Auburn University

Auburn University (AU) is a state university located in Auburn, Alabama in the United States. With over 23,000 students and 1,200 faculty, it is the largest university in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 1, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts school affiliated with the Methodist Church. The college was donated to the state of Alabama in 1872, when it became the state's public land-grant university under the Morrill Act and was renamed the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama. In 1892, the college became the first four-year coeducational school in the state. The college was renamed the Alabama Polytechnic Institute (API) in 1899. In 1960, its name was changed to Auburn University, as it had become popularly known.

Notable

Faculty

• Byron Blagburn; professor of pathobiology specializing in parasitology; developed the PROGRAM flea pill for pets in 1995.
• Wayne Flynt; a leading authority on Alabaman history and Baptist history in Alabama. The author of eleven books, including the Pulitzer Prize nominated '.
• Nels Madsen; engineering professor who won an Academy Award for Technical Achievement for his work on motion-capture technology for computer character animation involving mapping human motion onto the motion of a computer character. He gained recognition when Peter Jackson selected his software for use in the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.
• James Voss; former US astronaut and veteran of five spaceflights; teaching courses on Space Mission Design.

Alumni

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• Gen. Holland Smith (1901); United States Marine Corps General , "father of modern U.S. amphibious warfare"
• William Spratling (1921); silversmith and artist, "father of Mexican silver"
• Gordon Persons (1922); Governor of Alabama, 1951-1955
• Kenneth R. Giddens (1931); Founder of WKRG-TV, Inc. in Mobile, Alabama
• Paul Rudolph (1940); architect, chairman of Yale Department of Architecture - 1958 to 1965
• Vince Dooley (1954, M.His 1963); University of Georgia Head Football Coach 1964-1988, Athletic Director 1979-2004
• Hank Hartsfield (1954); astronaut, STS-4, STS-41-D, STS-61-A
• Clifton Williams (1954); Gemini astronaut, test pilot
• Millard Fuller (1957); founder of Habitat for Humanity
• George "Mickey" Buono (1996); Porn Star and Pool Shark
• Fob James (1957); Governor of Alabama, 1979-1983, 1995-1999
• Carl Mundy Jr. (1957); Commandant of the United States Marine Corps (1991-1995)
• Ken Mattingly (1958); astronaut, Apollo 13 (pulled), Apollo 16 (spacewalk), STS-4
• Anne Rivers Siddons (1958); best-selling author
• Samuel Ginn (1959); wireless communications pioneer and former chairman, Vodafone.
• Dr. Lester Crawford (1963); current FDA Commissioner, confirmed July 18, 2005
• Don Logan (1966); Chairman, Time Warner's Media & Communications Group
• Joe Leonard (1967); Chairman/CEO, AirTran Airways
• Richard Myers (1967); Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff for the United States of America
• Larry M. Bryant, PhD (1968); race car driver
• Joe Forehand (1971); Chairman, Accenture
• James Voss (1972); astronaut, STS-44, STS-53, STS-69, STS-101, ISS
• Hugh Shelton (1973 M.S.); retired general, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (US) from 1997-2001
• Jimmy Johnson (1974); cartoonist, "Arlo and Janis"
• Samuel Mockbee (1974); architect, founder of Auburn's Rural Studio, 2004 AIA Gold Medal
• Toni Tennille (1962); award winning singer. With her husband Daryl Dragon, half of the singing group, "The Captain & Tennille."
• Kathryn Thornton (1974); astronaut, second US woman in space, spacewalk, STS-33, STS-73
• Cynthia Tucker (1976); syndicated columnist, Atlanta Journal-Constitution editorial page editor
• Jan Davis (1977); astronaut, STS-47, STS-60
• Rheta Grimsley-Johnson (1977); syndicated newspaper columnist
• Bill Holbrook (1980); cartoonist, "On The Fast Track", "Save Havens" and "Kevin & Kell"
• Rowdy Gaines (1982); Olympic gold medalist, world record holder and television sports commentator
• Tim Dorsey (1983); author
• Harold D. Melton (1988); Georgia Supreme Court Justice (appointed 2005)
• Jimmy Wales (1989); founder of the Wikipedia
• Kimberly Page (1990); American actress & professional wrestling valet
• Frank Thomas (1990); professional baseball player
• Bo Jackson (1992); former professional football and baseball player
• Johnny Micheal Spann (1992); First American killed in combat after the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan
• Mark Spencer (1999); President and CEO, Digium. Creator of Asterisk.
• Stephen Huss (2000); 2005 Wimbledon Men's Doubles champion - the first ever as a qualifier

Attendees (did not graduate)

• Charles Barkley; former professional basketball player (joined the NBA after his junior year in 1984)
• Jimmy Buffett; singer/songwriter (attended Auburn, but graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi)
• Victoria Jackson; comedian of Saturday Night Live fame (attended Auburn for one year but graduated from Furman University)
• Takeo Spikes; NFL linebacker
• Toni Tennille; Singer. Greatest fame came as Tennille from Captain and Tennille Variety Show for ABC Television.

Appearances

• Auburn was mentioned in the 2003 Sony Pictures' film Big Fish, directed by Tim Burton and starring Ewan McGregor, Albert Finney, Jessica Lange, and Billy Crudup. The film was based upon the novel, Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions, by Daniel Wallace which makes more promient mention of the university. However, Huntingdon College in Montgomery, Alabama was used as the location for shooting.
• Auburn has made a number of cameos in the syndicated comic strip Kevin & Kell, drawn by Auburn alumnus Bill Holbrook. Appearances include 16-Dec-98, 3-Nov-04, 4-Nov-04, 5-Nov-04, and 6-Nov-04.