Tiger Brotherhood

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Tiger Brotherhood was founded in 1928 with the purpose of initiating a higher standard of moral conduct at Clemson with the purpose of building a greater Clemson. Since Clemson was a military school at the time, the students (cadets) were under military rule of the commandant. There was no Student Government and cadets had no "voice" with the administration. Numerous student walkouts occurred in the early years at Clemson and the unrest reached its peak after the 1924 incidents and the untimely death of Pres. Walter Merritt Riggs. The Brotherhood of Tigers was organized in 1924 and all cadets were given membership. The organization proved to be too large and cumbersome to accomplish anything and slowly fell apart. Tiger Brotherhood, organized in 1928 by Prof. John Logan Marshall and nineteen members of the Senior Class, aimed to build a bridge between the students, faculty, staff, and administration.

Tiger Brotherhood has been instrumental in originating many different Clemson events over the last 80 years. In recent years, the organization has been the driving force behind the Founder's Day celebrations, RC & Moonpie Downhill Run, Tiger Cup Speech Competition, Mother of the Year and the efforts to preserve the Woodland Cemetery, commonly known as Cemetery Hill. In it's infancy, Tiger Brotherhood was the first form of Student Government on Clemson's campus. In the 1940s, the organization organized the first Clemson Clean-Up that has now reemerged and is called Campus Sweep. Other signs of Tiger Brotherhood around campus include the famous Littlejohn Tiger sculpture and the Stone Gates at the entrance to campus. The final set of gates, to be placed at the west entrance near the Lake Hartwell dikes, has been paid for and will be added to the Clemson landscape in the near future.

From the Tiger Brotherhood website:

"Tiger Brotherhood is an honorary service fraternity at Clemson University. It still embraces the same basic tenets established by its founders, led by John Logan Marshall in 1928. Tiger Brotherhood promotes high standards of social and ethical conduct, while recognizing in its members a strong devotion to Clemson, coupled with a character commensurate with a typical Clemson gentleman. The organization embodies an unequaled cross-sectional representation of the Clemson community. Students, faculty and staff all work within the bonds of brotherhood to champion a closer relationship. One for all and all for one, with Clemson and its many traditions and undying spirit as the central focus, Tiger Brotherhood today provides a viable, flexible and continuing forum for generating ideas and performing unending service to Clemson."

Current Tiger Brotherhood Projects

Many members have responsibilities from other organizations. These responsibilities provide opportunities to assist in multiple projects. Worthy causes have included campus safety, visitor parking, Clemson ring quality, and others as well. The only projects officially garnering Tiger Brotherhood's name include the Clemson Days of Traditions Calendar and the Woodland Cemetery Preservation Project.

Clemson Days of Tradition Calendar

The Clemson Days of Tradition Calendar is distributed to all incoming first-time Clemson students and faculty. All other sales earn funds for producing the calendar each year, with profits intended to help aid in the construction of a student memorial for all Clemson students who have passed away prior to receiving their degree. Further information concerning the calendars can be found at http://www.clemson.edu/traditions-calendar [1].

Cemetery Hill Project

The Woodland Cemetery on Cemetery Hill is arguably the most historically significant location on Clemson's campus. Many men and women who have helped shaped the Clemson known and loved today are buried on these grounds. The Calhoun Cemetery sits atop the hill surrounded by an iron fence. On January 24, 1924, Clemson President Walter Merritt Riggs was laid to rest outside the Calhoun plot and became the first non-Calhoun buried there. In an effort to bring more awareness to Woodland Cemetery, "Cemetery Chronicles" are posted periodically within Clemson World magazine. The recent renovations to the gates and the surrounding area are a direct result of this effort. During campus sweep each year, members of Tiger Brotherhood work to clean the cemetery. For more information visit the Clemson University web site. The Clemson World Magazine from the Summer of 2004 has a great article about the project: http://www.clemson.edu/clemsonworld/archive/2004/summer04/cemetery.htm [2]


The Tiger Brotherhood official website