Tucker Hipps’ parents want two things: the truth and change

Lifelong Clemson University fans Gary and Cindy Hipps want people to know one thing – they aren’t after money in their lawsuits against the university over the violent death of their son, Tucker, during a predawn fraternity pledge run in September.

They just want the truth, they said in an interview with The State newspaper on Thursday.

“If this had happened to one of Tucker’s friends, he would go to all lengths to make sure the truth were known,” Cindy Hipps said, adding Tucker had a reputation for sticking up for others.

And they aren’t interested in settling the matter out of court, taking a secret payment, sealing the court record and never letting the public know what happened.

“We will settle this with the truth,” Gary Hipps said flatly. “This is about a reckoning at every level, a reckoning for any circumstances that would intentionally or unintentionally put our children at risk.”

“We’re not going to do anything that will disallow us to tell the truth,” Cindy Hipps said. “I’d like us to have our day in court.”

Gary is 54; Cindy, 55. They have been married 33 years. Tucker was their only son, the light of their lives.

Although Tucker was accepted by other colleges, including Furman, The Citadel, Auburn and The University of South Carolina, he chose Clemson, about 25 miles from his home, because he loved it so much.

“We took him to football games since he was old enough to walk,” Cindy said. As a boy, Tucker wore a tiger tail, orange wig and painted orange tiger paws on his cheeks.

Since Tucker died mysteriously during the pledge run Sept. 22, his case has drawn state and national publicity. Two lawsuits the Hippses filed March 30 seeking $50 million in damages from Clemson, Sigma Phi Epsilon and three fraternity brothers also received widespread publicity, in large part because of their extensive and detailed allegations of a coverup, extortion, verbal abuse and harassing behavior.

When asked how the Hippses came by such detailed information – including allegations that text messages implicating fraternity brothers in a coverup were deleted – the couple declined comment.

“We trust the people who put the lawsuit together – that’s really all I can say about that,” Gary Hipps said.

One of the lawyers on the legal team is Druanne White, former 10th Circuit solicitor, a person who presumably should know what makes a case strong or not.

The Hippses said they didn’t want to file the lawsuits. But they waited six months, six months during which neither the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office nor Clemson University made public the details of what happened.

“According to everyone, this was just a total mystery,” Gary Hipps said. “We didn’t want to hurt Clemson. We want this situation to be an agent of change for Clemson, to fix some things that are obviously broken.”

The Hipps’ lawsuits allege that a fraternity brother, angry that Tucker hadn’t gotten McDonalds’ breakfasts for 27 pledges that morning, instigated a “confrontation” with Tucker on the S.C. 93 bridge over the Seneca River at Lake Hartwell just before Tucker wound up going over the side and landing on rocks below the water. The lawsuit is silent on how Tucker went over the bridge.

Hours after the run, fraternity members told authorities Hipps never returned to campus. His body was found several hours after that.

Although Clemson is known for the loyalty of its students and alumni, the Hippses said they have been struck by the number of Clemson alumni and supporters who support their lawsuit.

“They all applaud us doing it – I can’t call names, but I’ve had Clemson faculty members tell me that, that change needs to come” Cindy Hipps said.

Cindy Hipps said one comment that was especially meaningful to her came from Clemson student Kyra Palange, 19, who was quoted several weeks ago in The State. “We’re all Tucker, we’re all 19 years old, going to class, going to football games.”

“They know how hard it is for us to do this,” Cindy Hipps said. “We are the voice of other parents that now see themselves in this spot. They think, ‘This could be me.’ No one who has kids really faults us for this. It’s not too late to help other kids.”

“If we didn’t file a lawsuit, our other choice was to do nothing – that just wasn’t an option,” Gary Hipps said.

On Thursday, the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office released a statement on Hipps’ case, asserting that investigating the death was a “top priority” but that it had been transferred to a detective who handles unsolved crimes.

The Hippses spoke to The State at their home in Anderson County. Two of their attorneys, Trevor White and Jennifer Burnett, were present but didn’t take part in the interview.

One outcome the couple would like to see is transparency for now-secret fraternity activities. Perhaps independent adults could be assigned full time to involve themselves in fraternity activities, they said.

The Hippses said Tucker was a lifelong Christian, an athlete who played basketball and football at Wren High School and participated in Boys’ State, a statewide high school leadership organization.

The annual weeklong Boys’ State conventions were marked by openness, adult involvement and constructive activities – everything that secretive fraternities are not, the Hippses said.

“Brotherhood’s not brotherhood that leaves someone behind,” Cindy Hipps said, referring to how her son’s pledge class and three “brothers” who were on the run that morning and left Tucker’s battered body in the dark waters under a bridge just off the Clemson campus.

Tucker never would have left a friend behind, she said. “He would have been the first to call 911.”

Universities need to be more transparent about processes of pledging a fraternity, they said. When Tucker became a fraternity pledge last fall, they received a generally worded letter from Clemson talking about joining a fraternity, but nothing that said, “This could be hazardous to your health,” Gary Hipps said.

Sigma Phi Epsilon was a fraternity Tucker wanted to be part of.

“It was one of his top three choices,” Cindy Hipps said. “I have it on a little piece of paper where he wrote down his top three choices. He was excited to get that bid.”

Although Tucker would talk about Boys’ State happenings, he didn’t talk about being a pledge. “He said, ‘Mama, don’t ask me.’”

The Hippses were relieved that a SLED toxicology report found no drugs or alcohol in Tucker’s body. Until they released that report as part of their lawsuits – some people had blamed Tucker for the tragedy, they said.

The Hippses said when Tucker went off to college, they began thinking about how he would get married and they would someday be grandparents. Now, those dreams will stay dreams.

“You know what? Tucker was a better man than me, in most every way,” Gary said, “He knew he was blessed. He didn’t have riches and wealth. But he was a gentleman ... polite and courteous and loving.” He blinked back tears. “He was 19. Now he’ll be forever 19.”

Cindy Hipps savors her last conversation with Tucker, a day or two before he died. “I just said, ‘I wanted to tell you I loved you.’ He said, ‘I love you, too, mom.’”

Now, she said, “I still keep thinking he’s going to show up and walk in the door.”

A hope that sustains them is that changes in fraternity accountability will come, that lives will be saved.

“We hope it leads to dialogue,” Gary Hipps said. “We hope it leads to people realizing it’s not a futile effort to do what we can to protect our kids.”

But he knows it won’t be easy.

“There are a lot of powerful people who like fraternities just the way they are,” he said.

This story was originally published April 16, 2015 at 9:29 PM with the headline "Tucker Hipps’ parents want two things: the truth and change."