Clyde Hill stands by the motto, a mind is a terrible thing to waste.
He is a proponent of education, recreation and athletics and continues to support his alumni as well as young minds everywhere.
All of this is a contributing factor to why local Newberry businessman and education advocate Hill has received the 2012 Outstanding Alumni award from the National Alumni Council of the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) for his contribution and dedication to his alumni, Allen University.
Hill graduated from Allen University in 1959 where he received his bachelor of arts in recreation and physical education and he also met his wife, Jessie Hill, there as well.
Together, the husband and wife team are both big proponents of education and young people.
Hill migrated up north to Indiana University to receive his master’s because as he says, the south wasn’t too accepting of blacks.
Hill says that he was “caught in the before and after of segregation,” so he lived through the racial transition.
Time spent at Allen University for Hill was good, he says and he enjoyed the smaller school especially all the sports including football, baseball, basketball and track.
After all, Hill was a recreation and physical education major, so sports consumed him.
However, it didn’t consume him too much as he worked his way through college and on campus performing many jobs as part of his scholarship.
One job included driving a bus for the sports teams.
“This is why I give back,” says Hill about his commitment to his alumni as well as other organizations, “Because I can appreciate what they’ve given me to be who I am.”
After college, Hill worked in the insurance business and then was drafted into the Army where he served in Alaska for a little over two years.
After the military, he accepted a job teaching physical education and coaching football, basketball and baseball in the Edisto School District in Orangeburg for 10 years.
Hill says back then, he just coached multiple sports which was customary for back then.
After teaching and coaching, he went to work as director of recreation services for the Department of Corrections. He says that he essentially provided recreation and sports opportunities to those in prison.
Hill has a passion for sports and education and says that it’s important for young people today to have as physical education is vital for their health.
As for today’s young people, Hill says that mentoring and guidance is important to establish goals and stay focused.
“A lot of people have goals, but don’t stay focused,” says Hill, “It can be achieved.”
Hill says that while there are bound to be roadblocks, it’s all about getting back up after being knocked down and that’s where faith comes into play.
Faith is also important to Hill as he’s active in his church, Miller Chapel A.M.E. and he is also involved with the logistics and convention planning for all the A.M.E. churches in the state.
On top of that, he’s also on the Newberry County School Board and involved in his two businesses. He used to have three but turned over one.
Hill says that he started the businesses so that his three boys or others could have something to fall back on if needed.
“We need to look out for others,” says Hill and he has certainly done that.
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