Jaquial Durham is a Ph.D. student at Clemson University, but a quick peek behind the curtain reveals a life much deeper than that … he’s also a native son of the Clemson area.

A multi-sport star at nearby D.W. Daniel High School, Durham has spent much of the past couple of years deep in exploration of his alma mater’s unique impact on the athletics footprint of the Upstate region — an impact seen and felt not only at Daniel, but also across the Clemson University campus and fields of play.

“I was assigned a digitalization project for my doctoral program, and I had the idea of sharing the story of Javis Austin (former Daniel High School running back and two-year letterman who graduated from Clemson in 2003),” he says, “but information was difficult to come by. I came up with the concept of creating data and archived material around black student-athletes who were born and raised in Clemson, many of whom attended Clemson University. After completing the assignment, my classmates really loved it. I saw it could be powerful.”

Using his family connection and familiarity with the area as the spark behind his research — coupled with a promising conversation he had with a former executive director of the Clemson Area African American Museum — he set out on an ambitious journey to develop a comprehensive showcase of 50 years of athletics excellence at Daniel High, much of which is also etched in Clemson history.

The fruit of his labor came to fruition Thursday, Feb. 27 during a launch event for “Sincerely, Daniel”, an immersive sports exhibit now prominently and proudly on display at the museum located just minutes from the University.

Durham and childhood friend D’Andrew “D.K.” Keasler-Bruce curated the exhibit and welcomed a large group of guests for the grand opening Thursday, including members of the University and City community — former President and First Lady Jim and Marcia Barker among them.

“In my opinion this is one of the best things we’ve seen in the Upstate,” says Keasler-Bruce, who like Durham graduated from Daniel in 2012. “Everyone who comes in has an instant smile, seeing the transformation to the space we’ve created.”

The idea behind the name “Sincerely, Daniel” started with Keasler-Bruce, an avid fan of the ESPN-produced “30 for 30” documentary series. He calls the exhibit an open letter to the world about how a small-town, humble group of athletes made a significant impact on the Clemson community.

Exhibit visitors are greeted by main hallway walls wrapped with newspaper and media clippings, interweaved with historical events. Immediately to the left is a room replicating Daniel’s football field, highlighted by a wax museum figure of former Clemson All-American and Daniel great DeAndre “Nuk” Hopkins.

On the right, a large space is painted blue and gold mimicking Daniel’s basketball gym, containing jerseys, trophies, commemorative basketballs and even a mini-Jumbotron showing a highlight reel loop. The rest of the exhibit includes Daniel lockers adorned with game jerseys, photos of past athletes and a display mannequin donning orange football uniform garments worn by Daniel and Clemson grads DeShawn Williams and D.J. Greenlee while playing for the Tigers.

It hasn’t taken long for word to spread quickly on what Durham and Keasler-Bruce have put together.

“We started getting calls from people wanting to contribute memorabilia they had held onto for so many years,” says Durham, who took part in a panel discussion about the exhibit Thursday alongside Bruce. “We aren’t finished; we’re going to get an influx of more stuff from people wanting to contribute to this exhibit. But we want people to feel a part of this.”

Durham’s journey back to the Clemson area followed a path that saw him earn a bachelor’s degree in African-American Studies from Winston-Salem State University and a master’s in educational leadership and administration from George Washington University. He currently serves as a teaching assistant for Kaifa Roland in the Global Black Studies program.

His dissertation chair is Rhondda Thomas, the Calhoun Lemon Professor of Literature and award-winning director of the Call My Name Project. There’s no doubt he applied lessons learned by working with Thomas on Call My Name in how to tell a complete history. He hopes the project educates the local community in understanding the collective impact of a couple of generations of student-athletes.

“We want people to experience this exhibit at their own pace,” Durham says. “It’s nice to see the actual history of the school, not just what you hear in the local barbershop.”

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE “SINCERELY, DANIEL” EXHIBIT