Oldest SC State alumni pass away months apart

Centenarians Daisy Rogers McDuffie and Timothy Jennings recently reflected on SC State's history and impact. 

ORANGEBURG, S.C. — South Carolina State University alumni Daisy Rogers McDuffie and Timothy Jennings, centenarians who recently reflected fondly on their time as students, have both passed away.

At the time they spoke with SC State's Office of Strategic Communications and Marketing, they were the institution's oldest alumni.

The university's oldest known graduate is now Willie Belle Sims Dawkins, Class of 1946, who turned 101 in March.

Jennings, who turned 101 on March 5, died March 29. McDuffie, who turned 104 on Feb. 22, died May 6.

A celebration of life for McDuffie will be held at 1 p.m. Friday, May 15, at Hermon Presbyterian Church in Rock Hill.

McDuffie, of Rock Hill, earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education from what was then Colored Normal, Industrial, Agricultural and Mechanical College of South Carolina in 1944.

Jennings, a native of rural Cope, South Carolina, who had lived in Philadelphia since the early 1950s, graduated from SC State in 1948 with a degree in mechanical engineering. A celebration of life was held for him April 8 at St. Paul Metropolitan AME Church in Philadelphia. 

Jennings reflected on the shoemaking and other skills he learned at the university and how they prepared him for future success. 

He was married to Ardella H. Jennings and was the father of five children, 15 grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren. 

McDuffie said SC State provided her with a strong education. After graduating, she influenced thousands of children across the state during her 35 years of classroom teaching and mentoring.

Jennings attended the college until his education was interrupted by World War II, during which he served in the U.S. Navy. As part of his service, he stayed in Okinawa, Japan, for several months before returning to SC State to complete his degree. 

After moving to Philadelphia, he served as a vocational education teacher in the public school system. He completed his teaching career at Overbrook High School, where he taught shoe repair and leather craft.

After retiring from teaching, Jennings owned and operated Luke’s Imperial Shoe Repair in West Philadelphia for 10 years.

McDuffie received several honors during her lifetime, including a proclamation from the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1997 designating Feb. 22 as Daisy Rogers McDuffie Day and the naming of a street in her honor in Rock Hill.

Her husband, Dock Cleveland McDuffie Jr., graduated from SC State in 1943. The couple’s son also graduated from SC State, along with his wife and son.

After retiring in 1981, McDuffie remained active in the Rock Hill community, including serving as a leader in her church and as a member of the tourism commission.