Buddy Davis is a 1959 Auburn graduate who enjoyed a distinguished career in the aerospace industry. His work with the Thor rocket, the Harpoon missile and the KC-10 aircraft aerial refueling platform played a vital role in the evolution of U.S. defense systems. Davis’s pioneering work in aerospace engineering caused him to take a lead role in the Apollo rocket program, and his design work is still evident in the assembly, transport and launch pad systems used in the space program. Davis’s son Steve is a 1988 Auburn graduate, and sons Brian and Neil are graduates of West Point. 

“I feel so honored to represent the thousands of engineering students who have graduated from Auburn who have been an integral part of the space program - from astronauts such as Jim Voss, T.K. Mattingly and Jan Davis, to NASA directors McCartney, Kennedy and Dick Smith, to the CEOs of subcontractors I have worked with - and to the technicians and engineers who made it all work,” said Davis. “To be the one whose name will be on this building on behalf of all of these graduates is a tremendous privilege and an honor for me and my family.”  (Charles E. Buddy Davis)