Clifton C. Garvin

Clifton C. Garvin, Jr. (b. 1922- ) is a native of Portsmouth, Virginia and graduated from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1943 with a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering.^[1] After graduation he served with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during World War II in the Pacific theater for three years. He returned to VPI after his military service and received a Master's Degree from VPI in 1947.

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After graduation in 1947, he went to work for Exxon Corporation as a processs engineer in their refinineries. He worked in the Baton Rouge Refinery and ran Exxon's chemical operations.^[2] Garvin's corporate background is in transport, refining and marketing as well as chemicals—areas of the business that were important to Exxon at a time when governments in the Middle East and Latin America were squeezing the profits out of petroleum production. Garvin was marked as a comer at Exxon in the early 1960s. In 1965 he took over the company's chemical operations and helped turn them into the fastest-growing part of Exxon's business.

He became president of Exxon in 1972 and was selected chairman and chief executive officer in 1975 until his retirement in 1986.^[3]

In 1981, he was appointed to President Reagan's National Productivity Advisory Committee and later served on the President's Private Sector Survey on Cost Contorl.^[4]

He has honorary degrees from New York University, Stevens Institute of Technology and Georgetown University.

He has been a member and director of numerous national and international corporations, including Georgia Pacific, Chevron, Citicorp, Citibank, Johnson and Johnson, J.C. Penney, PepsiCo, Inc, Sperry Corporation, and TRW, Inc.

In 1997, the Virginia Tech Board of Governors selected Garvin as the recipient of the William H. Ruffner Medal, the university's highest honor, for his selfless dedication and years of service to the university.^[5]

Garvin earned the Eagle Scout rank in 1937.^[6]

References

1. ^ Virginia Tech publication
2. ^ CNN article
3. ^ VPI Alumni publication.
4. ^ Cornell University Publication
5. ^ Virginia Tech announcement
6. ^ Eagle Scout list for Tidewater Virginia