In September, the college honored six alumni who have served as outstanding representatives of both Auburn University and the College of Engineering at the annual Auburn Alumni Engineering Council awards banquet. Each of these individuals set themselves apart in the engineering profession, going above and beyond in their field. This year, three recipients were presented with the Distinguished Auburn Engineer Award, two were named Outstanding Young Auburn Engineers, and one was recognized with the Superior Service Award.

Charles E. Gavin III
Distinguished Auburn Engineer

Charles E. Gavin III graduated from Alabama Polytechnic Institute in 1959 with a degree in textile management, as well as an Executive MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1977. At Auburn, he was a member of the Auburn Rifles, Phi Psi Textile Honorary and Pi Kappa Phi fraternities.

In a career that covered 20-plus years in the carpet industry, Gavin worked his way through a range of assignments including shift supervisor for carpet dyeing, color formulation chemist, laboratory manager, manager of chemical services and plant manager. He was then promoted to senior technical and management positions including vice president of carpet manufacturing for Columbus Mills, Inc., and later vice president and director of dyeing for Coronet Industries. He was responsible for numerous technical achievements within the carpet industry, including the development of the use of acid dyes to replace disperse dyes, which gave carpet improved light and wash fastness. This soon became the industry standard and remains so today.

His second career began in 1981 when he formed MFG Chemical, Inc., to develop and market improved chemical auxiliaries for dyeing and finishing of carpets. Today, MFG has grown from a husband-wife team to a four-site chemical manufacturer serving a broad segment of the chemical market. MFG provides custom and toll manufacturing of specialty polymers, surfactants, esters and other specialty chemicals to numerous Fortune 100 and major international companies. Gavin, who presided over tremendous growth of the company, remains chairman of the board.

Gavin has maintained a strong commitment to Auburn University through his leadership, support and philanthropy. He was named Auburn’s Outstanding Textile Engineering Alumnus in 2003, and continues to serve as an adviser to the Department of Polymer and Fiber Engineering. Since 2009, he has been an active member of the Auburn Alumni Engineering Council, and is also a member of the Auburn Engineering Eagles Society and the Auburn Engineering Keystone Society, where he and his son, Chuck, are represented as the only father-son members. In addition, Gavin and his wife, Carol Ann, are lifetime members of the Auburn Alumni Association, as well as members of the exclusive Auburn University 1856 Society.

Gavin and Carol Ann have made significant philanthropic gifts to the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering, including faculty endowments, an auditorium named in their honor and the naming of the Dean of Engineering’s administrative suite in the Shelby Center for Engineering Technology. More recently, they created a $1 million endowed scholar chair within the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering to support faculty excellence in instruction and research. The inaugural recipient of the Gavin Chair is Bruce Tatarchuk, director of the Center for Microfibrous Materials Manufacturing and professor of chemical engineering.

The Gavins established their first scholarship program in support of the industry through the Alabama Textile Education Foundation in 1997 at Auburn University for students in Textile Chemistry and Textile Engineering. As a former trustee, Gavin assisted in transitioning this scholarship program to the Auburn University Foundation, where the program’s more than $1 million corpus continues to support scholarships in the area of polymer and fiber engineering.

In 2000, Gavin and Carol Ann formed the Gavin Family Scholarship, which is administered by the American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists (AATCC) and provides two-year scholarships in textile engineering, textile chemistry, polymer and fiber engineering and chemical engineering. This scholarship is awarded to Auburn twice during a rotation that also includes Georgia Institute of Technology, Clemson University and North Carolina State University. Gavin, who is tireless in his efforts to match scholarship opportunities with deserving students, has led efforts in the past two years to bring high-scoring ACT students to Auburn who have successfully competed for the prestigious Heritage Scholarship program. When asked about these efforts, his usual response is, “I work for students, helping them to obtain scholarships.”

Gavin is a past president and treasurer of the AATCC, the world’s largest textile chemistry association, which was formed in 1921. His leadership during two terms as president, 1999-2000, led the association’s move to the international arena. AATCC’s membership reached nearly 10,000 members and remains engaged and active today. Gavin joined AATCC as a student member at Auburn and has served in many capacities. In 2003 he received the prestigious Chapin Award for his outstanding service to the association and to the textile industry – an honor that is only considered for members with 20 or more years of service. Gavin was instrumental in forming the AATCC Foundation in 1997 and has served as treasurer and CEO. Upon his retirement he was named treasurer emeritus for both the association and the foundation and was recognized for his philanthropic endeavors.

The Gavins’ generosity extends beyond Auburn University. In 2012, Gavin and Carol Ann endowed a fellowship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center to provide special-care training in the Trauma Surgical and Critical Care Division.  Carol Ann’s surgeon, Richard S. Miller, was named as the inaugural honoree for this fellowship after he provided Carol Ann with lifesaving care.

In the Dalton, Georgia, community, Gavin and Carol Ann have been named Westcott Fellows of Distinction for their strong support for the Hamilton Health Care System. Moreover, their support for the homeless, children’s needs, programs for senior adults, and support for local churches, including their own, remains a significant focus of their generous spirit.

The Gavins remain residents of Dalton, Georgia, but spend much of their time at their Belle Meadow Farm near Wartrace, Tennessee, where they once raised world champion Tennessee walking horses. Today, Gavin concentrates his retirement energies on producing purebred Angus and Hereford cattle, as well as farming a few hundred acres of corn and soybeans. He is an avid vegetable gardener, while Carol Ann maintains huge varieties of flowers and boxwood gardens.

Sanjay Govil
Distinguished Auburn Engineer

Sanjay Govil graduated from Auburn in 2002 with a degree in electrical engineering and continued his education at Syracuse University where he earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering. He later obtained a degree in advanced management from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, where he was named a fellow.

Govil founded Infinite Computer Solutions in 1999, a global IT outsourcing provider for Fortune 100 companies worldwide. In 2011, he founded Infinite Convergence Solutions, a leader in utilizing communication-related intellectual property to develop a range of mobile messaging products. Under Govil’s leadership, Infinite has grown to nearly 5,000 employees located in offices around the world. Three years after founding Infinite, Govil was recognized as Entrepreneur of the Year by both Forbes and Ernst & Young. That year, he also received the Auburn Alumni Engineering Council’s Outstanding Young Auburn Engineer Award.

In addition to his substantial business success, Govil is actively engaged in his community through both his time and philanthropic involvement. As the son of a long-time Auburn professor, Govil remains dedicated to education and devotes much of his time to supporting education initiatives and the Boys and Girls Club of America.

Larry Monroe
Distinguished Auburn Engineer

Larry Monroe earned his bachelor’s degree in 1979 in chemical engineering from Auburn and earned his doctorate in chemical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He joined Southern Company in 1998 as a program manager in the environmental affairs department. He held numerous leadership positions within the company, and in 2014, was named chief environmental officer and research and environmental affairs senior vice president.

His work with research and development has earned him a number of leadership and technology awards, including the Electric Power Research Institute’s Environment Sector Delivery and Application Research Champion Award. In 2013, he was ranked 16th among the top 25 most influential people in the power industry during the past 25 years according to Power Engineering magazine.

Monroe uses his passion for pollution control as a way to actively contribute to his community. He is a board member of the Atlanta Clean Air Campaign, and has held leadership positions with the Utility Air Regulatory Group, Electric Power Research Institute and the Coal Utilization Research Council.

He has also remained a dedicated alumnus of Auburn University for many years, serving as a past president of the Chemical Engineering Alumni Council and as a member of the Auburn Alumni Engineering Council and the Auburn University Research Advisory Board.

Charlie Ping
Outstanding Young Auburn Engineer

Charlie Ping earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Auburn in 2004, at the same time obtaining a certificate in automotive engineering. While at Auburn, Ping was a member of the Formula SAE race team, serving as captain in 2003 when the team received two top-five finishes against 140 international teams. He began working in professional motorsports in 2005 when he joined the race team at Honda Performance Development as an associate engineer.

Ping went on to work for Pratt & Miller Engineering in Michigan, where he serves as project manager of IndyCar Race Operations. He is the liaison between Chevrolet and five race teams, for a total of 12 cars, providing support for chassis development and engine-chassis integration. Last year, Ping and his team provided the engines that powered the winning car in the Indy 500.

He continues to demonstrate a sincere dedication to Auburn Engineering. Ping began giving back to the college early in his career through membership in the Engineering Eagles Society. His philanthropy is a direct reflection of his commitment to remain connected to his alma mater and to Auburn Engineering.

K-Rob Thomas
Outstanding Young Auburn Engineer

K-Rob Thomas earned his degree in civil engineering from Auburn in 2001 and obtained his professional engineer license in 2006. His career began as a transmission lines and planning supervisor for Mississippi Power Company. After two years, he returned to Alabama to work for Alabama Power Company, and later at Southern Company, leading efforts to design and implement solutions for special projects. In 2013, he returned to work with Alabama Power Company in Mobile where he is currently the area transmission maintenance manager.

His commitment to the education of future engineers has resulted in his involvement and financial support of the college’s Alabama Power Academic Excellence Program, as well as his service on its advisory council. In addition, he was instrumental in establishing the Dennis Weatherby Annual Scholarship Award by facilitating a golf tournament that raised more than $12,000.

Thomas has also remained dedicated to furthering the reach of Auburn University. His understanding of the importance of engaging young alumni helped lead to the establishment of the Young Alumni Council, and he serves in several roles on the Diversity of Multicultural Affairs Leadership Council. In 2012, he was selected as a member of the Auburn Alumni Association’s Board of Directors. Thomas is also a member of the Engineering Eagles Society and the university’s Petrie Society.

Saeed Maghsoodloo
Superior Service Award

Saeed Maghsoodloo earned his bachelor’s degree in physics from Auburn in 1962, as well as a master’s degree in applied mathematics in 1963. Upon receiving his degrees he began teaching as an instructor in the Department of Mathematics and Department of Industrial Engineering. Since then, Maghsoodloo has been teaching in some capacity at Auburn for nearly five decades. He earned his doctorate in applied statistics in 1968 and soon became an assistant professor of industrial engineering.

His impact goes far beyond the classroom. In addition to producing countless publications during his 50 plus years as a professor, he has served as a counselor and mentor to his students and is a five-time recipient of the Industrial and Systems Engineering Outstanding Faculty Award. He has been unwavering in his dedication to students and to their development as engineers and professionals.

While acknowledging his demanding expectations in the classroom, his colleagues applaud him for his unquestionable dedication to excellence in the education of his students. Although he retired in 2007, Maghsoodloo continues to teach and mentor students, as well as other faculty members, and maintains a deep commitment to the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering.