Former Veterans Alumni Council Chair and family make gift to the Honors College
If there were only one word to describe Jay Alverson’s family, it would undeniably be “service.”His family’s commitment to the protection and preservation of the United States is a practice that predates modern weaponry, strategies and military operations – it began before the country even existed, with his ancestor fighting in the Revolutionary War.
Every American conflict since its founding has seen a member of his paternal family serve in the military. His grandfather served in the U.S. Army Air Corps and participated in the D-Day invasion, among other posts in World War II. His father served in Vietnam and Germany during his time with the U.S. Army. Alverson himself served 21 years of active duty in the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Air Force, with assignments in Afghanistan, Iraq and Korea.
A love for the country and a calling to serve are not the only things this family shares: they are also avid Gamecocks. Alverson graduated from USC in 1998, following his father James (’74 business) and preceding his daughter Ashlyn (’24 public health). Alverson believes they are the first family to have three consecutive generations use veterans benefits to pay for their education at the University of South Carolina.
For years, the Alverson family has witnessed what happens when military benefits don’t cover the full cost of college. The void left behind can be detrimental to the finances of any military family that has already gone through so much. The Alversons have made a gift to the USC Honors College in hopes of covering the financial gap for military dependents after exhausting VA benefits.
“As the affordability of college slips further and further out of reach for the average South Carolinian, and AI takes a greater role in our everyday life, I feel it’s important for those of us who can help bridge the gap of affordability to do what we can,” he says.
This gift is not Alverson’s first involvement on campus. As former chair of the USC Veterans Alumni Council, he found satisfaction in working alongside his fellow brothers- and sisters-in-arms who not only understand life in the military, but also hold an affinity for their alma mater.
“When you spend 21 years of your life involved in an organization that has a mission and a goal … it can be very hard to find people that have had similar life experiences and are willing to understand you,” Alverson says. “The USC Veterans Alumni Council offers something of a safe harbor. It’s a group of people whose mission focus has shifted from war fighting to being there for each other, and for the university we all have such an emotional connection to.”
One facet of the group’s common cause is remembering those who came before them. In 2025, the USC Alumni Association unveiled a plaque at Williams-Brice Stadium honoring the 331 men and one woman who died while on active duty. Most of them served during World War II. All of them were Gamecocks.
“This is just another way for us to remember those people and to keep their memory alive,” Alverson said at the unveiling. “They’ll know that this university took the time to remember them, and that they are important to us, they’re important to the Alumni Association, and they’re important to the entire Gamecock nation.”
Alverson has also been involved with other veterans projects on campus, including the renovation of the War Memorial Building to include updated lists of all who served and more plaques honoring the dead at the Russell House and Founders Park. For now, he hopes his family’s gift eases the burdens of the living, especially with the modern challenges current students face, and honors those who have served.
“Our military families are the ones who truly sacrifice for our nation,” Alverson says.