Auburn Magazine Summer 2010

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A L U M N I

C E N T E R

taught flying lessons and was a champion bowler. Edward Almon Wright ’48 of Jensen Beach,

Fla., died Nov. 24. A U.S. Army Air Corps veteran, he was a retired mechanical engineer for the U.S. Department of Energy in Oak Ridge. He was a member of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity.

Brannan D. Woodham ’49 of Eight Mile died

Feb. 9. A U.S. Army veteran and former Auburn champion wrestler, he worked as a civil servant on U.S. Air Force bases in Alabama and Texas, and retired as chief of the avionics division at Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, Ga. He was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity.

Robert O. Baxter ’49

SNAPSHOT

Grease is the word The South is the land of fried: deep-fried, pan-fried, Frenchfried, flash-fried. All of which are good for business as far as Clay McInnis ’09 is concerned. Six months after graduation, McInnis takes pride in not leaving his footprint in the Montgomery area—his carbon footprint, that is. As one of Auburn University’s first sustainability minors, McInnis has put what he learned in college into practice by forming SouthernEco, the first commercial biodiesel producer in Alabama. He and his team collect used vegetable oil from restaurants to make biodiesel fuel, consult with local organizations and institutions about creating sustainable business models, and teach high-school and middle-school students in the Montgomery area about the importance of sustainability. “It’s about achieving more without consuming more and using more,” McInnis says of his business philosophy. “It’s about doing things more efficiently and practically so we can conserve our resources.” One of the things that concerns McInnis about the nation’s environmental problems, he says, is the lack of education about finite resources, including the rate at which society is using those resources and the cost of doing so. “We’re in a place where resources are cheap, but they won’t be cheap forever,” he says. “We need to think of different business practices to sustain ourselves for the future. Our generation will benefit from knowing what sustainability is and how we can do things more efficiently and effectively.” McInnis hopes his business makes a lasting impact—one vat of cooking oil at a time.—Grace Henderson

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Auburn Magazine a u a l u m . o r g

Myron Wharton Lowell ’49 of Metairie, La., died

Dec. 3. A U.S. Army Air Corps veteran, he served as a pilot and gunnery instructor, and retired as a major. Miles Green Stevens Jr.

John Fletcher Yar-

ville, Ga., died March 21. A U.S. Army veteran of World War II, he served as editor and publisher of Poultry Times.

Patricia Van Patten ’49

of Perry, Ga., died Feb. 5. She served in the U.S. Army Women’s Army Corps as a company commander at Fort Dix, N.J., and later retired from Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, Ga.

Charles Franklin Hill

died Dec. 12. He retired from Ewing Bros. Wholesale Jewelers. Ronald G. Kuerner ’51

of Little Rock, Ark., died Dec. 8. He worked for Alcoa Inc.

Thomas Leon Cochran ’50 of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., died Jan. 19. A U.S. Navy veteran of World War II and Auburn football letterman, he played in the NFL for the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants, and later served as superintendent of the Masonic Home in Montgomery. He was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity.

’49 of Pittsburgh died

Feb. 21. He worked for Southern Railway, later Norfolk Southern, where he retired as director of labor relations.

Gerald Glover Adams ’51

of Fort Gaines, Ga., died March 7. A U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, he co-owned Adams Pharmacy in Fort Gaines.

’51 of Decatur, Ga., brough IV ’49 of Gaines-

of Auburn died Jan. 11. A U.S. Air Force veteran of World War II and the Korean War, he worked in research and development for International Paper Co. for 21 years and for Bancroft Bag Inc. as director of research and development for 19 years.

A U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, he was the first principal of Bells Ferry Elementary School in Marietta, Ga.

C. Dennon Alexander ’52 of Hot Springs,

Ark., died Jan. 22. A U.S. Army veteran, he worked for Reynolds Metal Co. as a plant and operational manager for more than 37 years, was a member of Phi Kappa Tau fraternity and was a former board member of the Boy Scouts of America. Peggy Gill Bracken ’52 of Brewton died

William Allen Taber Sr. ’50 of Eldersburg, Md.,

died Jan. 3. A U.S. Army Medical Corps veteran of the Korean War, he was vice president of manufacturing at Columbus Carpet Mills and retired from Diamond Rug and Carpet. He was a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. Milford Lee Turner ’50

of Tallassee died Jan. 27.

Feb. 28. She was a home economics teacher, a retired extension service employee and a member of the Escambia County Historical Society and the Meadorwood Garden Club. Terrell R. Bridges ’52 of Guntersville died

Dec. 7. A U.S. Air Force veteran, he worked in the manufactured-housing industry for Redman


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