary alumni, many of whom have been
recipients of honors or awards for service to Erskine. Her father, Dr. Robert S. Clarke served as Erskine
college physician for many years; her mother, Beth (Sloan) Clarke ’47 is a member of the Athletic Hall of Fame and has
served on the Board of Counselors. Her maternal grandparents were Dr. Everette ’15 and Ann (Pressly) Sloan ‘16.
Dr. Sloan was Professor of Chemistry and Academic Dean of Erskine for many years. Her paternal grandmother, Mrs. Bess Clarke,
served as Erskine Seminary Librarian. Her great-grandfather, Thomas Peden Pressly, and a great-uncle Henry
Thompson Sloan, both graduates of Erskine, each served as ARP ministers for 40 years. Ann has served on the Board of
Counselors and as Board Member and Secretary of the Erskine Alumni Association. She is a past Chair of the Annual Scholarship
Fund and past lecturer for the Frances Cardwell Lecture Series. Ann is honored to support the mission of the EC Foundation
and commits to ensuring that Erskine remains true to its Christian Liberal Arts heritage.
|
