From Left, K-Rob Thomas, Charles Gavin III, Saeed Maghsoodloo, Charlie Ping and Larry Monroe. Not pictured is Sanjay Govil.
And the winner is . . . In September, the college honored six alumni who have served as outstanding representatives of both Auburn University and the College of Engineering at the annual Auburn Alumni Engineering Council awards banquet. Each of these individuals set themselves apart in the engineering profession, going above and beyond in their field. This year, three recipients were presented with the Distinguished Auburn Engineer Award, two were named Outstanding Young Auburn Engineers, and one was recognized with the Superior Service Award.
Charles E. Gavin III
Distinguished Auburn Engineer Charles E. Gavin III graduated from Alabama Polytechnic Institute in 1959 with a degree in textile management, as well as an Executive MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1977. At Auburn, he was a member of the Auburn Rifles, Phi Psi Textile Honorary and Pi Kappa Phi fraternities. In a career that covered 20-plus years in the carpet industry, Gavin worked his way through a range of assignments including shift supervisor for carpet dyeing, color formulation chemist, laboratory manager, manager of chemical services and plant manager. He was then promoted to senior technical and management positions including vice president of carpet manufacturing for Columbus Mills, Inc., and later vice president and director of dyeing for Coronet Industries. He was responsible for numerous technical achievements within the carpet industry, including the development of the use of acid dyes to replace disperse dyes, which gave carpet improved light and wash fastness. This soon became the industry standard and remains so today. His second career began in 1981 when he formed MFG Chemical, Inc., to develop and market improved chemical auxiliaries for dyeing and finishing of carpets. Today, MFG 30 Auburn Engineering
has grown from a husband-wife team to a four-site chemical manufacturer serving a broad segment of the chemical market. MFG provides custom and toll manufacturing of specialty polymers, surfactants, esters and other specialty chemicals to numerous Fortune 100 and major international companies. Gavin, who presided over tremendous growth of the company, remains chairman of the board. Gavin has maintained a strong commitment to Auburn University through his leadership, support and philanthropy. He was named Auburn’s Outstanding Textile Engineering Alumnus in 2003, and continues to serve as an adviser to the Department of Polymer and Fiber Engineering. Since 2009, he has been an active member of the Auburn Alumni Engineering Council, and is also a member of the Auburn Engineering Eagles Society and the Auburn Engineering Keystone Society, where he and his son, Chuck, are represented as the only father-son members. In addition, Gavin and his wife, Carol Ann, are lifetime members of the Auburn Alumni Association, as well as members of the exclusive Auburn University 1856 Society. (Continued page 34)
Sanjay Govil
Distinguished Auburn Engineer Sanjay Govil graduated from Auburn in 1987 with a degree in electrical engineering and continued his education at Syracuse University where he earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering. He later obtained a degree in advanced management from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was named a fellow. Govil founded Infinite Computer Solutions in 1999, a global IT outsourcing provider for Fortune 100 companies worldwide. In 2011, he founded Infinite Convergence Solutions, a leader in utilizing communication-related intellectual property to develop