We woke up this morning to learn the sad news that a great Auburn man died last night. Dean James Edgar Foy was a graduate of Alabama, a World War II naval pilot, holder of a PhD from Michigan State (this picture, from the 1970 Glomerata, was just after he’d returned to Auburn from MSU) and a man who’d given the better part of his life to Auburn University.
He has a building named in his honor (should be two buildings, many have argued). The trophy shared between Auburn and Alabama for the fabled football rivalry also borrows Foy’s name. The famous Foy desk is named in his honor.
My personal memories with the dean are, sadly few, and center around the briefest and most cordial conversations at sporting events. While he was, in many respects, a man of another era, he was a timeless gentleman.
A friend of mine from undergrad remembers being honored at a Naval ROTC event with the dean. The two of them cut a cake together, my friend as the youngest attendee, Foy as the oldest. A lot of Auburn men and women have a great Foy story, there will no doubt be more in the coming days. Here’s a good one.
This picture was from the 1976 Glomerata. It is from the Florida game, a particular miserable experience from the yearbook’s recounting. But, apparently, the students always had fun with Dean Foy, who retired in 1978, still full of life.
Dean James Edgar Foy was 93. He is survived by the entire Auburn family, all of whom are grateful for either knowing him or benefiting from a legacy he helped establish. Dean Foy is an Auburn man.
