Dear Kris;
I enjoyed reading your recent well written plainsman article about the most often used term “the Auburn Family”. While I agree whole you hardly that the bricks and mortar that make up Auburn University are not a true family, many of the people that make up the University can be.
I have been on faculty at Auburn for nearly 38 years. During a very difficult time about 8 years ago, I experience the true meaning of what the Auburn family is. I had just gone through a divorce and had decompression surgery on my cervical and lumbar spinal columns. I was about 80 % emotionally and physically immobilized. I had literally no one to care for my daily needs. I developed agoraphobia (was afraid to leave the house) and lost 40 lbs. However, to the rescue came my 2 male PhD Chinese graduate students.
They came to my house daily to get me out of bed, clothed me, put me into a wheel chair, and bring me my daily University mail, updates on their research projects and help with my teachings responsibilities. In addition, they took me to my physicians and therapist offices as needed. Also my research associate, another departmental research technician, and an administrative personnel cooked food and brought it to me. That was not in their job description, but they most certainly came to be my life safer, even though I did not even ask for their help.
This daily care giving went on for about 4 months until my daughter returned home to pursue a nursing degree and then became my caregiver. She cared for me until I recovered fully (about 9 more months) from a truly life changing experience. If this is not an example of what a true family is, then I guess I never had one. During these “best and worst of times”, Auburn University personnel and students, who were not my blood relatives, did cry with me, loved me, cared for me, and empathize with me, no more or less then my own daughter did.
War Eagle;
DRJJG
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