[vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_text_separator title=”More than a decade later, Ryan and Andrew Bynum finally understand what those ‘numbers’ mean “][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” width=”1/2″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]My name is Chris Cooper Bynum. I graduated from Auburn in 1987. My oldest son graduates this Sunday! He recently reminded me of a story I wanted to share with you.
We lived in Texas for a while when our boys were younger. (We are now back in Alabama) so it was a rare and special occasion to visit campus as they were growing up. I brought them to The Plains as often as I could.
Years ago when the opportunity to buy bricks at the football players’ entrance to Jordan Hare Stadium became available, my mother bought a brick for everyone in our family. The next time I was able to bring my sons, Ryan and Andrew (both now current students at Auburn), to see the bricks, they were 9 and 6&1/2 years old. That was the summer of 2003.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” width=”1/2″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][image_with_animation image_url=”15883″ alignment=”center” animation=”Fade In” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” width=”1/2″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][image_with_animation image_url=”15896″ alignment=”” animation=”Fade In” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”][/vc_column][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” width=”1/2″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][vc_column_text]Upon seeing the bricks, my oldest son, Ryan, asked why every other family member had “numbers” on their brick but he and Andrew did not. I laughed and explained that those were our graduation years… Edwina Kilpatrick Cooper 1962, Leon Curtis Cooper 1967, Chris Cooper Bynum 1987 and Mark Camp Cooper 1995. Ryan & Andrew were so disappointed about the “numbers”!
So, I told them that if they graduated from Auburn (their dad is an Alabama alum), I would get down on my hands & knees with a hammer & chisel and put their graduation year on their bricks myself! Haha!
Well… Hallelujah and War Eagle! Ryan will graduate this Sunday with a 4.0GPA in Biomedical Science and start med school at UAB this summer! He reminded me last week about my “hammer & chisel” declaration. But don’t worry, I will not be climbing the fence to deface the bricks![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” scene_position=”center” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” overlay_strength=”0.3″][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” width=”1/1″ tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid”][/vc_column][/vc_row]