After nearly 8 months of construction, the Auburn Memorial is complete.
The monument was built in remembrance of all Auburn University students, alumni, faculty and staff who have died.
The memorial has been in the works for several years, but former SGA President Walker Byrd, along with SGA executive members, made the project a top priority in 2015. The Board of Trustees approved the $1.3 million project that year.
Located across from the President's Home on South College Street, the memorial consists of seven pillars, each inscribed with a line from the Auburn Creed. The words are meant to "unify the entire Auburn Family through the traits upon which the University is known: hard work; education; honesty; mind, body, and spirit; obedience to law; the human touch; and service," according to SGA documents.
"Auburn students and the Auburn Family needed a place that would allow peaceful remembrance of the lives of fellow members of the Auburn Family who have passed away," said Byrd. "Previously, there was no peaceful place for people to gather to remember a loved one. Students had few options of where they could hold a service or memorial in a peaceful setting. The Auburn Memorial will serve to be that place to memorialize those with a connection to Auburn University."
The memorial sits inside the Garden of Memory.
Built by the Garden Club of Alabama, the Garden of Memory was established in 1954 to honor Alabama veterans.
The project included renovations to the original garden, which is now made up of the memorial, a new seating area, a plaza and a lawn space.
“The Auburn Memorial is a project that has been worked on for the past 5+ years," said SGA president Jesse Westerhouse. "This is a project that gives the Auburn Family a place to go and honor those that have come before us. It is exciting to see this project completed, and know that it is going to impact Auburn for the better for years to come.”
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