[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 5 (Thursday, January 9, 2020)]
[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.

                          ____________________