Clemson and Memorial Day
By: Will Vandervort
Being that this is a Clemson blog, we especially need to remember and honor those soldiers that lost their lives in war while protecting us. Some of them, as you know, were either Clemson graduates or students. So please remember all of our fallen soldiers and their families and give thanks to them for what they did for us, if you have not already.
Speaking of Memorial Day in reference to Clemson, did you know that the first 20,000 seats in Clemson Memorial Stadium were built and ready for use before the 1942 season, less than a year after Pearl Harbor was bombed and the United States was drawn into World War II?
Clemson, known for its military heritage, named its football stadium in memory of those former Clemson Cadets that lost their lives in war. The University honors those soldiers and its military heritage each year with Military Appreciation Day.
This upcoming fall, Clemson’s home game against Virginia on Nov. 21, is the day Clemson will honor all of its fallen, former and current soldiers who have or are currently serving our country in the U.S. Armed Forces.
My stepfather, Carl E. Buck, Jr., was a War World II veteran and a 1949 graduate of Clemson A&M College. Until the day he passed away in October of 2006, he always spoke highly of Clemson primarily because of the way it honors and respects its military heritage. When speaking to anyone, he always referred to Clemson as Clemson A&M College instead of Clemson University.
My passion for all things Clemson is rooted through what was his passion for Clemson. Obviously, I learned as a young boy what Clemson’s heritage and traditions were all about and I try to share what I’ve learned through my stepfather’s experiences with anyone that is willing to listen.
Even though my stepfather taught and shared a lot of things about Clemson, I’m still learning today about the school’s history. Just recently I learned the World Wars saw a flurry of cadets leave Clemson for active duty and the campus itself became a base for military training.
That’s something I did not know.
World War I saw nearly every cadet in the classes of 1917 and 1918 enlist, and at one point the college had only 42 active student-cadets. World War II saw even greater involvement. Airborne troops training at Camp Toccoa, just across the Georgia border, would march 30 or so miles to Clemson to practice on the campus rifle range.
At the time, Clemson ranked third in the country in institutions providing Army officers. Only the United States Military Academy and Texas A&M provided more.
Before 1955, Clemson decided to drop its military status and became more of a civilian institution and started to enroll women in the fall of 1954. In 1955, Clemson officially became Clemson College and in 1964 it changed its name again to what it is known as today as Clemson University.
Though Clemson is still more than 50 years removed from its military roots, there are still signs all over campus about its past. There are two bronze Civil War cannons, nicknamed Tom and Jerry, that stand watch over Bowman Field, where they have been since 1951.
Bowman Field itself is rich with military history as it served as the place for many military activities and drills during the World Wars.
Then there is the cadet statue in the Military Heritage Plaza, which more than anything reflects Clemson’s rich military heritage. And then of course there is Memorial Stadium.
To learn more about Clemson’s military heritage or anything about the University, I recommend the book “Clemson: There’s Something In These Hills” which was written by Trent Allen and has great photos by my good friend Kevin Bray.
You can find the book at my sponsor’s store — Clemson Variety and Frame Shop — in downtown Clemson or, if you can’t make it to Clemson, click on their link to their Web site to the right of this blog and then go to Clemson Collectibles and then click for the home. You will find the book in that listing.
I hope everyone had a good holiday weekend and took a few moments yesterday to stop and think about those that sacrificed their own lives so that we may be free.
Being that this is a Clemson blog, we especially need to remember and honor those soldiers that lost their lives in war while protecting us. Some of them, as you know, were either Clemson graduates or students. So please remember all of our fallen soldiers and their families and give thanks to them for what they did for us, if you have not already.
Speaking of Memorial Day in reference to Clemson, did you know that the first 20,000 seats in Clemson Memorial Stadium were built and ready for use before the 1942 season, less than a year after Pearl Harbor was bombed and the United States was drawn into World War II?
Clemson, known for its military heritage, named its football stadium in memory of those former Clemson Cadets that lost their lives in war. The University honors those soldiers and its military heritage each year with Military Appreciation Day.
This upcoming fall, Clemson’s home game against Virginia on Nov. 21, is the day Clemson will honor all of its fallen, former and current soldiers who have or are currently serving our country in the U.S. Armed Forces.
My stepfather, Carl E. Buck, Jr., was a War World II veteran and a 1949 graduate of Clemson A&M College. Until the day he passed away in October of 2006, he always spoke highly of Clemson primarily because of the way it honors and respects its military heritage. When speaking to anyone, he always referred to Clemson as Clemson A&M College instead of Clemson University.
My passion for all things Clemson is rooted through what was his passion for Clemson. Obviously, I learned as a young boy what Clemson’s heritage and traditions were all about and I try to share what I’ve learned through my stepfather’s experiences with anyone that is willing to listen.
Even though my stepfather taught and shared a lot of things about Clemson, I’m still learning today about the school’s history. Just recently I learned the World Wars saw a flurry of cadets leave Clemson for active duty and the campus itself became a base for military training.
That’s something I did not know.
World War I saw nearly every cadet in the classes of 1917 and 1918 enlist, and at one point the college had only 42 active student-cadets. World War II saw even greater involvement. Airborne troops training at Camp Toccoa, just across the Georgia border, would march 30 or so miles to Clemson to practice on the campus rifle range.
At the time, Clemson ranked third in the country in institutions providing Army officers. Only the United States Military Academy and Texas A&M provided more.
Before 1955, Clemson decided to drop its military status and became more of a civilian institution and started to enroll women in the fall of 1954. In 1955, Clemson officially became Clemson College and in 1964 it changed its name again to what it is known as today as Clemson University.
Though Clemson is still more than 50 years removed from its military roots, there are still signs all over campus about its past. There are two bronze Civil War cannons, nicknamed Tom and Jerry, that stand watch over Bowman Field, where they have been since 1951.
Bowman Field itself is rich with military history as it served as the place for many military activities and drills during the World Wars.
Then there is the cadet statue in the Military Heritage Plaza, which more than anything reflects Clemson’s rich military heritage. And then of course there is Memorial Stadium.
To learn more about Clemson’s military heritage or anything about the University, I recommend the book “Clemson: There’s Something In These Hills” which was written by Trent Allen and has great photos by my good friend Kevin Bray.
You can find the book at my sponsor’s store — Clemson Variety and Frame Shop — in downtown Clemson or, if you can’t make it to Clemson, click on their link to their Web site to the right of this blog and then go to Clemson Collectibles and then click for the home. You will find the book in that listing.
posted by Roy Philpott @ 7:51 AM
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