Greenville, S.C. and Washington, D.C. partner David Wilkins received the prestigious Bond Distinguished Athletes Award from his alma mater, Clemson University, on Saturday. Wilkins, a former U.S. ambassador to Canada and speaker of the South Carolina House of Representatives, received the 2021 Award and joined a list of previous honorable recipients.  The award honors former Clemson athletes who exemplify great character and citizenship and focuses on their continued success after graduation. 

Wilkins, a former tennis champion at the university, was honored on the field, along with his family, at Clemson’s football game against Boston College.  Additionally, he was given a custom-designed gold ring and his name was inscribed on the glass plaque displayed in the Nieri Family Student-Athlete Enrichment Center at Clemson's Memorial Stadium. 

The Bond Distinguished Athletes Award is named after Clemson golfer Steve Bond and was presented by his widow, Margaret Bond.  The Award description says it is given to those who accomplished much for Clemson and Clemson athletics, but even more so for “the type of person, steward, and role model” that person became “in their life after Clemson.”

Wilkins chairs the firm's public policy and international law practice group with a special focus on U.S.-Canada interests. He spent six years chairing the Clemson University Board of Trustees and remains an active member of that board. 

Joining him for the award presentation were his wife, Susan, two sons, daughters-in-law, three grandchildren, and Clemson President James Clements.

View Clemson University article here. 

View Reserve & National Guard Magazine article here.