Longtime College of Education patron turns 100, continues legacy of giving back

 

When Sue Pearson attended Auburn University, there was no Haley Center to get lost in, America was in the throes of World War II, and the campus looked quite a bit different than that of today.  

It was 1949 when Pearson graduated from Auburn with a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Sciences (Home Economics). That was 20 years before the construction of the iconic, colossal Haley Center that serves today as a home to the College of Education, which Pearson has supported greatly through the years.  

Despite much change since then, Pearson said a lot has remained intact, especially when it comes to all that makes Auburn so great. 

“It was a wonderful experience, and I loved everything about it,” said Pearson, who recently reflected on her college years and her enduring support of Auburn amid a celebration of her 100th birthday on Sept. 12. “I loved Auburn, and I still love Auburn.”

Looking back on it all, Pearson said education was always at the core of her success, and for many years she’s led a legacy of giving back to ensure that other students encounter the same Auburn experience.

“It’s very important to me because I believe in education,” she said. “I don’t think you can live a very fulfilling life if you don’t try to educate yourself and apply what you’ve learned.”

Pearson said that from an early age her mother instilled in her and her siblings the importance of education, teaching them numbers, the alphabet and more before they were ever enrolled in school.

“I think a college education is important because you need the experience that comes with it,” said Pearson. “Living with a roommate, living in a dorm, attending classes, and everything else. There is just so much that college has to offer a student.”

When Pearson was studying at Auburn, students spent their free time attending fraternity parties and going to the movies, and she said Auburn was full of young men returning home from World War II. Following graduation, Pearson married her husband, Jack, who also graduated from Auburn with a degree in business. Pearson worked as a schoolteacher for more than 10 years with jobs in Phenix City and Jefferson County. 

Later in life, she said she felt called to honor her parents’ lasting impact by creating scholarships in their names at Auburn. She established the Rose Eugene Atchison Endowed Scholarship in the College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment to honor her father’s work in the lumber industry and established the Hester Wear Atchison Endowed Scholarship in the College of Education in 2005 in honor of her mother. 

“She believed in education, and she was a wonderful human being,” Pearson said of her mother. “She and my father reared five children, and they were wonderful parents who made sure we all had the opportunity to earn a college degree.”

Now, as the College of Education prepares for a move next spring from the Haley Center to a new building at the corner of Samford Avenue and Duncan Drive, Pearson’s generosity is once again extending to the college with the naming of the Sue Atchison Pearson Huddle Room in the new building’s Learning Resources Center. 

“I have been a contributor to the College of Education for quite a while now, so I wanted to be part of the new building,” Pearson said. “The room I chose is a place where students can gather and study, and I thought it was a great place to put my name.”

And while a lot has changed in her 100 years of life, one thing that has remained is Pearson’s love and generosity for Auburn.

Another constant has also endured. Pearson said she has followed two key secrets to longevity: “Vegetables and exercise.”