History:
The Paw Bearer was born in 1980, the National Championship year. Richard (Dick) Herbert, the owner was in the cemetery/funeral business. In 1979 he sold one of his cemeteries – Pinelawn Memorial Park in Kinston, NC. He also owned the Jarmon Funeral Home in Kinston. Without the cemetery and since that was the only funeral home he owned he decided to close the funeral home. He sold off all of the equipment and buildings but could not find a buyer for the 1967 hearse. Sitting around a family gathering one day the family decided that since no one wanted the hearse that we ought to use it for something. It was suggested that we make a tailgating vehicle out of it to take to the Clemson games. We took it to a local van customizing shop and the interior was customized. It has not changed since then. Everything in it is still in it today. It was then painted as The Paw Bearer. It was actually painted by a sign painter from Columbia, SC who was a friend of a friend. He came to Anderson from Columbia and painted the car in the back yard of Jeff Herbert. The painter with a little input from the Herberts came up with the theme. The Paw Bearer has since been repainted but the original design remains virtually the same.
We didn’t have it ready for the Wofford game that 1st year but it went to all of the other home games and even made the trip to Miami and the Orange Bowl. The Paw Bearer has made road trips to most of the “old” ACC schools and South Carolina at least once. The only 2 bowl games that we didn’t at least set out for were one Gator Bowl, when the whole family was on a cruise and we couldn’t find someone to take it, and the bowl game in Boise, Idaho. That one was a little far and too cold. The Paw Bearer has been in most of the bowl parades where it has been. It has been in the Citrus Bowl, Gator Bowl, and Peach Bowl parades on numerous occasions.
We started out with 16,000 actual miles on The Paw Bearer and it now has 51,000 actual miles on it. That is 35,000 miles going to follow the Tigers.
THE PAW BEARER HAS BECOME A CLEMSON AND NATIONAL ICON. WE WANT TO KEEP THE PAW BEARER RUNNING STRONG. YOU CAN HELP
Join the Paw Bearer Club. Send an email to thepawbearer@thepawbearer.com and we will send you all of the details.
After 28 years going to Clemson games we feel that we should renew The Paw Bearer. Most of the interior is original and has seen better days. The outside needs repainting. And, the engine and suspension could stand to be updated.
The money raised will go to The Paw Bearer renovation project, expenses, club activities and to IPTAY.
