Carolina Alumni Award
Distinguished Alumni Award
Past Recipients

The Distinguished Alumni Award is presented annually to an alumnus or alumna who has exemplified professional leadership, productive citizenship, and devotion to the University. Prior recipients are:

2004

Don Belt

Don Belt, a native of Columbia who studied under James Dickey as a USC English Literature major, is senior editor, geography and world affairs, at National Geographic. While managing the Geographic’s coverage of diverse people and cultures of the world, he brings a distinct perspective to the import subjects in the news. As National Geographic’s Middle East expert he served as editor-in-chief of the book, The World of Islam, which reviewers have described as “compelling,” “a gorgeous mélange of pictures, narrative and maps that wages a quiet war on ignorance about a people and faith that we can no longer afford not to understand.” Mr. Belt has received numerous awards for his writing and was the recipient of a Pew Gatekeeper Fellowship to South Africa in 2002.
 

Donald E. Saunders Jr., MD

Dr. Donald Saunders played an instrumental role in the beginnings of the USC Medical School and then helped to dramatically change the training of medical students. Dr. Saunders, a native of Columbia who graduated magna cum laude from USC in 1951 graduated first in his class from Duke Medical School. With a distinguished career in the private practice of cardiology and internal medicine well underway, he became a member of the USC Medical School faculty and later director of the Office of Medicine, Humanities and Society. There he started a course designed to train kinder, gentler doctors. Focusing on compassion and ethics, he trained generations of medical students to put patients first.

James E. Wiseman Jr., DMD

In 1999 USC graduate Jim Wiseman was recognized by the Department of Parks and Recreation as South Carolina’s Tourism Ambassador of the year. The visionary behind the renovation of the 1882 Newberry Opera House and the resulting revitalization of the city of Newberry itself, Dr. Wiseman raised almost $6 million, mostly from modest contributions by the people of the city. Jim Wiseman’s conviction, enthusiasm and dedication transformed more than a building. He brought new life to a community, economic vitality to the state and credit to his alma mater.

2005

Mark Buyck Jr., ’56, ’59 law, is a member of USC’s Board of Trustees and a past president of the S.C. Defense Trial Attorneys Association and the Carolina Alumni Association. Buyck currently chairs Carolina’s Architectural Review Committee and is president of the Florence Heritage Foundation, of which he is a founder.  Buyck also is past president of the S.C. Historical Society and was on the  initial Advisory Board of the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. He has been honored twice with the S.C. Order of the Palmetto, the state’s highest award, and has been listed in all published editions of the Best Lawyers in America. Buyck and his wife, Julie, have three children.

Robert V. Royall, ’56, former U.S. ambassador to Tanzania, is a veteran banking executive with more than 40 years of leadership in major banks in South Carolina, including the Citizens and Southern Corporation and NBSC. Royall also served as South Carolina’s Secretary of Commerce from 1995 to 2001, when he received a presidential appointment as ambassador. Royall has been a trustee of USC’s Business Partnership Foundation and was chair of the S.C. Ports Authority. Royall has received numerous honorary degrees from S.C. universities and received the Distinguished Service Award from USC’s Moore School of Business. He has received the S.C. Order of the Palmetto three times and was the first recipient of the NAACP Humanitarian Award in 1989. Royall and his wife, Edith, have three daughters.

Othniel Wienges, ’47, is a farmer, Thoroughbred breeder, and longtime member of Carolina’s Board of Trustees. With his son, John, Wienges oversees operations on Singleton Plantation, the 3,500-acre family farm in St. Matthews, which produces cotton, forest products, and includes an award-winning Thoroughbred breeding operation. Wienges has been president of several professional organizations in the state, including the S.C. Horse Council, S.C. Thoroughbred Association, S.C. Seed Association, and the S.C. Crop Improvement Association. In addition to his service on the Board of Trustees, Wienges was chair of USC’s Bicentennial Commission, which planned and executed the 2001 celebration of the 200th anniversary of the University’s charter. He and his wife, Callie, have two children.

2006

Darla Moore, '75, a financier and partner in Rainwater Inc., is also co-founder and chair of the Palmetto Institute. In recognition of her transformational gift as the university's most generous donor, our nationally ranked School of Business bears her name. She has put her legendary business acumen together with her love for Carolina to work as an energetic and dedicated member of the Board of Trustees. Ms. Moore earned a degree in political science from Carolina and her MBA from George Washington University. She was the first woman to be profiled on the cover of Fortune magazine in its 700-year history and was once named to the magazine's list of the 50 most powerful women. Widely recognized for her success in business, she has received numerous banking and finance awards.

S. Stanley Juk Jr., M.D., '67 chemistry, a member of Phi Beta Kappa and former standout Gamecock football player, is a cardiologist active in community affairs and a generous supporter of Carolina athletics. A graduate of Duke Medical School after his graduation from Carolina in 1967, Dr. Juk is president of the S.C. branch of the American Heart Association. A fellow of the American College of Cardiology and a member of the Columbia Medical Society, Dr. Juk practices with the Columbia Cardiology Consultants Group. Away from his practice, he serves on the advisory boards of the South Financial Group and the Carolina Community Foundation.

Harris DeLoach Jr., '66, '69 law, is chief executive officer of Sonoco, headquartered in Hartsville, S.C. He is the former board president of the S.C. Governor's School for Science and Mathematics Foundation, a former board member of Darlington County Schools and current chairman of the S.C. Chamber of Commerce. Under Mr. DeLoach's leadership, Sonoco, a $3.5 billion packing company, has grown to include facilities in more than 300 locations in 35 countries, employing more than 17,000 team members.  In a highly competitive industry, he has created one of South Carolina's largest and most successful business enterprises.