Sweet Auburn! Loveliest Village of the Plain...

The Auburn Creed
I believe that this is a practical world and that I can count only on what I earn. Therefore, I believe in work, hard work.
I believe in education, which gives me the knowledge to work wisely and trains my mind and my hands to work skillfully.
I believe in honesty and truthfulness, without which I cannot
win the respect and confidence of my fellow men.
I believe in a sound mind, in a sound body and a spirit that is
not afraid, and in clean sports that develop these qualities.
I believe in obedience to law because it protects the rights of all.
I believe in the human touch, which cultivates sympathy with my
fellow men and mutual helpfulness and brings happiness for all.
I believe in my country, because it is a land of freedom and
because it is my own home, and that I can best serve that
country by doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly
with my God.
And because Auburn men and women believe in these things,
I believe in Auburn and love it.~~George Petrie

This weekend we visited our alma mater, Auburn University. Auburn is also known as the “loveliest village on the plains:” a line from Oliver Goldsmith’s poem “The Deserted Village.”

Auburn was the place that Jeff and I met one another. It was also the place that we both earned our bachelor degrees and the place that I was commissioned as an officer in the Air Force. Additionally, Auburn is also located adjacent to Loachapoka, the town where we were married. So, for many reasons Auburn is special to us and a place that we call “home.”

We have driven through Auburn and stopped for lunch on the way home to visit family in Alabama but it has been years since we’ve been to a football game in Auburn. We marked it off of our list of things to do when our children were born because we fully recognize the patience of little ones. So, we were looking forward to this trip. We chose the homecoming game because in many ways it is homecoming for us. And, we thought the homecoming activities would be entertaining to the children.
The first matter of business upon arrival was getting Rachel a new cheerleading dress. We stopped for a quick bite to eat and then for a quick photo of Rachel and Anna at the university sign. I would’ve never imagined years ago when I was a student that I would be taking a picture of my own daughters at the very same sign that I stood at as a student only a few years ago.
After the Kodak moment, we immediately headed towards the stadium for the Tiger Walk. Before each Auburn home football game, thousands of Auburn fans line Donahue Avenue to cheer on the team and coaches as they walk from the athletes' dormitory to the football stadium. The tradition began in the 1960s when groups of kids would walk up the street to greet the team and get autographs. During the tenure of coach Doug Barfield, the coach urged fans to come out and support the team, and thousands did. Today the team, led by the coaches, walks down the hill and into the stadium surrounded by fans that pat them on the back and shake their hands as they walk by.
After the Tiger Walk was over, we walked to the building that was home to the Air Force ROTC detachment to see if any fellow alumni were there. I was disappointed to find that there wasn’t anyone else there close to my year group. After that, it was about an hour to kick off time so we decided to go into the stadium. Our seats ended up being only three rows from the top part of the upper most deck of the stadium. We waved to God….that’s how close we were to the heaven. Rachel did not like the height at all at first but after some tears and fretting, she got over it and decided it wasn’t that bad after all.

The pre-game activities are always enjoyable….the marching band, the playing of the national anthem, and the fly-over of F-16s piloted by Air National Guard members who are Auburn alumni. Let me pause for a minute though and say that I find it truly sad that more people do not show proper respect during the playing of our national anthem. During a rendition of the national anthem when the flag is displayed, all present except those in uniform should stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. Those not in uniform should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. Now, either people in this country have forgotten or have never been taught proper protocol or they just don’t care anymore. Either way, it’s pretty sad when you think about it as you just don’t find many who show proper respect for our flag. I’ll get off my soap box and move on.

And, as always, it’s always a treat to see our eagle circle the stadium. There are many stories surrounding the origins of Auburn's battle cry, "War Eagle." The most popular account involves the first Auburn football game in 1892 between Auburn and the University of Georgia. According to the story, in the stands that day was an old Civil War soldier with an eagle that he had found injured on a battlefield and kept as a pet. The eagle broke free and began to soar over the field, and Auburn began to march toward the Georgia end-zone. The crowd began to chant, "War Eagle" as the eagle soared. After Auburn won the game, the eagle crashed to the field and died but, according to the legend, his spirit lives on every time an Auburn man or woman yells "War Eagle!" The battle cry of "War Eagle" also functions as a greeting for those associated with the University. I have traveled all over this great country, and no matter where I go, I will usually pass someone who will say “War Eagle” if I have on an Auburn University shirt.

The game was awesome. The weather was beautiful! Auburn played Tulane and Auburn won. One of my very dear friends, Holly, graduated from Tulane. I visited her in New Orleans when we were both students many years ago. I thought of that beautiful campus and how much of it was decimated by Hurricane Katrina. Yet another tragedy of that awful hurricane. But, back to Auburn….

We stayed for the entire game much to the disappointment of Anna who had grown quite tired of the event. As we were leaving the stadium, Rachel informed me that her favorite part of the game was when everyone did the “wave.” Kids enjoy the simplest of things.
Next up on the agenda…rolling Toomer’s Corner. The intersection of Magnolia and College streets in Auburn, which marks the transition from downtown Auburn to the university campus, is known as Toomer's Corner. It is named after Toomer's Drug Store which is located at this intersection. Hanging over the corner are two massive old-growth oak trees, and anytime anything good happens concerning Auburn, toilet paper can usually be found hanging from the trees. Rachel and Anna jumped right in with the rolling activities. I think this was Anna’s favorite part about the whole trip. I’m not surprised.
And, what would a visit be to Auburn without going to Toomer’s Drug Store (formerly a pharmacy and now a soda fountain and gift shop) for some of the best lemonade ever? Toomer's Drugs has the best lemonade in the country. In December of 2001, Esquire Magazine compiled a list of "162 Reasons It's Good To Be An American...." and the lemonade at Toomer's Drug Store was listed in the #1 spot on Esquire's list. Their description follows: "When God was a little boy and He needed extra money, He put up a card table outside His folk's house. This (Toomer's Lemonade) is what He sold."
We headed back to our vehicle and then to dinner at Guthrie’s for some yummy chicken fingers. Guthrie’s is also an Auburn tradition.
After a full day, we drove back home. We had originally planned to bring the RV to do some serious tailgating but decided we didn’t want to burn the leave from work just to get there early enough in the week to have a place to park our mammoth RV. Instead, we drove to and from Auburn on the same day. It made for a long day but we had a great time. And, as it was years ago, it’s still the same today….”It’s great to be an Auburn Tiger!”
War Eagle!
P.S. One of my coworkers shared the following with me in an email. I thought it was appropriate to share on this post. If my words above do not adequately describe my visit to the Plains, this email captures where I may have missed the mark. Enjoy.

I am Auburn. I am the 30 year old couple coming back to campus for the first time with both little ones in tow. One wears her first blue and orange cheerleader outfit; the other wears #34 even though he's too young to understand why. I am the 50 year old man who hoped no one saw tears in his eyes when the eagle circled the field. I was too choked even to say “War Eagle.” For a moment I felt foolish and then I didn't care. God, I love this place. I am the 60 year old woman meeting her freshman grand-daughter who is now the 3rd generation of AU students in our family. Despite my age, I'd strap it on Saturday and hit someone if it weren't for my gender and this blasted arthritis.
I am Auburn and I have always believed I was different. You can see it when you look up into the stands. My orange is not the same as Tennessee's and my blue is not that of Florida. But the differences go much deeper than my colors. Read my creed. What other school has one? I genuinely believe in these things. To be a real Auburn man or woman speaks of character, not of geography. All are welcome to walk though my gates, not just the wealthy or the elite.
Georgia and Alabama may have their nations, but we have always been family. Make no mistake, we loathe defeat, but even in defeat, we would rather be an Auburn Tiger than anything else. We are family and you are the sons of Heisman, the sons of Jordan and Dye. You come from a long line of brothers who names include Burkett, Sidle,Owens, Sullivan, Beasley, Jackson and Rocker. It is a great heritage.
So this Saturday, when the warm ups are over and the prayers and amen spoken, when you hear my thunder growing in the stands above you, when you stand in the tunnel and the smoke begins to form, listen for my voice when you run onto my field. Behind the frenzy of the shakers and deafening roar, I will tell you something in a whisper you may miss. I will be telling you that you are my sons and I am proud of you for the way you wear the burnt orange and navy blue. I am telling you that you are my sons and I love you.
Auburn is so much more than a city or a school or a team or a degree. It is something that, once you have experienced it, will live inside of you forever and become a part of what makes up who you are....It is driving into town on a game day. You may have come from hundreds of miles away and as you get closer and closer to the city limits, you feel it rising inside of you. Other cars on the highway proudly display their Orange and Blue flags or magnets or car tags, and you honk and wave at them, because, for that one day, you are all on the same team.
It is the smell in the air and the ritualistic act of tailgating... catching up with old friends, making new ones, and invitations from perfect strangers to try their ribs or watch their satellite TV showing all of the day's important match-ups...of course, all being secondary to the one that will occur in the great cathedral of Jordan-Hare later that day.
It is the Tiger Walk...where you might just see 300 pound men overcome with emotion and weeping with pride, because you have come there to cheer them on. As they walk by, you might exchange a glance with one or two of them, and you can see it in their eyes...it is going to be their day. It is the students...dressed in their best, because going to an Auburn game is like going to church for Auburn people....you show the same respect as you would if you were in God's house. Those students remind you of the days when you were walking in their shoes and Auburn was your home...but then you realize, in many ways, it is still and always will be HOME.
It is that lump that rises in your throat when the band plays the alma mater as the eagle is soaring over your head during pre-game. It is walking around on a "foreign" and sometimes hostile campus. You are easily identified (Auburn people always are) and the enemy jeers and shouts things at you to mask their feelings of intimidation. But just then you happen upon a friend you have never met before. You know they are your friend by the colors they wear or the shaker in their hand. You exchange a "War Eagle" and a confident grin; because he/she knows what you know.
It is when your heart leaps with every touchdown, field goal, sack, and interception...because those are our boys. And win or lose, they will always have our undying support. After all, it is those boys that you are really there for and not a coach or a logo or a trustee or a president.
It is the complete and utter exhilaration of walking away victorious over a worthy opponent...that feeling of pride and accomplishment as if it were your own feet that had crossed the goal line scoring the last points yourself...that feeling of wanting to scream "War Eagle" at the top of your lungs and hug complete strangers...and then there is the ultimate high of defeating your most hated foes from across the state.
No words can describe what this feels like, but you know because you have experienced it. It is the sheer agony of defeat as the last minutes tick off of the clock and you realize that all hope of a victory is gone. You feel like crying and maybe you do...then you hear the faint sounds of a cheer that grows louder and louder...."Its Great To Be An Auburn Tiger."
It is knowing that year after year, no matter how things change in our hectic lives, you can always come back to "the Loveliest Village on the Plains"...the place where you came from...your home. It will probably look a little different and there will be new names on the backs of the jerseys, but deep down, no matter what, it is still the same. You still love it as much as you always have, because Auburn is as much a part of you as your arms and your legs and the orange and blue blood that runs through your veins.
And, finally, it is the feeling you have right now as you read these lines....the anticipation inside of you, because you know its almost time....Its about to start all over again...but then it really never goes away, does it?

WAR EAGLE!