D. Leslie Tindal, one of Clemson University’s emeriti trustees, died Tuesday, June 27. He was 89.
Tindal served on the board of trustees from 1973 to 1982, when he resigned to become South Carolina’s commissioner of agriculture. He held that position until he retired in 2002.
Board of trustees chairman Smyth McKissick expressed condolences and admiration of Tindal and his legacy.
“I speak for the entire board and the entire Clemson family when I say Clemson has lost a great leader and, most especially, a great friend,” McKissick said in a statement issued Wednesday. “He will be sorely missed by all and our deepest sympathies go out to the family.”
When Tindal left the Clemson board, the trustees approved a resolution naming him a trustee emeritus and honored him for his service to the university and “his contributions to the growth and progress of the state’s agri-business industry [that] are widely known and respected, especially his leadership in bringing soybeans to prominence as a crop for South Carolina and export commodity for the United States.”
Tindal is survived by his four children, eight grandchildren, seven great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his wife, the late May Davis Tindal.
Memorials may be made to Calvary Baptist Church Trust, 1463 Les Tindal Road, Pinewood, SC 29125, or to Clarendon Hall School Scholarship Fund (501-C3), P.O. Box 609, Summerton, SC 29148.
Stephens Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
