Donor spotlight: Richard and Eloise Graves

College of Education Donor Support Spotlight

Auburn’s College of Education is grateful for Dr. Richard L. and Eloise D. Graves and their generous naming support of the Richard L. and Eloise D. Graves Huddle Room in the new College of Education building that’s set to open for classes in fall 2025! Below are details about the Graves, their named room and the new building:

New Education Building Room name:

Richard L. and Eloise D. Graves Huddle Room

Named after:

The room is named after Dr. Graves and his late wife, Eloise.

Their story:

The Graves family is truly an Auburn family. Dr. Graves served 30 years as a professor in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching in Auburn’s College of Education with a specialization of teaching rhetoric and composition. His wife, Eloise, was a student at Auburn and served in leadership roles in various campus and community organizations.  She was happily employed by the Department of Defense as an adjunct Auburn University employee in the Naval ROTC Unit for 23 years. She passed away in March 2024. They were married for 68 years. Their children, Rebecca, Jeffrey and Kathryn, collectively hold five degrees from Auburn University as well as Kathryn’s husband, Chris Booher, and their daughter, Sarah Beth.

Dr. Graves designed a content course and edited a textbook for the course, which was ultimately used by more than 300 colleges.  He also directed master’s and doctoral research and published more than 30 professional articles. Dr. Graves founded the Sun Belt Writing Project, a five-week institute for teachers.  Through his leadership, five other Alabama universities followed suit, thus creating the Alabama Writing Project Network.  He then co-founded the Gulf Coast Conference on the Teaching of Writing, which continues to support and promote the sharing of knowledge and research on writing and writing pedagogy. Dr. Graves also established the Graves Family Scholarship Fund in the College of Education. He established this endowment in appreciation of Auburn University, out of respect for education and a desire to assist young people who wish to become teachers.

The room’s area of focus:

The Richard L. and Eloise D. Graves Huddle Room will be a space for students, faculty and staff to have collaborative group meetings and study sessions to advance the three-prong mission of the college.

Quotes as provided by Dr. Graves:

“We love Auburn and the COE. We feel that we will become a tangible and permanent part of the college and the university.”

“The COE is a place that provides information and human transformation, the only place on campus with this goal.”

“Education is a human endeavor, beyond the brick and mortar, beyond books and iPhones.”

“We love our students and hope the very best for them. We hope that our program is the best in Alabama, the best in the nation, the best in the world. We want to work hard to reach these goals. A new building, a new vision, a dream come true... but without the human element, it would be nothing.”