Celebrating Tigers on Hilton Head
Watch the awards ceremony!
Princeton Club of Hilton Head named best regional club in the world! Read the award letter.
Princeton Club of Hilton Head honored with the APGA Regional Association Award! Read the award letter.
Princeton Club of Hilton Head named most innovative regional club in the world! Read the award letter.
The Princeton Club of Hilton Head was launched in 2011 by Scott Foster ’58 K’32 K’1898, who had boundless enthusiasm for all things Princeton and a desire to create a welcoming community of Tigers on Hilton Head. The board unanimously voted to name the club in his honor after he passed away, and it continues to run the club in Scott’s “big tent” spirit.
We have an active slate of programs that features an annual concert by The Princeton Footnotes, a holiday reception, lunches, and visits by faculty. The Footnotes have been coming to Hilton Head for their fall warm up week before classes start for more than ten years! We have also enjoyed visits from The Wildcats, The Tigertones, The Nassoons, and the Princeton Triangle Club.
The Regional Association Awards given at the Princeton Alumni Council Annual Meeting on May 21, 2021.
The club received the prestigious Princeton Club of San Antonio Award in 2021, which honors “the regional association with the best overall performance for a small association.” The award “is given annually in recognition of general excellence in regional alumni activities to associations and clubs with fewer than 300 members.”
In 2021, the club was also honored with the Committee on Regional Associations (CORA) Award for Innovation for “the thoughtful outreach and creative approach your region has undertaken to help the Old Guard remain connected to Princeton… and for the interactive and fun programming reaching Tigers far beyond Hilton Head’s geographic boundaries.”
This is the first time any organization has won both awards in the same year.
In 2022, the club received the Association of Princeton Graduate Alumni (APGA) Regional Association Award for “increasing participation of Princeton graduate alumni in its regional activities and/or fostering the cause of a graduate education and the Graduate School at Princeton University.”
The club previously received the CORA Award for Innovation in 2012 “for its efforts of personal communication and the creative use of limited resources to bring together every one of their members.”
If you are a Princeton alum, spouse, parent, student, or other relation on the Island or in Bluffton — or even just visiting the area — we would love to see you. Click the “join us” button to express your interest and tell us your connection to Princeton. There are no annual dues and most activities are free. A small number of events cost a modest fee ($20 or less).
The Big Tent
Exciting Programs
The Princeton Club of Hilton Head has a rich schedule of programs throughout the year. In addition to our annual visit by The Footnotes in the fall, we gather for holiday receptions, performances by campus arts groups on tour, visits from Princeton faculty, and to hear from accomplished members in our own community.
Vibrant Community
Our club members come from a wide variety of backgrounds, but all share a desire to celebrate our tight knit community of Tigers. Scott felt strongly that anyone connected with the University should be welcome, and members today include Princeton alumni, spouses, children, parents, grandparents, and friends of the University.
Honoring the Old Guard
We are fortunate to have a cadre of Old Guard alumni who are enthusiastic participants in the club. We host a party in the early summer shortly after Reunions to celebrate our Old Guard members and recognize the new inductees. We also have our own version of the famous Class of 1923 Cane, which is carried by the oldest alum of the oldest class in attendance at each club event.
Club President Lisa Drakeman *88, S*88, P'02, h'35 with Princeton Presidents Robert F. Goheen '40 *48, William G. Bowen *58, and Harold T. Shapiro *64, all of whom earned Princeton PhDs. They are modeling their limited edition Phd sweatshirts designed by Don Drakeman *88, S*88, P'02.
Club Founder Scott Foster ’58 K’32 K’1898 enjoys a meal at a club event accompanied by his wife Susan Foster (left), Margie Gengler Smith '73 P'03 and Stan Smith S'73 P'03.
Sue MacDonald S'44 enjoys a glass of wine at a club event.
Bill Gilbert ’50 and Lois Steffens S’60 arrive ready for a great evening of Tiger fun.
Don Drakeman *88, S*88, P'02 displays the Drakeman family collection of Princeton intramural t-shirts.
Julie McKenna and daughter Beth ’14 arrive for a club event.
Tigers abound at the Princeton Club of Hilton Head, Scott Foster Chapter.
Celebrating the 100th birthday of Pete Keenan '35 *36 by the pool. Island life does have some perks!
Pete Keenan '35 *36, the birthday boy, gets into the spirit of fun.
The club's 2012 CORA Award for Innovation.
Acclaimed cartoonist Henry Martin '48 observed in this 1986 cartoon that Princeton and Hilton Head Island have had a long association. The connection endures, although Princetonians today travel many different paths to arrive at this lovely corner of the country.
Club members Lisa Drakeman *88, Don Drakeman *88, David Stitzer '66, Peter Cooper '67, and Margie Smith '73 display the club banner with pride.