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Don Aiesi to be inducted into Hall of Fame March 30


Last updated March 11, 2019

By Tina Underwood

Don Aiesi, who taught political science at Furman University for more than 50 years before retiring in 2018, will be inducted into the Furman Politics and International Affairs Hall of Fame during a ceremony Saturday, March 30, at 4 p.m. in Watkins Room of the Trone Student Center. A reception follows the ceremony in the Johns Hall Community Square.

The event is free and open to the public. Registration is required.

Furman trustee and alumnus W. Randy Eaddy ’76, who is also a Hall of Fame member, will give remarks during the event.

Aiesi will be the 10th inductee to the Politics and International Affairs Hall of Fame, a program that began in 1997 at the university.

“Dr. Aiesi embodies what it means to be a Furman professor,” said Katherine West, a politics and international affairs major from Edgewood, Kentucky, who graduated in December 2018. “He is thoughtful, passionate and brilliant. Whether it’s getting cornered past midnight in Johns Hall to discuss political issues or absorbing his never-ending supply of stories, you simply cannot talk about dedicated Furman faculty without mentioning Dr. Aiesi.”

Aiesi taught in the Department of Politics and International Affairs from 1965 until 2018, with a brief hiatus in 1971 to complete his Ph.D. During his tenure, he served as department chair (1984-1988), the university’s pre-law advisor, and the faculty advisor for the Pre-Law Society and the Pi Sigma Alpha Political Science Honor Society.

He received the 1982 Alester G. Furman, Jr. and Janie Earle Furman Award for Meritorious Teaching and the 2012 Furman Standard Award. In 2009, Aiesi was admitted to the United States Supreme Court Bar and the United States Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces Bar.

At Furman, Aiesi taught courses in American government; civil rights and the U.S. Constitution; judicial process and the U.S. Supreme Court; and freshman seminar “Winning the White House.” With his passion for travel and election polling, he led study away trips to England and mainland Europe for 50 years.

Aiesi received his bachelor’s from Stetson University, his Juris Doctor from Duke University, his Master of Arts in British history from Emory University, and his Ph.D. from the University of Florida. His areas of expertise include American politics, judicial process, Constitutional law, and English and Irish politics, and he has frequently provided analysis and commentary for national and statewide election coverage.

To register, visit https://tinyurl.com/yydbn39l. For more information, contact Paige Blankenship at 864-294-3547, and paige.blankenship@furman.edu.

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