Always Auburn, always faithful

Alabama natives Bob and Cara Barber experienced Auburn years apart and in completely different ways. And yet their Auburn stories couldn’t be more intertwined.

Today, they have a joint mission — to support U.S. Marine Corps students who attend Auburn.

“There’s a perception that you get a free college education as a military member,” Cara said. “But for most military and veteran students, there’s a huge gap.”

Bridging that gap has become a passion for the Barbers. They recently made a significant gift to establish a scholarship to support students in the Marine Corps Enlisted Commissioning Education Program (MECEP) — the same program Bob was a part of when he was a student.

“My hope is that we can grow our Marine community at Auburn and ease the financial burden they face to be here,” Bob said. “That’s why we created this scholarship. We want to assist these students financially so they can focus on school, life, family and the student experience you can only find here.”

An Auburn Meet-Cute

The couple met in Auburn in 1997. Cara had a more traditional university journey, attending Auburn after high school and graduating with a degree in psychology in 1993. Afterwards, she earned a master’s degree of education and began a teaching career in 1996.

Bob was on a different path.

“Funding was a real problem for me going to college out of high school,” he said. “My parents were both public school teachers and I was the third of four boys.”

He attended Auburn for one quarter in 1993 but without financial support, couldn’t continue.

“I ran out of money, worked for a little while and then turned to the Marine Corps. I was a recruiter’s dream,” he said. “I was ready to enlist and leave as soon as possible.”

A military career wasn’t unexpected. He comes from a tradition of military service — both his father and brother were Army officers. But even still, Bob knew he would return to the Plains one day. And in 1997, after several years in the Marine Corps, he did just that through MECEP which provides opportunities for enlisted Marines to attend college and then become officers.

Not long after returning to Auburn, he met Cara.

They spotted each other at a mutual friend’s house and then again at the old Auburn Supper Club. But he was leaving for military training in San Diego the next day, so it wasn’t meant to be.

“I never got her number,” he said. “And there was no Facebook back then, so I was out of luck.”

Three months later, he returned to Auburn and saw her again at a friend’s engagement party. This time, though, he asked for her phone number.

“The rest is history,” Cara said. “We were married right here in Auburn at St. Michael’s church, and we’ve been together 26 years.”

In 2000, Bob graduated with a degree in history and the couple embarked on their future adventure in the Marine Corps.

A military story

Auburn has a strong reputation for producing exceptional Marine Corps officers.

“When I checked in at Quantico, my boss sat me down and asked where I went to school,” Bob said. “When I told him I went to Auburn, he said, ‘That’s the Marine Corps Mecca of the South.’" 

Legendary Marine officers who graduated from Auburn include Gen. Carl E. Mundy ’57, the 30th commandant of the Marine Corps, and Maj. Gen. James E. Livingston ’62, who received the Congressional Medal of Honor — the only Auburn alumnus to do so.

Carving his own niche in this rich tradition, Bob wanted to be a Marine Corps pilot. An issue with his eyesight derailed that plan but he quickly adapted and became a logistics officer. In the midst of combat deployments and frequent moves, the Barbers raised two children and created a full and meaningful life.

“The best place we were stationed by far was Hawaii. We were fortunate to be there eight years which is unusual,” Cara said. “And even though Bob missed a good bit of our children’s lives with deployments during that time, we were in a place we loved.”

After retiring from the military in 2014 and beginning a second career as entrepreneurs and business owners in Florida, the Barbers recently moved back to Auburn. Today, one of their great joys is seeing their children, Connor and Abby, create their own unique Auburn journeys and experience life on the Plains with them.

Now is also the time they are able to invest in students and families who chose the Marine Corps — and Auburn.

An impactful future

The tight-knit community they found in the Marine Corps is not unlike the Auburn Family. Both communities have shared experiences, vibrant culture, common values and deep friendships. The MECEP program combined both worlds for the Barbers and created lifelong connections.

“We still keep in touch with our friends from MECEP,” Bob said. “We meet up for tailgates, plus the Marine Corps is pretty small compared to the other branches, so we were able to see them through the years.”

They’re also connected to current students in the program.

“Our goal is to one day ensure all expenses are paid for MECEP students,” Bob said. “I recently talked with a student with a wife and children who told me he’d just be grateful if someone could help pay for his $436 meal plan.”

MECEP and veteran students are typically older than 18 or 19-year-olds entering college. Many military-affiliated students have very different life experiences that can include combat. They also often have spouses and children.

“Military life can be difficult. The families have always been important to me because they can be overlooked sometimes,” Cara said. “That’s one of the things that inspired us to create this scholarship — to make their lives a little easier while they are at Auburn.”

The Barbers know firsthand how much scholarship support will mean to Auburn’s Marine students. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that they were just like them.

“Supporting MECEP students financially is important to us because we don’t want them to experience what we did — 10 to 15 years of student loans and raising a family with debt,” Bob said. “Auburn is a special place. We want more Marines here. And now that we’re in a position to give, we’re focusing all our philanthropic efforts into helping Auburn University and the United States Marine Corps produce exceptional Marine Corps officers.”