The evening sun sets behind the River Bank & Trust Front Porch at Crooked Oaks
River Bank & Trust, along with a member of its organization, has invested in the naming of two unique spaces within Crooked Oaks, the former homestead of Auburn’s beloved football coach, Pat Dye.
The River Bank & Trust Front Porch and Buddy and Paddy Moore Suite are now integral features of Crooked Oaks where guests of the property can enjoy reflecting on the memory and heritage of Auburn’s legendary coach, who personally developed the landscape of the 400+ acre farm as a hunting retreat, nursery, event and lodging space for visitors.
River Bank & Trust is an Alabama-based financial organization whose mission is to serve its clients across the state and beyond with personal attention, expertise and genuine hospitality. Now managed by the Auburn College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment (CFWE), Crooked Oaks and River Bank & Trust are connected through this shared purpose.
Located behind Crooked Oaks’ iconic lodge, the River Bank & Trust Front Porch was a favorite spot of Coach Dye’s, where his guests would circle in the property’s rustic wood rocking chairs to share stories and reflections of their days spent hunting and enjoying nature at Crooked Oaks. The porch is quintessential to the property’s charm, enabling visitors to join in the Auburn tradition of gathering outdoors to enjoy camaraderie in the spirit of Coach Dye’s renowned southern hospitality.
In keeping with their community-centric values, this was a meaningful investment for River Bank & Trust. Brian Ethridge, president of the River Bank & Trust Birmingham Region and executive vice president, says that this mutual focus makes the bank’s choice to invest in Auburn an easy one.
“River Bank & Trust decided to make a donation to support Auburn and the CFWE because of everything it means to the community and the citizens of our state,” Ethridge said. “Our bank is built on family and community. The outdoors—forestry, wildlife and our environment—are a big part of growing up and living in Alabama. We are fortunate to live in a state with incredible biodiversity. When we get a chance to support positive things in our community, we are going to do it.”
The breezeway at Crooked Oaks lodge featuring the Buddy and Paddy Moore Suite entrance and Auburn memorabilia placed by Coach Pat Dye.
A second donation was made personally by the Ethridge family to honor the legacy of two family members who especially loved spending time at Crooked Oaks. Eugene “Buddy” and Paddy Moore, parents of Ethridge’s wife, Melissa, enjoyed staying in the dogtrot, or breezeway room, of the lodge, which is now recognized as the Buddy and Paddy Moore Suite. Their relationship with the property began with a friendship with Coach Dye, dating to 1981, when he moved to Auburn to become the university’s next head football coach. An avid Auburn fan, Buddy and his family enjoyed tailgating and watching his Tigers compete on the gridiron every fall.
Moore’s career in the trucking industry led to several opportunities to get involved in his community, giving back to those who helped him along the way and paying it forward to the next generation through philanthropy, such as Auburn’s Buddy Moore Trucking Endowed Supply Chain Management Scholarship.
Continuing his spirit of giving is an important objective of the Ethridge family.
“Our family decided to make the donation because of all the great memories we have of Buddy and Paddy Moore and their long relationship with Coach Dye,” Ethridge said. “Our family spent many Thanksgivings at Crooked Oaks, visiting and hunting with Coach. We also did it to honor Coach’s wishes of leaving a legacy for Auburn and the CFWE. The time we spent in the woods hunting was really more about enjoying the beauty of the landscape, creeks and fresh air rather than whatever we were hunting.”
For the CFWE, this investment reinforces its charge to reinvigorate Crooked Oaks to honor Coach Dye and create more opportunities for others to experience his legacy. Donations support operations and maintenance, enabling Crooked Oaks to fulfill its educational mission to support experiential learning opportunities for Auburn students.
“These investments from River Bank & Trust and the Ethridge family exemplify the power of partnership while also shaping the future,” said Janaki Alavalapati, the Emmett F. Thompson Dean of the CFWE. “By celebrating the heritage of Coach Dye and the Moore family through these named spaces at Crooked Oaks, we are preserving a place where the confluence of Alabama’s natural beauty, Auburn’s community values and Dye’s lasting memories can be enjoyed for generations to come.”
Honoring the friendship the Moores and Coach Dye shared by establishing these named landmarks serves as a testament to the impact Crooked Oaks has had on the lives of numerous people. It is the hope of River Bank & Trust and the Ethridges that others may soon experience the property in the same light, creating memories of their own that echo throughout the land.
To learn more about naming opportunities at Crooked Oaks, contact Heather Crozier, CFWE development director, at vannhea@auburn.edu.
