Claflin Alumnus and State Representative Joseph H. Jefferson, '70 To Serve As Guest SpeakerAt 146th Founders' Day Convocation

and announcement of two scholarships that will be awarded by Claflin in memory of the Emmanuel Nine. Admission is free and the public is invited. The program can be heard live on the Claflin University website at http://athletics.claflin.edu/watch/?Live=168.

 The career of Joseph H. Jefferson Jr. is multifaceted but tied together by a thread of dedication and commitment to getting a job done with intended results. He has served in various capacities and has been recognized for the effectiveness of his l
eadership and the quality of his workmanship.

  He has served 11 years in the South Carolina General Assembly as representative of Berkeley and Dorchester counties, House District 102. He also serves as Chairman of Local Government and Corrections Affairs Sub-Committee. He serves on the committee for Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs.   He also serves on the General Assembly Legislative Oversight Committee.  

 He is a former Chairman of the Berkeley County School Board; former 6th Congressional District Highway Commissioner, representing six counties in the state; former Magistrate Judge in Upper Berkeley County and former Special Assistant to the late Congressman Mendal J. Davis. Additionally, he is a retired Equal Employment Manager with the Department of Defense with 32 years of service.

 Jefferson graduated from Claflin University in 1970 with a major in biology and did further studies at Clemson University. He was inducted into the Claflin University Hall of Fame in 2000. A graduate of the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy and the United States Naval Civilian Personnel Command in Norfolk, Va., and certified mediator for the U. S. Government. Fifteen miles of Highway 52 in Berkeley County are named in his honor, from St. Stephen to Moncks Corner, South Carolina, in recognition of his services as a former State Highway Commissioner.

 He is the moderator of radio program that focuses on current issues and serves on the Citadel School of Education Development/Advisory Board, Board of Communities and Schools, Diversity Board of the Medical University of S.C., African-American Prostate Cancer Network, Chamber of Commerce, NAACP and Berkeley North Medical Center Committee.

 Jefferson is married to Iva Deloris Livingston of Wagner, S. C., and they are parents of three married children, daughters Trena (Ricky) and Marva (Ty) and son, Joseph, III (Melanie).  The couple also has six grandchildren.

He is the son of the late Rev. Dr. Joseph H. Jefferson Sr., and Mrs. Omega B. Jefferson.  He is the brother of Dr. Yvonne Barnes, Barbara Ragin, Jessica Hawkins, and the late Ann Sonja Turner.