SPORTS Yep, another national championship— on horseback pg 26
Ray Scott ’59, father of competitive bass fishing pg 34
PROFILE
Who took it all off in college? pg 40
FEATURE SUMMER 2011
Wipeout? Toomer’s oaks face biggest battle yet
luxury living on the trail U N B E L I E VA B LY P R I C E D . From Auburn fans to golf lovers to retirees, National Village has several luxury living options for you directly on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. Come see a spectacular model home designed by Kay Green, one of the nation’s top interior designers, and tour the available homes at National Village in Opelika. Owning one of these two-bedroom to four-bedroom homes gives you access to world-class golf, miles of walking trails, access to fitness room, pool and dining at the Auburn Marriott Opelika Hotel. Come see why Golf World readers named Grand National the number one public golf location in the country. Auburn/Opelika was also named “One of the Top 10 Retirement Locations for Golf” in the country. Now you can call it home at National Village.
LAKE HOMES PRICED FROM THE LOW $400s and GOLF COTTAGES START IN THE $170s. ( The golf cottage homes are complete with fully equipped kitchens including refrigerator and washer and dryer and flatscreen TV. ) Tour the furnished model and available homes by calling 334.749.8165 or stop by for a visit. National Village is located in Opelika adjacent to Grand National on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. Homes are open seven days a week. www.nationalvillage.com
All information is believed to be accurate but is not warranted.
You wouldn’t
EXPECT
to get this excited
about a “board” room.
It probably doesn’t surprise you that
we’re pretty good
at hosting meetings. But what you might not expect is how
good we are outside the board room. Get
your team thinking in new directions with a cooking class or
obstacle course, or bring us your kid’s
baseball tournament or swim meet. Our
championship roots
UN
run deep, and we’ll
make you a hero too when your event is
the most successful
o n e e v e r. C a l l o r v i s i t u s o n l i n e t o d a y.
expected
aotourism.com | info@aotourism.com 334.887.8747 AU Alumni spring 11.indd 1
2/3/2011 4:38:28 PM
Off the beaten path Chewacla State Park’s 700 acres of trails and creeks will soon be populated by college students looking for a place to take a break from summer classes. Located just south of Auburn, Chewacla was established by U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s Civilian Conservation Corps in 1935. To view a vintage video of the park’s creation, see www.alapark.com/chewacla. Photograph by Jeff Etheridge
S U M M E R
2 0 1 1
From the Editor
The human touch
Betsy Robertson
BETSY ROBERTSON
Suzanne Johnson
Editor, Auburn Magazine
on providing food, water, clothing and other aid to storm victims. At press time, the group had raised nearly $53,000 for the American Red Cross disaster relief fund. Meanwhile, Auburn University administrators set up the Auburn Family All In Relief Fund to provide aid for all affected cities and counties, an effort that quickly drew more than $65,000 in donations. Tigers head football coach Gene Chizik and several of his players visited Pleasant Grove to assist with the cleanup and provide a message of hope to residents. “I think it’s important that we all bond together in circumstances like this,” Chizik told reporters. All over the Auburn campus, students, faculty and administrators gave of their money, goods and time to do what they could to help. The tornado outbreak occurred just two months after “Al from Dadeville” publicly bragged about poisoning the Toomer’s Corner oaks. At the time, a group of Tide fans reached out to Auburn, raising $50,000 to save the trees (see cover story, Page 28.) I’m proud of the way in which fans of Auburn and Alabama have come together in recent months to show the rest of the world that when the chips are down, we can keep our sports rivalry in perspective and help each other in times of need. War Eagle!
AUBURN MAGAZINE (ISSN 1077– 8640) is published quarterly; 4X per year; spring, summer, fall, winter, for dues-paying members of the Auburn Alumni Association. Periodicals-class postage paid in Auburn and additional mailing offices. Editorial offices are located in the Auburn Alumni Center, 317 South College St., Auburn University, AL 36849-5149. Phone (334) 844–1164. Fax (334) 844–1477. E–mail: aubmag@auburn.edu. Contents ©2011 by the Auburn Alumni Association, all rights reserved.
LETTERS Auburn Magazine welcomes readers’ comments, but reserves the right to edit letters or to refuse publication of letters judged libelous or distasteful. Space availability may prevent publication of all letters in the magazine, in which case, letters not printed will be available on the alumni association website at the address listed below. No writer is eligible for publication more often than once every two issues. No anonymous letters will be accepted. Auburn Magazine is available in alternative formats for persons with disabilities. For information, call (334) 844–1164. Auburn Magazine is a benefit of membership in the Auburn Alumni Association and is not available by individual subscription. To join, call (334) 844–2586 or visit the association’s website at www.aualum.org.
POSTMASTER Send address changes to 317 South College St., Auburn, AL 36849–5149.
4
Auburn Magazine a u a l u m . o r g
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
A week before this issue of Auburn Magazine went to press, a series of tornadoes pounded the South, killing more than 350 people in half a dozen states, the majority in Alabama. The devastating storm is now said to have spawned the second-deadliest outbreak of tornadoes in the United States in the last half century. The terrible natural disaster struck the town of Tuscaloosa, home of Auburn’s cross-state sports rival, the University of Alabama, particularly hard, directly affecting about 13,700 people and leaving six students confirmed dead. Upon visiting the area two days after the storm, U.S. President Barack Obama told reporters he’d “never seen devastation like this.” A week later, hundreds of people were still missing. Tiny Alabama communities such as Pleasant Grove, Pratt City, Hackleburg, Phil Campbell and others found themselves making national news headlines for the worst of reasons. Amid the heartbreak, Auburn people mobilized to help, quietly illustrating a critical section of the Auburn Creed: “I believe in the human touch, which cultivates sympathy with my fellow men and mutual helpfulness and brings happiness for all.” Opelika auto service center manager Warren Tidwell quickly organized a “Toomer’s for Tuscaloosa” Facebook page that attracted a whopping 84,000-plus fans bent
ADVERTISING INFORMATION Contact Betsy Robertson at (334) 844–1164.
EDITOR
Shannon Bryant-Hankes ’84 ART DIRECTOR
Stacy Wood UNIVERSITY PHOTOGRAPHER
Jeff Etheridge EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS
Sarah Hansen ’11 Rebecca Lakin ’11 Abby Townson ’11 DESIGN ASSISTANT
Jake Odom ’12 PRESIDENT, AUBURN UNIVERSITY
Jay Gogue ’69 VICE PRESIDENT FOR ALUMNI AFFAIRS AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AUBURN ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Deborah L. Shaw ’84 PRESIDENT, AUBURN ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
Bobby Poundstone ’95 AUBURN MAGAZINE ADVISORY BOARD CHAIR
Neal Reynolds ’77 AUBURN MAGAZINE ADVISORY BOARD
Maria Baugh ’87, John Carvalho ’78, Ed Dickinson ’70, Christian Flathman ’97, Tom Ford ’67, Kay Fuston ’84, Julie Keith ’90, Mary Lou Foy ’66, Eric Ludgood ’78, Cindy McDaniel ’80, Carol Pappas ’77,
Joyce Reynolds Ringer ’59, Allen Vaughan ’75
betsyrobertson@auburn.edu
Something Old, Something New,
Something Orange, Something Blue. Weddings at Samford Park
The location that you choose for your ceremony is a reflection of the two of you, and you want it to be the perfect place to convey your love and commitment to one another. For the first time, the lawn in front of Samford Hall is available as the setting for a magnificent wedding experience. Adding a touch of the Auburn Spirit will make your day even more memorable.
auburn.edu/wedding
速
For more information, please contact The Hotel at Auburn University's special events staff at 334-821-8200 or wedding@auburn.edu. a u a l u m . o r g Auburn Magazine
5
Own a piece of history: an authentic Toomer’s Corner brick from underneath Auburn’s beloved twin oaks. Removed during a 2009 excavation, each $100 brick sports a commemorative plate and comes in its own orange burlap bag. Proceeds benefit student scholarships.* Offered for a limited time.
Buy a brick.
www.aualum.org/scholarships w w w. a u a l u m . o r g
*Taxes included in price; price not tax-deductible.
• Auburn-Magnolia • Auburn-Thach • Auburn-S.College • Homewood • Tuscaloosa • LaGrange, GA
Auburn Mag Momma's ad 2011.indd 1
6
Auburn Magazine a u a l u m . o r g
• Montgomery • Dothan • Inverness • Opelika • Mobile • Warner Robins, GA
• Columbus, GA • Columbus (uptown) • Troy • Huntsville • Alabaster • Newnan, GA
4/26/11 2:37 PM
On the cover A roll of toilet paper signifies one of the university’s most beloved traditions. Scientists are still uncertain whether the Toomer’s oaks will survive being poisoned.
Summer 2011 F R O N T 4 From the Editor
Auburn fans offer aid to Tuscaloosa and others hit hard by spring’s deadly storms. 8 The First Word
Women’s golf takes SEC trophy
Final thoughts on our memorable, miraculous championship season.
24 Tiger Walk
For the 23rd-ranked Tigers softball team, working hard is the name of the game. Also: Equestrian team wins national title.
10 College Street
Auburn alum makes “American Idol” finals. Plus: how the economy is affecting enrollment.
B A C K 47 Alumni Center
Football coach Gene Chizik travels to local alumni club meetings; bobsledder Megan Hill ’09 takes to the ice; and an Auburn University icon celebrates the big 3-0. Shuffleboard in the summer
16 Research
Turning over a new leaf: Auburn horticulturists and groundskeepers are keeping an eye on the poisoned Toomer’s oaks, looking for signs of stress.
Taking care of our soldiers as well as our crops.
F E A T U R E S
18 Roundup
What’s happening in your college? Check it out.
28
Family Trees
You’ve heard the news by now: how a senseless act of vandalism continues to threaten one of Auburn’s most sacred spaces. In adversity, unlikely friendships have formed. by mike tierney photographs by jeff etheridge
34
Hook, Line and Thinker
20 Concourse
Audiology students make some noise in Guatemala. Also: Wheelchair athletics gain a following on campus.
40
49 Class Notes 54 In Memoriam
We’re hooked on Ray Scott ’59, the man who turned bass fishing from a hobby into a national sport and has at least two U.S. presidents eating right out of his hand. by suzanne johnson photographs by jeff etheridge Grad student Grace Henderson
Tiger Trek fans in Atlanta
64 The Last Word
Historian Leah Rawls Atkins ’58 on how women have shaped Auburn’s culture.
The Naked Truth
Oh yes, they call him the “Streak.” With one anonymous thrill seeker leading the charge in 1974, Auburn students hoofed it across the concourse and dangled out of dorm windows without wearing a stitch of clothing. by jeremy henderson ’04 Leah Rawls Atkins
a u a l u m . o r g Auburn Magazine
7
L E T T E R S
T O
T H E
E D I T O R
The First Word THE TOPIC Four months later, we’re still basking in it: the Tigers’ 2010 national championship, which finally offered Auburn fans bragging rights after decades of hoping for the top spot in college football. Icicles and more
I was born in New York City and raised in New Jersey but have lived in Alabama for over 40 years, and all three of my children graduated from Auburn. So how did I celebrate Auburn’s national championship? My son and his wife have two boys ages 6 and 8 who were allowed to stay up that night to watch the game. We yelled; we cried; we shook our orange-and-blue pompoms. We held our collective breaths at the end of the game. At last, we could cheer. Although the boys almost fell asleep, they regained their energy and ran through the house yelling “War Eagle!” “Grandma D” went to bed. The next morning, all the trees in the front yard had been “rolled.” Mom and dad had let the boys go outside and “decorate” the trees until they ran out of paper. It was a joyous morning for a houseful of fans! —Diane Dixon, Helena, Ala.
No need for mourning
Just before the 1972 football season, after Heisman trophy winner Pat Sullivan and receiver Terry Beasley left the Auburn Tigers, the most energetic fans were pessimistic about what was to come—very similar to the fans today. Well, that was the year in which we only lost one game to Tennessee. Furthermore, it was the year of the memorable 17-16 win over high-ranked Alabama. That game started the yell “Punt, ’Bama, Punt!” The day before, my statistics teacher wrote on the blackboard “P = 0” (i.e., “the probability of Auburn beating Alabama equals zero”). More significantly, the professor was writing on the board what I thought was Monday’s assignment. He wrote, “If Auburn beats Alabama, I will give everyone in this class a cocktail party at my home.” Feeling obligated, he did so. Lesson learned: Even when you lose a great offense in football, you still can hold the key with a great defense. I would like to get this message to the Auburn fans and students who feel saddened by Cam Newton’s leaving for the pros. —Stephen Andrews ’73, Mahwah, N.J.
Better than texting
Lift the Roof
My husband’s mother and father grew up on farms in rural Henry County in the southeastern corner of Alabama. Farms back then had dinner bells that were used to call the farm hands in from the fields to eat. We inherited one of those bells, and it is on a post beside the steps leading to our front door. We used it to call our children in from the park across the street, and some people ring it to let us know they are here. But the most important ringing is when Auburn University wins a football game. With the score tied at 19 and only two seconds left in the game, Auburn lined up for a field goal to win the championship. Just before the kick, our neighbors across the street lost their electricity. They had friends visiting, and all they could do in the dark was wonder if the kick was good. One of the friends asked if anyone could hear a bell ringing. The neighbors shouted, “That is Bill Arnold ringing the farm bell in his front yard. Auburn won!” The bell that called farm hands to dinner years ago let our neighbors know that the Auburn Tigers had become the 2010 national champions. —Gayle Arnold, Birmingham, Ala.
The Spring 2011 issue was awesome! Not only was the magazine filled with information about happenings at Auburn, but the sports coverage was excellent—great historical content and national championship coverage. I was a bit disappointed about one thing. I was very saddened that Tigers head football coach Gene Chizik had little or nothing to say about defensive coordinator Ted Roof. Auburn would not have won the national championship if Roof had not been able to make the most remarkable adjustments in the second half of nearly all the games. He got better as the season went on and held Alabama to just three points in the second half of the Iron Bowl. In the past, lack of adjustments in the second half of games had become almost an Auburn trademark. Coach Roof gave our wonderful offense the opportunity to win many of our games. He needs not to be lost in the shadow of a great Tigers offense. —Ed French ’68, Greensboro, Ga.
Same time next year
I grew up going to Auburn football games, and my family and I have had the same seats since the late ’50s. Through the years we became friends with those sitting around us. We watched each other grow up or grow old, and, with the passing of
8
years, the seats welcomed the next generation. Before I knew it, I had three young daughters sitting in those same seats, wearing Auburn cheerleading uniforms, shakers in hand. Then, as if in a blink of an eye, I was watching those little ones through binoculars across the field in the student section. In January, Auburn was going to the BCS National Championship Game, and there was no way that we were not going to be there. Sitting at the Auburn tailgate before the game, I looked at my husband and our three daughters and thought, “We are all here together in this game-day experience.” It became ever more clear to me that this trip and the efforts made to attend were about being a part of the Auburn family. It is that Auburn pride that runs through your veins, and it is with you for a lifetime. It is that fearlessand-true smile when you say “War Eagle” to a stranger. It is the essence of Auburn. —Sarah Howard Ade ’76, Wildwood, Ga.
Auburn Magazine a u a l u m . o r g
Party on
We have a group of Auburn friends as well as a few adopted fans from other schools, and we get together to watch every game. We always decorate before a game-watching party ... but for the BCS National Championship we ramped up to a new level. We had 16 people packed into our den, not including kids. There was a smorgasbord of food set up; the highlight was the four smoked ducks I had special-ordered. One fan brought several yellow rubber duckies, which we scattered over the floor, and everyone made a point to step on them as we walked around. To make sure everyone had a good view, I hooked up two extra TVs to the main cable line, and we had a bank of three TVs in the den. To top everything off, I wrapped my house in orange and blue (bunting), made my own kingsized logo for the front door, sprayed paw prints in the grass on the front lawn and lit the whole thing with floodlights. After the intensity of the game, we sang, led cheers, and watched the analysis and awards ceremony for hours. Of course, we rolled my Toomer’s oak (seedling) planted in the backyard. After the last guest left, the rest of us crashed in the wee hours of the morning, with a “War Eagle!” to all, and to all a goodnight. —Tim Williams ’87, Winter Park, Fla.
NEXT TOPIC The poisoning of the Toomer’s oaks got us thinking: What are some other sacred spots on campus? Where did you experience an epiphany or suffer a consequence? Where did you engage in a great debate, meet your first love, make a friend for life? Tell us about your special place, on or off campus, and what happened: Write Auburn Magazine, 317 South College St., Auburn, AL 368495149, or email betsyrobertson@auburn.edu.
C A M P U S
N E W S
COLLEGE STREET AS S OCIAT ED PRES S
Q and A WHAT HAS BEEN THE PROUDEST MOMENT OF YOUR CAREER?
Auburn’s rhinestone rocker He covered songs originally made famous by Rod Stewart and Ryan Adams, sported a $4,500 rhinestone-studded custom suit straight off Nashville’s Music Row and earned praise for being quirky and cool. With a voice as gritty as a lonesome gravel road, a smile rivaling a Lite-Brite and a sense of style inspired by Elvis Presley, Elton John and Gram Parsons, singersongwriter Paul McDonald took his local following to the national television stage this spring as a top-13 contestant on the Fox hit show “American Idol.” Despite or perhaps because of his unique style, the Huntsville native reached the top eight before being voted off the show in April by viewers. He’ll travel the country with his fellow “American Idol” finalists on a concert tour this summer. McDonald, who attended Auburn University as a biomedical-sciences major before dropping out in 2006 to seek fame and fortune in the music business, auditioned for the show on a whim but hoped it might offer him a chance to mine a new audience for his original indie-rock music. The 26-year-old was an early favorite of the show’s celebrity judges, producer Randy Jackson, pop diva Jennifer Lopez and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler. “When I tried out, this whole thing was just for fun. I never expected to get this
10
Auburn Magazine a u a l u m . o r g
Above: Auburn alumnus
far,” says McDon- Paul McDonald performs ald, who per- on “American Idol” with other finalists. He formed one of his five is the second former original songs on AU student to make the the show. “My show’s top tier of wouldthing was to branch be recording stars. out and let people know what I do normally. It made me happy they let me sing my own song on the show. Original music comes off more real, because it is real.” Prior to moving to Nashville, McDonald and Auburn classmate Jonathan Pears performed with the band Hightide Blues, which played more than 200 shows a year from its home base in Auburn. The pair renamed the band The Grand Magnolias and released a self-titled CD in November. Since McDonald’s “Idol” appearance, the album has made both the Billboard and iTunes bestseller charts. McDonald, son of Huntsville psychologist David McDonald ’85 and wife Susan, credits his Auburn years with helping mold him as a performer and artist. “It helped me a bunch,” he says, “and I’m definitely coming back.” McDonald is the second former Auburn student to make the “Idol” finals during the show’s 10 seasons on the air. Birmingham singer Taylor Hicks, who attended Auburn in the late ’90s, won the competition in 2006.—Abby Townson
I was honored to have an insect species named after me in 2001 (Melanotrichus boydi or “Boyd’s Black-Haired Bug”). The discovery came out of the thesis work of graduate student Michael Wall ’95, and I’ve enjoyed working that species into lectures and presentations. ... I’ve also given specimens to family and friends. It’s a running joke with my daughters, because when a young man they are seeing is given his very own specimen, it’s a sign that he has entered the inner circle of our family. In fact, my middle daughter got married in December, and I took a specimen to the wedding to give to her husband.
Robert Boyd
Professor of biological sciences and 22-year veteran of the AU faculty
we’re engaged The prestigious Carnegie
said Auburn president
Foundation for the Ad-
Jay Gogue. “Outreach is
vancement of Teaching
a defining aspect of our
recognized Auburn Uni-
land-grant heritage, and
versity in January as one
this classification reflects
of 311 U.S. institutions
Auburn’s significant com-
of higher education that
mitment to serving the
provide exemplary out-
public in Alabama and
reach and public-service
beyond.”
programs. The Carnegie organi-
Widely used in the study of higher education,
zation awarded Auburn its
the Carnegie Classifica-
community-engagement
tion System is the leading
classification, which was
framework for describing
established in 2006 as a
U.S. colleges and univer-
descriptive category for
sities. The community-
which institutions could
engagement classification
voluntarily apply. It is the
is also held by institutions
most significant recogni-
such as Michigan State,
tion in higher education
Ohio State, Penn State
for a university’s total
and Wisconsin, long
outreach and body of
recognized as national
work in the community.
leaders in outreach. The
“We’re honored to
designation represents
receive this national
“an important affirma-
recognition for our faculty
tion” for Auburn, provost
and student engagement,”
Mary Ellen Mazey noted.
C O L L E G E
S T R E E T
AUBURN UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES
The search is on Auburn will begin a national search this summer to fill the top academic position on campus. Provost Mary Ellen Mazey, who joined Auburn in February 2009, will leave this summer to assume the presidency of Bowling Green State University in Ohio. At Auburn, the combined provost and vice president for academic affairs position oversees all 12 colleges, plus other academicsupport units, and a $290 million budget.
Flashback 100 years ago
75 years ago
50 years ago
25 years ago
10 years ago
Summer 1911
Summer 1936
Summer 1961
Summer 1986
Summer 2001
The Alabama legislature appropriated funds for soil-fertility experiments throughout Alabama, one of which was established on a farm near Auburn. Today, “Cullars Rotation” is the oldest soil-fertility study in the South and one of the oldest in the U.S. It is the second-oldest experiment in the world involving cotton production, bested only by the nearby Old Rotation (circa 1896) plot.
In a letter to The Auburn Plainsman, Alabama Polytechnic Institute registrar Posey Oliver “P.O.” Davis noted that the job-market demand for Auburn graduates was “back to the preDepression level,” as evidenced by a survey of the university’s schools. Davis quoted Auburn president Luther N. Duncan as saying there was every indication that demand would grow in the coming years.
Alabama Gov. John B. Patterson visited Auburn for Governor’s Day, promising an increase in state funds for education and assuring the public that Alabama’s economy was on the upswing. Later, in his budget address to the state legislature, Patterson recommended an appropriation of $3 million less than Auburn administrators had requested for the 1961-62 school year.
Auburn’s Graduate Student Association leaders voted unanimously to conduct a poll of its constituency asking how they wanted to be represented on campus. Association president Pat McLoughlin said the outcome would determine whether the group would reverse its earlier decision to pull out of the Student Government Association and form a separate campus governing organization for graduate students.
Auburn provost and former engineering dean William F. Walker was named interim president of Auburn University, succeeding William Muse. The university’s board of trustees elevated Walker to president the following year; he resigned in 2004 after a controversy over clandestine meetings involving the future of then-football coach Tommy Tuberville.
Above: The time was right in the Gay Nineties for a bicycle club in Auburn. The high wheeler, with its large front wheel and small back one, had been replaced by a safer model with wheels the same size plus air-filled rubber tires. Pioneering Auburn cyclists, including professor George Petrie (fourth from left) and wife Mary Lane, organized a club that eventually built a bicycle path from Samford Avenue south of town to Wrights Mill Road.
a u a l u m . o r g Auburn Magazine
11
C O L L E G E
S T R E E T
Happy birthday, Auburn Phi Peta Kappa The Auburn University chapter of the Phi Beta Kappa Society celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. The prestigious Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest honor society in the nation. Its officials repeatedly denied Auburn’s requests for a charter for nearly 40 years until the university clarified the role of liberal arts in its curriculum, expanded its library, began awarding more academic scholarships and established a comprehensive honors program.
Auburn puts knowledge to work JAY GOGUE ’69
President, Auburn University
Rocket science Three of Alabama’s premier
Alabama at the forefront in
higher education institutions
aerospace.”
have joined forces to create
from the institutions’
of Alabama to better serve
aerospace engineering
the state and its growing
programs are serving as
aerospace industry.
the consortium’s board of
Auburn University, the
directors. Faculty, research-
University of Alabama and
ers and administration
the University of Alabama
from the three institutions
in Huntsville are working
have begun efforts to
together to create oppor-
identify strategic initiatives
tunities for state-of-the-art
for research, outreach and
research, share resources
instruction.
and specialized equip-
“By combining the
ment, enhance graduate
aerospace engineering
outreach programs, and
expertise, resources and
support K-12 partnerships
influence of these three
throughout Alabama.
major institutions, we will
“Alabama is an
be able to provide unique
aerospace state second
opportunities in graduate
to none,” said John
education and compete
Cochran, head of Auburn’s
more effectively for large
Department of Aerospace
research projects to help
Engineering.
keep the United States
“Within this state, the Department of Defense agencies, NASA and private
12
Department chairs
the Aerospace Consortium
first in aerospace,” added Cochran. Auburn’s history in
industry are engaged in
aerospace engineering
aeronautical and space
stretches back to 1942,
research, development and
when the Department of
production. The Aerospace
Aeronautical Engineering
Consortium of Alabama
was formed. Auburn-trained
offers a major step in
engineers have been
providing enhanced aero-
instrumental in all stages
space engineering graduate
of NASA and aerospace
education and state-of-the-
defense research and
art research to help keep
development.
Auburn Magazine a u a l u m . o r g
The fundamental mission of a great land-grant university is to help people achieve their hopes and dreams through instruction, outreach and research. That mission is even more important now as the nation’s economy is struggling. Along with our students, we also help others away from campus— from farmers who need to know how to maximize crop growth to major companies that need our know-how. The end result is a stronger economy, which leads to more jobs. From an economic standpoint, it’s well documented that Auburn University’s impact on the state is more than $4 billion annually. That’s a big number, but what does it mean? There are myriad examples, and I’d like to mention three. The first involves working with local communities to attract employers and investment to the state. General Electric Co. recently announced Auburn would be the location of an environmental-coatings facility for jet-engine components that is expected to provide more than 300 jobs. The university partnered with our city and county to bring GE here and was a major reason we were selected.
A second involves research that partners with the private sector to put new technologies and knowledge in the field. Auburn chemical engineer Bruce Tatarchuk worked with a number of government laboratories to create a new material with high electrical conductivity and high surface area. What they came up with has applications across many different disciplines, and is currently used to help power a Trident submarine and build the world’s most efficient air filter. A third example is Auburn’s outreach efforts to educate and train Alabamians in broadband technology. The program will utilize targeted media campaigns to increase awareness of broadband’s practical applications. Auburn’s Economic & Community Development Institute, a partnership of Auburn University and the Alabama Cooperative Extension System, will use $1.3 million from the U.S. Department of Commerce for the project. Auburn University’s promise is to find solutions that work for us in Alabama and beyond, in a wide array of areas and industries, and produce graduates who are well-prepared to lead those areas and industries. On another note, as a leader it’s not too difficult to make a positive impact when you have a healthy budget. It’s a lot harder when funds are short, but that’s exactly what provost and vice president for academic affairs Mary Ellen Mazey did. And that is why we regret seeing her leave to become the next president of Bowling Green State University in Ohio effective July 1. The Auburn family wishes her all the best in her new position. War Eagle!
jgogue@auburn.edu
C O L L E G E
S T R E E T
Trustee turnover After reviewing a group of nearly 200 nominees for nine open positions on the Auburn University board of trustees, Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley and a selection committee re-nominated six sitting trustees and chose three potential newcomers in April. The choices now go before a state Senate committee and then the full Senate for approval. The governor’s trustee selection committee is composed of five voting members—two members of the Auburn Alumni Association board of directors, two current trustees and the governor himself. Selected by the committee to continue serving on the university’s chief governing body were veteran trustees Virginia Thompson ’78 of Montgomery; Jimmy Rane ’68 of Abbeville; Bobby Lowder ’64 of Auburn; Sarah Newton ’74 of Fayette; Byron Franklin ’91 of Birmingham; and Charles McCrary ’73 of Birmingham. If confirmed, each will serve an additional seven-year term. New nominees were commercial Realtor B.T. Roberts ’72 of Mobile, cotton grower Jimmy Sanford ’68 of Prattville and attorney Elizabeth “Liz” Huntley ’93 of Clanton.
Lowder’s nomination as the trustees’ Lee County representative (he now serves as representative of District 2, which includes Montgomery County, but recently moved to Auburn) was the most controversial. Both representatives of the Auburn Alumni Association voted against Lowder’s reappointment but were outvoted. Critics have blamed the retired banker for exercising an inordinate amount of influence over the university’s academic affairs and athletics department since being appointed to the board of trustees by former Alabama governor George Wallace in 1983. Despite casting a dissenting vote against Lowder, alumni association president Bobby Poundstone ’95 says the trustee choices are solid overall. “Obviously, you have some knowns going back on, and we’ve seen how these folks function on the board,” he told The OpelikaAuburn News. “But I also think you’re adding some very strong people to the mix.” Former Auburn Alumni Association president Nancy Young Fortner ’71 and board member Howard Nelson ’69 rotate serving on the trustee selection committee along with Poundstone.
No job? Enroll now The economy might be
Singley says. “We are at
down, but interest in
25,078 for this year and
Auburn University by
will most likely be close
prospective students
to that for 2011-12.” Meanwhile, graduate
is up. “We actually thought
enrollment is steady
the economy would have
across disciplines. Grad-
some bearing on the
uate school dean George
downside for enrollment,
Flowers says although
but it didn’t,” says Cindy
financial aid is harder to
Singley ’79, director of
come by, more students
university recruitment.
are pursuing master’s
The number of applications for fall enrollment in recent months
degrees to improve their chances of finding jobs. “We’ve seen quite
has grown by about 17
a few students com-
percent over last year.
ing back for graduate
Singley attributes the
school,” he says. “They
increase to continued
want to make themselves
interest in Auburn’s
more competitive.”
academic programs and
Auburn now boasts
a public-relations boost
about 3,900 graduate
from the Tigers’ BCS
students, but admin-
National Championship
istrators would like to
in football.
see that number reach
“We use historical trends to predict fall
5,000. “We’re working
enrollment, though it’s
hard to move in that
not an exact science,”
direction,” Flowers
Singley says. “Using that
says, noting that steady
data, we look for a class
grad school enrollment
slightly over 4,000.”
benefits the university
The university is
by providing a stable of
intentionally keeping
available teaching and
enrollment at about
research assistants.
25,000 students,
—Abby Townson
a u a l u m . o r g Auburn Magazine
13
S T R E E T
K AT IE WILL I AMS
C O L L E G E
Meet the Prof David N. Lucsko Assistant professor of history, College of Liberal Arts BACKSTORY A native of Pittsburgh, Lucsko grew
up in the Atlanta area. As an undergraduate student at Georgia Tech, he discovered he could combine an interest in history with his longtime fascination with automobile engineering and technology. After earning a doctoral degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2005, he served as managing editor of the academic journal Technology and Culture in Dearborn, Mich. He joined Auburn’s history faculty last year. IN CLASS Lucsko teaches two courses on the FRUIT & VEGGIE TIME: Fresh-food aficionados relish warm weather, when they can begin growing and buying the summer’s locally grown fruits and vegetables. Farmers throughout Lee County and surrounding areas gather once a week on campus for Auburn’s seasonal farmer’s market from May through Labor Day. Peas, peaches, goat cheese, green beans and more tantalize the tastebuds. Tomato sandwich, anyone?
Yellow light for lecture series A longtime campus lecture
programs within the state
Robert Penn Warren,
series that has been re-
of Georgia, says series
documentarian Ken Burns,
in concert with Auburn’s
sponsible for bringing such
founder Taylor Littleton,
physicist John Archibald
Human Odyssey Project,
luminaries as William Sty-
retired Auburn dean of
Wheeler, conservative
which consists of a pair
OUT OF CLASS Lucsko is in the process of restor-
ron, Eudora Welty, Richard
undergraduate studies
political columnist James
of courses exploring the
Leakey and Joyce Carol
and vice president for
J. Kilpatrick and feminist
intersection of philosophy,
Oates to Auburn University
academic affairs.
theorist Carol Gilligan.
science, humanities and
ing a pair of vintage Volkswagens: a 1978 convertible Beetle and a 1967 Microbus. A longtime car buff, he loves to drive and play 1980s-era video games such as Galaga and Super Mario Brothers. He formerly played in the horn section of an alternative-country band.
Since then, the
Littleton hopes to
the social sciences.
is in danger of extinction
Littleton-Franklin lecture
raise awareness among po-
Students learn how
due to loss of funding.
series has relied on
tential donors of the need
human societies have
funding from individual
for funding to sustain the
developed and discuss
Lecture Series in Science
donors and various deans’
series, which he says has
topics such as ethics
and Humanities was
budgets. The only perma-
enriched Auburn’s intel-
in medical research,
established in 1968 to
nent funding that remains
lectual life for 43 years.
sustainability
bring some of the world’s
for the lectures is about
leading thinkers in the arts
$3,500 annually from the
of course, who came and
quantum
and sciences to Auburn for
estate of the late W. Kelly
went as Franklin lecturers,
phys-
speeches and small-group
Mosley ’24, an Auburn
when those visits took
ics.
interaction with students.
alumnus and former chair
place, the classes and
About five years ago, a key
of the Franklin Founda-
discussions which were
benefactor, Atlanta-based
tion, Littleton says.
held,” he wrote of the
for speaking engagements
The Littleton-Franklin
The Franklin Foundation,
14
The series is offered
advancement of technology throughout world history as well as upper-level classes that cover the development of the automobile and industrialization. “I believe studying our technology is important, because the tools and systems we build as a people and as individuals reflect who we are,” he says. His book, The Business of Speed: The Hot Rod Industry in America, 1915-1990 (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2008), examines the development of the hobby and $34 billion industry of high-performance automotive modification, also known as “tuning” or “hot-rodding.”
More than 150 leaders
“We can document,
lecture series more than
began reducing its support
in the arts and sciences
20 years ago. “But what
of the lecture series in an
have served as Franklin
we cannot document are
effort to emphasize its
lecturers at Auburn,
the silent transformations
funding for educational
including poet and novelist
which occurred.”
Auburn Magazine a u a l u m . o r g
and even
COMING SOON Lucsko is studying the ways in which automotive enthusiasts use and recycle cars and parts found in junkyards.
Outdoor seating Auburn’s May graduation ceremony was held on the field at Jordan-Hare Stadium for the first time in more than four decades. Administrators decided to use the stadium as this year’s venue so each graduating senior could invite as many guests as he or she wanted without necessitating multiple separate ceremonies. Former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs delivered the commencement address; the university awarded an estimated 3,139 degrees.
C O L L E G E
S T R E E T
Note from the edge
If Alabama statesman and politician John Williams Walker hadn’t had his way, the state might have been a lot smaller. Walker, a native Virginian, was one of the first two U.S. senators representing Alabama, serving from 1819 to 1822, when he resigned his Senate seat because of failing health. He died in 1823 at age 39. Walker County is named in his honor. The recent donation to Auburn University Libraries of a letter written by Walker sheds light on an important chapter in Alabama history. In the letter, dated February 1818, Walker lobbies for a western boundary with Mississippi that would keep the majority of the Tombigbee River within Alabama’s borders. The letter is a plea from Walker for the recipient in Washington, D.C., as yet unidentified, to work hard to ensure that the
largest part of the Tombigbee, then known as the Tombeckbe, stay within the Alabama Territory and not become part of Mississippi. Walker wrote the letter from the Alabama Territory capital of St. Stephens as he served in the territorial legislature less than two months after Mississippi was admitted to the union in December 1817. Walker’s efforts were ultimately successful, and when the state of Alabama was admitted to the union on Dec. 14, 1819, the western boundary of the state included the majority of the Tombigbee River system that would prove so important for the state’s development. After writing the letter, Walker went on to become the president of the Alabama constitutional convention and a U.S. senator. Acquired from a reputable dealer, the letter is the only known pre-statehood epistle by Walker held in an Alabama public archive. Auburn archivists plan to display the letter in the special-collections department of the Ralph Brown Draughon Library and provide an online copy for public viewing.
Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities Celebrating 25 years of strengthening the bond between Auburn University and the public through exploration of our individual and collective experiences, values, and identities through the past, in the present, and for the future.
for information on the center and its programs, contact:
auburn university’s college of liberal arts center for outreach
a u a l u m . o r g Auburn Magazine
15
C O L L E G E
S T R E E T
Research
Bitter stats on diabetes Auburn chemist Christopher
diagnosed diabetes cases.
Easley was raised in Missis-
Ranked third? Alabama.
sippi, drinking sweet tea like
Also in the top 10: South
every other self-respecting
Carolina, North Carolina,
Southerner. So it comes
Kentucky, Tennessee and
as no surprise to him that
Louisiana.
while the southeastern U.S.
It’s one reason Easley,
ranks behind the rest of
an assistant professor of
the country in many areas,
chemistry in the College of
from education to income,
Science and Mathematics,
it leads in one deadly
is conducting diabetes re-
statistic: the incidence of
search in conjunction with
diabetes among the region’s
the Boshell Diabetes and
population.
Metabolic Disease Research
Easley’s home state is
Program, an interdisci-
ranked second in the nation
plinary research group
behind West Virginia in
sponsored by the College of
the highest number of
Veterinary Medicine. Easley’s work involves creating microfluidic devices similar to computer chips that contain a set of small channels resembling miniature plumbing. The devices allow scientists to study single cells or groups of cells, such as those in the pancreas, to discover how they react with each other under the influence of different treatments. “What makes pancreatic islets so interesting is that they are aggregates of multiple cell types. A pancreatic islet is actually considered to be a ‘microorgan’ because it can function as an individual.” Easley uses microfluidic devices to study the “architecture” of pancreatic islets and determine how the structure and location of the cell types affect their function in terms of glucose stimulation after a person eats a meal.
16
Auburn Magazine a u a l u m . o r g
Training Army warrior athletes
By the time most college kids even think about getting out of bed, the graduate students in Auburn University’s post-certification graduate athletic-training program have already put in a full day treating soldiers at Fort Benning near Columbus, Ga. Kinesiology students enrolled in the program arrive on base at 5:15 a.m. Monday through Saturday to help care for an estimated 30,000 soldiers who annually cycle through the U.S. Army 192nd Infantry Brigade’s five battalions for nine weeks of basic combat training or 14 weeks of infantry training. Auburn graduate-student athletic trainers spend from four to five hours each morning diagnosing, treating, rehabilitating and preventing injuries. The work environment has proven far different than anything they’ve experienced in a gymnasium or on a football sideline: The stakes are much higher. Because many of the troops will eventually land in the hot zones of Afghanistan and Iraq, soldiers spend early mornings
training on Fort Benning’s Sand Hill, an appropriately named course featuring ankle-deep sand to harden their bodies and solidify their resolve. During a typical day, Auburn students treat everything from sprains to stress fractures. “It’s a unique opportunity to get hands-on experience in the military environment,” says JoEllen Sefton, director of Auburn’s Warrior Research Center and coordinator of the graduate athletictraining program. “(Students) see different situations, different injuries here than they would see anywhere else. It’s a more stressful environment.” The Army’s emphasis on training recruits as “soldier-athletes” inspired base officers to reach out to Sefton for assistance two years ago. Having graduatestudent athletic trainers on site augments the Army’s medical team and means soldiers receive immediate treatment, saving trips to troop medical centers and physical therapy clinics.
Good food Auburn poultry science professor Patricia Curtis has been tapped to head the university’s new Food Systems Initiative, an interdisciplinary research group formed to study and educate people about food safety. “Everyone has to eat, and we want to help provide a safe, secure, diverse and affordable food supply for people worldwide,” she says.
C O L L E G E
S T R E E T
Newfangled farm tools may save money for growers When Auburn’s Alabama
guidance systems and basic
farm in more environmen-
rence County farmers, grain
Agricultural Experiment Sta-
precision-ag technologies
tally sustainable ways.
producer Don Glenn and
tion scientists began investi-
potentially can save
gating precision-agriculture
anywhere from $2 to $8
overall amount of pesticides
were among the first grow-
technologies 15 years ago,
per acre,” says Fulton.
and nutrients they apply to
ers in the state to venture
a key question was at the
“For farmers utilizing more
cropland and pastures by
into the age of precision ag
heart of the research: Would
advanced precision-ag
an average of 10 percent,”
when it was in its infancy,
investing in the technologies
tools, the savings would
Fulton says. “With precision
and both credit the tools of
be cost-effective for Ala-
be higher.”
farming, inputs can be
precision farming for helping
applied when and where
them boost their productiv-
is an ever-evolving ap-
they are needed, which can
ity and profitability.
the answer is a resound-
proach to farming in which
mean fewer trips across
ing yes.
producers use GPS, aerial
fields, and that can lessen
that the ongoing research at
bama farmers? So far, researchers say,
Precision agriculture
“They have reduced the
cotton farmer Larkin Martin,
They also acknowledge
About 60 percent of
images and geographic in-
soil compaction and the
Auburn and the training and
row-crop farmers across the
formation systems software
risks of erosion and chemi-
technical help provided by
state who have adopted
as well as sensors installed
cal runoff into surface water.
the extension system have
precision-ag technologies or
on farm machinery to
site-specific management
gather detailed data about
allows farmers to document
strategies on their collective
how soil fertility, terrain,
their field operations—what
“The program has
670,000-plus acres saved
weed populations, crop
they did, exactly when they
provided invaluable as-
an estimated $10 million
yields and other conditions
did it and how much they
sistance in cutting through
on crop inputs in 2009
affecting crop growth vary
applied,” he adds.
the marketing hype to show
simply by reducing overlap
within a given field.
when applying fertilizer and
The techniques and
“The technology also
That information is helping farmers maximize
been essential in advancing the technology.
what really works in the field,” Glenn says. For more information
pesticides, says John
tools of precision agricul-
crop yields by developing
Fulton, Auburn biosystems
ture not only improve farm-
more refined understandings
on precision ag, see www.
engineering associate
ers’ profit margins, they
of their operations’ potential
alabamaprecisionagonline.
professor. “Farmers using
also allow producers to
and limitations. Two Law-
com.
Nice ride Engineering faculty and students in April introduced a new hybrid car with a different sort of tiger in the tank. “TIGER,” an acronym for “Transportation Integrating Green Energy Resources,” is the only two-person commuter vehicle in the world with a deployable solar array. Auburn’s solar-car team designed the vehicle to run on both an electric, rechargeable motor and a biodiesel engine. The motor can be charged either with a plug-in wall charger or—and here’s what sets TIGER apart—using an onboard solar recharger. SOL of Auburn, the solar car team, consists of about 25 Auburn students, most majoring in mechanical or electrical/ computer/wireless engineering. Auburn’s TIGER car can travel 450 miles on a single seven-gallon tank of biofuel and features a rear-view camera, a GPS navigational system and touchscreen controls typical of high-end massproduced automobiles. TIGER does practice runs in Opelika at the National Center for Asphalt Technology’s test track. Led by mechanical engineering professor Sushil Bhavnani, the solar team recently displayed the car at Emerging Tech Day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Want to see the TIGER team in action? Check out the video at wp.auburn.edu/ soa/.
a u a l u m . o r g Auburn Magazine
17
C O L L E G E
S T R E E T
Roundup and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan.
COLLEGE OF
Agriculture One of the challenges of the 21st century will be finding a way to efficiently feed a world population expected to increase by 32 percent over the next 30 years. To respond, the College of Agriculture is offering a food-science option within its Department of Poultry Science and plans to roll out a minor in sustainable food systems through the Department of Agricultural Economics and Rural Sociology this year. Poultry science majors in the food-science track are prepared for employment in the manufacturing and distribution of food products; in quality control, research and development of new food products; and in the development, maintenance and enforcement of governmental food safety regulations. Ten undergraduate and five graduate students are enrolled in the fledgling foodscience track to date. The planned minor in sustainable food systems would include an introductory course on food systems; selected plant, crop and animal-science courses; an agricultural-issuesand-policies course; and a research-based capstone class covering sustainable agri-food systems.
18
COLLEGE OF
Business Nathan COLLEGE OF
Architecture, Design and Construction Vini Nathan, dean of architecture at Philadelphia University, has been named dean of Auburn’s College of Architecture, Design and Construction effective July 1. During her 14-year tenure at Philadelphia University, Nathan has recruited faculty, assisted in accreditation efforts, helped establish studyabroad programs and developed opportunities for learning outside the classroom, such as an artists-in-residence program and an annual speaker’s series. Nathan also has taught architecture and interior design at Virginia Tech, the University of Michigan and other institutions. She was a practicing architect in New Delhi, India, and more recently worked as an architect for Walker Group/CNI architectural design firm in New York. She earned a bachelor’s in architecture from Anna University in India, a master’s in interior design from Virginia Tech
Auburn Magazine a u a l u m . o r g
Auburn’s College of Business ranked 32nd among public institutions and 63rd nationally in U.S. News and World Report’s “America’s Best Graduate Schools” rankings. It was the college’s best score in recent years. Other Auburn graduate programs also were recognized: The Samuel Ginn College of Engineering was listed 41st among public universities and 70th nationally, while the College of Education ranked 54th among public institutions and 71st nationally, placing among the top 25 percent of schools surveyed for the fifth consecutive year. The frequency and methodologies of the U.S. News rankings vary by discipline. For more information and a complete list, see www. usnews.com/rankings. COLLEGE OF
Education James Groccia, director of Auburn’s Biggio Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning, has been awarded a Fulbright grant to study in Estonia, where he will serve as a visiting scholar at the University of Tartu this fall. “Estonia will celebrate its 20th anniversary of independence from Soviet control in 2011, and its higher education
system has emerged as a driving force for economic and social change,” said Groccia, associate professor of educational leadership. “I am honored to be part of this transition at one of the oldest, most prestigious higher education institutions in the
Groccia
region. This experience will greatly inform my work here at Auburn both in the Biggio Center and in the Department of Educational Foundations, Leadership and Technology.” As a Fulbright scholar, Groccia will consult with faculty and administrators on programs to enhance teaching and learning; conduct workshops and seminars on teaching and learning at the University of Tartu and other universities throughout Estonia; and participate in European Union-funded research on the evaluation of teaching. SAMUEL GINN COLLEGE OF
Engineering The Samuel Ginn College of Engineering will add a 17-hour nuclear-power-generation systems minor this fall to prepare the next
generation of plant engineers. The program will offer students an opportunity to understand the industry’s licensing, engineering, and basic construction requirements, processes and techniques. Powerplant models, nuclearpower integration into the national electrical grid and common reactor-plant operations are also featured. Faculty will teach five courses that cover such topics as basic nuclear theory and operations in mechanical, electrical and chemistry control; plant safety regulations and reliability; and radiological health. Students will explore challenges presented by nuclear power generation, including safety and health regulation, engineering and construction practices, and systems operation and maintenance. For more information, see www. eng.auburn.edu/nuclear. SCHOOL OF
Forestry and Wildlife Sciences The School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences expects to have about 400 “baby Toomer’s oaks” seedlings available this month. The baby oaks project began in 2002 when students began gathering and planting acorns from the Toomer’s Corner oaks. Over the past eight years, students in the Forestry Club and
Wildlife Society have sold more than 2,000 seedlings from the trees. Due to high demand following news of the oaks’ poisoning, the school is now accepting orders from people wishing to purchase seedlings. A lottery will be held in May and again in September to randomly select which orders to fill; no money is due unless one is selected. Proceeds support student scholarships. To enter the lottery, see sites.auburn. edu/academic/sfws/oaks/ Pages/default.aspx. COLLEGE OF
Human Sciences The second-oldest house in the city of Auburn, dubbed the Halliday-
Cary-Pick House and built in the 1840s, will be home to the new Cary Center for the Advancement of Philanthropy and Nonprofit Studies. The Cary Center will integrate the college’s Women’s Philanthropy Board into its operations and offer programs related to financial and philanthropic responsibility, nonprofit leadership, and mentoring. Administrators will develop related distance-education courses, certificate and degree programs, and research. The center, scheduled to open by July 1, is named for Charles Allen Cary, the first dean of Auburn’s College of Veterinary Medicine. The College of Human Sciences also plans to offer a new undergraduate minor in philanthropy and nonprofit studies. The minor will be offered through the Department of Consumer Affairs as early as this summer. COLLEGE OF
Liberal Arts Retired CBS News reporter Jim Stewart ’69 and four other journalists received 2011 Auburn Journalism Awards in April from the Auburn University Journalism Advisory Council. The other honorees were Dewey English Jr. ’79, managing editor of The Mobile PressRegister; Carol Pappas ’77, retired editor
Emily Adams
Southern exposure An exhibition of contemporary prints about the South is on display through July 23 at Auburn’s Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art. Co-curated by Auburn collector Lynn Barstis Katz, a scholar in the field of Southern printmaking, “Reconsidering Regionalism” examines the themes that inform much of contemporary printmaking created in the American South as well as by artists outside the region who comment on the area’s culture and politics.
and publisher of The Talladega Daily Home and St. Clair Times; Jon Johnson ’85, sports editor of The Dothan Eagle; and the late Ronald B. Casey, former editorial-page editor of The Birmingham News. Stewart received the Distinguished Mass Media Achievement Award for his work in newspapers and broadcast journalism. He spent 16 years at CBS News covering national security, the Justice Department, FBI, CIA and counterterrorism issues. English received the Distinguished Journalism Alumnus Award; Pappas, the Distinguished Alabama Community Journalist award; and Johnson, the Distinguished Alabama Community Sports Journalist award. Casey was honored posthumously with the Distinguished Special Achievement in Journalism award.
Moore ’83, founder and chief executive officer of Dream House for Medically Fragile Children Inc., received a 2010 Distinguished Alumni Award from the School of Nursing. The Lilburn, Ga.based Dream House is a nonprofit organization that finds homes for sick children who might otherwise grow up or spend a significant amount of time in hospitals or institutions. The orga-
nization also educates families on how to care for such children. Moore created Dream House a decade ago after years of working with kids who had serious health problems requiring long-term care. The School of Nursing also honored Auburn University Montgomery graduate Jeanenne Barnes McKnight, a health care consultant from Hoover, for her career accomplishments. HARRISON SCHOOL of
Pharmacy
The first class of 20 budding pharmacists graduated in May from the Harrison School of Pharmacy’s Mobile campus. Auburn University and the University of South Alabama joined forces in 2006 to address the shortage of trained pharmacists in the Alabama job market, particularly in the Gulf Coast region. At the
C O L L E G E
time there was only one pharmacist for every 1,200 people in Mobile and Baldwin counties, and one for every 1,500 people in rural areas. Administrators created a satellite campus at the University of South Alabama, which has an established, accredited medical school. Students receive instruction from pharmacy faculty in Mobile as well as via video from Auburn. The majority of alumni from the first graduating class say they plan to live and work in Alabama. College Of
Sciences and Mathematics Students in Auburn’s Society for Conservation Biology recently got a behind-thescenes look at the operations of the Birmingham Zoo. The group observed as zookeepers handled and weighed Kumar, the zoo’s 230-pound Indo-Chinese tiger, and also learned how zoo workers train large animals for health exams. For example, by training a lion to stand on its hind legs and place its front paws on a fence, keepers are able to inspect
S T R E E T
the animal’s claws and underbelly. Zookeepers also demonstrated how they conduct children’s programs with smaller animals and birds. COLLEGE OF
Veterinary Medicine Auburn’s board of trustees recently approved the naming of the college’s new small-animal teaching hospital after late former Auburn president Wilford Bailey ’42 and his wife, Kate. The naming was prompted by a $10 million pledge in memory of the Baileys by Auburn alumni John W. Brown, retired CEO of Stryker Corp., and wife Rosemary Kopel Brown, both 1957 Auburn grads and friends of the Baileys. Wilford S. Bailey, a veterinary parasitologist, spent 50 years on the AU faculty after receiving his degree in 1942. He served in positions ranging from instructor to, briefly, university president from 198384. The new teaching hospital, scheduled to open in 2014, will offer community-practice, critical-care, oncology, neurology, imaging and orthopedic services.
SCHOOL OF
Nursing Longtime pediatric nurse Laura Omundson
a u a l u m . o r g Auburn Magazine
19
S T U D E N T
JEF F ET H ERI DG E
CONCOURSE
When war hits home Interview David Harris Senior, chemical engineering THE 4-1-1 A native of Hoover, Harris was one of 30
students chosen for a Gates Cambridge scholarship out of more than 800 applicants nationwide. The scholarship, which pays for graduate study and research at the University of Cambridge in England, is awarded based on a student’s intellectual ability, leadership capacity and desire to use his or her education to better the community, among other factors. Harris, who plans to pursue a master’s degree in advanced chemical engineering, also received the Goldwater scholarship, a national award for undergraduates in science, technology, mathematics and engineering. FUTURE PLANS Harris has been conducting research with chemical engineering professor Mark Byrne in the area of polymer engineering and medical devices, and is now working on the research and development of controlled-release stents. He hopes eventually to complete not one but two doctoral degrees. “Becoming a doctor has been a childhood dream of mine,” Harris says. “I really enjoy working with people, and I’ve always had an interest in biology. I want to have a broader impact on the world and bring new medical devices to the table. There’s a possibility of completing an M.D./Ph.D. program, maybe through Cambridge. While completing my medical degree, I’d be completing a Ph.D. in a related field.” OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM Harris likes to eat out— French, Italian and Thai are favorites, but he also likes Auburn restaurants Zazu Gastropub and Amsterdam Café, as well as the town’s barbecue joints. Plus: “I learned to juggle in elementary school.” SPORTS GEEK “Two of my favorite Auburn football memories are the 2010 SEC championship played in the Georgia Dome against the University of South Carolina and the 2001 victory against the No. 1-ranked Florida at home in Jordan-Hare.”
20
L I F E
Auburn Magazine a u a l u m . o r g
Home is where the heart is. But what happens when your heart is thousands of miles and at least an ocean away in a country rocked by change? Some of Auburn University’s international students are using technology to close the geographical gap. For Marwa Farag, a freshman at Auburn majoring in electrical engineering, the revolution in Egypt hit close to home even though she no longer lives there. Farag, along with her parents and brother, moved to the United States from Egypt nine years ago. With the first protests in Egypt in January, Farag began supporting the revolution by participating in on-campus demonstrations with other Egyptian students at Auburn. Still, her long-distance support didn’t squelch Farag’s desire to be more connected with the events unfolding back home as the regime of president Hosni Mubarak fell. Focusing on school was difficult. “I was completely torn apart,” she says. “I’m not sure how to describe it. It made me really, really upset, because I wanted to be there. This was something I really wanted to happen for Egypt.” From the beginning, Farag depended on cellphones and the Internet to stay abreast of the situation.
On Jan. 25, some of Farag’s friends invited her to an event on Facebook in support of the revolution. At the time, Farag laughed at the idea. “I was like, ‘This is never going to happen. This is kind of ridiculous: a revolution over Facebook? Pshaw, no.’” Now, Farag believes technology such as cellphones and social networks played a crucial part in the political upheaval. “People were encouraged to do something by the Facebook event,” she says. W. Matt Malczycki, a professor at Auburn who specializes in early Islamic history, says the Internet savvy of today’s youth had a significant influence on the Egyptian movement. “They mobilized people,” Malczycki says. “They helped people direct their marches and their demonstrations away from the police, away from the tanks.” The Internet was shut down in Egypt soon after the protests began, but protesters simply moved to cellphones. “People found ways around it,” Malczycki says. “It just showed what technology is capable of,” adds Farag, noting the power of electronic communication to mobilize young people. It’s not just distracting, like everyone thinks.” —Abby Townson
C O N C O U R S E
Fulbright triple play Auburn alumna Kristen Snow ’10 of Hayden has been awarded a Fulbright scholarship to teach in France during the upcoming academic year. A French and English double major, Snow graduated from Auburn in December with a perfect 4.0 grade point average. She is Auburn’s third consecutive Fulbright Student Scholar, following biomedical sciences major Rebecca Ludvigsen ’09 and French education major Helen Hunter Robertson ’10.
Writer Grace Henderson, shown left with children from Santa Isabel kindergarten, is a graduate teaching assistant in Auburn’s Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures.
Turning up the volume in Guatemala In a small building in Guatemala City, a kid called Oscar teeters on the edge of a metal chair, his 8-year-old toes barely touching the ground. A couple of Auburn audiology students observe his face for the slightest expression—a sign that their work has been successful, that they’ve properly wired the child for sound with hearing aids that will, finally, allow Oscar to hear his mother say, “Good morning.” His brown eyes widen. “¡Yo oigo! ¡Yo oigo!” he shouts. “I hear! I hear!” Becky Snell and Sarah Beam, doctoral students in Auburn University’s Department of Communication Disorders, smile too, because Oscar’s response means he’ll no longer strain to hear his teacher’s voice or miss other kids’ conversations. Snell and Beam are among a growing group of student participants in an
outreach program founded by communication disorders professor Sandra Clark-Lewis ’72. Clark-Lewis and her crew have been fitting inner-city children in Guatemala with donated hearing aids since 2009. The idea came about after several of Clark-Lewis’ students approached her about finding an outreach project with which they could get involved. ClarkLewis’ former Auburn roommate, Jennifer Esfahani ’70, put her in touch with Guatemala City mayor Álvaro Arzú and his wife, Patricia. The Arzús’ country remains ravaged by a civil war that lasted more than three decades and left more than 200,000 people dead. When the war ended in 1996, men once employed as soldiers were jobless; women who once lived and worked on farms often turned to drugs and prostitution to feed their families.
Fifteen years later, poverty and crime still plague Guatemala’s cities. Two years ago, with the support of Guatemala City officials, Clark-Lewis and her students headed into the heart of the capital city to do what they could to help its disadvantaged children. Funded by a university outreach grant, support from the College of Liberal Arts and alumni donations, the Auburn Audiology Outreach in Guatemala program has grown beyond anything ClarkLewis could have imagined. What began as a hearing-test program involving just over a dozen children has expanded to eight schools and more than 1,500 kids. Word of mouth is the only form of advertisement. As Clark-Lewis and her team walk through heavy wooden doors on the first day of testing at a boys’ school, the air reverberates with commotion. A kid turns to the group’s driver and asks, “¿Hablan inglés? Do they speak English?” The driver responds, “Sí. Yes.” The boy gushes, “Dios mío. Oh my God.” Most of the children are small for their age. All have warm, golden skin with dark chocolate hair and eyes. Their school uniforms—navy pants with white collared shirts—are dirty from playing games of jacks and pogs on the courtyard floor. They sit, hands in laps, while translators list their names and ages before sending them to Clark-Lewis and her students for testing. Putting hearing aids on Oscar isn’t an end to his problems, but at least now he has a chance at a better life. He can sit in a classroom and listen to his teacher with clarity and confidence. On the group’s last day at Santa Isabel kindergarten, Oscar returns to get fitted for new ear molds. Once again, he teeters on the edge of a metal chair, waiting for the American grownups. Recognizing Auburn student Becky Snell, he lifts his hands in the air and holds two thumbs up, a grin spreading across his face. It’s a sign that speaks louder than words.—Grace Henderson ’10
a u a l u m . o r g Auburn Magazine
21
C O N C O U R S E
Syllabus COURSE NAME COMP 5350 “Digital Forensics” INSTRUCTOR J.A. “Drew” Hamilton, professor of computer science & software engineering, Samuel Ginn College of Engineering THE SCOOP Beware: Your deleted computer
Wheelchair league scores with students
WHO TAKES IT The class is designed as an elec-
tive course for upper-level computer-science and wireless-software-engineering majors. Students complete three projects during the semester, including writing file-recovery programs. Auburn also offers the class to injured soldiers on military bases around the country.
When Jared Rehm
different than the game
pair have developed
as well as basketball
glides onto the bas-
played by able-bodied
several wheelchair-
and tennis. The pair
ketball court in his
athletes. Rehm and his
sports activities on
are seeking funding
wheelchair, he’s rolling
fellow hoopsters shoot
Auburn’s campus and
for specially modified
on a $3,000 piece of
with precision, display
invited participation
sports wheelchairs that
sporting equipment
artful passing on fast
from non-students.
cost about $2,500,
SUGGESTED READING Course material is avail-
that puts his able-
breaks and execute
with wheels priced at
bodied counterparts’
crafty set plays. The
experience in thera-
able online at www.eng.auburn.edu/users/hamil ton/security/6350.
high-tops to shame.
only real difference is
peutic recreation while
the degree of difficulty.
serving as an outdoor
(students) have, we’d
ics graduate student’s
Let LeBron James or
adventure director
like to be able to give it
chair, which sports
Kobe Bryant try to sink
at Camp ASSCA, an
to them,” Rehm says.
inward-tilted wheels
a 20-footer while roll-
Easter Seals camp in
and an ultra-light,
ing and firing from a
Jacksons’ Gap that
also provide an as-
20-pound frame, with-
seated position.
serves children and
yet-untapped research
adults with physical
avenue. “Sports have
The biomechan-
stands the inevitable
“These things don’t
Waters gained
$300 each. “Whatever needs
The program may
punishment that comes
have brakes on them,”
and mental disabili-
always been a catalyst
when Rehm and other
Auburn alumnus Woody
ties. Rehm played on
for awareness,” Waters
members of Auburn
Thornton ’93 notes of
the University of
says.
University’s adaptive-
his sports wheelchair.
Wisconsin-Whitewater’s
recreation-and-sports
Neither does Au-
“We can do a lot of
wheelchair basketball
research on athletes
program jostle for re-
burn’s adaptive-sports
program as an under-
with disabilities. It’s
bounds and get serious
league, which is gain-
graduate and has com-
one of those things
about defense.
ing momentum thanks
peted in the National
where we can pull from
to the energy and in-
Collegiate Wheelchair
different departments
contact,” says Rehm.
volvement of Rehm and
Tennis Championships.
and have a lot of
“It’s controlled chaos.”
rehabilitation-counsel-
Together, they hope to
people get behind it.”
Wheelchair
ing graduate student
grow Auburn’s program
basketball isn’t so
Nathan Waters. The
to include quad rugby
“There’s a lot of
22
files don’t simply disappear into the ether. In his digital forensics course, Hamilton teaches students how to recover various kinds of data from all types of hard drives. “Less than 50 percent of the typical hard drive is in use—so even when you delete a file, it is still there,” Hamilton says. “It’s like removing a book from the library catalog but not removing it from the shelf. It can still be retrieved.” His advice to savvy computer users who want to protect themselves? “Don’t put anything on a computer that you don’t want on the front of The New York Times.”
Auburn Magazine a u a l u m . o r g
C O N C O U R S E
Butchering the Bard? Actually, we think Shakespeare might approve: Auburn’s campus theatrical troupe presented a contemporary adaptation of one of the playwright’s most famous tragedies in April at Telfair Peet Theatre. Dubbed “Ninety-Minute Butchered Rock & Roll Boombox Hamlet,” director Chris Qualls described the play as “a visceral adaptation which includes rock-and-roll, hip-hop and edgy pop music that symbolically reflect the Dane’s violent, passionate and action-packed existence.”
WELCOME, FRESHMEN Thousands of incoming freshmen are expected to converge on campus this summer for Camp War Eagle, Auburn’s orientation program for new students and their parents. Attendees meet faculty, talk with their academic advisers and register for fall semester classes during the twoday sessions. Camp War Eagle is set up as a structured program that helps introduce new students not only to the university’s academic options but also to each other and the Auburn culture. An estimated 3,800 incoming freshmen will participate in one of 10 twoday, one-night Camp War Eagle sessions. A separate program for parents is held simultaneously at each session to better acquaint them with university services and resources.
As one of four head counselors, Tyler Till helps introduce freshmen to their new environment and troubleshoots the inevitable problems that arise. For Till, it’s an important rite of passage. His love affair with Auburn didn’t begin during childhood—his parents went to the University of Alabama. But Till’s older brother attended college on the Plains, and when Till visited Auburn in spring 2007 for the first time, he loved it so much he signed a lease for an apartment the same day. The radio, television and film major has participated in Camp War Eagle in some capacity most summers ever since. “I was one of those weird camp people,” he says. “I loved camp coming in as a freshman. I thought it was the coolest thing ever.”—Sarah Hansen
AN AUBURN TRADITION Situated on the charming campus of Auburn University, just a short walk from quaint, historic downtown Auburn.
Individuals & Groups, Alumni, Family & Friends, Meetings, Conferences & Special Events
241 South College Street • Auburn, Alabama 36830 Direct: 334-821-8200 • Fax: 334-826-8755 • reservations@auhcc.com • www.auhcc.com
a u a l u m . o r g Auburn Magazine
23
S P O R T S
TIGER WALK PH OTOG RAPH S BY jeff etheridge
Fast-pitch family
Softball team makes ‘wintality’ its catchword
Ranked No. 23 in the nation as Auburn Magazine went to press, the buzzword among players on the Auburn Tigers softball team can’t be found in a dictionary: “wintality”—an amalgamation of the words “winning mentality.” “Get on board or jump ship—that’s what we instill in our players,” says head coach Tina Deese. “This team is willing to put in whatever it takes.” At press time, the team had amassed a 36-15 overall record, with 13-12 in its Southeastern Conference games. Junior Lauren Schmalz was named SEC Pitcher of the Week in May after earning a completegame victory over No. 4 Georgia. The win
24
Auburn Magazine a u a l u m . o r g
snapped a seven-game losing streak to the Bulldogs and gave Schmalz her second victory over a ranked opponent this season. Schmalz earned a complete-game victory against Georgia at home on April 30. She leads the Auburn pitching staff in wins at 14-5 and, earlier this season, became the first Tigers pitcher to begin a season 10-0. Schmalz is ninth in the SEC with 141 strikeouts and tied for sixth with 41 strikeouts looking. The rest of the team is a blend of talent and dreams, women who invest the same level of sweat equity as their counterparts on the Tigers’ football and baseball teams but get almost none of the press. This
Ranked No. 23 at press time, the Auburn Tigers softball team won a series victory over a top five-ranked opponent this year for the first time since 2006.
year’s team has become a family amidst the larger Auburn family. “I had no idea what Auburn was about before I came here,” says Amber Harrison, a junior infielder from Claremore, Okla. “This year has been the best team dynamic I’ve played with. I love the energy—we all want to win.” She and her teammates take at least one section of the Auburn Creed to heart. “My players must believe in hard work,” says Deese, who played college softball at Florida State and coached at Huntingdon College in Montgomery before joining Auburn as head coach in 1995. Two years later the team boasted its first official fast-
pitch season. “I can’t motivate a kid that doesn’t want to put the work in.” She’s not asking anything of them she hasn’t done herself. “I’m originally from southern California, which is a major hotbed for fast-pitch softball.” The International Softball Federation, the sport’s governing body, recognizes three pitching styles: fast-pitch, modified fast-pitch and slow-pitch. Fastpitch is considered the most competitive and is the style employed by college softball teams. Auburn’s team began its steady rise around 2003, when the new Jane B. Moore Field gave the sport a permanent home on campus. The team was nationally ranked in 2004 and 2005, but this year’s team has really been “all-in,” Deese says. “We’ve made more demands than in the past three years. I hold them accountable to the goals they set at the beginning of the season.” Ten players, for example, remained in Auburn last summer so they could participate in daily team workouts devised by Ryan Russell, the team’s assistant coach for strength and conditioning. The heavy summer workouts, plus the addition of a handful of strong freshman players, account for much of the club’s successful season this year, Deese says. One of the newest additions to the team—and the Tigers’ statistical standout so far—is Morgan Estell, a freshman from Kimberly who signed with Auburn as a senior in high school. “It’s about softball and winning, but it’s also about relationships,” says Estell, who admits to having a rough adjustment period upon moving to Auburn from her single-stop-
light hometown of less than 2,000 in Jefferson County. “The team took me and the rest of the freshmen in. We hang out together.” The 18-year-old southpaw began playing softball at 9. Nearly a decade later, Estell plays center field and first base for the Tigers. “That first practice was so nerve-racking, because you want a starting spot,” she recalls. “You do not want to mess up. You want to show why you’re here. “Our lives revolve around this. We truly understand each other, on and off the field.” Another lefthander, Harrison has become something of a role model for Estell, and the two lead the team in homeruns with six each. “I try to make my mentality like Amber Harrison,” Estell says. “She helps me when I’m really hard on myself. She’s a good mentor.” The middle child of five siblings, Harrison, an industrial engineering major, spends most of her free time studying. “I’m pretty much a nerd,” she says with a laugh. The team’s regular season wrapped in May with the last game of a tripleheader at Kentucky. Auburn’s all-time record against Kentucky is 26-13.—Sarah Hansen
Todd van emst
Fore! Auburn’s women’s golf team won the Southeastern Conference Championship title in April by carding a 3-over-par 291 in the final round. The Tigers finished the tournament with an even-par 864, coming in 11 strokes ahead of the University of Alabama, which finished second. Eight top-25-ranked teams played in the 54-hole stroke play tournament at the Auburn University Club.
Tee for ‘team’ Auburn University
sity of Georgia; Daniel
sophomore Blayne Barber
Miernicki, University of
will take to the green at
Oregon; Bank Vongvanij,
The Stanwich Club in
University of Florida;
Greenwich, Conn., in June
Chris Williams, Univer-
representing not only Au-
sity of Washington; and
burn University but also
Andrew Yun, Stanford
the whole of America.
University.
In April, Barber
On the collegiate
became the first Auburn
level, Barber has fin-
golfer ever to earn a
ished inside the top five
place in the annual
in six of 10 events this
Palmer Cup competition,
season, highlighted by a
which pits the eight best
win at the Bridgestone
college players from the
Intercollegiate.
U.S. against top teams
from Europe and the
Scratch Players World
United Kingdom.
Amateur Rankings, the
Lake City, Fla., native won
This year’s Palmer
Ranked 14th by the
Cup will be held June
his U.S. Amateur quali-
9-11. The U.S. team took
fier, going on to make
last year’s trophy at the
the round of 32s. Barber
Royal Portrush Golf Club
also made it to the round
in Northern Ireland after
of 16 at the Western Am
European teams won the
after tying for third in the
two previous years. The
medal round.
United States leads the
Palmer Cup series 7-6-1.
the 2009-10 season
“I am honored to be
after transferring from
chosen,” Barber said.
the University of Central
Joining him on
Florida, was named to
Team USA are Patrick
the 2008-09 five-man
Cantlay, University of
Golf Coaches Asso-
California, Los Angeles;
ciation of America all-
Alex Carpenter, Abilene
freshman team and was
Christian University;
a three-time Conference
Russell Henley, Univer-
USA Golfer-of-the-Week.
Barber redshirted
a u a l u m . o r g Auburn Magazine
25
T I G E R
W A L K
Bronzed Auburn University officials have commissioned Montana sculptor Ken Bjorge to create statues depicting the Tigers’ Heisman-winning triumvirate: Cam Newton (2010), Bo Jackson ’95 (1985) and Pat Sullivan ’72 (1971). Bjorge, a specialist in working with bronze, has produced sculptures and monuments for the University of Washington, University of Texas and California State University, among other clients. Upon completion, the three statues will adorn Jordan-Hare Stadium.
26
Would Cam go first,
short,” he told report-
or would it be Nick
ers. “I’m really look-
Fairley? Which Auburn
ing forward to making
Tigers would be fill-
Charlotte my home.
ing National Football
I’m ready to change
League rosters next
this whole organiza-
season—assuming NFL
tion around, to go from
owners resolve their
worst to first.”
contract disputes with
the players union and
first NFL No. 1 selec-
don’t cancel all or part
tion since 1988, when
of the 2011 season?
linebacker Aundray
Bruce was taken by the
Months of pontifi-
Newton is Auburn’s
cating and conjecture
Atlanta Falcons.
ended over the last
weekend in April as
to go high in the first
the long-anticipated
round, former Auburn
2011 NFL Draft took
defensive tackle and
place in New York—
2010 Lombardi Award
and, as fans have come
winner Nick Fairley
to expect, Auburn’s
went 13th in the first
star quarterback Cam
round to the Detroit
Newton ended up
Lions, who’d been hop-
on top, trading his
ing the big guy would
orange-and-blue jersey
still be available.
for a Carolina Panthers
uniform.
is a good player and
a good person,” said
Newton, Auburn’s
An early favorite
“I think (Fairley)
2010 Heisman Trophy
Lions general manager
winner, who led the
Martin Mayhew, who
Tigers to their first
played for the Wash-
national championship
ington Redskins with
in more than half a
AU defensive coach
century, was selected
Tracy Rocker ’88.
as the first overall
pick of the draft by the
this spring for a posi-
Panthers, who earned
tion with the NFL’s
the choice thanks to
Tennessee Titans.
a dismal 2-14 record
last season. Panthers
defensive tackle Zach
head coach Ron Rivera
Clayton and offensive
praised Newton as
tackle Lee Ziemba
a player who would
were selected in the
impact the way op-
NFL draft’s seventh
ponents call their
round, selected by the
defenses.
Tennessee Titans and
Carolina Panthers,
Newton was at an
Katie Breedlove
going pro
Rocker left Auburn
Former Auburn
uncharacteristic loss
respectively—making
for words after the
Auburn teammates
announcement. “I’m
Newton and Ziemba
trying to find a word
fellow rookies in team
to express how I feel,
colors black, blue and
but I keep coming up
silver.
Auburn Magazine a u a l u m . o r g
Tigers on horseback Auburn University chalked up its second national championship title of the year in April: The women of the Tigers equestrian team claimed the top spot in the country at the 2011 Varsity Equestrian National Championships in Waco, Texas. The team also placed first in hunt-seat competition and fourth in western competition. The University of Georgia placed second, followed by Texas A&M. Auburn equestrians also took three of the four most-valuable-player spots in the championship competitions: junior Grace Socha, fences; junior Maggie McAlary, flat; and senior Paige Monfore, reining. “I knew this was a special group coming in, and they proved it,” said head coach Greg Williams. “This national championship for the Auburn fans is due to the hard work of (assistant) coaches Lindsay Neubarth and Lisa Helfer, and a group of girls that will do anything for each other.” Auburn started the title competition with a bang, taking flat 3-1 with impressive scores. Points came from McAlary as well as sophomore Lindsay Portela and freshman Christina Lin.
The Tigers continued winning in the over-fences competition, again beating Georgia. Auburn winners included Socha, McAlary and senior Anna Schierholz. The victory marked the third time Auburn hunt seat defeated Georgia, bringing the Tigers’ total record to 18-1 during the 2010-11 season. At the national championship, the hunt-seat squad went 22-2, with two sweeps and one decisive victory for the title. Sophomore Anna Becker, freshman Jennifer Waxman, Portela, McAlary, Lin and Schierholz went undefeated throughout the competition. In western competition, Auburn picked up points from sophomore Indy Roper in horsemanship, and both Monfore and junior Kristen Hansen in reining. Senior Bailey Dymond tied her Bulldog opponent with a score of 147.5. The championship team was honored with a special Tiger Walk outside JordanHare Stadium, plus a tree-rolling at the Tiger Walk entrance, on April 21. Auburn’s equestrian team also won the national championship in 2006 and were the hunt-seat champions in 2008.
At Auburn, we wear our hearts on our sleeves. And wrists. And fingers. This year, we’re prouder than ever of our Tigers. So claim your bragging rights today with mementos from our selection of commemorative national championship jewelry and apparel, class rings, and more.
Get some bling.
www.aualum.org/shop w w w. a u a l u m . o r g
a u a l u m . o r g Auburn Magazine
27
The post-Iron Bowl attack on the Toomer’s Corner oaks did more than jeopardize the survival of two historic trees. I t struc k a t th e h ear t of t he A ubur n f a mi l y a nd c r e a t e d u nlikely cr os s -s tate allies . b y
m i k e
t i e r n e y
Family Trees Imagine Paul “Bear” Bryant, face painted orange and blue, leading a stadium full of Auburn University fans in a rousing “Bodda Getta” cheer. A snowball’s chance, you say? That was also the likelihood of Jennifer Hughes ’01 attending any school other than Auburn. The Dothan native’s parents went to college on the Plains; so did one set of grandparents and even a great-grandfather. Hughes’ story isn’t so different from that of other members of the extended Auburn family, people for whom the campus—particularly the university’s “front door” at the intersection of Magnolia Avenue and South College Street—symbolizes some of their happiest, most poignant life moments. The twin oaks at Toomer’s Corner mark a place of ritual, a place not only to celebrate sports wins but also to deliver marriage proposals, kiss sweethearts, share gossip, and hear news of war and declarations of peace. Toomer’s Corner might not be the center of Auburn’s campus, but it is its heart. That shaded piece of sidewalk is as close as it gets to holy ground for Auburn people—more revered even than the university chapel, the town’s oldest public building. So when news broke in early spring that the twin live oaks marking Toomer’s had been poisoned, allegedly by an avenging University of Alabama fan after the Tigers’ 2010 Iron Bowl win, Auburn devotees weren’t simply angry. They were wounded. Stunned. Heartbroken. Like other Auburn alumni and fans, Hughes, an intern architect in Birmingham, mourned more than just the poisoning of the trees. She grieved for the potential loss of traditions as well as her own history. “I thought it was very sad that the football rivalry had come to that,” she says. “I don’t see why someone would do that.”
28
Auburn Magazine a u a l u m . o r g
P H OTO G R A P H S B Y J E F F E T H E R I D G E
Known among scientific types as quercus virginiana, the Southern live oak has adapted over the centuries to withstand some of the region’s harshest naturally occurring conditions, including hurricanes and floods—but not lethal doses of herbicides such as tebuthiuron-based Spike 80DF, which is absorbed by the roots.
a u a l u m . o r g Auburn Magazine
29
F A M I L Y
T R E E S
Since the damage was discovered, campus experts have taken extensive measures to save the intended victims in the face of dire predictions about their survival. “It’s more than just trees,” says Hughes, who was a regular tree-roller during her undergraduate years. “It’s the feeling of camaraderie. Everyone there seems like family.” Immediately after the attack, as families are wont to do, Auburn’s came together, arm in arm, both to mourn and to struggle for answers. They found consolation and assistance from an unlikely source: their neighbors to the northwest, who set aside rivalry and dissension to join hands with the Auburn family in a show of solidarity.
C
allers to the popular Birminghambased sports-talk radio show hosted by Paul Finebaum have long included kooks and crazies, many with extreme or misinformed views about Auburn and Alabama football. (A man dubbed “Smokey” once phoned to offer commentary from a hospital emergency room, where he was in the process of suffering a heart attack.) So, on the surface, the late-January call from “Al from Dadeville” seemed like just another loony tirade. After a rant about how Auburn fans allegedly rolled Toomer’s Corner upon the death of legendary University of Alabama coach Bear Bryant—which Finebaum disputed—Al from Dadeville boasted that he had invaded Toomer’s Corner, which he specified was located 30 miles from his home, “and poisoned the two Toomer’s trees” with an herbicide called Spike 80DF. He did it, he said, in late November, the weekend after the Tigers’ Iron Bowl victory in Tuscaloosa. For the briefest moment, Finebaum went along with it, thinking it a joke. Then he began to have doubts. “Did they die?” he asked, twice. “They’re not dead yet,” came the chilling response, “but they definitely will die.” Just before he hung up the phone, Al issued a postscript that offered another telling—and sad—clue to his motive: “Roll Damn Tide.” Afterward, a concerned listener contacted Auburn’s Department of Public Safety and Security, and word eventually reached horticulture professor Gary Keever, an Auburn faculty member for three decades. Keever fired up his computer, searched the Internet for information on Spike 80DF and discovered it was an expensive and powerful herbicide most often used to kill trees along property lines. Ignoring advice to dismiss the call as a crank, Keever and colleague Charlie Crawford ’85, AU superintendent of landscape services, hustled to Toomer’s Corner and collected soil samples for testing—just in case. Ironically, Auburn’s own soil-testing lab had been damaged in a minor fire a few weeks before, so the soil samples were sent to Mississippi State University for analysis. Keever didn’t obsess over the situation while waiting for the results. “The odds were so low that the trees were actually poisoned,” he recalls thinking at the time. “What were the chances of someone doing anything so outrageous?” An Auburn agronomy professor tested the two oaks plus others nearby for photosynthesis and found no differences between the Toomer’s Corner trees and their neighbors. That
30
Auburn Magazine a u a l u m . o r g
Opposite: Shortly after didn’t eliminate the possibility that the Auburn officials reToomer’s oaks had been harmed, but it ceived confirmation of did put Keever more at ease. the poisoning, campus workers began clearing Then, on Feb. 11, the results from contaminated soil away the soil tests arrived. Keever digested from the trees’ vulnerable root systems and them in horror, concluding, “This simtaking regular samples ply does not look good.” to determine ongoing In deference to Auburn law encontamination levels. forcement officials, who suddenly were investigating what looked to be a crime, the results were kept quiet at first. By the time the news leaked to local media, police had tracked down and arrested “Al from Dadeville”—in reality, Harvey Updyke, a retired Texas state trooper and selfproclaimed Alabama fan (and non-graduate) who’d named his two children Crimson and Bear after Alabama’s colors and its legendary coach, respectively. While the public focused on the arrest, and who knew what, and whether the intrastate rivalry had gotten out of hand, Auburn experts focused on the trees. Initial analysis gave the oaks virtually no chance of survival, but Keever captained a full-court press on the affected area that included applying liquid-activated carbon to the tree beds and an antitranspirent to slow the roots from absorbing the poison. Both tactics were designed to buy the scientists time by binding the herbicide and reducing its pull into the trunk. By late February, Toomer’s Corner resembled a construction site. A tarp covered the ground to prevent rain from pushing the poison deeper into the soil. Workers blasted the beds with air to break up and remove the infected dirt, erected a plastic tent to confine the soil and trucked in fresh mulch. A Feb. 26 article in the The Birmingham News painted a guardedly positive picture of the trees’ fate, based partly on this quote from Keever: “Is your glass half full or half empty? You can look at it either way. I choose to be an optimist, because we’re doing the right thing.” In truth, the chance that the trees will survive is slim—but their ultimate fate simply won’t be known for a while. Keever’s team will be watching the oaks’ foliage as the trees continue through their annual growth cycles, monitoring for leaf loss and other signs of stress. At press time, the tree nearest Magnolia seemed to be rallying, but the prognosis for the College Street tree looked grim. Meanwhile, around the state and beyond, those who pledge allegiance to Auburn and Alabama took deep breaths and evaluated whether the rivalry, recognized in football circles nationwide for its unmatched fervor, was out of whack. Five Alabama alumni were moved to do something.
W
hen Gina Smith and friends launched a Facebook page titled “Tide For Toomer’s” shortly after seeing news reports of the trees’ poisoning, “our only expectation was that we would be able to put forth a goodwill gesture,” she says. Smith figured a few people might “like” the page, as it’s called in social-media parlance,
T O O M E R ’ S
O A K S
a u a l u m . o r g Auburn Magazine
JEFF ETHERIDGE
Bo Jackson quit school to play pro sports shortly after receiving the Heisman in 1985. He returned to Auburn years later and at age 33 earned a bachelor’s degree in family and child development.
31
F A M I L Y
T R E E S
or maybe even pledge a few dollars to the cause. A diehard ’Bama fan and graduate who also earned a master’s degree from Auburn University Montgomery, Smith, who works in the state treasurer’s office, believes too much metaphorical blood has been shed between the two universities over the years in the name of one-upmanship. This time, a fan had crossed the line. “I am proud we have one of the fiercest, most intense rivalries in all of sports,” Smith says, but adds, “I believe in keeping it in perspective.” The “Tide for Toomer’s” website attracted more than 60,000 alumni and friends of Alabama and Auburn, many of whom contributed money to a fund dedicated to helping save the oaks. By March, fans of the Tide for Toomer’s site had donated $50,000 to a fund for the trees’ care. Others in Alabama and beyond offered money, replacement trees and even the proceeds from kids’ lemonade stands. Officials estimate that since February around $100,000 has been donated to the hastily established Toomer’s Trees and Tradition Fund at Auburn. For Smith and Tide for Toomer’s, it was all about drawing a line against acts of bad sportsmanship and worse. “This has enabled (Alabama fans) to see how essential Toomer’s is to the traditions at Auburn,” she says. “You might not understand other (universities’) traditions, but you have to respect them.” Even the head football coaches at both schools began giving peace a chance. Auburn’s Gene Chizik and Alabama’s Nick Saban—both of whom led their teams to national championships in the last two years—released a joint statement bemoaning the “regrettable incident” and urging the rival camps to show each other some respect. Following suit, the universities’ student-body presidents drew up a similar declaration and agreed to plant “unity trees” on each campus as enduring symbols of mutual regard. Human resources management major Kurt Sasser, outgoing president of Auburn’s Student Government Association, was born a Tigers fan in Tuscumbia. His father introduced him to Toomer’s Corner at age 5. “I wasn’t going to school anywhere but Auburn,” Sasser asserts. When apprised of the poisoning, Sasser reacted the same way thousands of other supporters did: “I was angry.
32
Auburn Magazine a u a l u m . o r g
Did I ever see something of this magnitude happening? No.” Soon, Sasser calmed down and teamed with his counterpart at Alabama. The student governments at the universities have worked together in the past, hosting gubernatorial debates and conducting a joint annual food drive, which, naturally, is staged as a competition: Auburn calls its effort the “Beat ’Bama Food Drive,” while in Tuscaloosa, it’s “Beat Auburn, Beat Hunger.” Although some criticized the unity project as antithetical to the rivalry, neither Sasser nor University of Alabama SGA president James Fowler regrets the decision. “It is disheartening to see any great tradition attacked at any institution,” Fowler says. “During times of need, the Alabama family has been and will always be there for its neighbor institution.”
J
ust before moving to Alabama to chair Auburn’s Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Social Work, Allen Furr was browsing a bookstore near his home in Louisville, Ky., when a young man walked past. Noticing Furr’s AU baseball cap, the man offered the familiar oral version of a secret handshake. “War Eagle,” he said. Furr, still new to the phenomenon, was uncertain if he should respond in kind or with another salutation. So he said nothing. Now, having been on campus nearly a year, Furr not only comprehends the essence of the Auburn family, he’s bought into it like a free spender with a limitless credit card. “It’s very striking,” he says. “It makes you feel connected, gives you a sense of trust. Even for a cynical, jaded old sociologist, it feels good.” Furr, who’s spent his career studying group behavior, understands the flood of emotions—anger, revulsion, shock— prompted by the poisoning of the Toomer’s oaks. “The trees are an iconic symbol of the campus,” he says. “They give meaning to our experience of being at Auburn.” The mid-20th century gave birth to the tradition of draping the power and telephone lines at Toomer’s Corner with toilet paper following a Tigers football victory. Ultimately, fans began to roll the trees themselves. In sociological terms, the two oaks amount to a totem of sorts—a living thing “that spiritually represents a group of people,” Furr says. “It becomes a symbolic representation of the group itself. Here, it connects the ancestry of faculty, staff and students.” When a group totem is targeted for vandalism or destruction, “it’s really like attacking the core of the identity of the group,” he adds, not unlike the World Trade Center’s twin New York City towers, which essentially came to represent the United States itself both in the minds of the terrorists who destroyed them and the American public. While the tragedy of 9/11 clearly eclipses that of the Auburn tree poisonLeft: Well-wishers left ing, there is similarity in the culprits’ motokens of their support at the base of the tives, Furr argues. “It’s the same mindtrees after news of the set. These are symbolic attacks, which poisoning broke. Opare much more painful than random posite: Leaves from the oak adjacent to College attacks,” he says. The poisoner “went Street emerged in April after them because they are important to with yellowed edges, us. He was trying to hurt us.” indicating the absorption of poison. Just as people give flowers and to-
kens of remembrance for lost and bereft loved ones, so, too, did the Auburn family for its beloved oaks. Hours after the news story broke, students and alumni began leaving mementos at the base of the trees—rolls of toilet paper, poems, notes, posies, get-well cards and other tributes—in a collective outpouring of grief. Auburn librarians gathered 80 of the items for the university archives, and a public exhibit of the collection was held in April. “These are gifts—not, of course, to the trees,” Furr notes. “People are actually leaving gifts to each other.”
G
F A M I L Y
T R E E S
ary Keever avoids placing odds on the oaks’ survival, because nobody knows yet how much poison the trees actually absorbed before Auburn scientists began trying to save them. Even prior to the weekend that “Al from Dadeville” allegedly attempted to hasten their death, the university had been hard at work to protect the oaks from encroaching sidewalks and roads, drought conditions, the post-rolling pressure-washing process and a fire to the Magnolia oak allegedly set by an irate Georgia fan after the Tigers’ win in November. Keever wonders aloud whether the time and energy afforded the Toomer’s oaks’ recovery will buy the trees much time or, indeed, will end up prolonging their lives at all. To illustrate, he cites the eerily similar case of the University of Texas Treaty Oak, a 500-year-old campus landmark that in 1989 was poisoned by a man later convicted of felony criminal mischief and sentenced to serve nine years in jail. An all-out rescue mission, fueled by a “blank-check” contribution from Texas billionaire Ross Perot, kept the Treaty Oak from dying outright, though parts of it continue to lack signs of life. Still, Keever says Auburn has “done the right things” to give its beloved trees a fighting chance. “They are so much more than just two trees,” Keever says. “They are a symbol of the Auburn spirit.” It also remains to be seen whether the curtailment of ill will that has blossomed between Auburn and Alabama fans is meant to last. The climate of this year’s Iron Bowl, set for Nov. 26, may offer a clue, but Auburn’s longtime tree doctor leans toward optimism. “In many ways, this has been very positive,” Keever says. “I hope it will encourage people to keep things in perspective.” Tide for Toomer’s founder Gina Smith hopes the rivalry will be characterized by less extremism this fall but says she wouldn’t bet her Tide season tickets on it. Ever the provocateur, radio host Paul Finebaum is cynical about the fledgling friendship between the two universities. “Frankly, I think the goodwill has already faded,” he says. “People were shocked on both sides and reacted. But I think what was driving the shock from the Alabama side was more embarrassment than real concern for the trees. Had an Auburn fan or a non-fan been charged, I really don’t think many Alabama fans would have cared. I don’t see anything really changing.” Count Auburn’s young student leader Kurt Sasser among the undecideds. He expects some routinely overheated fans to calm down but points out that the trees’ continued presence, dead or alive, will keep the memory of the deed from fading. “The trees are such a physical part of Auburn, so people, when they see them, are always going to be reminded.” Finally, there’s the perspective of Birmingham lawyer Glennon Threatt, a Princeton graduate who offered to defend Updyke after three other attorneys withdrew from his case. “I hope what will happen is that the fandom will remain as fierce as it has ever been, but the dark side of it will be reduced,” Threatt says. “A lot of the fanaticism comes from people who didn’t even go (to the universities). People see what happens when it goes too far.”
a u a l u m . o r g Auburn Magazine
33
34
Auburn Magazine a u a l u m . o r g
P a r t e n v i r o n m e n t a l a d v o c a t e , p a r t P. T. Barnum, Ray Scott ’59 snagged his biggest catch by reinventing bass fishing as a competitive sport. b y
s u z a n n e
johnson
Hook, Line & Thinker Whether it’s bass fishing, pinpointing the best crops to attract deer, suing corporate water-polluters or searching for ways to promote Alabama’s Black Belt, Auburn alumnus Ray Scott knows only one speed: fast-forward, full-tilt. “I really don’t know how to do things any other way,” he says. “I never did.”
You think you know Ray Scott, but you don’t. Try to squeeze him into a pigeonhole, and he wriggles out of it, drops an odd clue, sideswipes preconceived notions. He fishes, of course: He built a media empire around angling for the lowly black bass. He hunts, too, having founded a research institute and product line around the idea of developing the perfect deer-foraging seed. He cusses a bit (offering his apologies), and hangs out with guys named George Bush (both of them). He’s a man’s man, a man of action, the man you watched for years on those televised fishing tournaments that aired on Saturday afternoons, waiting with bated breath as he oversaw the all-important weigh-in of the day’s catch. There he stood—creator and host of the Bassmaster tournament series—holding the big prize check, sporting a white cowboy hat like Roy Rogers and a smile the size of the South’s Black Belt. He’s P.T. Barnum and the Great Oz rolled into one. A salesman. A good ol’ boy who talked his way to the end of a yellow-brick road paved with gold. Or is he? If you were to run across Scott at his Trophy Bass Retreat near tiny Pintlala, sprawled
P hotograph S B Y J eff etheridge
a u a l u m . o r g Auburn Magazine
35
H O O K ,
L I N E
A N D
T H I N K E R
around 80-plus acres of lakes a few miles south of Montgomery, you’d be as likely to find him reading a book as casting a rod or brandishing a shotgun. He might even have settled down with a biography of his favorite author, Truman Capote—not exactly a traditional son of the South—rather than the latest copy of Field & Stream. He can recite the menu at Lek’s Taste of Thailand in Montgomery from memory, collects vintage cast-iron cookware and shoots striking black-and-white photographs of rural 19th-century wooden shanties. He has a heart for environmental issues and a fearless drive to take on any corporation that displays disregard for the pristine state of American lakes and forests. He cuddles his dachshunds at night, for goodness’ sake. Ray Scott is, as Winston Churchill said of Russia, “a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.” He’d deny his own complex character, of course. He’d tell you that, unlike Capote, he is a classic son of the South, a selfmade man with a knack for selling himself and his ideas. With tireless energy and unfailing ferocity, he parlayed his love of bass fishing and talent for self-promotion into a multimillion-dollar industry. Despite what Scott admits to, though, there was nothing simple about it.
H
oratio Alger was a 19th-century author whose formulaic books for working-class boys came to define the rags-to-riches American dream. Work hard enough, and you can do anything. A pauper might become president—and a skinny kid from Montgomery could spawn a business empire built around the commonest of hobbies. Meet young Ray Scott, skinny kid. His mama did ladies’ hair in a back room in what is now known as Montgomery’s Capitol Heights neighborhood, and his daddy ran an ice-cream-cart enterprise before getting a job at the post office. Scott lived with his parents, younger brother and two uncles in a one-bedroom house but never thought of his family as poor. There was always food to eat and plenty of mischief. As a kid, his uncle Cecil taught him how to cast a fishing line lefthanded, and soon Scott began heading to the pond at Froggy Bottom on Saturdays, rod slung over his shoulder and tackle packed in a Tampa Nugget cigar box. The only fish he sought were bass, for reasons he can’t explain even today. “I caught my first bass when I was 7 years old— I doubt it weighed a pound,” he recalls. “But I was afflicted from that moment on. I just loved those durned fish.” Even back then, Scott was a smooth-talking peddler. Feigning hunger, he convinced his mom to pack extra sandwiches for his school lunch; the academic year was half done before she discovered he’d been selling them between classes and cut off his supply. Scott always dealt with a mild case of dyslexia, so he was never a scholar. Instead, he was hyperactive and brimming with ideas. For a while, his energy went toward sports—he won a football scholarship to Howard College (now Samford University) near Birmingham, playing undersized halfback alongside undersized quarterback Bobby Bowden (yes, that Bobby Bowden), but a summer construction-site accident ended his football career, and
36
Auburn Magazine a u a l u m . o r g
he eventually dropped out. “I just didn’t Although one of Bassmaster founder Ray know what I was doing in college,” Scott Scott’s main pastimes says. “I didn’t know what the hell I was these days is motispeaking to doing with my life, so I decided I wanted vational businesspeople on the to work.” art of client prospect After a short stint with Vulcan Insur- ing, you’ll still find him the lake at his ance, selling burial policies to underprivi- hitting Pintlala resort on ocleged folks in Phenix City, the U.S. Army casion, angling for the set him straight. While stationed in Ger- next “big one.” many as a corporal, he realized something others could have told him already—he was born to sell. First, he needed an education. Although his father, Ray Sr., was a diehard Auburn fan, he hadn’t been able to afford to send his son to Alabama Polytechnic Institute immediately after Scott graduated from high school in the early 1950s. The G.I. Bill solved that problem, though—so he enrolled as a business major at Auburn as soon as he finished his Army stint. This time, he was ready. “Auburn was good to me; it was a blessing to me,” he says. “It gave me a chance to finish growing up. Auburn was my springboard.” Scott’s grades were nothing to write home about, but he parlayed his gift for gab into dates (he and roommate Danny Nolen ’60 would look up girls with interesting-sounding names in the student directory and then sweet-talk them into double-dating—a ploy that eventually landed Nolen a wife); book sales (he sat in the window of J&M with a megaphone); free food (he convinced the lady in charge of an off-campus boardinghouse to serve him meals in exchange for marketing her business); and even clothing (he worked as a sales clerk at Olin L. Hill’s store on College Street). Scott married a physical education instructor named Eunice, had a child, graduated in 1959 and settled into what looked to be a lifelong career in insurance sales. He was good at it, and within a year was promoted to a managerial position with Mutual of New York—which led to a reluctant meeting with the man who would change his life. During a talk with MONY managers about reintroducing disability insurance to their product line, Ralph K. Lindop shared a deceptively simple sales strategy: From every person to whom you pitch a sale, procure the names of a few of his or her friends. Use Client A’s name to sell to Client B, continuing to gather names along the way. That was in 1961, but 50 years later Scott’s face still lights up with the fire of a zealot as he describes the postwar precursor of today’s viral marketing. It would be six more years before he put the strategy to use outside the insurance business, but all that changed on a cold, rainy day in Jackson, Miss.
R
ay Scott, age 34, every bit the classic man-in-the-gray-flannel-suit, arrived in Jackson on March 31, 1967, with nothing more in mind than making a few sales calls and taking a day off to go bass fishing. He and friend Lloyd Lewis spent several unproductive hours on the water before calling it quits, and Scott was wet and half-frozen by the time he returned to the Ramada Inn to relax before dinner. He showered and stretched out on the bed, half-watching a basketball game—probably John Wooden’s UCLA Bruins in the first round of the NCAA tourney on their march toward a
a u a l u m . o r g Auburn Magazine
37
H O O K ,
L I N E
A N D
T H I N K E R
national title. The stands were packed, and Scott idly noted that basketball tournaments—any sporting contest, for that matter— surely were big moneymakers. He sat up, neurons firing. Bass fishermen were just as rabid about their avocation. Why not elevate fishing from hobby to sport, taking the activity beyond the few existing local $2 derbies that were rife with cheating? Why not find the best dang bass fishermen there were, put them in a high-stakes, highly controlled, high-profile tournament, make it a national competition and charge them to enter? By the time he met Lewis for dinner, Scott was already evangelizing the idea of competitive bass fishing and had anointed himself president of a company—All-American Bass Tournaments—that existed only in his head. “Ray wasn’t the same guy I’d fished with earlier that day,” Lewis recalls in Bass Boss, sportswriter Robert H. Boyle’s 1999 biography of Scott. “I thought he had gone nuts.” Scott had gone crazy all right—like a fox. By the 1950s, bass fishing had begun to gain traction as a postwar hobby due to the availability of affordable spinning reels and rods, plastic worms and other paraphernalia. Until that time, most serious freshwater anglers hailed from the northeastern U.S. and fished for trout and salmon. By the time Ray Scott had his big idea, pockets of bass fishermen had cropped up around the country, each with its stars—including a young Tennessean named Bill Dance, who later went on to bass-fishing fame and his own TV show. Those were the guys Scott wanted. He figured he’d charge competitors $100 each to enter his fledgling national tournament, set strict rules to prevent cheating, give away prizes worth winning and use the very prospecting techniques he’d learned from Lindop to ferret out the best fishermen. He’d hold the first tournament at Arkansas’ Beaver Lake, which he’d seen profiled in Outdoor Life magazine. To make it all happen, Scott had to do some fast talking. He cornered the head of the Arkansas tourism bureau, introduced himself and sought recommendations for a city near Beaver Lake to host a tourney. He tried to persuade the Springdale, Ark., chamber of commerce to fund it; officials turned him down, but he did find one advocate: A local doctor handed him a check for $2,500.
Bass fishermen were rabid about their avocation. Why not elevate fishing from a hobby to a national sport? 38
Auburn Magazine a u a l u m . o r g
Scott went to work, devising tour- Entrepreneur Ray Scott as Alabama nament rules and seeking competitors. served state chairman for Cold calls to marina operators pro- George H.W. Bush’s duced the names of four top fishermen; 1979 presidential Their bond those fishermen provided their own campaign. was sealed by Bush’s contacts. When dawn rose on the first interest in fishing. All-American Bass Tournament, 106 Both Bush and his son, George W., have visited anglers from 13 states had gathered in Scott’s 80-acre resort Springdale to compete for $5,000 and in tiny Pintlala, located a trip to Mexico. Scott lost $600 on the south of Montgomery. venture but gained a stack of index cards from which he built a database of 500 bass-fishing aficionados. He’d finally found his calling. Within a year, a new sport-fishing industry was born. Scott quit the insurance business, trading his gray flannel suit for a denim shirt, a bandana and a cowboy hat.
S
oon Scott renamed his All-American Bass Tournaments with the catchier B.A.S.S.—the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, an organization offering annual memberships that included the new Bassmaster magazine and merchandise discounts. He realized, though, that bass fishing—and his new business—might have a limited future if the nation’s waterways continued deteriorating. The problem was pollution, and Scott’s home state was one of the most egregious offenders. As a result, Scott used his bully pulpit to bring national attention to the issue—not with a megaphone but through the legal system. In 1970, the same year the first Earth Day proclamation was issued by San Francisco mayor Joseph Alioto, Scott began filing lawsuits against dozens of alleged industrial polluters he claimed were infringing on the public’s right to enjoy clean rivers and lakes. “In two years, I sued slightly over 200 companies—polluters—for violating the Federal Refuse Act of 1899,” he recalls. “Every dadgum one of them was pouring crap into the rivers and streams of Alabama, and nobody gave a hoot. ‘Out of sight, out of mind’—that was the philosophy.” The lawsuits, and Scott’s ability to work the media, put water pollution nearer to the top of the American public policy agenda. He was interviewed by Joe Garagiola on NBC’s “Today” show and also
H O O K ,
appeared on “The Dick Cavett Show” as well as ABC’s “20/20.” Scott won in the courts, and, in the process, then-president Richard Nixon signed papers creating the Environmental Protection Agency. Meanwhile, the bass-fishing business, constructed mainly on Scott’s chutzpah, continued growing. Between 1975 and 1985, B.A.S.S. grew to nearly 500,000 members and became a merchandising commodity; “The Bassmasters” was The Nashville Network’s No. 1 fishing show. “B.A.S.S. was like a child you couldn’t keep in clothes,” Scott says. “Every time we turned around, we needed a new pair of shoes.”
T
here have been moments of regret. Scott admits his preoccupation with building the B.A.S.S. organization and associated media conglomerate cost him his first marriage and some of his three children’s growing-up milestones. He’s also rubbed people the wrong way, occasionally said the wrong thing, ticked off the wrong people—fellow Alabama native Howell Raines, former editorial page editor of The New York Times, has called Scott “a slip-sliding, fast-talking apostle of the Redneck Way.” Scott doesn’t take the gibes personally. “What do you expect from a trout fisherman?” he says, teasing. After Scott married his second wife, Susan, in 1986, the couple joined Pintlala Baptist Church and set about building a retreat that today serves as their personal home as well as a resort with public accommodations for those who want to fish their three bass-stocked lakes. By that time, Scott had already been inducted into the International Fishing Hall of Fame and received a Public Service Commendation from the U.S. Coast Guard for promoting boating safety; in 1986 came more recognition, including the Living Legends Award, voted on by anglers and manufacturers, and the Ole Evinrude Award for contributions to recreational boating. (He’d later add a baker’s dozen of awards to his name, including induction into the Horatio Alger Association of Distinguished Americans and inclusion as one of Field & Stream magazine’s “Twenty Who Made a Difference” to outdoor sports in the 20th century. Other honorees include Theodore Roosevelt and environmentalist Rachel Carson.) But that year, change was in the air. B.A.S.S. had grown larger, and Ray Scott was an entrepreneur at heart. He sold the company in July 1986 to its vice president, Helen Sevier, and an investment group for a rumored $17 million. (Cable television’s ESPN subsequently bought B.A.S.S. in 2001 and last year sold the company to an investment group that includes former Time Inc. executive Don Logan ’66 of Birmingham.) The sale left Scott with a lot of money but little to do, so he dabbled for a while, at one point bottling and selling his grandmother’s chow-chow recipe and taping a three-volume video series on how to build small lakes and ponds. He gave inspirational speeches and made public appearances. But he still needed a new mission. He found it at a seed store. Anticipating that year’s deer-hunting season, Scott stopped at Montgomery Seed for some rye and wheat to plant on his property. The proprietor threw in a bag of Italian clover, and Scott planted a row of each on his property. A few weeks later, a funny thing happened: While Scott watched from his deer stand, seven deer tromped through the wheat and rye to feed on the clover.
L I N E
A N D
T H I N K E R
Scott has occasionally rubbed people the wrong way, said the wrong thing and even ticked off the wrong people. The neurons began firing. Scott called Wiley Johnson, then a faculty member in Auburn’s College of Agriculture, and found—to his amazement—that not only could Johnson explain why the deer liked the clover better (it’s sweet and high in protein), but the agronomist himself had been working on a clover variety to beat all others. The two men joined forces to create the Whitetail Institute of North America, packaged their product, Imperial Whitetail Brand Clover, and sold over a million pounds in the first four months. Other products followed, and Ray Scott had once again created a business that was bigger than he wanted to handle. Sons Wilson ’80 and Steve ’85 took half-ownership of the company and have since increased its revenues by 350 percent.
I
t would be easy to wrap up an account of the life of Ray Scott by waxing philosophical in a scene-setting paragraph featuring a semi-retired 77-year-old grandfather of eight sitting on a porch and watching the fish jump. But that isn’t Scott, a man who does almost nothing in moderation. “I tease him all the time about the philosophy ‘less is more,’ which is totally alien to him,” wife Susan says. “He grabs life with both hands. Moderation is simply not in his vocabulary. If he finds a good pepper sauce, he orders a case.” Indeed, there’s a cargo bay full of vintage cast-iron cookware in Scott’s huge Lexus SUV—he’s taking them to a guy in North Carolina who’s invented a new nickel-plating process. Scott’s also working with a couple of partners, including former Auburn fisheries chair Wayne Shell ’52, to promote central Alabama as a tourist destination for hunting, fishing and other attractions—he envisions a day when travelers on I-65 might refer to a laminated map or smart-phone app directing them off the highway to explore the jewels of the Black Belt. Towns like Monroeville and Beatrice, Georgiana and Greenville. Places they’d stay overnight. See the sights. Spend some money. It’s a Ray Scott kind of project, and the neurons are firing again.
a u a l u m . o r g Auburn Magazine
39
40
Auburn Magazine a u a l u m . o r g
College students in the ’40s and ’50s claimed the panty raid; ’60s campus activists held sit-ins and stuffed themselves in Volkswagens. Then came the ’70s, and with that decade a new campus fad at Auburn: streaking. Here are the bare facts. b y
jeremy
henderson
’04
The Naked Truth History lesson: Former U.S. congressman George William Crump apparently holds the dubious honor of becoming the first American college student arrested for streaking. His nude romp through Lexington, Va., occurred in 1804. At Auburn 170 years later, similar antics still provoked reactions ranging from amusement to shock.
There’s the proof, on Page 54 of the 1974 Glomerata, in five distinct black-and-white photos. Nine naked people, including a young woman hanging outside a dormitory window, arms outstretched, a mask over her face. Covering most of Page 55 is a photo of a guy dressed only in a ski mask and white Adidas, running through a crowd of students. The story reads: Streaking Faster than a speeding bullet; More powerful than Dean Cater Able to dodge Chief Dawson in a single bound; Look! On the Concourse! In the Quad! It’s—The Streaker! That’s right, the streaker fad hit Auburn this year. The first one sped down the concourse at 10:03 a.m. on Feb. 15, to be exact …
a u a l u m . o r g Auburn Magazine
41
THE NAKED TRUTH
T
he “first one,” Auburn University’s first official streaker, arrives fully clothed at the Joe Muggs coffee shop inside Birmingham’s ritzy Summit shopping center. “I look forward to speaking with you,” he’d written in an email. “Like February and March 1974, it could be interesting.” I was there early. I told him he would know me by my mom’s Glom; I’d have it out on the table. He walked in. We shook hands. I smiled. He didn’t really smile back. He ordered. First, we looked at the yearbook. He pulled out his glasses. I flipped back and forth between the two pages and told him again how I’d figured out who he was. He congratulated me but reiterated that, while the details of Auburn’s streaking fad might very well make an interesting book, he wasn’t interested in having his name in it. I assured him I wouldn’t have it any other way. I told him I’d call him what everyone began calling him on Friday, Feb. 15, 1974—Streak. The day had dawned overcast and warm for winter, with the mid-morning temperature lodged at 58 degrees and a hot rumor circulating about there being something you’d want to see in front of Haley Center at 10 a.m. The gossip apparently had been generated at the previous evening’s Alpha Omicron Pi social: Be there or be square. A Ford Mustang glided to a stop in front of Auburn’s tallest building, the busiest place on campus at the busiest time of day. The windows were rolled up, but you could see the passenger inside. Some remember the ski mask as orange; most say it was red. Whatever the color, it was already wet with sweat that would later evaporate inside a Lambda Chi trophy case. “They better be there,” he said—and they were: Freshmen who could afford to get busted, parked behind a privet hedge in a beige Chevy Impala, engine running. He was a sophomore majoring in aviation management on a Naval ROTC scholarship, and the stunt he was about to pull was planned as a 200-yard, $100 dare of a sprint (that actually earned him $150—all the fraternity brothers kept bringing tips) from Thach Avenue all the way to Parker Hall. If he got caught, he planned to resist arrest. But he wasn’t going to get caught, no matter what. The driver, his fraternity brother, held the back of his robe. People were everywhere, waiting. Someone on the roof of Haley Center shouted, “Here he comes!” He opened the door. He cursed. He needed the money, and Auburn needed the thrill. Streak takes a sip of coffee. “I never imagined when I got out of the car that there was going to be what looked like thousands of people. I mean, you’ve seen the pictures. There’s a bunch of people. I don’t know how to estimate people, but the concourse was jammed, just barely enough room to run through the place, especially as you got there right in front of Haley Center.” Which is why there were volunteers securing the area (to make sure no one caused him to trip). And maps, and multiple getaway cars, and headlight signals, and Plan Bs, and clothes stashed in the trashcan of the Parker Hall basement bathroom— just in case. The plan had been assembled with near-military precision. All Streak had to do, the guys with the money said, was show up.
42
Auburn Magazine a u a l u m . o r g
But had he known how big it was going to be? “I wouldn’t have done it, probably. I mean, it’s easy enough in something like this to say ‘Yes, I’ll do that for a hundred bucks’ or whatever it was. But you’re kind of committed, you’re there, and it’s time to go.” He took off. The crowd exploded. That’s all many of them will remember—how freaking loud it was. They were dressed. He was not. The young adults of Auburn bowed, curtsied, gawked and got out of his way. And The Auburn Plainsman, you know, just happened to be there with a camera. Rumor had it that the Plainsman prodded the beginning; but a Plainsman spokesman said their feature story the day before the first streak was only “progressive journalism.” —Glomerata 1974
W
hat else were people supposed to think? Syndicated newspaper columnist Rheta Grimsley Johnson ’77, features editor of Auburn’s student newspaper at the time, had just written a story on a new fad called streaking in which she described a hypothetical nude dash across the Haley Center concourse—and 24 hours later, it actually happens? The timing and execution certainly implied collusion and maybe even outright orchestration (“chumming the waters of Gonzo journalism,” as one Plainsman staffer put it). Johnson still swears she’s innocent. “The Plainsman had nothing to do with arranging the concourse streak,” she says. “I remember first reading about streaking in Newsweek magazine.” Sure enough, Newsweek mentions the nationwide campus fad in its Feb. 4, 1974, issue, sandwiched between blurbs on Richard Nixon and a feminist dictionary: Three paragraphs on streaking, the word bookended by provocative quotation marks and defined as “making blitzkrieg runs in public areas completely in the buff.” The trend was the supposed heir to goldfish swallowing, telephone booth stuffing and panty raids. Perhaps more surprising than the naked college high jinks of the 1970s is the actual origin of the practice. According to Denison University cultural-studies historian Bill Kirkpatrick, the earliest documented streaking incidents occurred when 17th-century English Quakers ran through the streets nude in an attempt to demonstrate their trust in the “naked truth” of the gospel. The phenomenon was distilled into a Los Angeles fad in late 1973 before exploding the following spring on college campuses around the country. Months before photographer Robert Opel streaked past British actor David Niven on stage at the 1974 Academy Awards ceremony and singer Ray Auburn’s streakers may Stevens hit it big with his novelty song have been ahead of pack among SEC “The Streak,” Auburn students had al- the schools, but Notre Dame ready begun baring it all. The kids on claims to have been an the Plains beat their Southeastern Con- early harbinger of the fad nationally. The Fighting ference rivals by becoming the first in the Irish held a “Streakers’ region to embrace the trend, making the Olympics” in 1972.
a u a l u m . o r g Auburn Magazine
43
THE NAKED TRUTH
Associated Press newswire and rating a mention by broadcaster Paul Harvey on his nationally syndicated radio show. The irony isn’t lost on those who consider Auburn, then and now, to be a conservative bastion in a world of campus liberals. “Streaking seemed like a novel, funny, otherworldly concept to contrast with the college pranks of old,” Johnson recalls. “It certainly seemed entirely irrelevant to Auburn,” perhaps because campus administrators had only just discontinued a policy requiring coeds to wear raincoats over their shorts en route to gym class. “That’s why the idea was so funny,” she says, “or so I thought.” Johnson tried to calm moral outrage over Streak’s run with a somewhat tongue-in-cheek Plainsman editorial following the incident: “You see, it will take more than one bare body to convince parents that their daughters will be subjected to nude people running along the Haley Center concourse at Auburn.” Johnson described streakers in her stories (“sweaty hair, extrashort gym shorts, wild eyes, knees with grass stains”), talked to them when the various “deep throats” of the fraternity houses called the student newspaper office to anonymously inform her of times and places, and generally used them to make a name for herself. (“It gave me something, at least, to be known for,” she quips.) But she herself never actually saw guys playing naked football in the middle of Magnolia Avenue, or the couple streaking hand-in-hand across the baseball field during a game, or even the woman who streaked during a Beach Boys concert at Beard-Eaves Memorial Coliseum. Earlier this year, Johnson gave a speech during an Auburn symposium on the history of journalism in Alabama. Afterward, she took questions from the audience. “Is it true that you incited the streaking epidemic at Auburn?” someone asked. Johnson sighed and acknowledged at least some culpability for fanning the flames. “Well … in a way,” she responded.
Things settled down a little after the first streak, and faculty members thought that maybe things had blown over. That’s what they thought. On Thursday night, March 7, pandemonium broke loose with “mass streaks” on the Drill Field, President Philpott’s lawn, the Social Center, the Quad, the Hill, the Quad, the Hill, the Quad … on into the morning. It was hard to tell who was more excited, the streakers (including girls—finally) or the 5,000 to 6,000 students cheering them on through the night. The craziness continued throughout that weekend—the one before winter quarter finals—with the last full-scale attack on Monday night. —Glomerata 1974
F
ormer Auburn athletics director David Housel, who taught journalism on campus at the time, was present on the concourse the morning of Feb. 15, 1974. He also was out and about (only to be “wise in the way of my students”) on March 7, just before final exams were to be held that quarter. “There was a girl called ‘Big Blue,’” he recalls. “They called her ‘Big’ because she was very well endowed; they called her ‘Big Blue’ because she wore a blue scarf over her head. And she would come out and be one of hundreds of women streaking out of the girls’ dorms and running around the loop.” His numbers may be a bit exaggerated. But plenty of coeds apparently took part in the streaking fad, and naked guys were everywhere. Suddenly, at a university whose student policies were still predicated largely on gender distinction, the differences between young men and women began to spill out of gym shorts and halter tops onto the ROTC drill field and— for women under curfew—dorm windows. Photos from many of the stunts still exist, most of them unpublished. There’s one of three naked male students racing a shopping cart across the drill field with a clothed woman sitting in the basket. There’s a girl in white denim cutoffs who’s either struggling out of or back into a Sigma Nu T-shirt. There’s a guy somehow climbing the brick wall of a dorm on his way to four cheering coeds looking out a fourth-floor window. And, yes, there are several never-before-seen angles of the infamous blonde from Page 54 of the 1974 Glom, who, by most accounts, was the first Auburn woman to engage in the fad. “It was almost,” Housel says, “like we were in Scandinavia for a while.” And now no one can really tell when, and if, this “passing fad” will really pass, in Auburn or nationwide. —Glomerata 1974
The Auburn student otherwise known as Streak graduated in 1978. He occa-
44
Auburn Magazine a u a l u m . o r g
THE NAKED TRUTH
sionally overhears strangers at football games talking about his legendary Feb. 15 run, but when other alumni ask him about it, as they occasionally do, he invokes his right to silence. “We had a pact,” he says. Meanwhile, tall tales about the incident in which he had a starring role have been passed down through Auburn’s other graduating classes over the past 37 years. A lot of them claim to have been there when it happened. In the Glom picture of Streak’s run, there are 92 spectators visible, and the long and short of the episode is frozen on their grainy faces. Mouths are wide open or covered with hands. Smiles. Right in front of Streak, closer to him than anyone, stands a group of seven women, backs turned, shunning the indecency. But there’s one young lady—bell bottoms, long brown hair, giant purse, standing just at Above and opposite: Auburn students made the edge of the cluster. She’s turning, just national news for being barely. She’s looking, just barely. She’s the first in the South to smiling, just barely. embrace the streaking fad. Still, the University “Auburn was more insulated to of Georgia holds the change than other universities, and may record for the largest group streak, with 1,543 be more conservative, even now,” Streak naked kids pounding the says. “But when you’re there, you don’t pavement on March 7, understand that there’s change going on. 1974, in Athens, Ga.
Did I ever think I was a part of any kind of revolution? No … there was no revolution.” But there were consequences. On Valentine’s Day, the night before the event, Streak took his girlfriend to dinner. She was cute, and she also served on the Associated Women Students Disciplinary Council. “And Lord,” he said during the pre-meal blessing, “please help this poor fool tomorrow.” She furrowed her brow. He said it was nothing. Two weeks later, when she figured it out, she broke up with him. He stands up to leave. We say our “War Eagles” and start to walk out of the coffee shop. “Oh,” I say, “I almost forgot.” I open my 1974 Glom to the naked man on Page 55. “Will you sign my yearbook?” He signs it “The Streak,” smiling, just barely. Jeremy Henderson ’04 is editor of The War Eagle Reader, an online magazine. You can find him at thewareaglereader.com. Want to see Streak’s infamous 1974 Glom photo? Auburn Libraries’ Department of Special Collections and Archives offers back issues of the university yearbook dating from 1897 to 2003 for viewing online at diglib.auburn.edu.
a u a l u m . o r g Auburn Magazine
45
From San Diego to New York City, Houston to Chicago, Atlanta to Birmingham and points between, your Auburn family is there for you. Reach out today to an alumni club in your town for career networking, community service opportunities and fun events that celebrate your alma mater.
Join the club.
www.aualum.org/clubs w w w. a u a l u m . o r g
Join the Auburn fAmily As we hit the roAd with the tigers! We’ll travel in style with our spirited group of Auburn fans with packages designed to keep our fans together on the road. We’ll book your hotel, arrange transportation to and from the stadium and tailgating parties, and an on-site hospitality desk to help with any questions while on the road. For more information visit t o ta l s p o rt s t rave l . c o m or call
888.367.8781.
2 011 AwAy g A m e
T r a v e l P ack a ge s clemSon SoUTh carolina arkanSaS lSU GeorGia
SepTember 16–18 SepTember 30 – ocTober 2 ocTober 8 ocTober 21–23 november 11–13
ToTal SporTS Travel iS The official away Game Travel parTner of TiGerS UnlimiTed and The aUbUrn alUmni aSSociaTion.
46
Auburn Magazine a u a l u m . o r g
A L A U LM UN MI N CI E N N ET W E R S
ALUMNI CENTER
Calendar
Your family needs you now
June 2
BOBBY POUNDSTONE ’95
President, Auburn Alumni Association The first few months of 2011 certainly have been an emotional roller coaster. We experienced the high of a national championship; shortly thereafter, we experienced a sick feeling when we learned of the senseless poisoning of the Toomer’s oaks. In the weeks since the news broke, we have all come to the realization that, no matter what happens to the trees, you cannot take away the passion of the Auburn family. There is one area, however, in which the Auburn family has for too long failed to direct enough passion and support. Obviously, we would not stand for having a football team that consistently finished 11th in the Southeastern Conference. Unfortunately, that is exactly where Auburn University’s endowment has ranked for years. As of June 30, 2010, our endowment was $395 million, which sounds good until you start comparing numbers. The endowment average for all SEC universities at the same point in time was $814 million, and the endowment of our rival over in western Alabama was $854 million. Clearly we have some catching up to do. In fact, you might compare our deficit to our peer institutions as being down 24 points in a football game against your biggest rival. You may be asking yourself, what does this mean? Well, one thing is that Auburn is handcuffed in its ability to offer attractive scholarship packages to the top students and to those kids who really need assistance. Prospective students often are faced with the dilemma of enrolling at Auburn or accepting a much more attractive scholarship offer from another school. Fortunately, Auburn is a special place, and many times those prospective students choose Auburn anyway. The truth is, though, for Auburn to be the best it can be, we need to be competitive enough not to have to ask our incoming students to accept
a smaller scholarship than they could have had at another SEC school. The Auburn Alumni Association and its 98 Auburn clubs are committed to doing our part. The alumni association awarded 78 academic scholarships for the 2010-11 academic year. Through hard work, creativity and a variety of fundraising efforts, our Auburn clubs awarded an additional 98 academic scholarships. Three clubs—West Georgia, Greater Birmingham and Tampa Bay—boast endowments of more than $100,000. In fact, the West Georgia Auburn Club’s endowment exceeds $300,000. For those of you who have personally contributed funds for these scholarship efforts, Auburn and the association appreciate your support. As for the rest of you, this is a call to action. I would like to invite you to contribute to the association’s Circle of Excellence program. The program’s purpose is to raise scholarship funds for the children of Auburn alumni. Your contribution will help ensure that future generations get the financial support to attain an Auburn education, and by that I mean both inside and outside the classroom. The four (or five or six) years a student spends at Auburn can shape his or her values and way of life. Through the Circle of Excellence, you can do your part to make sure finances do not keep the child of an Auburn alumnus or alumna from being able to continue the family tradition. Future Auburn students need our support, and no gift is too small. If you are interested in the Circle of Excellence, please see www.aualum.org/scholarships/coe or call 334-844-ALUM. If you prefer to get involved with scholarship efforts within your local Auburn club, see aualum.org/ clubs to find contact information for club officers. Thank you and War Eagle!
bpoundstone@bradleyarant.com
CHARLOTTE AUBURN CLUB
Annual meeting in Charlotte, N.C., featuring Auburn Tigers defensive coordinator Ted Roof. Info: 334-844-1148 or www.auburnclubs.org. WILCOX COUNTY AUBURN CLUB
Annual meeting in Camden featuring former Auburn Tigers head coach Pat Dye. Info: 334-8441148 or www.auburnclubs.org. June 5–14 WAR EAGLE TRAVELERS: CHIANTI & THE ITALIAN RIVIERA
Travel the Chianti Road to discover the charm of Florence and the Tuscan hill towns, then continue on to the coastal enclaves of Portofino and the villages of the Cinque Terre. From $2,795. Info: 334844-1143 or www.aualum.org/travel. June 14 RANDOLPH COUNTY AUBURN CLUB
Annual meeting in Wedowee featuring former Auburn Tigers head coach Pat Dye. Info: 334-8441148 or www.auburnclubs.org. June 25 DERBY CITY AUBURN CLUB
Annual meeting in Louisville, Ky., featuring Mark Murphy, editor and publisher of Inside the Auburn Tigers magazine. Info: 334-844-1148 or www.auburnclubs.org. June 30 MEMPHIS AREA AUBURN CLUB
Annual meeting in Memphis, Tenn., featuring Mark Murphy, editor and publisher of Inside the Auburn Tigers magazine. Info: 334-844-1148 or www.auburnclubs.org.
War Eagle Travelers at the oldest Islamic monument in the world, the Dome of the Rock on Temple Mount in Jerusalem
a u a l u m . o r g Auburn Magazine
47
A L U M N I
C E N T E R
Calendar July 7–14 WAR EAGLE TRAVELERS: ALASKA
This enchanting combination of train and cruise travel features some of America’s most treasured national parks, including Denali, Kluane and Glacier Bay. Also offered July 21-28. From $3,558. Info: 334-844-1143 or www.aualum.org/travel. July 14 ST. LOUIS AUBURN CLUB
Annual meeting in St. Louis featuring Paul Ellen, radio broadcast host for Auburn Tigers football. Info: 334-844-1148 or www.auburnclubs.org. July 15-26 WAR EAGLE TRAVELERS: DANUBE RIVER
Enjoy accommodations aboard the deluxe M.S. Amadeus Royal while exploring the medieval castles and storybook villages of the European heartland. From $3,595. Info: 334-844-1143 or www.aualum. org/travel. July 16 COWETA/FAYETTE AUBURN CLUB
Annual meeting in Peachtree City, Ga. Info: 334844-1148 or www.auburnclubs.org. July 21 TIGER TREK: GREATER BIRMINGHAM
Club meeting featuring Tigers head football coach Gene Chizik at Cahaba Grand Conference Center. Hosted by the Greater Birmingham Auburn Club. Info: 334-844-1148 or www.auburnclubs.org. July 24 MINORITY ALUMNI INVOLVEMENT NOW: ATLANTA
Annual picnic at Grant Park. Info: 334-844-1113 or tanjamatthews@auburn.edu. July 28 SMOKY MOUNTAIN AUBURN CLUB
Annual meeting in Knoxville, Tenn., featuring radio football host Paul Ellen. Info: 334-844-1148 or www.auburnclubs.org. Aug. 7 MINORITY ALUMNI INVOLVEMENT NOW: BIRMINGHAM
Annual picnic at Oak Mountain State Park. Info: 334-844-1113 or tanjamatthews@auburn.edu. Aug. 19-28 WAR EAGLE TRAVELERS: GREEK ISLES YOUNG ALUMNI TOUR
Chart a course for Greece. From $2,295. Info: 334844-1143 or www.aualum.org/travel.
48
Auburn Magazine a u a l u m . o r g
Friends for life DEBBIE SHAW ’84
Vice President for Alumni Affairs and Executive Director, Auburn Alumni Association Meeting fascinating Auburn people in my job is a gift for which I am most grateful—but sometimes certain individuals stand out. Such is the case with Robert “Bob” Schorr of Acworth, Ga., who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in aerospace administration in 1961. I met Bob not long after I joined Auburn’s Office of Alumni Affairs eight years ago. He’s a retired U.S. Air Force colonel and Vietnam War veteran who spent 33 years in the military as a navigator and special-operations director. Bob and I stay in touch primarily through email, but we also try to touch base anytime he is on campus. He never misses a football game. Even though he has physical ailments, his love for Auburn seems to serve as a sedative. Though I sometimes see him try to hide a slight grimace on his face, his big smile and positive attitude take over, and no one realizes he has any discomfort at all. Nor does he want them to know. Bob’s kindness to others is evident. He has a strong desire to reach out to those who not only love Auburn but also are interested in the future of Auburn. Bob’s vision of where Auburn needs to be in the years to come is one of continued excellence, primarily in the academic sense—but the Auburn spirit is what really turns him on. Bob approached me a couple of months ago with a unique request: He wanted to purchase a life membership in the Auburn Alumni Association to give to a recent graduate. He didn’t have anyone in particular in mind; he trusted I would find a young alumnus or alumna who loves Auburn the way he does, who had experienced Auburn in a positive way and would forever be interested in the university’s future. Bob wanted to perpetuate his love and passion for his
alma mater, and what better way, he said, than to reach out to a young person beginning a new journey, loaded with all the learning that Auburn provided. I put Bob in contact with finance major John P. Adams of Fayetteville, Ga., who graduated in December and found full-time employment immediately after graduation. The common denominator between these two men is their belief in “work, hard work,” from the Auburn Creed. John worked his way through college by holding several jobs along the way, often two at a time, all while taking classes. After his first year in school, he worked full time for a year and established residency in the state of Alabama so he could pay in-state tuition while continuing to pursue a degree. I don’t know many students who are so committed to Auburn that they would sacrifice a year of classes to be able to afford to continue their education here. It would have been much easier for John to return home, where he might have taken advantage of Georgia’s generous state-funded scholarship program. Instead, he had a goal—he wanted to be an Auburn man with an Auburn degree. And he accomplished it. Thanks to Bob’s kindness and generosity, John will be forever connected to Auburn through membership in the alumni association, no matter where his journey takes him. He’ll receive this magazine four times a year, plus email updates, free tailgating events before each home football game and numerous other benefits. And he’s found a friend for life as well. War Eagle!
debbieshaw@auburn.edu
A L U M N I
C E N T E R
Class Notes GOT NEWS?
Robert A. Beckerle
Auburn Magazine
’57, a Mobile attorney,
317 S. College Street
was recognized by the Mobile Bar Association for his 50 years in the practice of law.
Auburn University, AL 36849-5149, or aubmag@auburn.edu Life Member Annual Member
’20–’59 Paul Newberne ’50 of Bedford, Mass., and his brother, James Wilson “Jim” Newberne ’50, of Cincinnati, Ohio, each received Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College’s 2010 Distinguished Alumnus Award. Jim Newberne helped advance the polio vaccine and is a diplomate with the American College of Veterinary Pathologists and a fellow of the Academy of Toxicological Sciences. He spent his career working for the Merrill Dow Research Institute, serving as vice president and director of global regulatory affairs and drug safety assessment in Cincinnati. Paul Newberne retired as a professor of nutritional pathology for Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he established a research program in experimental chemical carcinogenesis. W. Sidney “Sid” Fuller ’53 was re-elected
chairman of the board of Southern National Corp., holding company for CCB Community Bank. He is an attorney in Andalusia and a past president of the Alabama Trial Lawyers Association.
Gene McManus ’57
of Pictou, Nova Scotia, volunteered for two weeks at the 2011 Canada Games in Halifax, serving as an administrative assistant in the Canada Games Centre. He formerly taught college algebra, production management, differential calculus and other topics in Japan, Lithuania, Ecuador and Slovakia.
’60–’69
Agency’s Sea-Based Xband Radar. He lives in Monument, Colo. Nelda Lee ’69
received the National Aeronautic Association’s 2010 Katherine and Marjorie Stinson Award in recognition of career and personal achievements in the field of aviation, aeronautics, space and related sciences. A Boeing Co. employee for 42 years, Lee recently joined the Boeing testand-evaluation team as an integrated product team manager for the F-15 Eagle program.
Wiggin and Dana law firm’s New York City office. He has more than 35 years of experience in intellectual property litigation and counseling.
Mike Watson ’69 received the U.S. Army’s Outstanding Civilian Service Medal in February in recognition of his service as board chairman of the USO Council of Georgia Inc.
Eleanor Wolfe Hoomes
’70–’79
Ed Bailey ’65 joined
’67 was nominated as
Georgia Author of the Year for her second book of poetry, Eye of the Beholder. William E. Barrick ’68,
executive director of Bellingrath Gardens and Homes in Theodore, received the American Horticultural Society’s 2011 Meritorious Service Award. He served on the organization’s board of directors from 1991 to 2010. Jim Fitzpatrick ’68
retired from Boeing Co. in March as mission director of the U.S. Missile Defense
R.A. “Sonny” Ferguson Jr. ’70, a retired
circuit judge, joined the Birmingham law firm of Christian & Small, where he works within the alternative-disputeresolution practice group to assist in mediating family law, divorce, and custody and visitation cases.
Board nominees The Auburn Alumni Association board of directors’ nominating committee, having solicited nominations from the membership as required in the association bylaws, has submitted to the full board its list of candidates for four new directors. The recommended candidates have been approved by the board and are presented below for the membership’s consideration. According to the association’s bylaws, members may propose other candidates via the process outlined in Article XI, Section 4 (see below). The deadline for contesting any candidate recommended by the board is 4:45 p.m. CST June 15. If no further nominations are received, the unopposed candidates will be deemed automatically elected and will begin their terms at the association’s annual meeting on Nov 19. ROBERT “BOB” R. JONES III ’74
RESIDENCE: Atmore MAJOR: Accountancy EMPLOYMENT: President and chief executive officer, United Bancorporation of Alabama Inc./United Bank AUBURN ACTIVITIES: Member and former president, Lower Alabama Auburn Club; School of Accountancy Advisory Council WILLIAM D. “BILL” NELSON SR. ’62
RESIDENCE: Fort Walton Beach, Fla. MAJOR: Construction EMPLOYMENT: Retired; civil service for 27 years AUBURN ACTIVITIES: President, Emerald Coast Auburn Club EARL GAINES THOMAS ’72
RESIDENCE: Mobile MAJOR: Chemistry EMPLOYMENT: Pediatric dentist AUBURN ACTIVITIES: Board of directors, Auburn Alumni Association (filling unexpired one-year term); member, Mobile County Auburn Club; Samford Society; George Petrie Society BARBARA ANN WALLACE-EDWARDS ’79
RESIDENCE: Birmingham MAJOR: Accountancy EMPLOYMENT: Divisional project manager, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama/Cahaba Government Benefit Administrators AUBURN ACTIVITIES: Board of directors, Auburn Alumni Association (filling unexpired one-year term); member, Greater Birmingham Auburn Club
Dwight Lonnie Cobb ’72 of Birmingham
Article XI, Section 4: Nominations from Members at Large. Members may propose other candidates for
retired as senior vice president of sales and marketing from Mason Corp., an aluminum-buildingproducts manufacturer.
any position provided that (1) the name and a biography of the proposed candidate is submitted in writing to the secretary of the association by the time specified in the notice, which can be no sooner than 30 days from the day of the announcement; (2) the submission specifies which candidate submitted by the board of directors the new candidate opposes; (3) the submission bears the new candidate’s signed consent; and (4) the submission of the new candidate contains the signed endorsement of at least seventy-five (75) members of the association. Facsimile transmissions of this information will be accepted.
a u a l u m . o r g Auburn Magazine
49
A L U M N I
C E N T E R
Class Notes Davis Woodruff ’72
has self-published a second book, Numbers to People. He owns Management Methods, a Decatur-based consulting firm. Irvin L. Emmons ’74
of Aumsville, Ore., manages the rates-andservice-quality section of the Oregon Public Utility Commission.
Dennis A. Ross ’81, a Lakeland, Fla., attorney, was elected in November to the U.S. House of Representatives. Maury D. Gaston ’82
was elected chairman of the State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame. He serves as division marketing services manager for American Cast Iron Pipe Co.
Class act By age 59, most people have begun to think of retirement. Maybe they want to slow down, smell the roses. Or dig in and focus on their work for another few years. Travel more. Stress less. Take up a new hobby. Kenny Likis ’72 might have been one of them. As a vice president at Boston-based Domain Pharma Corp., a $25 million biotech firm, he was established, respected, settled. But he missed teaching, which he’d done earlier in his career. So he took the Massachusetts teaching certification test and began instructing courses part-time at Bunker Hill Community College in 2009. “That’s where I quickly remembered why I wanted to be a teacher to start with and how much I wanted to do it again,” he says. Shortly afterward Likis became intrigued by the vision of Teach for America, a program that trains and assigns professionals and recent college graduates to teach schoolchildren in poor communities. He signed up and began educating 11th graders in south Boston’s Hyde Park neighborhood about the importance of art, literature and music in their lives. Likis says he’s never been happier. “Teaching is the thing that I’ve done that always came the most naturally and is something I really believe in,” says the Birmingham native. “I want my students to be better readers and writers, better listeners, speakers and critical thinkers. I want to put them on a path to lifelong learning.” —Abby Townson
50
Auburn Magazine a u a l u m . o r g
Don Koehler ’79,
’80–’89 Victor Gaston
Ginny Schuelke ’82
received a 2010 Leadership in Educational Excellence award from Resource Training & Solutions in St. Cloud, Minn. She is a specialeducation teacher for Delano Public Schools in Delano, Minn.
’83 was appointed as-
administrator and timber farmer from Mobile, was elected speaker pro tempore of the Alabama House of Representatives in December. He has served as a state representative since 1982.
sociate vice president for international programs at Mississippi State University and executive director of the university’s international institute.
Jim Purcell ’81 was appointed by the Louisiana board of regents as the state’s commissioner of higher education. He previously served as director of the Arkansas Department of Higher Education.
named chief administrator of the University of South Alabama Children’s & Women’s Hospital in Mobile. He previously served as executive vice president for community and governmental affairs for Infirmary Health System. William B. “Bill” Stone ’85 is president and
chief operating officer of Electric Motor Sales & Supply Co. Inc. and its subsidiary, Tennessee Armature & Electric. He and wife Lisa live in Signal Mountain, Tenn.
of Lake Mary, Fla., was appointed to serve on the board of trustees of Oral Roberts University in Tulsa, Okla. She is executive vice president of Charisma House, the book publishing unit of Orlando, Fla.-based Charisma Media, and was the first female president of the Spanish Evangelical Publishers Association. William Hamrick ’88
of Carrollton, Ga., was named chair of the Georgia Senate Judiciary Committee.
William “Benjy” Mikel
’80, a retired school
Del Marsh ’80, owner of Anniston-based Industrial Plating Co. Inc., was elected president pro tempore of the Alabama Senate in December. He is serving his third term as a state senator.
Special Operations Component Command in Iraq. Tessie Guell DeVore ’88
Owen Bailey ’85 was
SNAPSHOT
executive director of the Georgia Peanut Commission, was selected as chairman of the federal Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee for Trade of tobacco, cotton and peanuts.
team and as a legal adviser to management and the firm’s directors committee.
Brian T. Casey ’84 was
named to the “Insurance Dream Team” of 100 most powerful people in the insurance industry in North America by Insurance Broadcasting in conjunction with the Insurance Media Association. He is a partner in the Atlanta office of Locke Lord Bissell & Liddell law firm.
Kaye Hutchins Hughes ’86 and husband Bill own
a home health care business in Lexington, Ky. R.W. “Bo” Burks ’87
of Montgomery is employed with Wiregrass Construction Co. He recently served a year with the Alabama National Guard in Afghanistan, where he and other Auburn alumni made a video that featured troops reciting the Auburn Creed. John Burnum ’87
is a trial litigator in Moulton.
Michael L. “Mike”
Darsie D. Rogers Jr. ’87
Chapman ’84 of Tampa,
of Colorado Springs, Colo., was nominated for appointment to the rank of brigadier general in the U.S. Army. He directs the Joint Forces
Fla., was named general counsel for the law firm of Holland & Knight. He will serve as a member of the senior management
BORN A daughter, Abby Elizabeth, to Kenneth V. “Kenney” Eldridge and wife Emily of Houston on June 17.
’90–’99 Rajib Mallick ’93 of
Holden, Mass., was promoted to professor of civil and environmental engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He researches the design and construction of pavements, the development of new pavement mixes to extend the life of roads and runways, and the use of recycled pavement in road construction to lower the cost of road maintenance. He co-wrote Pavement Engineering: Principles and Practice (CRC Press, 2008).
Nuts for deer and turkeys Auburn researchers have bred six low-maintenance Chinese chestnut varieties and two dwarf cultivars that produce from August through November, providing continuous food for wildlife. Four varieties produce large crops of medium to large nuts and will be marketed as the Chinese chestnut deer package. The others bear smaller chestnuts ideal for attracting wild turkeys.
William E. “Ace” Atkins Jr. ’94 wrote a new
novel, The Ranger (Putnam, 2011), a thriller set in contemporary Mississippi. Atkins lives in Water Valley, Miss. Charles J. O’Brien IV ’94
of Roswell, Ga., was promoted to associate principal in the firm of Pieper O’Brien Herr Architects in Alpharetta, Ga. He is the firm’s senior project designer and manages its design studio. Norman M. Orr ’94
was appointed vice president of Special Equestrians Inc., an Indian Springs organization that provides therapeutic horseback riding and other activities for people with disabilities. He is an attorney in the Birmingham office of Burr & Forman law firm. Alison Decker Scott ’94 was appointed
to the board of The Literacy Council, a Birmingham-based nonprofit organization.
School Teacher of the Year and Bremen City Schools Teacher of the Year. She is the special education in-school coordinator for Bremen High and also serves as the school’s varsity competitive cheerleading coach. She is pursuing a doctoral degree in teacher leadership. Steven T. Speakman ’95 of Auburn was
elected district court judge for Lee County. His brother and former law partner, Michael S. Speakman ’84, administered the oath of office.
wrote Some of the People Who Ate My Barbecue Didn’t Vote for Me: The Life of Georgia Gov. Marvin Griffin (Vanderbilt University Press, 2011). He is a faculty member at The Citadel in Charleston, S.C., and serves as executive director of The Citadel Symposium on Southern Politics. Melissa Candida
named Bremen High
MARRIED Matthew Todd Gaines ’96 to Virginia
Leigh Morgan on June 26. They live in Brandon, Miss. Amy Blake Timberlake
Texas Wesleyan University’s graduate program in nurse anesthesia.
’98 to Andrew Marshall Cook on June 19. They live in Birmingham.
Cynthia Lewis ’96
BORN A daughter, Sophie Kerigan, to Kelli A. King ’90 and Jason Jarvis of Daphne on Oct. 18.
a State Farm insurance agent in Auburn, was recognized by the Auburn Chamber of Commerce as its Young Businessperson of the Year for 2010. Frank Brocato III ’98 was appointed to the board of The Literacy Council, a Birmingham-based nonprofit organization. Jeremy L. Arthur ’99
McGill-Bullock ’95 was
Trae Wilson ’99 was named senior estimator at Frank L. Blum Construction Co. in Winston-Salem, N.C.
James P. “Jim” Wood-
Kathy Powell ’97, Scott E. Buchanan ’95
was named president of the Prattville Area Chamber of
C E N T E R
Commerce. He had served as executive vice president of the organization since 2004 and is a doctoral degree candidate in public administration and public policy at Auburn University.
fin Jr. ’95 was accepted to
of Louisville, Ky., was chosen by the YMCA of Greater Louisville as a mentor in the Chestnut Street Family YMCA’s Black Achievers program.
A L U M N I
A daughter, Carolyn, to Frederick L. Innes III ’91 and Stacy Penny Innes ’94
of Cumming, Ga., on Dec. 11. The couple adopted daughters Maryann and Avaline the following day. A daughter, Kathleen Elizabeth, to Thomas Jacks ’93 and wife Tara of Mandeville, La., on May 31, 2010. She joins brothers Collin, David and Clay. A son, Jackson Holman, to Walter C. “Chip” Haffner III ’94
and Stephanie Strowd
Chizik kicks off Tiger Trek More than 800 alumni and friends of Auburn University attended this year’s “Tiger Trek” kickoff event in Atlanta in April. “Tiger Trek” refers to the cluster of eight Auburn club meetings where Tigers head football coach Gene Chizik is scheduled to make appearances this summer. Attendees at this year’s Tiger Trek events will have the opportunity to see and photograph the 2010 American Football Coaches Association Trophy awarded to the winner of the BCS National Championship Game. Proceeds from the tour benefit student scholarships. Tiger Trek continued in May with events in Montgomery, Florence, Huntsville, Mobile and Guntersville. Haven’t caught one yet? Fans can still experience the tour on May 26 in Cullman and July 21 in Birmingham. For times and venues, see www.aualum.org/clubs. In other club news: • The ATLANTA, AUTAUGA COUNTY, COLUMBUS/PHENIX CITY, CULLMAN COUNTY, EMERALD COAST, GREATER BIRMINGHAM, MONTGOMERY COUNTY, SHOALS AREA and WEST GEORGIA clubs received the prestigious “All Auburn, All Orange” designation for general excellence during the Auburn Alumni Association’s annual volunteer leadership conference in February. • The CULLMAN COUNTY AUBURN CLUB won the association’s Most Outstanding Scholarship Program award for its fundraising efforts over the past year. • ATLANTA AUBURN CLUB treasurer Tony Torbert ’90 received the association’s annual award for most outstanding club leader. • The BLUEGRASS AUBURN CLUB won the association’s Most Outstanding Club Event award for coordinating a weekend of activities for Auburn alumni and fans who traveled to the Auburn Tigers football game against the University of Kentucky in October.
a u a l u m . o r g Auburn Magazine
51
A L U M N I
C E N T E R
Reservations accepted The Auburn Alumni Association offers reserved parking prior to the Tigers’ home football games for $600 per space. Parking spots are located near the Auburn Alumni Center, and proceeds benefit student scholarships. To guarantee a spot for the 2011 season, contact Nancy Ingram at 334-8442586 or nancyingram@auburn.edu.
Class Notes Haffner ’95 of Theodore
on April 15, 2010. He joins brother Ty, 6. Twins, Ryan Michael and Colleen Copple, to Christina Copple Mahr ’94 and husband Michael of Rochester, Minn., on Nov. 16. A daughter, Aubrey Christine, to Jeffrey A. Ray ’94 and Angela Dalton Ray ’99 of Fort Collins, Colo., on Jan. 31. She joins brothers Landon and Dalton. A son, Landon Sean, to Laurie M. Ledbetter ’95 of Montgomery on Jan. 5. A son, Jackson McNeill, to Ashley Camp Henry ’96 and husband Tim of Franklin, Tenn., on Jan. 15. A son, William Rhett Jr., to Ashley Clement Hardy ’96 and husband William of Charlotte, N.C., on April 22, 2010. A son, Mason Chandler, to Darlene H. Willis ’97 and husband Lance of Northport on May 6, 2010. A daughter, Israel Elizabeth “Izzy” Hoover, to Holly Elizabeth Dunlap ’98
of Florence on Oct. 22. Twins, Caroline Leigh and Mackenzie Diane, to Neil Gilliland ’98 and Sarah Young Gilliland ’08 of Montgomery on Feb. 20.
wife Michelle of Gardendale on March 23. He joins sister Grace, 8. A son, Ryan Michael, to Sean Flinn ’99 and Erin Lewis Flinn ’99 of Houston on March 18, 2010. He joins brother Patrick Killough, 3. A daughter, Amelia Emmie, to Lance Hebert ’99 and Deann Dennis Hebert ’01 of Franklin, Tenn., on Sept. 4. She joins sister Adeline Catherine, 4.
52
BORN A daughter, Sydney Elizabeth, to Rena Roberson Carter of Sylacauga on Nov. 12. She joins brother Jackson Cole and sister Lillian Denise. A daughter, Emery Olivia, to Barrett Ellyson Fowler and Carrie Renee Maney Fowler of Charlotte, N.C., on Oct. 8. She joins brother Owen Bryce, 4. A son, Jake William, to
A son, Mason Christopher, to Sheree Hanna McEntyre ’99 of Lincoln on July 16.
’00 Lewis G. Coumanis was
named assistant professor of radiology at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine in Mobile. Bryan J. Hargis was ap-
pointed chief executive officer of St. Luke’s Sugar Land Hospital and vice president of Houston-based St. Luke’s Episcopal Health System. Jeremy Thompson was
named regional coordinator for the American Academy of Family Physicians’ national Family Medicine Interest Group network. He is a third-year student at University of Alabama School of Medicine.
George Chandlar Graham
to Kristen Rae Lewis
Auburn Magazine a u a l u m . o r g
Shanna Elise Hodges
and husband Daniel of Gadsden on March 1. A daughter, Claire Elise, to Franklin Todd Segars and Suzanne Johnson Segars ’01 of Kimberly on Feb. 18, 2010. She joins sister Grace Elizabeth. A son, Zachary Bryson, to Braxton Underwood and wife Dannie of Dallas, Ga., on May 24, 2010.
’01 K-Rob Thomas of Oxford was named assistant to the chief transmission officer for Southern Co. He joined the company in 2002.
MARRIED Kristen Seibels Branch
to James Brian Hurst ’98 on May 1, 2010. They live in Montgomery.
to Ranah Laye on Oct. 9. They live in Montgomery.
MARRIED
to Jason William Roderic Tyra ’03 on May 22, 2010. They live in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Jeffrey Craig Hill to
Hamilton Scott Moody to
BORN A daughter, Madeline Grace, to Kevin Tarnowski and Jennifer Blaul Tarnowski ’97 of Gibsonton, Fla., on Jan. 12, 2010.
Kelsey Shay McLemore on March 26. They live in Daphne. Mary Peyton Posey to Thomas Kennedy ’99 on Oct. 10. They live in Birmingham. Jennifer Lee Sartain to
Jordan Adam Yoss on July 17. They live in Marietta, Ga.
Victoria Walsh Roberson
George Mitchell Dozier
MARRIED A son, Robert Wade, to Wade Gunter ’98 and
on Oct. 23. They live in Homewood.
BORN Twins, Luke Donald and Molly Marie, to Al Amerson and Stacy Haisten Amerson ’00
of Colleyville, Texas, on Feb. 3. They join brother Ely, 4. A son, Reese Warrington, to Wesley Barnett and Nikki Montgomery Barnett of Hoover on Feb. 11. He joins sister Caroline. A daughter, Morgan Grey, to Jason Bryant and wife Lauren of Birmingham on Feb. 28. A daughter, Gabriel Shane Alvis, to Kim Roberts of Midland City on April 30, 2010.
’02 Tara S. Ratz graduated from Thomas Goode Jones School of Law at Faulkner University in December. She received a Scholastic Achievement Award in international law.
Elizabeth E. Adams on Feb. 19. They live in Birmingham.
A son, William Rutledge “Ledge,” to William Edward Searcy ’03 and wife Kate of Enterprise on Nov. 2.
’04 Jason Grubbs will head
the new Birmingham office of Montgomerybased W.R. Taylor & Co. as managing director of investment banking.
A daughter, Madison Leigh, to Michael Glenn Walker and wife Melissa of Gardendale on March 12.
Andrew M. Burgess to
’03
Gwen Engelbert
Latoya Bell received
Conrad to Michael
a master’s degree in school counseling from the University of West Alabama.
Benjamin Grisham on April 3. They live in Auburn.
MARRIED Zoe Ripple on May 29. They live in Boston.
Elizabeth Hess to Clint
MARRIED Elizabeth Brooke DeBoer
to Bruno Murtade Resende ’04 on Jan. 8. They live in Montgomery. Lauren Patrice
Pridgen on April 3. They live in Indianapolis. Albert Barrett Hicks III
to Yige Hu on May 15. They live in Gainesville, Fla.
Gulledge to Dewey
Anderson White IV on Sept. 18. They live in Birmingham. Ashley Joseph to Steven Mezrano on Aug. 7. They live in Chelsea.
BORN A son, Peyton Michael, to Barrington Pierce Juliussen and husband Timothy of Smiths Station on Sept. 22. A son, Parker, to Brad Neighbors and Heather Fillmore Neighbors ’04 of Birmingham on Feb. 17.
Joshua Ryan Woods
to Kerianne Reed on Nov. 21. They live in Roseville, Calif. BORN A son, Nolan Michael, to Michael Lynch of Alabaster on Feb. 22. A son, George Simeon Jr., to George S. Wilbanks and wife Marie of Birmingham on Oct. 13. A daughter, Haley Jolee, to Donnay Young and Kereyell Glover Young ’02 of Fairburn, Ga., on Dec. 14.
A L U M N I
’05
’06
Amanda Kaye Bain was
Stephen R. Schwalbe
featured on Montgomery-based WSFA-TV as a “Class Act” in November. The station’s “Class Act” feature honors teachers who excel in the classroom. Bain is a teacher at Wrights Mill Road Elementary School in Auburn.
of Cheney, Wash., serves as program director for the public administration and political science department at the online, for-profit American Public University.
Terra Douberly joined
Birmingham-based LIVE Design Group as an interior designer. She has served as the vice president of professional development for the Alabama chapter of the International Interior Design Association and is a member of the Commercial Real Estate Development Association.
Elizabeth Meade Smith
to Joseph Benjamin Bolen on March 27, 2010. They live in Birmingham. Leah Renee Steiner to Nathan Wilson Hardy ’07 on Dec. 4. They
live in Atlanta. Bethany Diane Willoughby to Wesley Scott Guinn on April 30, 2010. They live in Columbus, Ga.
BORN A son, Baylor Louis, to Andre Schillinger and
to Matthew Bryant Scott on June 19. They live in Chicago. Katherine Eve Jahera to Peter Michael Fisher ’06
on June 5. They live in Birmingham. Emily Charlette Kitchens to Adam Kinsaul on
was named vice president of investment banking for the Birmingham office of W.R. Taylor & Co.
Feb. 6, 2010. They live in Jasper.
olds to Wesley Lee Wy-
MARRIED
att on March 27, 2010. They live in Clanton.
Angela Marie Homan
to Ben Thomas on Aug. 7. They live in Wallace, N.C. Lauren Elizabeth Horn
to Eduardo Orestes Leon
Mary Elizabeth Reyn-
’08 MARRIED Shannon M. Allison to
Francesca Lewis on Aug. 22. They live in Atlanta.
’05 on July 24. They live
in Auburn.
am Wright on Oct. 10. They live in Pelham.
Catherine Davis Hopkins
Robbins Taylor III
MARRIED Leslie Gray Jr. to Miri-
C E N T E R
Maria DeMaioribus to Brent Ramage ’09 on
BORN A daughter, Lilly Kay, to Daniel S. Levis and Jessica Brannon Levis on Feb. 2.
’07
Oct. 2. They live in Huntsville. Mary Elizabeth Miller to Joshua Daniel Tatum on
May 15, 2010. They live in Destin, Fla.
Kathleen Elizabeth Lowry
works for FleishmanHillard public relations firm in New York City. She received a master’s degree in international relations and international communication from Boston University.
BORN A son, Nolan McCullough, to Justin Wayne Brock and Ashley McCullough Brock ’07
of Linden on Feb. 3.
’09 MARRIED
MARRIED
Hannah Victoria Law-
Pearson Daley Alsobrook
son to Michael Benjamin
to Lauren Paige Link on July 31. They live in Auburn.
Peters ’08 on July 24.
They live in Auburn. Laura Morris to Ryan Ke-
Morgan Curry Schillinger
Christy Lee Carnes to
’06 of Port Austin,
Patrick Joseph McAlister
Mich., on Oct. 10.
’05 on Dec. 18. They live in Vestavia.
aton on April 24, 2010. They live in Vass, N.C.
SNAPSHOT
Studying a bug’s life
Gus Lott ’01 always knew he would be an electrical engineer. His dad, Gus Lott Jr. ’76, worked as an electrical engineer for the U.S. Navy, bringing home tales of engineering heroism, and Lott wanted to follow in his footsteps. “His generation of engineers made the Internet, and created cellphones and communications networks,” Lott says. “It was awesome stuff.” The younger Lott enrolled at Auburn University in the late 1990s, declaring a major in electrical engineering and adding a second major in physics. But by that time, the latest wave of breakthroughs in the field seemed to have crested, and the big news was in biology. After graduating from Auburn, Lott entered the biophysics graduate program at Cornell University. Lott ended up in neurobiology. To assist a researcher who was studying how houseflies make choices, he built a tiny virtualreality system complete with a treadmill made out of a ping-pong ball and an optical mouse. He surrounded the system with speakers that generated enticing cricket chirps. The researcher could examine how the fly selected from various fake crickets. Lott packaged the fly system with two other tool-building projects as his Ph.D. thesis and made an important new discovery: He really didn’t want to do research. A professor told him about Janelia Farm, a branch of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute dedicated to understanding human consciousness. There, in a basement office on the banks of the Potomac River, Lott builds weird gizmos designed to further scientific research. “I feel like ‘Q’ in the James Bond movies. He’s down there in the basement of MI6, and all the agents come to him for crazy technology to carry out their missions,” Lott says. His first project was an automatic fly swatter to study fear in flies. These days, he’s working on a “smart maze” for rats that employs special effects such as a screen flashing a cat’s image. Lott may not be at Janelia Farm forever—he’d eventually like to work on augmented reality systems for humans, not just flies and rats. But for now, he says, he’s about as happy as a kid with a stack of Oreos.—Tekla S. Perry/Adapted and reprinted from IEEE Spectrum, the flagship magazine of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers.
a u a l u m . o r g Auburn Magazine
53
A L U M N I
C E N T E R
Class Notes Kate Woods to Jack Bartlett ’08 on March
26. They live in Montgomery. Jack is a sales associate for Business Interiors Inc., and Kate is a recruiter for Auburn University Montgomery. BORN A son, William James, to Scott McEwen and Jena McCraney McEwen SNAPSHOT
Her crowning glory Iris Hill worked hard to see her career end up in the toilet. The 29-year-old Auburn alumna won a national competition to become “Queen of the Charmin Go Nation,” a position that puts her, in the toilet-paper maker’s cheeky phrasing, behind a “movement” to make bathroom experiences more enjoyable. “I truly believe the Southern hospitality I learned growing up helped me achieve this goal,” says Hill, a Tuscaloosa native who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in zoology in 2003 and earned a master’s degree in biological sciences two years later. “At Auburn, we value the toilet paper that decorates Toomer’s Corner—and we all know how difficult it is to find a nice bathroom while tailgating. Toilet paper matters.” Hill proved her commitment to Charmin’s “enjoy the go” campaign by swathing herself in the product and standing on a street corner in her hometown to collect more than 3,000 toiletries for the Salvation Army as well as for shelters serving homeless military veterans and domestic violence victims. She also wiped out four other finalists in a series of wacky events, including a toilet-paper toss, a pyramid-stacking contest and a bathroom trivia tournament. “I had drilled with flash cards, so I knew the answer when they asked me what musical key a toilet flushes in,” she says. “E flat.” Charmin executives were bowled over. Actress Jane Lynch, who plays obnoxious cheerleading coach Sue Sylvester on Fox’s hit TV show “Glee,” had the dubious honor of crowning Hill during a December coronation ceremony. “I sat on the throne—um, a real one that was fancy,” says Hill, who works as a model and actor in Los Angeles, “and I wielded a scepter that was not a plunger.” Hill left the ceremony flush with $50,000 in prize money and carried out her constitutional duties by reigning over the comfy “Charminized” bathrooms of New York City’s Times Square during New Year’s Eve. Her future goal? “To get Charminized bathrooms for the Iron Bowl.”—Candice Dyer
54
Auburn Magazine a u a l u m . o r g
of Harrison City, Pa., on March 11.
’10 Melissa Fisher is a staff assistant and tour coordinator for U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby in Washington, D.C. She was selected as Alabama’s Cherry Blossom Princess nominee for this year’s National Cherry Blossom Festival.
In Memoriam Lucien Tennett Lee Jr. ’28 of Northport died March 3. He retired from the University of Alabama as a professor of secondary education and had served as a member of the board of trustees of Stillman College. An amateur radio operator, Lee worked at WAPI, the radio station owned by Alabama Polytechnic Institute and operated by the state extension service, during the 1920s. Dorothy R. Daniel ’31
of Maplesville died Dec. 30. She was a teacher in the Chilton County School System for 35 years. James H. Lovett
Rebecca Ann Funk joined
’33 of Fort Worth,
the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine as clinical assistant professor of equine field service in the Department of Large-Animal Clinical Sciences.
Texas, died Dec. 16. A U.S. Army veteran of World War II, he worked for U.S. Steel, the Federal Reserve System and the U.S. Corps of Engineers.
MARRIED Mary Louise Gore to Michael Jennings Kennedy on July 24. They live in Vinings, Ga. Mindy Pennycuff to Jeremy Steakley on Oct. 10. They live in Auburn. Emily Kathryn Wood to Thomas Lanier Traylor
on Dec. 18. They live in Birmingham.
Silvio Fittipaldi ’37 of Cocoa Beach, Fla., died March 28. A Collingswood, N.J., veterinarian, he founded the South Jersey Veterinary Medical Association. He was a former president of the New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association and served on the New Jersey Academy of Veterinary Medicine and Surgery and the New Jersey Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners.
Lewis Hall McCurdy ’38
of Lowndesboro died Dec. 22. A farmer and U.S. Army veteran of World War II, he was a member of the Alabama Cattlemen’s Association and the Southeastern Livestock Exposition, and a charter member of the McCurdy Plantation Horse Association. Richard J. Wood ’38 of Birmingham
died Nov. 14. A U.S. Army veteran of World War II, he co-founded Pemco Corp. in 1960 and served as president until retiring in 1984. Burton W. Brooks ’39 of Vestavia Hills
died Jan. 1. A World War II veteran, he was an accounting professor at the University of Montevallo. James Wilson Brown ’39 of Jacksonville
died Jan. 7. A U.S. Navy and Army Air Corps veteran of World War II, he taught physics and math at Alabama Technical College for 45 years. Harvey H. Jackson Jr. ’40 of Grove Hill died
Dec. 18. A U.S. Army veteran, he retired as a Clarke County circuit-court clerk and had received a Silver Beaver award for distinguished service from the Boy Scouts of America. Harry Eugene Frech ’41
of Birmingham died Dec. 8. A U.S. Army Air Corps veteran
Chicken feed Auburn officials broke ground in March on a $6.3 million feed mill near campus for research in the areas of animal-feed science, technology and manufacturing. The new Poultry and Animal Nutrition Center, located north of Auburn off Auburn Lakes Road, is scheduled for completion in December.
of World War II, he owned and served as president of Seminole Sales Corp. for more than 50 years. John D. Griffin Jr.
the U.S. Army’s 78th Infantry Division and received a Bronze Star for exceptional courage and determination during 128 days of continuous frontline duty.
’41 of Johnson City,
Tenn., died Oct. 8. An agronomist and U.S. Army veteran of World War II, he worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Soil Conservation Service for 25 years.
George Moore ’42
of Walterboro, S.C., died Feb. 10. He received the Distinguished Veterinarian Award for South Carolina in 1994 and was an honorary caretaker for Live Oak Cemetery.
Theodore R. Benning Jr. ’42 of Atlanta died
March 10. A World War II veteran, he received the military’s Purple Heart, Bronze Star and Silver Star. He co-founded Benning Construction Co. with his father in 1953, held various posts within the company through the years and remained board chairman during his retirement. William Gordy Jr. ’42
of Montgomery died Dec. 2. A World War II veteran, he was a pioneer in the liquefiedpetroleum industry. John W. “Bubber” Johnson Jr. ’42 of Lanett
died Feb. 24. A U.S. Army veteran of World War II, he started the law firm of Johnson, Caldwell and McCoy in Lanett, and founded CharterBank in 1954 and Citizens National Bank in 1963. John Thomas Lutz ’42 of Mobile died Feb. 12. A World War II veteran, he served in
E.T. York ’42 of Gainesville, Fla., died April 15. A longtime University of Florida administrator, he served as chancellor of the State University System of Florida from 1975 until his retirement in 1980 and received the Auburn Alumni Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006. Emmagene Dawson Belknap ’43 of Milwaukee, Wis., died Feb. 2. She was a dietitian and homemaker, and a member of Magruder Hospital Auxiliary and the Port Clinton Yacht Club.
Sarah Davis Cox ’43
of St. Petersburg, Fla., died Feb. 26. She taught middle school in Florida for 20 years and served on the advisory council of Pinellas County Cooperative Extension Service. Sabert Oglesby ’43
of Birmingham died Jan. 29. He served as president and chief executive officer of Southern Research Institute from 1980 to 1987 and was a pioneer in the field of air-pollution control. He was also named an International Fellow by the International Committee on Electrostatic Precipitator Technology in 1986; his work led to the heat-shield technology that protects U.S. spacecrafts entering the Earth’s atmosphere. He was a member of the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame and had received Auburn University’s Ben S. Gilmer Award for Engineering Excellence and the College of Engineering’s Outstanding Alumnus Award. Hoyt Brown Price
Thomas Antrim Bell ’43 of Montgomery died Feb. 16. A U.S. Army veteran of World War II, he was the general manager of the Whitley Hotel in Montgomery. He also had served as chairman of the Alabama Bible Society and the Montgomery Planning Commission.
’43 of Russellville died
Nov. 24. A veteran of World War II, he retired as chairman of the Marion County extension office.
A L U M N I
C E N T E R
Cub Corner
Where’s Aubie? Kids: Here’s your chance to make your very own Aubie and share him with the world! Cut out the Aubie we’ve provided or get creative and draw, paint or sculpt your own. Then take Aubie to your favorite local spot and snap a picture with your creation. Email a photo of you and your Aubie to alumweb@auburn.edu. Be sure to include the following information: your name, age, parents’ names, location of photo, and the city and state where the photo was taken. Check back on the Auburn Alumni Association’s Facebook page to see you and your artwork on the Web! Supplies • scissors (for Aubie at right) • pens, markers, paint, clay ... use your imagination! • camera for photographing your completed Aubie • computer with Internet and email access
Helpful hint Glue your Aubie cutout to a piece of cardstock or cardboard, then glue a popsicle stick on the back to stabilize your creation.
Frances Victoria Hamilton Sansing ’43 of Gulf Breeze, Fla., died Feb. 9. An accomplished seamstress, she also painted and
a u a l u m . o r g Auburn Magazine
55
A L U M N I
C E N T E R
In Memoriam designed jewelry, and was a member of the Gulf Coast Friends Association, the Gulf Breeze Arts Council and the Driftwood Garden Club. Etta Frances Dobson Sikes ’43 of Auburn
SNAPSHOT SNAPSHOT
Ice braker Former Auburn University gymnast and pole-vaulter Megan Hill ’09 is hoping to ride a toboggan all the way to Russia in less than three years. The Woodstock, Ga., native is training for the XXII Olympic Winter Games as a member of the U.S. Women’s Bobsled Team. Hill didn’t put her athletic aspirations on ice after coaches released her from a walk-on spot on the Auburn gymnastics team. Undeterred, she began thinking of other sports to try, and ended up competing for Auburn’s track-and-field team in pole vault and hammer throw. Just before earning a master’s degree in December, Hill had a choice: find a job or attend a bobsled combine she’d heard about in Orlando, Fla. She decided she wasn’t done with sports. By the end of last year, she had made the U.S. national team—as a bobsledder. “I’m the brakeman—the one who sits in the back and holds on tight until I pull the brake at the end of the track,” she says. Competitive bobsledding is complicated and dangerous. Teams maneuver a toboggan on steel runners down an icy, winding 1,500-meter track featuring more than a dozen banked curves. Bobsleds can attain speeds of up to 85 miles per hour. The bobsled track at last year’s Olympic Games in Canada featured a vertical drop of nearly 50 stories. Hill and her teammate crashed their own sled three months ago on a training run. Coming out of a curve, the craft tipped over and continued hurtling down the track at an estimated 70 miles per hour. Surprisingly, no one was seriously hurt, although friction from the icy slide burned through Hill’s racing uniform and shoulder pads. Meanwhile, Hill’s prior experience doing gymnastics and other summer sports has paid dividends. “Gymnastics taught me to be aware of my body,” she says. “It gave me raw strength and the ability to learn new things— and it molded my mental toughness. Pole-vaulting taught me how to run efficiently, and the hammer throw taught me how to exert the explosive power you need in bobsledding.”
56
Auburn Magazine a u a l u m . o r g
died Feb. 13. She was an educator for 30 years in Randolph County schools and was a member of the Wedowee Garden Club and the Wedowee Study Club. Jo Cooper Wilks ’44 of
Birmingham died Feb. 10. She was a longtime kindergarten teacher.
the Lauderdale County Dental Association. In 1994, he received the Silver Good Citizenship Medal from the National Society, Sons of the American Revolution. While at Auburn, he was a member of Alpha Tau Omega social fraternity, Phi Mu Alpha music honorary society and the Auburn Knights Orchestra. Rufus Barnett Jr. ’46
of Ozark died Jan. 2. An Alabama National Guard veteran, he served as head of the Dale County Soil & Water Conservation District.
Florence Smith Head ’45 of Tallahassee,
Ann Turner Blackburn
Fla., died Feb. 9. She retired as the art coordinator for the Wakulla County School District.
’46 of Decatur died
Jane Jansen Jones ’45 of Atlanta died
Oct. 18. She was an elementary school teacher and antique dealer for 30 years.
Dec. 20. She was a medical technologist at Druid City Hospital in Tuscaloosa for 15 years, served as a guardian ad litem with the family-court system and was a member of Alpha Gamma Delta sorority. James Henry Mixon
James Thomas McMichael ’45 of Greensboro, N.C., died Sept. 15. A U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, he worked for AT&T for 40 years. Ira Lyman Mitchell Sr. ’45 of Florence died
Feb. 2. A U.S. Army Air Corps veteran of World War II, he practiced dentistry for 50 years and was a member of the Alabama Dental Association and
Jr. ’46 of Hamilton died
March 7. A World War II veteran, he was a retired business owner. Mary Ann Hagewood ’46 of Atlanta died Feb.
and a federal district court judge. He was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity, the International Society of Barristers, the Maritime Law Association of the United States and the Mobile Bar Association. Avis Kilgore Porch ’46
of Huntsville died Dec. 1. She taught mathematics at Scottsboro High School and bred Walker foxhounds. Donald H. Clay ’47
of Birmingham died Feb. 14. A U.S. Army Air Corps veteran, he worked for Birmingham-based American Cast Iron Pipe Co. and retired from both Rust International Inc. and U.S. Pipe. Curtis Bush Hasty Jr. ’47 of Birmingham died Feb. 20. A U.S. Army Air Corps veteran of World War II, he served as vice president of U.S. Pipe in Birmingham, president of Beldon Concrete Products Inc. in New Orleans and corporate vice president of Jim Walter Resources in Tampa, Fla. William Maury Lyon ’47
Howard Jr. ’46 of
of Mobile died Feb. 1. A U.S. Navy veteran, he was a residential and commercial real estate developer and a member of the Home Builders Association of Mobile.
Mobile died Feb. 10. A U.S. Army veteran, he was an attorney
’47 of Houston died
7. She was a teacher at Pace Academy and in the DeKalb County and Atlanta school systems. Alexander Travis
Joe Wilson Rice
A L U M N I
59AuburnMag_Fall08.indd 59 59AuburnMag_Fall08.indd 59
C E N T E R
Auburn Magazine Auburn Magazine
For Alumni & Friends of Auburn University For Alumni & Friends of Auburn University
Auburn Magazine Auburn Magazine
For Alumni & Friends of Auburn University For Alumni & Friends of Auburn University
59 59
59 59
a 59 au ua a ll u um m .. o o rr g g Auburn Auburn Magazine Magazine 57 a u a l u m . o r g Auburn Magazine 59 7/11/08 5:34:32 PM 7/11/08 5:34:32 PM
A L U M N I
C E N T E R
In Memoriam Oct. 10. A U.S. Army veteran of World War II, he worked for Westinghouse Electric Co. for 38 years and also retired from Zurich, Switzerlandbased ABB. Albert Laurence “Larry” Bartlett II ’48 of Baldwin, Md.,
died March 21. A U.S. Army Air Corps veteran of World War II, he worked as a safety engineer for DuPont and retired as a medical X-ray film salesman. He and his wife restored the historic Gittings-Baldwin House in Baltimore County, Md. Warren A. “Bo” Borland ’48 of Pensacola,
Fla., died Feb. 1. He retired at the rank of major after 30 years in the U.S. Army. He served in three wars and received 15 medals, including the Bronze Star. Upon retirement, he served as a golf pro at Gulf State Park. Arthur Clayton Kyser ’48 of Birmingham died Feb. 14. A U.S. Navy veteran of the Korean War, he was a pharmacist for more than 50 years. Catherine H. Marett ’48 of Corsicana, Tex-
as, died Sept. 15. She was an accomplished seamstress, cook and interior decorator. Edward Farrior Pittman ’48 of Gulfport, Miss.,
58
died Feb. 25. A U.S. Army Air Corps veteran of World War II, he was an entomologist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
ing Cross and many other commendations. He retired as a civil service engineer from Eglin Air Force Base after more than 22 years of service.
Lewis Munn Armstrong ’49 of Birmingham died Dec. 28. A U.S. Army veteran of World War II, he was a civil engineer and land surveyor. Williams S. “Bill” Ball ’49 of West Palm
Beach, Fla., died Jan. 17. A U.S. Air Force veteran, he played football at Auburn. Charles J. Ebert Jr. ’49 of Foley died Dec.
10. A World War II and Korean War veteran, he worked in his family’s business, Ebert Insurance Agency, and was a founder of the Baldwin Heritage and Foley Railroad museums. John Elby Kirk ’49
of Columbia, S.C., died Dec. 20. He was a landscape architect and a U.S. Army Air Corps veteran of World War II.
James Lee Thomas ’49 of Pell City died
Nov. 26. A former Auburn baseball letterman, he played baseball for the St. Louis Browns and later was co-owner and executive vice president of Furniture Distributors of Birmingham Inc.
Jr. ’49 of Florala died
Oct. 6. A U.S. Army veteran of World War II, he and his brothers owned and operated McDaniel Motor Co. for 49 years.
died Dec. 8. She was an elementary school teacher and a rehabilitation counselor, and a member of Alpha Gamma Delta sorority.
of Birmingham died Oct. 13. He was a U.S. Navy veteran of World War II. Carlton Q. Holland ’50 of Waycross, Ga.,
died Sept. 28. A U.S. Navy veteran, he retired from the U.S. Treasury Department after 25 years.
Reaford B. Williams Billie Sanders Wayman
Oct. 15. He worked for the U.S. Army Missile Command from 1954-79 and volunteered at Wheeler Wildlife Refuge in Decatur.
’50 of Birmingham died Dec. 15. She was a member of Phi Mu sorority.
Edgar Guy Woodliff
Dec. 13. He was a manufacturing executive. James Thomason Alves ’50 of Gunters-
ville died Jan. 23. David Amos Barnes
Ga., died Feb. 27. A U.S. Army Air Corps veteran of World War II, he worked for Western Electric Co. and later retired from Southern Bell. Bobbie Odom Bur-
Chuck Neill ’49 of
roughs ’50 of Conway,
Shalimar, Fla., died Jan. 30. A World War II veteran, he received the Distinguished Fly-
Ark., died Dec. 13. She taught elementary and junior high school for 30 years.
Auburn Magazine a u a l u m . o r g
Feb. 24. She worked for Alabama Power and later became a teacher.
’49 of Hartselle died
III ’49 of Gadsden died
Betty Anne Francisco ’51 of Auburn
Howard E. Elliott ’50
III ’50 of Oakwood, William McDaniel
Stella Ruth Carroll ’50 of Huntsville died
Harold G. Wise ’50
of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., died Oct. 13. A U.S. Navy veteran, he served as a design engineer and later as chief of electronic instrumentation and chief of airborne instrumentation at Eglin Air Force Base. Upon retirement, he received the Award for Meritorious Civilian Service.
Haven W. Johnson Jr. ’51 of Montgom-
ery died Oct. 30. He worked for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for 38 years and was an expert gardener. William Henry McLemore Sr. ’51 of
Montgomery died Feb. 9. A U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War, he was a fifthgeneration cotton farmer who served on the governing boards of the Alabama Shakespeare Festival and the Landmarks Foundation of Montgomery. He was a founder of the Capitol City Kiwanis Club, was instrumental in founding Auburn University Montgomery and had served as president of the Montgomery Country Club. Katie Cash Norris ’51 of Auburn died
Jack Cyrus Bridges ’51 of Birmingham
died Feb. 7. A U.S. Army and Air Force veteran, he was partner-in-charge of the Birmingham office of Coopers & Lybrand accounting firm. Upon retiring, he served as an assistant dean at Samford University.
Oct. 16. She taught elementary school in Georgia, Alabama, Florida and Tennessee. William O. Patterson Jr. ’51 of Columbus,
Ga., died Oct. 20. A U.S. Air Force veteran, he served on faculty at the University of Alabama Birmingham School of Medicine
and had practiced medicine in Mobile and Columbus, Ga., for more than 40 years. Bertrand Augustus Riddle ’51 of Valley
Grande died Nov. 16. He served as a civil engineer for Dallas County. Godfrey G. Bennett Jr. ’52 of Ponte Vedra
Beach, Fla., died Sept. 13. A U.S. Air Force veteran, he worked in the human resources field for 44 years, served as director of a United Way batteredwomen’s shelter in Charlotte, N.C., and hosted a weekly Southern gospel radio show. Mary Johanna Crabtree ’52 of Mobile died Jan. 31. She was a nun in the Sisters of Mercy order for 69 years and served as an elementary school teacher and principal. She also was director of education and psychometry for the Archdiocese of Mobile for 10 years and completed her last ministry in 1998 at St. Mary’s Home in Mobile, where she was the director of education. William Bryan Greenhaw ’52 of Macon,
Ga., died Jan. 25. A U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War, he was a teacher, counselor and elementary school principal in the Bibb County public school system for 35 years and served 12
A L U M N I
C E N T E R
Burk scholarship A new scholarship fund honors the memory of Auburn freshman Lauren Burk, who was murdered after being abducted from a campus parking lot in 2008. The scholarship will be offered to an incoming freshman art or graphic design major with preference given to students from Cobb County in Georgia.
years as a field representative for the Professional Association of Georgia Educators. He was also a board member of Baptists Today, a national Baptist news journal, and the Macon chapter of the American Guild of Organists. William Daniel Hall ’52
of Laurel, Miss., died Dec. 7. A U.S. Navy veteran of World War II, he was an architect and served as president of the Southeastern Association of Shrine Motor Corps. Mary McAdams Fox
Mary Averyt Pate ’53 of Fort Payne died
Oct. 15. She retired from Pate Veterinary Clinic. Lawrence Hudson Russell ’53 of Marlton, N.J., died Oct. 16. An industrial management major, he retired in 1965 after working in production control and as a project control administrator for Hazeltine Corp. and RCA Corp. Frances DeGruy Thiel
Robert E. Hawthorne ’53 of Trussville died Jan. 27. He retired from Alabama Power after 34 years.
John Bryan Wilson
Wash., died Feb. 19. She was a librarian and medical secretary.
died Oct. 5. A U.S. Air Force veteran, he worked in the construction industry for 50 years.
Comer Aston Carmack ’54 of Columbus,
Ga., died Nov. 2. A Korean War veteran, he owned Muscogee Iron Works and was a member of the Chattahoochee River Club, the Columbus Jaycees and the Columbus Engineering Society.
Clayton Simmons Doss ’55 of Rome, Ga., died Dec. 10. He was an insurance agent and former board member of the Georgia State Golf Association. Roland S. Heard II ’55 of Athens, Ga.,
Mary Sellers House ’54 of Deatsville died
’53 of Pensacola, Fla., died Dec. 9. A U.S. Army veteran of World War II, he owned McDuffee Interiors & Parkway Upholstery.
Dec. 2. She served as a teacher and guidance counselor for 33 years and was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Ladies Auxiliary, the American Legion, the Daughters of the American Revolution and Delta Kappa Gamma honorary society.
son ’53 of Columbus, Ga., died Dec. 10. She was a retired art teacher and member of the Junto, the Junior League of Columbus and the St. Francis Hospital Auxiliary. She volunteered for PAWS Columbus pet shelter.
Smyrna, Tenn., died Dec. 31. A U.S. Army veteran, he retired from Packaging Corp. of America as a district woodlands manager. He was a past president of the Mississippi Forestry Association and a fellow of the Society of American Foresters.
’54 of Gulf Shores
Douglas C. McDuffee
Alice Bailey Nichol-
Beryl G. Toler ’54 of
’53 of Edgewood,
’53 of Jacksonville,
Fla., died Dec. 21. She was a buyer for Rich’s department store in Atlanta and a real estate agent in Montgomery.
of the Alabama Society of Mayflower Descendants.
Mary French Minshull ’54 of Gulf Breeze, Fla., died Dec. 24. She was a nurse anesthetist and former governor
died April 13. He was a certified public accountant, auditor and financial adviser who had served as president of both the Washington, D.C., and Athens, Ga., Auburn clubs. He was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity. Alexander Holder Jr. ’55 of Danville died
Jan. 1. He was a U.S. Army National Guard veteran. W. Howard Hudgens ’55 of Mobile died Dec. 30. He owned
SNAPSHOT
Tiger turns 30 Auburn’s beloved golden eagle, Tiger, celebrated her 30th birthday last fall with a mouthful of raw rabbit and a tribute at the Tigers’ homecoming football game. Officially known as War Eagle VI, Tiger retired from her pregame swoops around Jordan-Hare Stadium in 2006 after being diagnosed with low-grade squamous cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer. She’d been participating in the stadium flights since 2000. Tiger is now cancer-free. The fact that she celebrated three decades of life last year is significant because 30 years is the average lifespan of a golden eagle in the wild, officials say. A native of St. Louis, Tiger was hatched in captivity in 1980, rescued from an illegal raptor-breeding operation and has lived at Auburn since she was 6. She was the first eagle to fly free in JordanHare Stadium and has made thousands of public appearances, including at the 2002 Winter Olympics and on NBC’s “Today” show. Tiger lives a well-fed life at the raptor center, where she eats like any other bird of prey. She’s fond of quail, mice and rats. She recently preened for Enterprise nature artist Stephen Malkoff, who was commissioned by Auburn’s College of Veterinary Medicine to complete a detailed portrait of Tiger in time for her birthday. The college sold prints of Malkoff’s pencil drawing, “Tiger: Celebrating 30 Years,” to raise money for the raptor center. Malkoff, who studied architecture at Auburn before discovering his passion for art, observed Tiger’s movements and photographed her flights prior to putting pencil to paper. “We sat out in a field with her for three hours,” he told a reporter for The Daily Home. “She’s really hard to photograph, because when eagles are sitting they conserve their energy. They don’t look fierce. They don’t look like ‘War Eagle.’” Eventually, as some doves began rustling about nearby, Tiger got interested. “She stretched her neck out and fluffed her head feathers, and the last photographs I took were the ones I used.” To buy a print, see Malkoff’s website at malkoffgallery.com. —Sarah Hansen
a u a l u m . o r g Auburn Magazine
59
A L U M N I
On the list The Princeton Review test-prep company, creator of a series of popular college guides, has named Auburn University one of the most environmentally responsible colleges in the United States and Canada. The firm’s Guide to 311 Green Colleges was created in partnership with the U.S. Green Building Council and may be downloaded at no charge at www.centerforgreenschools.org/greenguide.
C E N T E R
In Memoriam and operated Howard’s Ideal Drugs for 25 years and was a member of the Mobile County Pharmaceutical Association and the Alabama Pharmaceutical Association. Samuel Jack Stacy Sr. ’55 of Centreville died
Dec. 9. He owned Stacy Drug Store for 31 years and later co-owned J & S Drugs Inc. Donald Harlan Thomas ’55 of Ardsley, N.Y., died Dec. 30. A U.S. Air Force veteran, he retired from Westinghouse Electric Co. after 20 years and worked as a consultant for NASA at Goddard Space Flight Center.
an engineering consulting firm for 40 years. Donald Morrison Jr. ’56 of Birmingham
died Nov. 14. A U.S. Navy and Army veteran, he was a partner with the firm of Morrison Scheirer Architects for more than 20 years. He helped found the Birmingham chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 1965 and served as its president in 1968. Richard Mansir Bragdon ’57 of Birmingham
died Feb. 3. A U.S. Air Force veteran, he worked at American Cast Iron Pipe Co. for 36 years, where he served as vice president of engineering. Kenneth Huey Hassell
died Nov. 8. A U.S. Army veteran, he reached the rank of first lieutenant.
’57 of Hoover died
Goodrick ’56 of Auburn died Jan. 13. A U.S. Navy veteran, he was a musician who worked in the forestry field for Purdue University and later for International Paper Co. While at Auburn, he played with the Auburn Knights Orchestra.
Feb. 10. A U.S. Air Force veteran, he was employed with the U.S. Department of Defense for more than 30 years.
Jack Raymond Morgan Sr. ’56 of Gadsden
died June 12. He owned
60
’58 of Hattiesburg,
Miss., died March 17. She was a member and chapter adviser of Delta Delta Delta sorority, an awardwinning volunteer for the Girl Scouts of the United States of America National Council and a member of the National Association of Investment Clubs. She helped form the Louisiana-Mississippi Council of Investment Clubs and served as a board member for more than 20 years. Charles Ellis
of Simpsonville, S.C., died Feb. 16. A U.S. Air Force veteran of the Korean War, he retired from American Maize-Products Co. as a sales associate. Bobby Edgar Bates
Thomas Fletcher Jett ’57 of Fort Walton Beach, Fla., died Feb. 15. A U.S. Army veteran, he retired as a major in the Reserves after 20 years of service. He also worked as a pilot for Southern Airways and Northwest Airlines.
Frank D. Harrison ’56
of Mobile died Feb. 20. He was a marine consulting engineer.
Betty Lusk Arnold
Hinsdale Sanitarium and Hospital in Hinsdale, Ill., and then as a doctorate of pharmacy and drug information specialist for the Edward Hines Jr. Veterans Affairs Hospital and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs system for 10 years. After retiring, she taught pharmacology at Auburn and worked for the Harrison School of Pharmacy’s Drug Information and Learning Resource Center.
of Gulf Shores died Oct. 31. Mary Charles Huggins ’58 of Montgomery died Jan. 2.
James Fred O’Brien
Jerry David Doss ’58
of Anniston died Feb. 1. A National Guard veteran, he taught in Kenya with the Peace Corps.
’57 of Auburn died
Jan. 9. He served as director of the Auburn University College of Engineering Extension Service from 1967
Auburn Magazine a u a l u m . o r g
Lucile McGehee
an elementary school teacher for 35 years in Wetumpka, Lincoln and Sylacauga. She was a member of Alpha Delta Kappa honorary society.
Edwin S. Kasprzycki
James E. Jeffrey ’60
’59 of Glen Ellyn, Ill.,
of Hoover died Feb. 25. A member of Auburn’s 1957 national championship football team, he was a high school coach and teacher for 37 years, and was the director of headquarters for the American Legion Alabama Boys State for 30 years.
died Dec. 2. A U.S. Army veteran of the Korean War, he was awarded a Purple Heart and worked as a hospital administrator with the Illinois Department of Mental Health for 30 years.
’59 of Clemson, S.C.,
died Sept. 7. He owned Lynch Drug Co., was a former chairman of the South Carolina Board of Pharmacy and served as a Clemson University trustee.
William H. Kendrick ’58 of Orrville died
Feb. 18. He was a farmer and former assistant county agent for Montgomery County. He also served as a Dallas County commissioner.
’58 of Kathleen, Ga.,
died Dec. 31. He retired after 30 years as an industrial engineer at Robins Air Force Base.
coached youth football and baseball, and was a member of Delta Chi fraternity and Auburn’s 1957 national championship football team.
Thomas C. Lynch Jr. Sue R. Hearn ’58
“Charlie” Bailey ’58
Terry Marlin Eskew ’56 of Birmingham
Forrest Eugene “Bud”
to 1992 and was a former president of the Auburn University Retiree Association.
Jack Redwine ’58
of Bremen, Ga., died Feb. 13. He was a high school band director for 30 years and a former vice president of the Georgia Association of Jazz Educators. He served in the 530th Georgia Air National Guard Band for 30 years and, upon retirement, worked as a ski instructor in Colorado.
ville died March 1. A U.S. Army veteran, he worked as an engineer at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center for 33 years.
William Douglas McIntosh Jr. ’59 of
Jack K. Pruett ’60 of
Theodore died Feb. 3. A U.S. Navy veteran, he was a pilot with American Airlines for more than 30 years. He was a former editor of The Auburn Plainsman, and a member of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and Blue Key Honor Society.
Evans, Ga., died Feb. 14. A U.S. Army veteran, he retired as a research professor of pharmacology from the Medical College of Georgia. Dean G. Ratliff ’60
of Huntsville died Sept. 1. He retired from Lockheed Martin Corp. after 32 years.
R. O’Neal “Smitty” Smitherman ’59 of
John Foshee Wilson
Dadeville died April 14. He served on the faculty of Auburn’s Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures from 1967 until his retirement in 1994.
’60 of Burlington, N.C.,
Wilma Sims Waldrop
of Taylors, S.C., died Sept. 7. He owned Skylan Chemicals Inc.
Haynes ’58 of Auburn
died Feb. 1. She worked as a pharmacist for 30 years at
Charles Robert Mauldin ’60 of Hunts-
died Oct. 30. A former captain in the U.S. Army Signal Corps, he retired from Lucent Technologies after 35 years. Alton F. Painter ’61
James Edward Warren ’58 of Monroe, La., died Dec. 16. He
’59 of Sylacauga died Feb. 8. She was
A L U M N I
Ronald Max Young ’61
Frederick Harry How-
of Silverhill died Dec. 13. He was a pharmacist and a U.S. Marine Corps veteran.
ard ’65 of Troy died
Robert-Todd Downey ’62 of Vestal, N.Y., died
Jan. 31. A U.S. Marine Corps veteran, he retired from IBM Corp.
C E N T E R
Feb. 1. He retired after 33 years as an investor for BellSouth and taught mathematics and finance at several universities in Georgia and Alabama. Richard Howell Waid ’65 of Springville died
George E. Frizzell ’62 of Macon, Ga.,
died Aug. 31. He retired as a captain in the U.S. Navy Reserve and worked for Merrill Lynch. Morris Malone Sling-
Dec. 9. A former Auburn football player, he was a State Farm Insurance Co. agent for 31 years and had served on the Springville City Council and St. Clair County Board of Education.
luff ’63 of Dothan died
Sept. 11. He worked for Slingluff United Insurance for 47 years and was Auburn’s first All-American golfer. Edward B. Anders ’65
of Natchitoches, La., died Dec. 29. A U.S. Air Force veteran, he retired as a mathematics professor at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, La. Robert Louis Botts-
Carl Zaretki ’65 of Teague, Texas, died Feb. 8. He retired from GTE Corp. and operated a ranch in Texas. Clay G. Griffin ’66
of Bryan, Texas, died Sept. 19. William Henry Nelson ’66 of Norcross, Ga., died Dec. 19. He served as a professor of physics and astronomy and associate dean at Georgia State University.
ford ’65 of McCalla
died Feb. 20. He was an award-winning teacher, counselor and administrator at Bessemer High School, Jess Lanier High School and Bessemer Academy.
John Timothy Petty ’66
of Keener died Feb. 4. He was a professional counselor and worked for Southern Co. specializing in solar energy research. Charles Frank Putman
Richard Shelton Covar ’65 of Charleston, S.C.,
died Feb. 4. He retired from the Charleston Naval Shipyard after 35 years.
’66 of Birmingham died Dec. 27. He retired as an associate vice president with Morgan Keegan investment firm.
a u a l u m . o r g Auburn Magazine
61
All we did was
WIN,WIN,WIN... Now the new Auburn National Championship credit card helps you WIN WIN WIN too: You WIN every time you pull out the card, declaring that “It’s Great to be an Auburn Tiger!” You help Auburn students WIN by supporting Auburn’s scholarship fund when you use the card for all your everyday purchases—at no additional cost to you. To date, our credit card program has generated more than $4.5 million for freshman academic scholarships. You WIN by earning WorldPoints® rewards points on purchases that can be redeemed for travel, merchandise, or cash rewards.
For details or to apply, visit www.auburn.edu/spiritcard.
The Spirit of Auburn credit card is made possible by the Auburn Spirit Foundation for Scholarships (ASFS), which is affiliated with Auburn University. This advertisement was paid for by the ASFS. For information about the rates, fees, other costs, and benefits associated with the use of these cards or to apply, visit www.auburn.edu/spiritcard and refer to the disclosures accompanying the online credit card application. This credit card program is issued and administered by FIA Card Services, N.A. Bank of America and the Bank of America logo are registered trademarks of Bank of America Corporation. Visa is a registered trademark of Visa International Service Association and is used by the issuer pursuant to license from Visa U.S.A. Inc. MasterCard is a registered trademark of MasterCard International Incorporated, and is used by the issuer pursuant to license. Platinum Plus and WorldPoints are registered trademarks of FIA Card Services, N.A. © 2011 Bank of America Corporation.
A L U M N I
Irene Scales Robinson ’66 of Macon, Ga.,
died Dec. 31. She was a teacher for 31 years, a community volunteer and a member of Kappa Delta sorority. Hugh Clinton Sparks
the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Loraine White Smith ’68
of Cullman died Dec. 12. She taught music in public schools and worked as an interior decorator in Cullman.
III ’66 of Midway died
Oct. 16. A Korean War veteran, he retired as president of MidSouth Bank of Eufaula. Douglas O. Cagle ’67
of Katy, Texas, died Feb. 20. A U.S. Army veteran, he founded Cagle and Associates Inc., an engineering project-management firm serving the oil and natural gas industry. Myra A. Carter ’67 of
Charlotte, N.C., died Feb. 25. She taught elementary, middle and high school and owned a Decorating Den franchise as well as Crescent Designs in Madison, N.J. Robert Thadeus Miller ’67 of Clanton
died Sept. 13. Bette Garrett Moon ’67 of Jacksonville,
Fla., died Feb. 20. She was a teacher, librarian and county media director for 35 years and served as the state president of the Florida Association of Media in Education. She also worked in real estate. Thomas Alexander Hughes Jr. ’68 of Alabaster died Feb. 3. He retired as a colonel in the U.S. Army Reserve and also retired from
Thomas Andrew Guest III ’69 of Lake Mary, Fla.,
died Jan. 3. He served as director of the outpatient mental health center at Orlando Regional Medical Center and director of Sheltered Community Residence. He also co-founded Northside Psychological Services and worked in private practice until retirement.
Larry Wesley Rob-
’75 of Childersburg
Pond died Dec. 18. A U.S. Navy Reserve veteran, he was a selfemployed mechanic.
died Dec. 25.
Joseph “Joe” D. Walker Jr. ’70 of Huntsville
died Feb. 23. He was self-employed with Southern Sealing & Striping Co. Marion N. Hardesty Jr. ’71 of Canton, Ga.,
died Jan. 30. A U.S. Air Force veteran, he received the Distinguished Flying Cross and retired as a lieutenant colonel. Thomas F. Carter ’72
John L. Ratley Jr. ’69
of Ashland died Feb. 13. A National Guard veteran, he started Dixie Consulting and Contracting Co., and later Joe Ratley Land Surveying and R & R Enterprises.
of Birmingham died Oct. 13. He was active in the Boy Scouts of America organization. Nix Carnley Jr. ’74 of
Kennesaw, Ga., died Dec. 7. A U.S. Army veteran, he was an occupational therapist.
Trevor W. Swett Jr. ’69
of Bethesda, Md., died Jan. 23. He retired as a colonel in the U.S. Army, where he was executive secretary of the Inter-American Defense Board. He also served in the Korean and Vietnam wars, earning the Silver Star, Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit and two Purple Hearts. James Ernest Tuck Jr. ’69 of Eutaw died Jan.
22. He was a pharmacist for Solomon Drug Co. in Eutaw. Sam William Morphew ’70 of Helotes,
Texas, died Oct. 25.
John Thomas White
ertson ’70 of Holly
Dennis Galloway ’74 of Taft, Tenn.,
died Feb. 26. A U.S. Army veteran, he was a test conductor on the International Space Station for the U.S. Laboratory and Airlock modules and worked for Georgia Tech at Marshall Space Flight Center.
David H. Walters ’80 of Wayne Ellis Bradshaw ’76 of Dothan died
Feb. 8. A U.S. Navy veteran, he was on staff at Troy University and was the assistant superintendant of Dothan City Schools. After retiring from education, he owned and operated Bradshaw’s Jewelers. Charles Phillip Gilbert ’76 of Gardendale died
Feb. 24. He served as dean of students at Wallace State Community College and retired from Gardendale Elementary School, where he served as a school counselor. He also taught psychology at Jefferson State Community College and Bevill State Community College for 22 years.
Northport died Feb. 22. A U.S. Army veteran, he taught auto mechanics at Russell County High School in Seal and was a volunteer firefighter, police officer and certified emergency medical technician. Robin Brolliar Mangham ’82 of Brookwood
died Feb. 23. She attended Auburn on a gymnastics scholarship and held an accounting degree. Mark Randall Corbin ’84 of Birmingham
died March 5. He worked for Vision Research Inc. Jerry Hoyt Smith ’84
of Auburn died Feb. 2. James Durehl
Mancil Randolph
Graves ’85 of Warrior
Walden ’76 of Dothan died Feb. 28. He worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture as an area specialist for rural development in Dawson, Ga.
died Oct. 3.
Carolyn P. Flack ’77 of Montgomery died Feb. 17. She worked for the Alabama Board of Pardons and Parole for 26 years.
Lewis McCurdy ’74
of Brownsboro died Feb. 28. A past president of the Alabama Medical Veterinary Foundation, he was the 2007 Alabama Veterinary Medical Association’s Vet of the Year and owned McCurdy Animal Clinic.
high school special education for 18 years.
C E N T E R
Stephanie L. Kirkpatrick ’98 of
Wilsonville died Nov. 10. She was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha fraternity, Beta Beta Beta honorary society, Phi Eta Sigma honorary society and Phi Delta Chi professional pharmacy fraternity. Judy Darlene Davis ’99 of Cottonton died Feb. 10. A U.S. Army veteran, she worked with the New Life Center for Change Teen University in Phenix City as a mathematics and English teacher.
Faculty and Friends Martha S. Applebee of Waynesboro, Va., died Sept. 11. She taught art education at Auburn University from 1950 to 1980. John Grant Haygreen
Robert Grissom Schultz ’91 of Birmingham died Nov. 16. A U.S. Army Air Corps veteran of World War II, he was a personnel director at Auburn and received his doctoral degree at age 65. Jayna May Gillespie ’93 of Huntsville died Oct. 22. She was a registered dietitian.
of Dadeville died Oct. 21. He retired as associate dean of forestry at Auburn and had served as the president of the international Forest Products Society. Ruby Ernestine Lawhon
of Tuscaloosa died Sept. 21. She retired from Auburn University as director of student housing.
R. Vernon Minton ’78
of Dauphin Island died Dec. 27. He retired as director of marine resources for the state of Alabama. Jane Carol Wiles ’79
of Pasco, Wash., died Feb. 14. She taught
Janica T. Wilson ’97
of Pelham died Feb. 14. She worked for Regions Bank for 10 years and did missionary work in Moldova and the Czech Republic.
Mary Lou Purcell of Falls Village, Conn., died Oct. 27. She retired as professor and head of the Department of Family and Child Development in Auburn’s College of Human Sciences.
a u a l u m . o r g Auburn Magazine
63
A L U M N I
C E N T E R
The Last Word
Cracking the ceiling BY LEAH RAWLS ATKINS ’58 When East Alabama Male College—now known as Auburn University—was founded in 1859 by the Methodist Episcopal Church in a small village named Auburn, men dominated Alabama’s legal, social and cultural life. In the antebellum South, men made all the decisions, held the offices and cast the votes— but wise folks recognized that women exercised strong influences. Lacking power but possessing an enormous capacity to charm and convince, Southern women had the advantages of impeccable timing and superb word choices. They often had men believing that women’s original ideas were in fact the men’s very own. A radiant young lady named Lizzie Taylor, who boasted “masses of rippling black hair, delicate features and a sea-shell complexion,” actually suggested the town fathers name the place “Auburn” upon reading Oliver Goldsmith’s poem about the “loveliest village of the plain.” Auburn’s small liberal arts college operated successfully until young men were needed to fight the Civil War. The college closed, and women and old men continued to populate the town during the war years. Afterward, the college reopened, but the Methodists were broke. The church then transferred the college to the state government, which was also broke. In 1872, officials renamed the school the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama and made it the state’s land-grant college. Twenty years later, Auburn’s board of trustees authorized the admission of women. The appearance of coeds on campus provided opportunities for young women to influence the culture of Auburn, but it was a fleeting moment, for few female students actually enrolled and most left college to live elsewhere. During these years, the dominant ladies of Auburn were professors’ wives, among them Mary Lane Petrie, wife of George Petrie, founder of Auburn’s history department, graduate school and athletics program; Ella Lupton, wife of chemist Nathaniel Lupton; Letita Ross, wife of chemist Bennett Ross; and Annie Mell, wife of botanist and geologist P.H. Mell. Allie Glenn, born in Auburn in 1866, may have been the first woman who truly helped mold the college’s culture. Her grandfather helped found East Alabama Male College, and he signed all the checks as the first president of its board of trustees. Allie Glenn’s father eventually became the land-grant college’s first treasurer, serving from 1872 to his death in 1906. By
64
Auburn Magazine a u a l u m . o r g
that time the college had been reborn as Alabama Polytechnic Institute, and Allie Glenn took over the job. It was rare for a woman to hold a senior administrative position, but Glenn had the experience of her forefathers and, most importantly, the family credentials to instill confidence. She served in the job until her death in 1953. Women began to tout their independence during the “Roaring Twenties,” the decade of short skirts, bobbed hair, rouged cheeks and the establishment of the Department of Home Economics on campus. During that time, a “dean of women” position was established in order to clip, when necessary, the coeds’ new wings. The head of home economics on campus set the social protocols, and woe be to those who violated them. White gloves, a proper hat and dress were required for all occasions. Many Auburn alumni will remember Katharine C. Cater, who served as dean of women and dean of student life from 1946 through 1980. She could look at you with penetrating eyes and a slight tilt of her head, and you were certain she was reading your mind. She worked closely with Caroline Draughon, the university president’s wife, and with the dean of men, James E. Foy. During the mid-20th century, Auburn coeds followed the leaders and their rules, or at least didn’t get caught doing otherwise. But by the 1960s, the world was changing. New influences were shaping women’s lives: More academic majors were open to them, and integration meant the student body was growing even more diverse. Auburn women became engineers, veterinarians and pharmacists. Rules eased; mandatory curfews were lifted. Federal law in the form of Title IX returned women to sports competition, which they had enjoyed in the 1920s, and campus honor societies tapped women in increasing numbers. Female faculty—mostly professors’ wives with master’s degrees—began teaching GIs after 1946 as instructors in disciplines other than home economics (which eventually evolved into the College of Human Sciences). They were joined in the 1960s by female professors holding doctoral degrees and, by the 1990s, female deans. Today, women make up nearly half of Auburn’s student body and 29 percent of the university’s faculty, and more than half a dozen women hold top administrative positions. Historian Leah Rawls Atkins is a founding director of Auburn’s Caroline M. Draughon Center for the Arts and Humanities.
Recipient of Passes and Accolades. Giver of Dreams and Possibilities.
Terry Beasley’s hard work and dedication to excellence as a wide receiver earned him the praise
of Auburn fans everywhere, not to mention the accolades bestowed upon him as an All-American and College Football Hall of Fame inductee. And now through the “Number 88” endowed
scholarship, he is offering Auburn students the opportunity to achieve their dreams by helping those less fortunate.
Terry felt it important to give back to the university that cultivated his potential in a way that would not only affect the lives of Auburn students, but possibly those living in poverty who
can’t afford food. In establishing the endowed scholarship, he hopes that scholarship recipients will work to help solve the hunger crisis facing many American families lacking a secure and
affordable supply of nutritious, healthful food. This could mean finding better ways to grow food crops or ways to store and transport it to areas where the need is so great and resources limited. As part of the Auburn Scholarship Campaign, Terry’s gift will be paired with a Spirit of Auburn
Scholarship and awarded to students studying in the College of Agriculture, with a concentration related to food production and/or fisheries and allied aquacultures.
To learn more about the Auburn Scholarship Campaign and how to become involved, visit www.auburn.edu/scholarshipcampaign.
Auburn Scholarship Campaign
Auburn Alumni Center 317 South College Street Auburn, AL 36849-5149 w w w.aualum.org
IMAGINE WHAT YOU COULD DO WITH YOUR SPECIAL SAVINGS ON AUTO INSURANCE.
Order football season tickets, splurge on a gourmet meal, or contribute to your kid’s college fund…whatever moves you most. As a member of the Auburn Alumni Association, you could save up to $327.96* on your auto insurance with Liberty Mutual. You could save even more by insuring your home as well. Liberty Mutual—helping people live safer, more secure lives for more than 95 years. Responsibility. What’s your policy? CONTACT US TODAY TO START SAVING CALL
800-524-9400 Client #101128
CLICK
www.libertymutual.com/aualum
COME IN
to your local office
AUTO
This organization receives financial support for allowing Liberty Mutual to offer this auto and home insurance program. *Discounts are available where state laws and regulations allow, and may vary by state. To the extent permitted by law, applicants are individually underwritten; not all applicants may qualify. Savings figure based on a February 2010 sample of auto policyholder savings when comparing their former premium with those of Liberty Mutual’s group auto and home program. Individual premiums and savings will vary. Coverage provided and underwritten by Liberty Mutual Insurance Company and its affiliates, 175 Berkeley Street, Boston, MA. © 2011 Liberty Mutual Insurance Company. All rights reserved.
10AFF252_Auburn_8.5x7.625.indd 2
2/2/11 11:29 AM