Pannie-George’s Kitchen Gives Back

Pannie-George’s Kitchen Gives Back

Pannie-George’s Kitchen Gives Back

What started out as a “plate sale” to fund a family reunion is now Pannie-George’s Kitchen, a family-owned restaurant that serves more than great soul food

By Catherine Haynes

“I had the notion that I would just do a little catering business out of my house,” said Mary Key ’91, co-owner and founder of Pannie-George’s Kitchen. “I was going to reconstruct my house for that, but one night we were at Briggs & Stratton [factory] delivering plates, and one of the guys said, ‘Why don’t you guys just open up a restaurant?’ I was like, ‘Hmm, why not?’”

So Key, along with her mother, Lorine Askew, and her three sisters—Jerelene Askew ’04, Kia Tyndale and Rewa Echols— invested in a vacant storefront on South College and attended courses at Auburn’s Harbert College of Business. In the spirit of family, they decided to name their new restaurant “Pannie-George’s Kitchen” in tribute to the elders who taught them how to cook and hosted them for every occasion throughout their childhoods.

“The name concept itself is honoring our grandparents— Miss Pannie, whose real name is Mary Inez, and my grandfather George,” said Key. “George is deceased, but Miss Pannie still lives. She’s 92, and she’s the one who makes the banana pudding and the sweet potato pie.”

Pannie-George’s Kitchen has been a fixture on South College ever since. In its 18 years of existence, it has served a healthy take on southern cooking to an array of loyal customers, including legendary Auburn Football Coach Pat Dye and Heisman Trophy winners Bo Jackson ’95 and Cam Newton ’15.

Another notable customer is Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Ala. After the sisters noticed Stevenson stopping by Pannie-George’s on a regular basis, they struck up a conversation and developed a relationship with him. “He’s another brother from another mother,” Key said of Stevenson.

Their friendship with Stevenson resulted in the restaurant’s second location. Opened in 2020 in the Equal Justice Initiative’s Legacy Museum—a museum that provides a comprehensive history of the United States with a focus on the legacy of slavery—the Montgomery location also serves as Pannie-George’s Leadership Academy, a comprehensive culinary arts internship program designed to give high school students hands-on experience working in a restaurant.

Portrait of Mary “Miss Pannie” Inez and George Taylor

Mary “Miss Pannie” Inez and George Taylor. At age 92, Miss Pannie still makes the banana pudding and sweet potato pie for the restaurant.

“We try to reach out to a lot of the children in the community. We try to teach them about what it is to have a work ethic.”

“We try to reach out to a lot of the children in the community that are in indigent locations and pull them in,” said Key. “We try to teach them about what it is to have a work ethic.”

Pannie-George’s has developed partnerships over the years with various military and culinary schools, colleges and local businesses to help its students make connections and continue to invest in their futures.

“When those kids get ready to graduate from school, because of our partnerships with those other entities, wherever their interests lie, we can actually connect them with somebody in those areas and try to set them up for scholarships and different things so they can further enhance their future,” said Key.

The restaurant hopes to eventually expand the Leadership Academy to Auburn and develop an internship program for Auburn students as well. They’ve already built relationships with countless different entities on campus, from the football team to the College of Nursing. Whether it’s catering events or speaking to organizations on campus, Pannie-George’s Kitchen has been immersed in the Auburn community since its opening.

“It’s about giving,” said Key. “I look at this business, and it’s not just about cooking, but food as a ministry. It’s something about the food itself—and the love that is put in our food—that actually translates into more than just physical, but actual spiritual experiences.”

Rosemary Roasted Chicken with Maple Butter

Ingredients
3.5-lb. whole chicken
Kosher salt
Black pepper
2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary
2.5 tsp. finely chopped rosemary
4 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 Tbs. maple syrup
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Pat the chicken dry. Season it with salt and pepper, inside and out. Place the chicken breast-side up in a 10-inch cast-iron or ovenproof skillet. Stuff the rosemary sprigs into the bird’s cavity.

In a saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add the chopped rosemary and maple syrup. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until the rosemary is fragrant and the mixture has thickened slightly. Spoon the mixture evenly over the chicken. A decent amount will end up on the bottom of the pan.

Roast the chicken, basting with the pan juices every 15 to 20 minutes, until it is glossy, golden brown and registers 165 degrees with an instant thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh, about 55 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and baste an additional time if desired. Whisk the remaining juice and allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Blueberry Crumble Coffee Cake

Ingredients

Crumble Topping:
¾ cup + 1 tbsp all purpose flour
½ cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons light brown sugar, packed
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Blueberry Layer:
2 ½ cups frozen wild blueberries *see notes for fresh blueberries*
3 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
½ lemon, juiced

Vanilla Cake:
1 ½ cups + 2 tbsp all purpose flour *see notes for measuring*
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large whole eggs room temperature, whisked together
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup buttermilk, room temperature

Instructions

Step 1: Lightly butter a square 8×8 baking pan and line it with parchment paper on all sides. Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C.

Step 2: Make the Crumb
In a medium bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and brown sugar Add the melted butter and mix until crumbs form. Keep in the fridge until ready to use.

Step 3: Prep the Blueberries
In a medium bowl, combine the frozen blueberries, sugar, flour, and lemon juice until evenly coated. Set aside.

Step 4: Make the Cake
In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt and set aside.

In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Scrape down the bowl. Slowly stream in the whisked eggs and vanilla, mixing very well after each addition. Do not do this too quickly or the mixture will curdle.

Add in half of the dry ingredients and mix on low until almost combined. Then mix in the
buttermilk, followed by the remainder of the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.

Spread the batter evenly into the prepared baking pan. Then evenly spread the blueberries over the batter. Finally, sprinkle the crumb topping over the berries.

Bake for 65-75 minutes, or until the middle is puffy and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let the cake cool for 20 minutes on a wire cooling rack, then remove it from the pan and let it cool completely.

Notes:
*To substitute fresh blueberries, use 2 cups (280 g) and bake for 55-60 minutes.

*Measure your flour properly. This is our #1 baking tip! Do not ever scoop a measuring cup into your flour as this always leads to using too much flour. Instead, use the spoon-level method. This means fluffing the flour first, then spooning it into your measuring cup/spoon. For the BEST results, use a kitchen scale!

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Man Gives for 65 Years

Man Gives for 65 Years

Man Gives for 65 Years

Auburn grad invests in his alma mater for more than 65 years

By Kendra Carter ’08

Catesby ap C. Jones ’49 in his Selma home, holding a framed portrait from his days in the U.S. Army. He was drafted in 1944.

A love of Auburn runs deep for Catesby ap C. Jones ’49.

“You know, some people say they bleed orange and blue, but for me, Auburn is in my gut,” Jones said. “There’s just something about Auburn and the Auburn spirit—it stays with you and it’s different from any other school.”

And when something stays with you for that long, you find ways to give back.

Jones is the university’s longest consecutive donor on record, with his first gift documented in 1957. With his support over the course of 65 years, Jones is a member of Auburn’s 1856 Society, one of the university’s most prestigious giving societies.

“I don’t know any other way to say that I just love Auburn,” he said. “It’s special to me and I could do a little to help it be special for other people along the way.”

Service to Country

Born in Selma, Ala. on April 19, 1925, Jones—now 98—is the son of Catesby ap R. Jones and Elizabeth Beers Jones. The family is one of Dallas County’s most historic and uses a Welsh naming convention that places “ap” in the names of its male members, which means “son of.”

After graduating from high school in 1943, Jones enrolled at the nearby Marion Military Institute. He—along with both his father and his brother Roger ap C. Jones—served in the U.S. Army during World War II. Jones was drafted into the war in 1944 to serve with the Army Corp of Engineers in Europe.

“I was in a war zone, but my company didn’t get into any of the fighting part,” Jones said.

He arrived in SouthHampton in England on Dec. 21, 1944 and was assigned to Company A, 1280th Engineer Combat Battalion. The company traveled across France to the German front and began clearing debris and constructing bridges when they arrived in January 1945.

“It was all blown up when we got there,” he said. “Our company did pick up on minefields and worked on highways. And, in fact, our last thing we did was build a Bailey Bridge on the Rhine River. Gen. [George S.] Patton used that bridge for some of his tanks to go all the way to Berlin.”

Jones said that while building the bridge in Germany, he injured all the ligaments in his knee and spent three months in a French hospital before being flown back to the U.S. to rehab hospitals—first in New York, then Mississippi and finally Florida. He came back home to Selma in April 1946 after being released from active duty.

An Auburn Man

Former Auburn President Luther Duncan once estimated that nearly 800 veterans from World War II would enroll at Auburn through the G.I. Bill, but in his in June 1946 report to the Board of Trustees, Duncan reported that a “tidal wave of students had descended on Auburn”—many were veterans returning home from war—with enrollment growing one academic year from 1,162 to 4,383.

In June 1946, Catesby Jones was one of them.

“A bunch of the guys I roomed with had been in the Air Force, and we lived on South Gay Street with a lady who owned a rooming house,” he said.

Majoring in business administration, Jones said Ralph Brown Draughon, who would soon become Auburn’s 11th president, was a mentor during his studies and inducted him into the business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi.

After graduating in spring 1949, Jones returned to Selma to work for two years before moving to Mobile to work for his father at Mobile Fire & Marine Insurance Agency. He worked for other companies as well in auditing and management until he moved back to Selma to join his father in an insurance and investment management business, Mabry Securities. He continued work there until he sold the business when he retired in 1985.

Through his success in business he was asked to serve on the board of what would become Regions Bank, a position he held for many years until he retired from the board in 1997.

Giving Back

Jones began giving back to Auburn soon after graduation. Through the years his philanthropy has helped support Auburn University Athletics, the Harbert College of Business and the Ralph B. Draughon Library, among other areas of impact on campus.

In addition to financial contributions, Jones donated a collection of presidential letters to Auburn Libraries and Special Collections in 2017.

The collection included several historical documents, including letters written to Gen. Roger Jones—Jones’ great-great-grandfather—who was an officer in the United States Marine Corps and Army. He was the longest-serving adjutant general in U.S. Army history, serving under Presidents James Madison, James K. Polk and John Tyler. One letter included an invitation for Gen. Jones to attend a dinner honoring the Marquis de La Fayette on his return to the United States in 1824.

Jones said he was proud to have received a letter early this year from Auburn President Christopher B. Roberts thanking him for his lifetime of support and his commitment to the next generation of the Auburn Family.

So proud, he said, that he sent back a note to President Roberts.

“I told him that I love Auburn, and I’m proud to be an alum.”

The Sound of Movie Magic

The Sound of Movie Magic

Postproduction sound designer, Scott Sanders, has been making noise in Hollywood for nearly four decades.

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The Sound of Movie Magic

The Sound of Movie Magic

Postproduction sound designer, Scott Sanders, has been making noise in Hollywood for nearly four decades.

Christmas Tree Triumph

Christmas Tree Triumph

Sam, Jim and Agnes Cartner grow Christmas trees so good they’re putting one in the White House in 2024.

The Age of Reason

The Age of Reason

The Age of Reason

By Kate Asbury Larkin ’21

JAMIE LOWE MET ME IN THE FRONT LOBBY of the Lee County Justice Center. He was dressed in a white dress shirt, black sweater vest and sports coat. He escorted me to his office and handed a business card to me: Lowe’s Mediation.

Lowe is a mediator for the family courts of Lee County. He meets with parents going through divorce to help them navigate the process, as well as work out visitation rights and other complexities of legally separating. There is nothing new about mediators, but what makes Jamie Lowe unique is that he is only 20 years old.

While a student at Opelika High School (OHS), Lowe knew health occupation students did internships with local physicians and at East Alabama Medical Center. But Lowe wasn’t interested in the health field, so he asked if he could get a law-related internship. Once approved, he contacted the family court office, and The Honorable Judge Mike Fellows ’94 agreed to let Lowe work in his office. Initially, Lowe observed court proceedings, sat in on referee meetings and researched a few minor case laws.

Jamie Lowe with the Honorable Judge Mike Fellows

“I started out just doing administrative things and earned my way into more responsibility,” Lowe said. “I did some research and then started helping manage the caseload for child-support cases.”

Lowe began shadowing a local attorney in mediation proceedings and was intrigued by the process.

“I am the child of divorced parents, so I was especially interested in how all that worked and how my life experience might benefit me in that role,” Lowe said. “The more I observed, the more interested I got, and I thought, ‘I could do that.’”

So, Lowe took a class and earned his certification as a mediator. At 18 years old.

I asked Fellows how a 20-year-old kid becomes a mediator in the courts.

“He has no idea he is a 20-year-old kid,” Fellows said. “He doesn’t think the way most 20-year-olds think. He is mature beyond his years. He doesn’t show anger or frustration. There have been times when clients have been rude, but Jamie doesn’t let that get to him. He has a very gentle disposition that is very calming during a stressful time for parents.”

Lowe doesn’t see his young age as a barrier, but more of a motivator. He believes his youth offers a different perspective.

“I’ve had a few ‘reactions,’ but once things get going, I think both sides see that I really do know what I’m doing and appreciate my demeanor,” Lowe said. “I let them vent, say whatever they want to say and once they have gotten all that out of their system, I try to calmly diffuse the anger and help them find some middle ground.”

Parents are separated into different rooms, and Lowe moves from one to the other to hear both sides of the story. He tries to determine what is exaggerated, what is totally untrue and where the actual truth lies.

“Once, there was a husband who went on and on about how he mowed his wife’s grass and took care of her lawn and how she didn’t appreciate his kindness,” Lowe said. “Then, I heard her side and it turns out, what he was doing was mowing down her roses; he left that part out.”

“I love the feeling of accomplishment, which far outweighs fatigue. I have dreams and I don’t let go of them very easily.”

In addition to mediating five days a week, Lowe is also taking 15 credit hours at Auburn University, teaching an anti-shoplifting class to young offenders and tutoring high school and college students in biology, Spanish, math and calculus. He also attends every Opelika City Council meeting and volunteers in the community.

At Auburn, he is a student in the College of Liberal Arts, double-majoring in political science with plans to attend law school to study family law. He also is majoring in Asian studies because of an incident that happened when he was in high school.

During his junior year at OHS, Lowe was part of a group that tested a new school software program. He took an online class in Mandarin Chinese, but didn’t particularly enjoy it, so he did not continue. But the course remained on his high school transcript.

A year later, on an elevator on his way to an interview for a national scholarship, a man began talking to Lowe in a foreign language, but all Lowe heard was noise. When he sat down, there was the man on the panel of judges, introduced as a nuclear researcher.

“It was then that it occurred to me, he had been speaking to me in Mandarin,” Lowe said. “I was embarrassed that I didn’t recognize it and hadn’t been able to carry on a conversation with him, so I decided to pursue Mandarin until I could speak it fluently.”

It is that attitude of never seeing dead ends, his unwavering determination and the goals he has set for himself that keep Lowe focused – and busy.

“I love the feeling of accomplishment, which far outweighs fatigue,” Lowe said. “I have dreams and I don’t let go of them very easily.”

The Sound of Movie Magic

The Sound of Movie Magic

Postproduction sound designer, Scott Sanders, has been making noise in Hollywood for nearly four decades.

Christmas Tree Triumph

Christmas Tree Triumph

Sam, Jim and Agnes Cartner grow Christmas trees so good they’re putting one in the White House in 2024.

The Sound of Movie Magic

The Sound of Movie Magic

Postproduction sound designer, Scott Sanders, has been making noise in Hollywood for nearly four decades.

Christmas Tree Triumph

Christmas Tree Triumph

Sam, Jim and Agnes Cartner grow Christmas trees so good they’re putting one in the White House in 2024.

Writing Warrior

Writing Warrior

Writing Warrior

CJ Holmes’ rise from Auburn basketball walk-on to beat writer for the Golden State Warriors is the stuff of hoop dreams

By CJ Holmes ’16

I’ve covered the Golden State Warriors for the San Francisco Chronicle since February 2022, and have been working in media since 2017. But those closest to me know that my first dream in life was to be a basketball coach.

My skills on the court were limited. My coaches and teammates knew that. But I loved basketball, and figured coaching would be the best way I could stay around the game that shaped my childhood.

My stepfather, Willie Henderson, is the reason I picked up a basketball in the first place. I was around 11 or 12 years old when I played in my first recreation league game. I hated sports at first. My mom probably would’ve described a younger me as lazy. But my stepdad was persistent, and the concept of competition grew on me over time.

By the time I got to middle school, I was the kid who could recall random sports facts and stats during recess. If I wasn’t reading comic books or playing video games, my television was on ESPN. I’d watch the same segments over and over until they were ingrained in my mind. I never missed a Wizards or Commanders game. Sometimes during class, my teachers would catch me drawing up random basketball and football plays in the back of my agenda instead of paying attention to the lesson. What started as an excuse to get off the couch became an obsession.

A coach in waiting
However, coaching–not being a reporter–was still the goal when I got to IMG as a high school junior. I had an excellent role model in Vince Walden, formerly the academy’s national team coach, currently the director of basketball operations at Texas A&M, as well as Dan Barto, who served as IMG’s head of player development during my time on campus.

Barto had a hand in training all of us, but his focus was on the pros. Jimmy Butler, whose Miami Heat team is playing in the 2023 NBA Finals right now, was even one of his pupils when he was coming out of Marquette. During the springs, when the pros started rolling up to campus to train for the NBA Draft, I would stay after practice and help Barto work out the guys. I also spent countless hours back in Barto’s office watching film on Synergy, trying to learn as much about the game as I could.

Toward the end of my senior year at IMG, when I knew Auburn would be my next stop as a walk-on, I still had to fill out a formal college application. I remember sitting in Walden’s office and pausing when I saw the box that asked me what I wanted to major in. I had no clue what I wanted to do with my life if coaching didn’t work out.

Math wasn’t my thing. History bored me. Science was cool, but doing anything relevant in that field would require an advanced understanding of math, so I knew that wasn’t an option. I had always excelled in English, reading and writing. And after Walden gave me a book to read titled “Don’t Put Me In Coach” by Mark Titus, I decided to combine my love for sports with my interest in writing and major in journalism.

“The voice I never had”
I still don’t quite remember when my desire to coach began to fade. Some of it had to do with watching my first college coach, Tony Barbee, struggling to get me and my knuckle-headed teammates on the same page. Or maybe I was scared I couldn’t handle the pressure that came with the job. But by the time I finished my first-year courses and started my journalism classes, suddenly that’s all I wanted to do. Technically my first job in the industry was with the Auburn Plainsman. Brent Weber was the best professor I ever had and taught me the framework of everything I know.
“Once Bruce Pearl took over the head coaching job at Auburn, there were times when I finished practice, changed in the locker room and went back into the arena to cover an Auburn women’s basketball game for the Plainsman. That is how committed I was. At one point, I covered every team on campus except my own. I became obsessed with storytelling. It felt like journalism gave me the voice I never had, and I enjoyed elevating the voices of those who might have felt the same.”

 

My job at the Plainsman eventually evolved into my first internship at Sporting News. I also worked as a campus correspondent for Sports Illustrated, and interned for the Opelika-Auburn News, the Auburn Athletic Department and the Commanders. I spent a year living at home in Virginia after I graduated, doing some freelance writing while working at Ralph Lauren. Then I finally got my first professional opportunity working as a digital producer at the Dallas Morning News.
Becoming a beat writer
Long story short, things didn’t work out in Dallas. I then met my mentor Marcus Thompson, and my journey as a beat writer began. Luckily I was well-versed in many different journalism disciplines, so transitioning back into the writing space wasn’t too difficult. The Athletic hired me in 2018 to cover the Arizona Cardinals, and Thompson pushed hard for me behind the scenes. During my four years with the company, I also covered the Phoenix Suns, the University of Arizona, Arizona State, Villanova, Temple, Saint Joe’s, La Salle and Penn. Then in winter 2021, I got a call from my current editor, Christina Karl, who asked if I was interested in covering Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors. It was obviously a no-brainer. Next thing I knew, I was an NBA beat writer.

The biggest adjustment going from digital to print as a writer was the volume. At The Athletic I wrote once every few days. At The Chronicle I found myself writing multiple stories a day, each day, on top of travel and breaking news. At The Athletic I had more time to craft my stories, but the daily print news cycle required a different level of speed. Over time things got easier, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t a major challenge my first few months on the job. However, starting an NBA beat and immediately getting an opportunity to cover the NBA Finals made it all worthwhile.

My experiences playing college basketball have served me well in my professional endeavors. For example, Gary Payton II and Chris Chiozza were on the Warriors’ roster when I started the job, and my Auburn teams played against them. Not every reporter can break the ice that way, and I’ve connected with others in the locker room because I know what it’s like to be in their shoes on some level. Covering the NBA is all about relationships. My experiences in basketball–both as a college player and reporter–helped me build relationships across the league, and I have done my best to take advantage of them.

I’ve been in pretty much every basketball arena across the SEC, and it has been such a joy getting to do the same in the NBA. Each city has a different feel. Each fanbase has different quirks. And despite the struggles the Warriors experienced this season—at least by their standards—getting to watch future hall of famers Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green compete each night has been a privilege. The Warriors’ organization, from head coach Steve Kerr to others in the front office, have treated me with the utmost respect. It’s made my job a lot easier, and I could not be more thankful.

During Golden State’s championship parade last summer, I got the chance to ride on Payton and James Wiseman’s float. Riding through downtown San Francisco with confetti floating through the streets was one of the coolest things I’ve ever been a part of. That’s when the gravity of the gift I’ve been given started to set in. I get to cover one of the best teams in the league, at arguably the highest level in the industry, and I did it all before turning 30.

My job is something I will never take for granted. And although I’m not sure what the future holds, I know I’m not done yet.

The Sound of Movie Magic

The Sound of Movie Magic

Postproduction sound designer, Scott Sanders, has been making noise in Hollywood for nearly four decades.

Christmas Tree Triumph

Christmas Tree Triumph

Sam, Jim and Agnes Cartner grow Christmas trees so good they’re putting one in the White House in 2024.

The Sound of Movie Magic

The Sound of Movie Magic

Postproduction sound designer, Scott Sanders, has been making noise in Hollywood for nearly four decades.

Christmas Tree Triumph

Christmas Tree Triumph

Sam, Jim and Agnes Cartner grow Christmas trees so good they’re putting one in the White House in 2024.

Andrew Yawn ’15: Seeking the Truth

Andrew Yawn ’15: Seeking the Truth

Andrew Yawn ’15: Seeking the Truth

Obtaining Harvey Updyke’s confession to poisoning the Toomer’s Oaks jumpstarted Andrew Yawn’s career as a journalist.

By Reagan Berg

After serving as editor of The Plainsman and completing an internship with the Atlanta Food and Wine Festival, Yawn ‘15 took his current job at the Montgomery Advertiser as a breaking news reporter, covering ‘here and now’ stories, city government, and Montgomery events. “With the way newsrooms go nowadays, everyone does a little bit of everything. Sometimes I write, sometimes I shoot and edit video and I do a little bit of social media. You have to be well rounded,” Yawn said.

Yawn said he chose his career as journalist because “I’m bad at being on the ‘other side’.” “I hate talking about myself and I’m better at asking the questions. I love hearing other people’s stories and getting to know them because every time you walk down a street, every person you pass has 50 to 100 stories that are all things you would want to hear. It’s rewarding to be able to have a job where I’m allowed to go ask them about it and tell other people.”

Stories worth sharing don’t always have to be found in a bigger city like Montgomery. Yawn said his favorite story that was published in The Plainsman was of a man, Wayne Keith, in the small town of Springville, Ala. who builds trucks that run on wood instead of gasoline. Keith never received a college degree, but rather relied on hard work. Yawn found the story of building his own home and innovating the automotive industry to be so awe-inspiring that he had to tell it.

For the Advertiser, he was able to cover presidential nominees Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton when they came to Alabama last year, saying it was “amazing to be in something of that scope” and that he feels privileged to be in such a position.

“I think journalism more than ever now has a responsibility to evaluate the truth and put out the best version of it with the sides you want to hear and don’t want to hear. I enjoy that responsibility of keeping people informed with all the facts and letting them decide for themselves what they want to know,” Yawn said.

“I love hearing other people’s stories and getting to know them because every time you walk down a street, every person you pass has 50 to 100 stories that are all things you would want to hear.”

Selected works by Andrew Yawn from the Montgomery Advertiser

Did missing Alabama boy turn to Reddit for help?
Bell Road death details sketchy
Conversations with Dr. King: Barber shares his stories
A look at the man behind the La. theater shootings

As a reporter, he avidly seeks the truth and lets no story go unchecked. “If you want to try to get a quote from the president, send a letter to the White House. At worst it’s another no, but it’s a lot better than if you had never done it.”

Whether he is covering Capitol Hill or a local story, he often reflects on his Auburn roots. “Auburn puts a stamp on you. You’re either Auburn or you’re not, so there’s always a great number of people who I’m interviewing and get to talking afterwards. They’ll ask, ‘So, you went to Auburn? War eagle’ and all of a sudden you’re on this new plain of comfort where you might want to ask them a few more questions.”

The Sound of Movie Magic

The Sound of Movie Magic

Postproduction sound designer, Scott Sanders, has been making noise in Hollywood for nearly four decades.

Christmas Tree Triumph

Christmas Tree Triumph

Sam, Jim and Agnes Cartner grow Christmas trees so good they’re putting one in the White House in 2024.

The Sound of Movie Magic

The Sound of Movie Magic

Postproduction sound designer, Scott Sanders, has been making noise in Hollywood for nearly four decades.

Christmas Tree Triumph

Christmas Tree Triumph

Sam, Jim and Agnes Cartner grow Christmas trees so good they’re putting one in the White House in 2024.

Batey M. Gresham Jr. ’57

Batey M. Gresham Jr. ’57

Batey M. Gresham Jr. ’57

 April 5, 1934 – August 6, 2022

By Auburn Alumni Association

Batey M. Gresham, Jr. was born in Lebanon, Tenn. He graduated from Castle Heights Military Academy in 1952 and came to Auburn as part of Army ROTC, where earned a Bachelor of Architecture from the Auburn University School of Architecture and Applied Arts (now the College of Architecture, Design and Construction) in 1957.

While a student at Auburn, in addition to ROTC, Gresham was involved in SGA, Squires, Spades, Blue Key and Scarab and served as president of Kappa Sigma fraternity, the student body for the School of Architecture and as editor of the 1956 Glomerata.

Following graduation, Gresham entered the United States Army Corps of Engineers, where he served for eight years before being honorably discharged in 1965, with the rank of captain.

After his military service, Gresham and his wife, Ann ‘54, moved to Nashville, where he opened an architectural firm in 1966. A year later, he partnered with Fleming W. Smith Jr. to establish Gresham, Smith and Partners (now Gresham Smith). The firm was on the ground floor of the (then) new industry of multi-hospital systems and was the exclusive architect for Hospital Corporation of America for more than a decade. The firm now specializes in health care, aviation, transportation, corporate architecture and environmental services with multiple locations nationally and around the world.

Gresham was a member of the Auburn Alumni Board of Directors from 1981-1990, serving as president from 1987-89 and was president of the Greater Nashville Auburn Club for two years. He has served on the Auburn University Engineering Council, the Architecture Advisory Board, the Auburn University Foundation Board and the Museum of Art Advisory Board. Gresham was a member of the 1856 Society, the CADC Dean’s Club and a life member of the Auburn Alumni Association.

Batey and Ann Gresham have given back to Auburn in numerous ways. In 2001, they established the Gresham Professorship, the first endowed professorship in the College of Architecture, Design and Construction. They have also supported scholarships and programs in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, the Jule Collins Smith Museum, the School of Journalism, AU Singers, the Women’s Philanthropy Board, athletics and university construction projects.

Gresham, Smith and Partners designed the Jule Collins Smith Museum at Auburn, which opened in 2003, and Gresham served on the museum board. In 2006, he was a recipient of the Auburn Alumni Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the highest award given at Auburn University.

He is survived by his wife, Ann, of Auburn.

Former presidents of the Auburn Alumni Association Board of Directors (l-r): Ralph Jordan ’70, Nancy Fortner ’71, Bobby Poundstone ’95, Bill Stone ’85, Batey Gresham ’57 and Jack Fite ’85
The Sound of Movie Magic

The Sound of Movie Magic

Postproduction sound designer, Scott Sanders, has been making noise in Hollywood for nearly four decades.

Christmas Tree Triumph

Christmas Tree Triumph

Sam, Jim and Agnes Cartner grow Christmas trees so good they’re putting one in the White House in 2024.

The Sound of Movie Magic

The Sound of Movie Magic

Postproduction sound designer, Scott Sanders, has been making noise in Hollywood for nearly four decades.

Christmas Tree Triumph

Christmas Tree Triumph

Sam, Jim and Agnes Cartner grow Christmas trees so good they’re putting one in the White House in 2024.