Morgan and Samuel Fordham

Morgan: My mother was a chemical engineer. Her influence paired with my love for math and science made engineering a natural choice. As for choosing to attend Auburn University, both of my parents graduated from the University of Alabama. Growing up an hour from Tuscaloosa, I always thought that’s where I’d end up attending college as well. However, several of my parents’ friends talked me into visiting Auburn ‘just to be sure’.  I took my first ever trip to Auburn for a campus tour and immediately fell in love with the Auburn Spirit! Samuel: I grew up an Auburn fan and performed well in both math and science throughout my high school career, but was unsure about the career I wanted to pursue. However, my brother had studied chemistry, so I decided to follow suit. But during my senior year I had a meeting with Dr. Roberts in which he recruited me to chemical engineering.

Morgan: We met at International Paper in Selma, Alabama.  It was our love for tailgating and Auburn football that sparked our relationship. At that time, we lived in Prattville, Alabama and would make the trip back to Auburn for every home game. While cleaning out his truck one weekend, Sam found a piece of engineering paper that I’d used to blot my lipstick one game day. He sent me a photo of his find and said, “so does this make you my girlfriend now?”. The rest is history. Samuel: Morgan and I met, as she said, following graduation when we began work for International Paper, but the first time I ever saw Morgan was during our freshmen year. Morgan and I were both scholarship recipients of the Alabama Pulp & Paper Foundation which held an annual Scholarship dinner and auction for student members and industrial partners. During the auction portion of the event, Morgan was pulled from the crowd to act as the “Vana White” for the annual Toomer’s Oak sapling auction. The memory of an Auburn girl in a blue dress parading a Toomer Oak tree around a crowded room sticks with a young man.