Columbus State University Awards Koon Honorary Degree

May 14, 2021

As part of its spring commencement ceremonies on May 15, Columbus State University will award community and business leader C.Robert “Bob” Koon an honorary doctorate in humane letters. The degree recognizes Koon for his longtime philanthropic support of and service to CSU — and his many contributions to the area’s business and civic areas.

“Bob exemplifies what it means to be an outstanding community leader and we are proud to celebrate him with an honorary degree,” said Chris Markwood, president of CSU. “Over the decades, he has supported Columbus State University in numerous ways that have contributed to the growth and financial strength of the university and that will impact us for many years to come.”

Koon and his wife, Joyce, have been leadership annual giving donors to Columbus State for decades. He has invested both his resources and time to Columbus State’s benefit — beginning in 1985 when he began serving as a trustee of the CSU Foundation. He was later selected to serve as the foundation’s chair from 1989-90.

A longtime advocate for planned philanthropic giving, he played a pivotal role in establishing Columbus State University’s Legacy Society in 1998 to recognize individuals who notify the university that they have included CSU in their estate plans. Koon continues to chair the CSU Foundation Planned Giving Initiative.

In recognition of his long involvement with and generous support of Columbus State, the CSU Alumni Association named him an honorary alumnus in 2007. In 2020, at the conclusion of his service on the CSU Foundation Board, he was named a trustee emeritus.

Koon’s lengthy and distinguished career with Swift Textiles concluded with his retirement in 1990 as its chairman and CEO. During his tenure, he became one of the world’s foremost experts in the textile industry and saw first-hand the growth of denim from a work fabric to a fashion statement. As a result of his leadership, the Atlanta Textile Club named him its 1988 Textile Person of the Year Award, he was named as one of Textile World Magazine’s Top 10 Industry Leaders, and he was awarded the American Textile International Magazine’s 1989 Man of the Year award. He was named Columbus Business Leader of the Year in 1988.

As an active businessman in the Columbus community, Koon was a giant of his generation. Today, he remains a giant of the community — applying his business acumen and influence to bettering opportunities for others throughout the Chattahoochee Valley. He helped form the Columbus Regional Medical Foundation and the Muscogee County Excellence in Education Foundation, and served as a board member of Fulton Federal Savings & Loans. His community volunteerism spanning many decades includes service to the Medical Center Hospital Authority, Columbus Jaycees, Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce, the United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley, the Chattahoochee Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the Georgia Council on Adult Literacy, the Rotary Club of Columbus, and countless committees for special projects and initiatives to enhance the lives of those who live in and around Columbus. Likewise, he has done the same through his church, St. Paul Methodist Church.