11/11/02

MCGHEE SCHOLARSHIP GIFT TO BENEFIT CRENSHAW AREA STUDENTS

AUBURN -- College students in the Crenshaw County area will benefit from the generosity of a former resident's posthumous $1.2 million gift to Auburn University.

William Hiram McGhee, a 1941 Auburn business administration graduate, created a trust that is being used to endow scholarships at AU earmarked for students from select Crenshaw County area high schools.

"Mr. McGhee's gift to Auburn University is an inspiration to his Auburn family and to the students who will benefit from his spirit of philanthropy," said AU President William F. Walker. "This endowment contribution will memorialize his benevolence, and we at Auburn are most grateful."

Friends of McGhee, who was a resident of the Crenshaw County town of Dozier, remember him as a loyal Auburn supporter and a humble person.

"He certainly loved Auburn," said Willie Smith, a family friend. "He was a generous man who cared for people."

Following his graduation from Auburn, McGhee enlisted in the Army, where he served as an artillery company captain during World War II. McGhee's unit landed at Normandy on June 7, 1944, the day after the D-Day invasion.

Following the war, McGhee returned to Dozier where he worked for more than 40 years as owner of McGhee and Merrill, a road construction business.

At the time of his death in 1999, McGhee was chairman of the board of First National Bank of Dozier, an institution his father helped found in 1910. McGhee had been affiliated with the bank for 36 years.

During his life, McGhee was an active Auburn alumnus, supporting both academics and athletics at the university. He was also a leader in the Crenshaw County Auburn Club.

Students who will be eligible to receive the William Hiram McGhee Endowed Scholarships will include graduates of Luverne High School and Crenshaw Christian Academy, both located in Luverne; Brantley High School in Brantley; and Straughn High School in Straughn.

Recipients of the scholarships will be known as William Hiram McGhee Scholars. AU plans to award the scholarships beginning fall semester 2004.

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nov02:AU-mcghee

CONTACT: Katie Wilder, 334/844-2994.