A Dinner Dance featuring The Men of Distinction
Saturday, November 19, 2022 • Charleston Marriott • 170 Lockwood Blvd.
Black tie
Doors open at 6:30 pm • Dinner and program at 7 pm sharp • Dancing until 10:30 pm
Each year, we recognize distinguished alumni whose accomplishments have brought honor to the College. Your ticket includes a gourmet dinner accompanied by fine wines, followed by a top-shelf open bar, maroon velvet cupcakes, and dancing!
Tickets, While Available:
- $175 per person
- $1,750 per 10-person table
Net proceeds from this event benefit scholarships and programs at the College of Charleston. If you cannot attend in person but would like to donate to the College in honor of any of our award recipients, please visit give.cofc.edu/Alumni-Fund
Meet our 2022 Honorees:
Louester Smalls Robinson ’77
Alumni Award of Honor
The Alumni Award of Honor is the highest award presented by the College of Charleston Alumni Association. It recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions for many years to the Alumni Association or to the College.
Dr. “Lou” Robinson is a 1977 graduate of the College of Charleston, earning a bachelor’s degree in fine arts. A consummate scholar, she later earned her both her master’s degree in child and youth care administration and her doctorate degree in curriculum development and systemic change from Nova Southeastern University. Dr. Robinson received a certificate in Management and Leadership from Harvard Graduate School of Education and obtained additional leadership certifications from the American Association of Community Colleges, the American Council on Education/Office of Women in Higher Education, the National Institute for Leadership Development, and the National Coalition Building Institute.
A native of Charleston, SC, Dr. Robinson served as the Dean of the historic Palmer Campus of Trident Technical College (TTC) in Charleston, SC, retiring in 2019 after nearly 30 years of exceptional service. Her work in the field of child and youth studies produced many innovative training initiatives at TTC and for the state of South Carolina.
She has served on the Alumni Association Board of Directors and is a member of the Black Alumni Council. Dr. Robinson is a Life Member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and a Charter Member of the College of Charleston’s Iota Omicron Chapter. She is a generous donor to the College, giving in recent years to the CofC Fund for scholarships, the Greek Leadership Fund, and the Student Emergency Fund. She resides in Charleston, SC, with her husband, Peter, and they are the proud parents of daughter Tahlia and son T.J.
Stephen C. Osborne ’73
Distinguished Alumnus Award
The Distinguished Alumnus Award was established in 1983 to recognize alumni for significant contributions to their professions or to their communities over a long period of time, thus reflecting honor upon the College of Charleston.
In 2017, Mr. Osborne had served as the College’s Executive Vice President for Business Affairs for over a decade when he was tapped by the Board of Trustees to become Interim President of the university upon the retirement of President Glenn McConnell ’69. His steady presence kept our alma mater moving in a positive direction as current President Andrew Hsu was selected and assumed office in 2019. Before coming to the College in 2006, Mr. Osborne served the SC Budget and Control Board for nearly 27 years, ultimately as Chief of Staff. He is Past President and Past Vice President of the SC International Personnel Management Association. A native of Florence, SC, Mr. Osborne joined Pi Kappa Phi fraternity and earned his bachelor’s degree in political science while at the College. After graduation, he went on to receive his MPA from Western Kentucky University and his MBA from the University of South Carolina.
An avid reader, Mr. Osborne currently serves as Chair of CofC’s Friends of the Library. He has been a generous annual supporter of the Cougar Athletics Fund , the Friends of the Library Fund, the Student Emergency Fund, and the CofC Fund for scholarships. Mr. Osborne resides in Charleston, SC. He lost his beloved wife, Mary, in 2019. The couple’s son, Stephen C. Osborne II, graduated from the College in 2006 and is married to alumna Grace Toland Osborne ’11. Mr. Osborne is the proud grandfather of Olive and Charles Osborne.
Tracy Swinton Bailey ’95
Alumna of the Year
This award recognizes an alumna who has contributed significantly to her profession, her community, or to the College during the year prior to selection.
Dr. Bailey is the founder and CEO of Freedom Readers in Myrtle Beach, SC, an after-school and summer literacy program designed to support families in low-income areas as they assist their children in achieving their academic reading goals. A former teacher and gifted author, she released her book Forever Free: A True Story of Hope in the Fight for Child Literacy in 2021. This memoir is a call to action for examining America’s long-standing struggle to adequately educate vulnerable children and offers valuable insights for effecting change in families, communities, and nationally.
A native of Georgetown, SC, Dr. Bailey majored in English and was a member of the Gospel Choir at the College. She earned her MEd in secondary education and teaching from Coastal Carolina University in 2009 and her PhD in language and literacy from the University of South Carolina in 2013. Dr. Bailey has been a generous donor to the CofC Fund for scholarships and the School of Humanities and Social Sciences Dean’s Excellence Fund. She is married to Issac J. Bailey and they reside in Myrtle Beach, SC, with their two children, Lyric and Kyle.
Scott Foxhall ’94
Alumnus of the Year
This award recognizes an alumnus who has contributed significantly to his profession, his community, or to the College during the year prior to selection.
In 2021, Scott Foxhall, Assistant Baseball Coach at Mississippi State University, helped steer the Bulldogs to win the College World Series and was named Assistant Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA). Prior to joining MSU’s staff, he coached at CofC, Auburn, and NC State. To date, Coach Foxhall has made 10 NCAA Tournament appearances, including six straight trips to the NCAA Regional round.
While earning his BS degree in education at the College, the Greer, SC, native was a standout pitcher for the Cougars from 1992-94 and his nine complete games still rank third all-time at the College. He was named the 2019 Teaching Professional of the Year by the ABCA honoring the coach who best exemplifies the art of teaching. Among his former players are CofC alumni Oliver Marmol ’07, Manager of the St. Louis Cardinals; Monte Lee ’00, Associate Head Coach at the University of South Carolina; Brett Harker ’13, Head Coach at Limestone College; and Jordan Tiegs and Michael O’Neal ’04, pitching coaches in the MiLB. Coach Foxhall lives in Starkville, MS, with his wife, Laura, and their twin children, Kade and Kennedy.
Catherine Clifton ’12
Young Alumna Award
This award recognizes an alumna or alumnus expressing the finest of CofC traditions through service to his or her community or profession. The recipient’s class year must be within the previous ten years.
Catherine Clifton is the Experiential Account Director for 160over90, representing major brands at major sporting events including the NFL Super Bowl, the NFL Draft, the U.S. Open (golf), the Miami Open (tennis), the FIFA World Cup, and more. Formerly, she was the Director, Championships, for the PGA of America and successfully faced daunting challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure the health and wellness of athletes and fans.
During her time at the College, she double-majored in hospitality and tourism management and business administration. She joined Alpha Delta Pi sorority, was named to the National Honor Society, and was inducted into the Hall of Leaders in 2012. Ms. Clifton currently resides in Atlanta with her fiancé and her dachshund, Eloise.
Eric Cox ’93
Howard F. Rudd Jr. Business Person of the Year
This award recognizes a graduate who has made significant contributions as a business leader to industry or profession, community, and alma mater, and who has exhibited great integrity in his or her business and personal life. It is named for the founding Dean and Dean Emeritus of the School of Business. The School of Business selects the recipient.
Mr. Cox is the President of Coastal Wealth Management and is a Registered Representative of LPL Financial. He has worked in the securities industry since 1993. After managing local operations for two different Fortune 100 companies, he decided to branch out on his own and further align his clients’ needs with the opportunities offered in the independent financial community. Mr. Cox is the co-host of Beyond the Business on 94.3 WSC radio every Saturday from 8:30-9:00 am.
He graduated from the College in 1993 with a BS in business administration and currently serves on the Executive Committee for the School of Business Board of Governors and on the CofC Foundation Board of Directors. Mr. Cox is a stalwart supporter of his alma mater, giving generously to the Cougar Athletics Fund, the CofC Fund, and the Women’s Leadership Initiative among other programs and scholarships. He and his wife, Lee, live in Mount Pleasant, SC, with their three children, Annabelle, Aidan, and Jacob.
Blair Holladay ’84
Outstanding Service Award in Medicine
This award is sponsored by the Alumni Association, the School of Sciences and Mathematics, and the Alpha Epsilon Delta Pre-Health Society (AED). It recognizes a graduate whose leadership in the medical sciences represents remarkable achievement and who demonstrates an enduring commitment to the College and his or her community. The members of AED select the recipient.
Dr. Holladay is the Chief Executive Officer of the American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP). Founded in 1922, ASCP is the largest organization for pathology and laboratory medicine in the world, boasting more than 100,000 members. Dr. Holladay joined ASCP in 2005 and was named CEO ten years later. His scientific research focuses in the areas of cytopathology and molecular research. He has been funded as a Principal Investigator for more than 95 scientific research grants and 100 scientific corporate contracts. Dr. Holladay has also published several significant research articles and is the primary author of several textbooks. He is an active scientific lecturer and has given over 200 national and international speeches.
The North Augusta, SC, native majored in biology at the College and joined Kappa Sigma fraternity. Dr. Holladay earned his master’s degree and PhD in pathology from The Ohio State University. He commutes to ASCP’s Chicago headquarters from his home in Black Mountain, NC, where he resides with his family.
Karen Burroughs Jones ’74
Special recognition upon her retirement from the College after more than 30 years of devoted service
Ms. Jones is the Director of Communications for the Office of Alumni Affairs at the College of Charleston and serves as the Executive Secretary of the Alumni Association. Since 1991, she has worked tirelessly with the Alumni Association’s Board of Directors to institute and update its strategic plan, expand its scholarship program, and create the Alumni Awards Gala. Ms. Jones is credited with recruiting excellent alumni leaders to serve on the Board of Directors who mirror CofC’s alumni population in terms of age, gender, race, profession, and other demographics. In honor of her many years of loyal service, the Alumni Association has named her Executive Secretary Emerita upon her retirement from the College.
A native of Loris, SC, while at the College she earned a BS degree in psychology and joined Chi Omega Fraternity. Over the years, Ms. Jones has served as advisor for the Student Alumni Associates, as the faculty/staff advisor to CofC’s Chi Omega chapter, and as president of the Chi Omega House Corporation. She resides in Mount Pleasant, SC, and has two children, Ashley Jones Smith ’00 and Clayton Jones, and one granddaughter, Baylor Smith.
