Joseph B. Sarver Scholarship

A conversation with David and Valerie Sarver.

Why did you choose to create a scholarship at Auburn University?
This scholarship was created in honor of our late father, Joseph B. Sarver, founder of the Auburn University Alumni Association in 1951.

What would you want the recipients of this scholarship to know about the person for whom it is named?
He founded our Alumni Association, and devoted his life to Auburn. He was Executive Secretary of the Alumni Association, as well as Director of the Development Fund. He was instrumental in raising the capital for the building of the Ralph Brown Draughon Library, the James E. Greene School of Veterinary Medicine, and many other projects in a 26-year career.

Our childhood memories of him include his weekly travels with Coach Ralph Jordan around the state and country in building the Alumni Association, and the pride in Auburn that had to be rebuilt after period of lethargy fomented by a few really poor football seasons. They planned to build both the athletic and academic programs to go hand-in-hand. His accomplishments are too numerous to mention here, but can be found in brief summery from the Alabama State Legislature’s proclamation upon his receiving his Honorary Doctorate from Auburn University in the last year of his life.

What do you hope your recipients gain through this scholarship?
An appreciation of devotion to Auburn, and their responsibilities as they go on in life to remember their formative years at Auburn and how significant it is to their overall outlook on life.