Longtime Clemson mayor dies

Clemson Mayor Larry Abernathy (Courtesy: City of Clemson)

Clemson is mourning the loss of its mayor, who died over the weekend.

The city’s website announced mayor Larry Abernathy passed away Saturday. He was 64. The notice did not say the cause of his death, but Abernathy had battled several health issues in recent years,

He had spent the past 28 years as mayor of Clemson, a period that marked closer cooperation between the town and nearby Clemson University. Prior to that, he was a member of City Council for four years.

“His progressive leadership helped make Clemson one of the nation’s best college towns and a national model for positive town-gown relations,” Clemson University President James Barker said in a statement, “He will be sorely missed.”

Abernathy was a Clemson graduate and visiting professor in the school’s College of Health Education.

He also served as the director of the Alcohol and Drug Abuse Commission in both Oconee and Anderson counties.

His funeral is set for Thursday at First Baptist Church of Clemson.