Early Years
Erwin was born October 23, 1956 in Florence, South Carolina to Isabel Erwin Kelly and Henry Erwin. Henry died following a brief illness when Joe was 12, and his mother raised Joe and his younger brother Tony. After living in North Carolina and Florida, the Erwins moved to Greenville, South Carolina in 1968 to be closer to family.
Erwin attended public schools and graduated from Eastside High School in Greenville in 1975. At Eastside, he served as student body president, the editorial page editor of the school’s newspaper, and captained the undefeated varsity soccer team. Following graduation, Erwin enrolled at Clemson University. He was an Intramural Debate champion, an International Debate representative, a varsity cheerleader, and in his senior year, the head cheerleader (also known as the “Mic Man”). He was named an NCA All-American in 1978. Erwin graduated from Clemson in 1979 with a B.A. in Political Science.
Joe married Gretchen Getchell Erwin in 1984, and they have two children: Douglas (b. 1988) and Valerie (b. 1990). They live in Greenville, South Carolina and are members of Christ Church Episcopal.
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Famous quotes related to early years:
“I believe that if we are to survive as a planet, we must teach this next generation to handle their own conflicts assertively and nonviolently. If in their early years our children learn to listen to all sides of the story, use their heads and then their mouths, and come up with a plan and share, then, when they become our leaders, and some of them will, they will have the tools to handle global problems and conflict.”
—Barbara Coloroso (20th century)