Auburn University Honors MFG Chemical's Gavin Family
DALTON, GA – MFG Chemical founder Charles E. Gavin III and the Gavin family have received multiple honors from Auburn University, a nationally ranked land grant institution located in Auburn, Alabama.
In a special ceremony held on Sept. 13, Auburn University’s Harbert Business College officially named the rooftop terrace of its new business building the Gavin Terrace in memory of Charles (Chuck) Gavin IV, who became CEO of the company his father founded, MFG Chemical.
Harbert Business College Dean, Professor Annette L. Ranft, hosted the commemoration, declaring, “Chuck graduated from the Harbert College in 1982 and worked with his father Charles E. Gavin III over many years at MFG Chemical, becoming CEO. Chuck and his wife Kim planned to leave a legacy of their own through a gift to support the Harbert College. Chuck had great affinity from an early age for Auburn and a love for Auburn football that was unsurpassed. The view from Gavin Terrace into the stadium is very fitting considering Chuck’s passion for Auburn football.”
MFG Chemical’s current President and CEO, Keith Arnold, attended the dedication ceremony, commenting, “Chuck Gavin was a wonderful man and a beloved leader for MFG Chemical. We are pleased that the new Gavin Terrace will help keep Chuck’s memory alive and inspire future business leaders and acts of philanthropy toward Auburn University.”
Auburn University’s Engineering College also remembered and honored the memory of Carol Ann Gavin, mother of Chuck Gavin and wife of MFG Chemical founder and former CEO Charles E. Gavin III. The Auburn Engineering Department has created and dedicated the Carol Ann Gavin Garden, covering 44,000 square feet of build-out space. This open area provides students, faculty and staff with a tranquil spot to study, eat lunch or relax right in the heart of the engineering campus.
The creation of these special places at Auburn comes just one year after the dedication of the Carol Ann and Charles E. Gavin III Engineering Research Laboratory. Christopher B. Roberts, Dean of Engineering, addressed the audience and MFG Chemical founder Charles E. Gavin III, stating, “Charles is visionary, innovative and transformational. He created a process for making carpet much more beautiful through the dyeing process, and after that, built one of the world’s greatest specialty chemical companies, MFG Chemical. Charles and the entire Gavin family, by making the Gavin Laboratory renovation possible and turning this once dilapidated space into an oasis, you’ve impacted future Auburn engineers for generations to come. Because of your belief in Auburn, and your love for it, this is all possible.”
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