Alumnus and member of the AU family leaves legacy for future students
The Auburn University community remembers 1950 pharmacy graduate Ware Gaston as an astute alumnus whose love of education led him to support higher education programs in a variety of areas, with one goal - to enable deserving students to obtain a college education and seek new goals.
A member of the Auburn University Alumni Association, he recently died in Sylacauga, Ala., where he was a life-long resident. Gaston's father, Charlie Gaston, Sr., was a 1922 pharmacy graduate of Auburn and founder of People's Drugs in Sylacauga.
"Ware was a true friend to Auburn University," said Larry Benefield, dean of the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. "His commitment to Auburn Engineering and other areas within the university will be greatly missed."
Gaston and his wife, Annette, have been generous contributors to several programs at Auburn University, including athletics, pharmacy and engineering, since 1956. In 1995, the couple established the Ware Gaston Family Endowment for Scholarships in Engineering.
This endowment provides scholarship funding for engineering students with preference given to students from Coosa and south Talladega counties as well as Jasper County, Ga.
In addition to his wife, Gaston is survived by his sons Charles Ware Gaston, III; Joel Milton Gaston, a 1979 graduate of Auburn's education program; and Maury Douglas Gaston, a 1982 graduate of Auburn's mechanical engineering program. One of Gaston's grandsons is an Auburn graduate, while the other is a sophomore at Auburn. He also has two young granddaughters.
"Gaston's involvement in the College of Engineering was due in part to Maury's
educational experience in the mechanical engineering department," said Dean Benefield.
"He continues to be actively involved in the college through his service on the
Alumni Engineering Council and association with AU's student chapter of the American
Society of Civil Engineers. We are grateful for the dedication of the Gaston family."
In lieu of gifts, the family requests memorials be made to the Gaston Family
Endowment. Information on the endowment is located at: