Robert Edwards

1922 - 2019

Dr. Robert Lee Edwards, 97, entered into eternal life on Sunday, July 28, 2019.

He was born in Barnardsville, NC in 1922, the son of Barnard Lee Edwards and Cleopatra Cleveland Bartlett Edwards. After graduating from Barnardsville High School in 1939, he entered Berea College in Berea, Kentucky, to pursue an agricultural curriculum.

Robert's studies were interrupted by the United States' entry into the Second World War. He was called to active duty in early 1943 and underwent training to become a navigational radar specialist serving B-24 Liberator heavy bombers. He was deployed to Rackheath, Norfolk, UK and assigned to the 789th Squadron, 467th Bombardment Group 8th Army Air Force. His efforts supported critical air strikes in Germany, France and Belgium.

Following his honorable discharge from the US Army Air Force in 1945, Robert returned to Berea College to complete a Bachelor of Science degree (1946). There he met Dorothy Elizabeth Baldwin of Fletcher, NC, to whom he was married on June 3, 1951. He enrolled at North Carolina State University in Raleigh, NC in 1952 where he received both a Master of Science (1954) and PhD (1958) in Animal Science.

Dr. Edwards joined the faculty at Clemson University where he taught and conducted research for the next three decades. He participated in a number of professional organizations and as a faculty advisor. He supported Block & Bridle and Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity. Robert was a fellow in the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), a lifetime member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society and served two terms as president of the local chapter. Dr. Edwards was a mentor to thousands of students and each of the graduate students he advised became an extension of his own family. He was a fan of Clemson football and attended every home game for over fifty years.

Following his retirement in 1986, he remained active in gardening and in the Clemson Lions Club, where he served one term as president. He was a faithful member and volunteer at Clemson United Methodist Church. He and his wife traveled often - visiting most of the continental US, Canada and Western Europe.

Robert was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, and his brother James Roy Edwards. He is survived by a son, John Robert Edwards (Virginia Stroud) of Greenville, SC; and a grandson, Andrew John Edwards. Other survivors include sisters-in-law June Settle Edwards and Francis Baldwin Hoots, and families of three nieces and two nephews.

Celebration of life will begin at a graveside service with military rites on Saturday morning August 3, 2019 at 10:30 a.m. at Woodland Cemetery, at Clemson University, followed by the funeral service at 11:00 a.m. at Clemson United Methodist Church. The family will receive friends at the church following the funeral service.

Condolences may be expressed online at www.robinsonfuneralhomes.com or at Duckett-Robinson Funeral Home, Central, SC.