Abernathy Legacy
Abernathy Legacy:
This Thematic Research Collection is limited to the years 1986 to 1995 when Mayor Larry W. Abernathy led the City of Clemson and President A. Max Lennon served Clemson University. Under their partnership, the Joint City/University Advisory Committee (JCUAC) functioned as a town and gown organization with a wide range of influence. Incidents used in this TRC, while significant, only serve to represent a small segment of actions taken during this nine-year period.
Mayor Abernathy’s town and gown impact continued unabated through other university presidents – Phillip Prince (interim 1994-1995), Constantine William Curris (1995-1999) and James Frazier Barker (1999-2014). His legacy is vast, even into 2020. As one example,the 21st century brought the formation of the International Town & Gown Association (ITGA) with six city/university founding members. According to the current website, ITGA became a nonprofit organization in 2008 “thanks to the vision of Mayor Larry Abernathy, the Joint City/University Advisory Board, the City of Clemson and Clemson University.” The organization’s current (2020) Executive Director and Assistant Executive Director maintain offices in the City of Clemson.