Col. William J. Whitener
Interim Chancellor
1993-1994
Col. William Jackson Whitener served as interim chancellor of the University of South Carolina-Spartanburg (now USC Upstate) from 1993-1994.
Prior to his appointment, Whitener had served as dean of the University of South Carolina-Union from 1977 until his retirement in 1984. At the time of his retirement, he was named the first dean emeritus of the campus.
A native of Gastonia, N.C., Whitener graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point and held master's degrees from Columbia University and George Washington University. Before beginning his career in higher education, Whitener served as chief of staff at the United States Military Academy and retired from the United States Army after serving as an officer in varied assignments throughout the world.
Among his many accomplishment and activities, Whitener served on the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education from 1985 until 1993 and in 1988, was named to the South Carolina Commission on the Future by Governor Carroll A. Campbell. Whitener was recognized as Union County's 2012 Veteran of the Year.
Whitener, who passed away on November 13, 2012, is survived by his wife, Martha Pacolette Sarratt, have one daughter and two grandsons.