Baldwin Ag President Driggers Dies

   TIFTON, Ga. (AP) Dr. J. Clyde Driggers, 58, president of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College the past 10 years, is to be buried in Florida after services in Tifton today.

   After Driggers died of a heart attack early yesterday, his body was taken to lie in state in the Chapel of All Faiths on the school's campus. He had pushed for construction of the chapel since becoming president in 1964, and he wrote of the undertaking in a book titled "It Took a Miracle."

   Born in Fort Green [Hardee county, FL], he is to be buried in a family cemetery plot near Wachula  [Hardee county, FL].

   Known as a poultry expert, researcher and instructor, he came to Abraham Baldwin from the University of Georgia where he had been chairman of the poultry division.

   Before that he taught at the University of Florida, where he had received his doctorate in animal nutrition in 1949.

[The Tampa Tribune, Tampa, FL, 30 Apr 1975, Wed, Main Edition, Page 57 ]

DRIGGERS WAUCHULA - Funeral! services for Dr. J. Clyde Driggers will be Wednesday at 3 p.m. at Tifton, Ga.  Graveside services will be Thursday at 4 p.m. at Paynes Creek Cemetery near Bowling Green. Dr. Driggers was President of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in Tifton, moving there about 10 years ago from Gainesville. Survivors are his widow. Dot McCullough Driggers; 3 sons, David, Stephen & James Driggers; daughter, Billie Kay Pehler; a sister, Mrs. David Birrel, Cocoa Beach; 2 brothers, Vaughan Driggers, Wauchula; A. G. Driggers, Quincy.

[The Tampa Times, (Tampa, FL, 30 Apr 1975, Wed , Other Editions, Page 6 ]

Driggers rites set

   TIFTON, Ga. (UPI) - Funeral services for Dr. J. Clyde Driggers, president of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, will be at the First United Methodist Church today. Driggers, who had been president of Abraham Baldwin since 1964, died at an Atlanta hospital Tuesday after suffering a heart attack. He was 58. His body lay in state in the Chapel of All Faiths on the Tifton college campus Tuesday evening. Burial will be in a family plot near Wachula, Fla, Abraham Baldwin is a junior college, one of 32 institutions in the state University System. University System Chancellor George L. Simpson Tuesday commended Driggers' "splendid" service at the college. "He has brought that school forward in service to agriculture, forestry and general education," Simpson said. "He has been a great benefit to the University system." Driggers, a native of Fort Green, Fla., received a doctorate in animal nutrition in 1949 from the University of Florida, where he taught in the poultry and husbandry department from 1938 to 1957. He was chairman of the Poultry Division of the University of Georgia College of Agriculture when named president of Abraham Baldwin. He was a retired colonel in the U.S. Army Infantry, in which he served from 1941 through 1946. Driggers was president of the Georgia Association of Junior Colleges and a member and executive in numerous professional, technical and civic organizations. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Doris McCullough Driggers; a daughter, Mrs. John Pehler of Memphis; and sons, Dr. David Driggers of San An-tionio, Stephen Driggers of Athens, James Driggers of Midway.

[Tallahassee Democrat Tallahassee, FL30 Apr 1975, Wed,  Main Edition, Page 20 ]

[courtesy of Donna McPherson]

Grave marker for James C. Driggers and spouse in Paynes Creek Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery, Bowling Green (Hardee county), Florida.

James was a member of the University of Florida, Class of 1938 and Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity  which touts itself as "the world’s largest social-professional fraternity."

On 25 August 1940, James married Doris Esther McCullough [19126-1983] in Alachua county, FL.  ?It is she who shares his grave. 

James entered Army service on 20 February 1941.

Captain Driggers was attached to Hq Hq by Special Order #102 dated 10 May 1943.  He was subsequently transferred to Hq 3d on 31 May 1943.

He was seriously wounded in France on D-Day, 6 June 1944, On 3 July he was transferred to the hospital's detachment of patients and did not return to the regiment.

Captain Driggers was listed as one of eighteen officers who departed from  Prestwick, Scotland aboard a Air Transport Command chartered Trans World Airlines Flight (Plane No 2107441) which landed in New York, NY on 27 July 1944.   During its flight the aircraft stopped at Meeks Field, Iceland to pick up an additional three officers and then in Stephenville, Newfoundland where one more officer and an enlisted man were brought on board.

Captain Driggers was apparently hospitalized in the U.S. for further treatment as he was not released from the Army until 3 May 1946, some 10 months after returning to U.S. soil and nearly two  years after suffering his wounds.

His military decorations include the Purple Heart and the Combat Infantryman Badge for action during Normandy, France Campaign, 6 June 1944 to 9 July 1944.