My favorite “Auburn Moment” actually happened when I was a student studying abroad with the School of Architecture. At the time, the program was 3 months long, and we traveled all over Western and Eastern Europe studying art and architecture. While in Venice, Italy I got up early one morning and threw on my Auburn t-shirt and went to an Internet cafe to check my e-mail. I entered the Internet cafe, which was flooded with mostly Italians, and sat by the front window. While intently surfing the computer, I heard the cry….”War Eagle!!!” I immediately looked up and saw two older alumni peering their head into the Internet cafe smiling. I responded with a ‘War Eagle’ and got up from my computer and went over and introduced myself to them. The couple, probably in their late 60’s, was from Virginia and traveling Europe with some friends from back home. Apparently, my orange Auburn shirt caught the eye of the husband as they were passing by the Internet cafe window. We stood there and chatted about traveling and the Auburn family all over the world. Unfortunately, I cannot remember the couple’s name. To this day I still get chills when I think about the unique Auburn family and how you can be thousands of miles away in another country and hear those sweet and soothing words….”War Eagle!!!”
That experience had such a huge impact on me that from that day on I have made it a point to go out of my way and shout “War Eagle” when I see another person with Auburn paraphernalia…let others question our greeting to one another, but in the end that is what makes it UNIQUELY AUBURN!!!
Kent