Distinguished alumni honored at Bell Tower Ball

Furman University recently honored four distinguished alumni at its inaugural Bell Tower Ball, which took place at the TD Convention Center on April 2.  The event celebrated the accomplishments of the Furman family and honored the four alumni for their professional achievements in their field and for their continued display of generosity, service, and leadership.

David Ellison

Greenville native David Ellison ’72 was presented with the Gordon L. Blackwell Alumni Service Award, which honors an individual who has dedicated extraordinary service to Furman University and the greater community. A member of Furman’s Board of Trustees and Chair from 1998–2000, Ellison has served as past president of the Furman Alumni Association, the Paladin Club, and the Quaternion Club.  He has served on the Because Furman Matters Campaign Advisory Board, Forever Furman Campaign Executive Committee, the President’s Advisory Council, and the Planned Giving Advisory Council.

Ellison was also honored for his distinguished leadership in the Greenville community. As a former trustee of the United Way of Greenville County, he has chaired the leadership giving arms of the Palmetto Society and the Tocqueville Society. He is past chair of the YMCA Endowment Corporation, served as the Commissioner of the Greenville Housing Authority, and is a graduate of Leadership Greenville and the South Carolina Diversity Leaders Initiative of the Riley Institute. He currently serves on the boards of both Southern First Bank and the Greenville Country Club.

Frances Ligler

Frances Ligler ’73 received the Carl F. Kohrt Distinguished Alumni Award, which is awarded annually in recognition of significant professional or personal accomplishments and in gratitude for continued loyalty to Furman University.

A former member of Furman’s Board of Trustees, Ligler is a pioneer and world leader in the fields of biosensors and microfluidics. She currently serves as the Lampe Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering in the Joint North Carolina State/University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Department of Biomedical Engineering. Prior to assuming this role, she served for 28 years at the United States Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., the last 18 years of which she served as Senior Scientist for Biosensors and Biomaterials. Ligler has authored over 400 full-length publications and patents that have been cited over 13,000 times and have led to 11 commercial biosensor products. She is an elected Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, the International Society for Optical Engineering, and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In 2003, she was awarded the Homeland Security Award by the Christopher Columbus Foundation and the Presidential Rank of Distinguished Senior Professional by President Bush. In 2012, she was awarded the Presidential Rank of Meritorious Senior Professional by President Obama and in 2014, she was awarded an honorary doctorate from the Agricultural University of Athens, Greece.

Logan Hambrick

Logan Hambrick ’02 was awarded the Tom A. Triplitt Outstanding Young Alumni Award, which recognizes a graduate from the last 15 years who has brought honor or recognition to Furman through individual accomplishments. A humanitarian and human rights advocate, Hambrick has built an admirable career in international criminal law. She graduated magna cum laude from Furman and attended law school at George Washington University. Hambrick currently serves as the assistant counsel for the Sang Defense Team at the International Criminal Court, working to defend Joshua Arap Sang, a journalist indicted for crimes against humanity during Kenya’s 2007–08 crisis. Prior to this appointment, Hambrick worked at the Special Court for Sierra Leone, where she served as co-counsel for the Charles Taylor Defense Team. She is a co-founder and director for AdvocAid Sierra Leone, which advocates for women during and after incarceration.

Peter Griffin

Peter Griffin ’11 received the Wayne and Rubye Reid Award, which recognizes alumni who have made significant contributions to the career development of Furman students.  Griffin currently works in equity sales coverage for pension funds, mutual funds and hedge funds at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch in New York City.  He spent four years as part of the Electronic Trading Product Team managing the day-to-day operations of the firm’s Smart Order Router and Instinct X ATS. He is a Level III Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Candidate and holds series 7, 63, 24, and 55 licenses.  Griffin is one of the founding members of the Furman Metropolitan Fellowship program, an alumni-led grant program established to create a bridge between Furman students and the New York City internship community.

About Furman University
Furman is a private, undergraduate liberal arts college of 2,700 students in Greenville, S.C.  The school is noted for its rigorous academic program and strong faculty, and its 750-acre campus is widely recognized as one of the most beautiful in the nation.  The university has a chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, and ranks among the nation’s top producers of U.S. Fulbright Scholars.