January 9, 2020 - Issue: Vol. 166, No. 5 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 2nd Session
HONORING THE LIFE OF DR. IVERY DWIGHT CLIFTON; Congressional Record Vol. 166, No. 5
(Extensions of Remarks - January 09, 2020)
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[Extensions of Remarks] [Pages E18-E19] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] HONORING THE LIFE OF DR. IVERY DWIGHT CLIFTON ______ HON. DAVID SCOTT of georgia in the house of representatives Thursday, January 9, 2020 Mr. DAVID SCOTT of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to honor Dr. Ivery Dwight Clifton of Winterville, Georgia, who passed away on January 1, 2020. Dr. Clifton was born on April 6, 1943, in Oliver, Georgia, to B.J. Clifton and Rosetta Benjamin Clifton. From the beginning, farming was [[Page E19]] in his blood. His parents, once sharecroppers, eventually became landowners and young Ivery passionately loved their South Georgia homestead. This reverence for the land and his parents' hard work inspired Dr. Clifton's dedication to agricultural-based research, teaching and administration. Dr. Clifton graduated from William James High School in 1961. Although his father relied on him to work the farm, his mother encouraged and supported his pursuit of higher education. He enrolled in Tuskegee Institute (University), receiving a B.S. in Agricultural Education in 1965 and an M.S. in Agricultural Economics in 1967. While at Tuskegee, he was active in the R.O.T.C., the yearbook staff, the military honor society (Scabbard and Blade) and worked as a dorm counselor to support his education. He met the love of his life, Patricia Ann Davis, during college. They wed on May 28, 1967, at the Tuskegee Chapel, a beautiful start to their 52-year marriage. Ivery and Pat's blissful beginnings were abruptly interrupted when he answered the call to serve his country in the Army as a Lieutenant during the Vietnam War. Leaving his first job as an agricultural economist with the Tennessee Valley Authority, he served as an advisor to the South Vietnamese Army, supervised tactical logistics and served as a Quartermaster. The intensity of his battle experiences forever shaped his commitment to civic duty. After his service in Vietnam, he was employed by the United States Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C. There, he and his wife welcomed their first-born daughter, Kalisa Nicole. Subsequently, the family moved to Champaign, Illinois, where he earned a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics in 1976 from the University of Illinois. Dr. Clifton returned to Georgia, accepting an appointment as an Assistant Professor of Natural Resource Economics at the University of Georgia in Athens in 1976. He advanced through department, college, and university level positions. Notably, Dr. Clifton was the University of Georgia's first African American Dean. He led the College of Agricultural and Environmental Services and his unique leadership skills resulted in an assignment to the Presidential Office as Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs. As his career progressed, the Cliftons were blessed with a second daughter, Kelli Rochelle. An advocate for diversity, Dr. Clifton served as graduate advisor to students from across the globe. He also championed the Young Scholars Program to develop a pipeline of minority students interested in the field of agriculture. Students described Dr. Clifton as a superb teacher. They noted his systematic use of hands-on experiments, along with excellent lectures and handouts to make the learning of difficult topics easy through his caring personality, effective communication skills and willingness to help individual students succeed whenever necessary. Throughout his career, Dr. Clifton made significant contributions to the profession of agricultural economics, especially farm production and natural resource economics. Published extensively, his innovative expertise in economic modeling has benefited research literature and the scientific community around the world. His major contributions have advanced state-of-the-art knowledge in understanding the policy implications of controlling non-point pollution and pricing of farm real estate. His work in developing hedonic pricing functions for farmland has been used to enhance understanding of the operation of real estate markets in the United States, Australia, and Ireland. Dr. Clifton retired as a Lieutenant Colonel from the U.S. Army Reserves after 27 years of service. After nearly 30 years at the University of Georgia, Dr. Clifton retired in 2003, as Professor Emeritus from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Dr. Clifton was also a dedicated community servant leader. As a 43- year member of the First A.M.E. Church, he served on the Board of Trustees, taught bible study and led the Men's Fellowship. He was a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated and was a Charter Member of the Delta Psi Chapter of Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity, Incorporated (The Boule'). He was inducted into Leadership Georgia and Gridiron. His service with organizations such as Rotary, The Trust for Public Land, and countless local civic roles cemented friendships that he cherished. Recently, he ``unretired,'' sat for an exam and was appointed as a tax assessor by the Mayor and Commission of Athens- Clarke County Government. In 2016, The University of Illinois presented Dr. Clifton with the Alumni Award of Merit, given annually to graduates who have made significant contributions to their chosen profession. Madam Speaker, Dr. Clifton's life was defined by his service to his family, to our country, and to our community. He will be forever remembered as a husband, a father, a grandfather, a veteran, an educator, an administrator, a selfless servant, and a great friend. My wife, Alfredia, and I offer our deepest and heartfelt condolences to the Clifton family. We also lift up the family and friends of Ivery Clifton in our prayers. ____________________