Alumni Notes
Larry McElroy (’72, business administra- tion) retired in 2010 from the Corps of Engineers and has moved with his wife to a newly constructed house in Fernandina Beach, Florida. They live across the street from their grandchildren. Bob Pritchett (’72, business administra- tion) recently retired and has been enjoy- ing his time fishing and golfing with his grandchildren. He is active in his church and wonders when he ever had time to work. Rusty Sheehan (’71, business adminis- tration) went to work for State Farm Insurance after graduation and stayed for 48 years. He only had one employer in his career and is now enjoying a blessed retirement. Betty Sparkman (’79, MBA) is a coun- cil member in the city of Pass Christian, Mississippi and is Chair of Art in the Pass. Steve Williams (’72, business adminis- tration) retired on August 31, 2022 from Turner Supply Co., a regional, fami- ly-owned Industrial Supply firm. He misses his associates at work and espe- cially his bonds with the customers, but he is truly enjoying the retired life and travels from time to time. He lives on the lake in Pell City, Alabama, and loves it. Robert (Bob) Young (’70, economics) has had four-plus “careers” since gradua- tion: naval officer, hospital administrator, commercial real estate broker, and finally, business systems designer with a dot. com venture. Over the years he founded and operated three successful commer- cial real estate (CRE) brokerages along the central Gulf Coast. At home in Fairhope, Alabama with his wife Evelyn Wood (’68, AU), he teaches Ecology in the Baldwin County Public School System and designs mechanics of commercial investment real estate into the workflow of MarketMaker CRE, a site which he helped launch.
1980s Tommy Barrett (’83, accounting) worked in banking and real estate, practiced law, and flew as a pilot for Southwest Airlines before retiring. He is now an aspiring jiu-jitsu coach at Independent MMA in McDonough, Georgia. He was able to pursue this path because of the years he spent saving and investing for retirement, and he now seeks to pass the valuable lessons he’s learned throughout his career to a younger generation. Sam Givhan (’89, finance) recently joined Lanier, Ford, Shaver & Payne, P.C., as a shareholder and director. He has been practicing law in Huntsville for almost 30 years and credits his Auburn background with leading him to the commercial real estate arena, which has resulted in a great career. Greg Heston (’85, accounting) recently retired as a partner from Ernst & Young after 38 years and then quickly joined the faculty of the Harbert College of Business’ School of Accountancy as a professor of practice. Greg and his wife Mary Grace, relocated to Auburn from Atlanta with three of their seven children. “I spent three and a half years trying to get out of Auburn, and a lifetime trying to make it back!” Deirdre Hill (’89, international business) opened a pickleball store in Opelika last fall. It’s the fastest-growing sport in the country, which is very apparent in Opelika and Auburn. Dink and Volley Pickleball was one of the first brick-and-mortar pick- leball stores in the country carrying equip- ment, apparel, and lifestyle items, and it was recognized by the Opelika Chamber of Commerce as the Emerging Business of the Year for 2024.
Steve Howser (’82, personal manage- ment and industry relations) began work with Orion Plant Services in June 2023 at their headquarters in Theodore, Alabama. As the manager of technical services and industrial staffing at Orion Plant Services, Steve supports the manpower and human resource needs of the engineering services business. Matthew London (’83, management) has been a financial advisor with Ameriprise Financial for 32 years, focusing on multi-generational financial planning. He was recently promoted to private wealth advisor, a designation only about 10% of advisers achieve. “I truly appreciate what Auburn and Harbert did for me, but my proudest ‘Auburn moment’ came in August of 2023 when my oldest daugh- ter, Gwendolyn Grace London, graduated from Auburn with her Ph.D. in History!” Bryan Mash (’86, personal manage- ment and industry relations) resides near Winston-Salem, North Carolina. After 30 years of working in human resources leadership roles with companies such as Ingersoll Rand, Club Car, Fuji, Frigidaire, Cooper Industries (now Eaton), and Russell Corporation, he launched HSM Ventures, an outsourcing company estab- lished to be the extra set of seasoned hands for human resources departments without adding fixed costs or requiring additional resources. “The education and friends I gained with my Auburn experience were some of the best times of my early adulthood and prepared me for the business world.” Calvin Milford (‘85, accounting) will retire next year from his long-held position as district court judge for Chambers County, Alabama. He is married and both his daughters, Emily and Melissa, are Auburn graduates.
48 Harbert Magazine, Spring 2025
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