Aubrey Austin

College Friend

“The contributions to this community of the people that have been at SMC over the years are just incredible.”

It’s been an interesting career path for Aubrey Austin. Truck mechanic, third generation bank president, and now-stable boy. “I graduated from SMC in 1968,” he recalls. “And then I enlisted in the Marine Corps, where I was a truck mechanic.” He then continued his education and ultimately became the president of Santa Monica Bank, following in his father’s and grandfather’s footsteps. But there remains a real dedication to the campus that was so important to the development of his city and of himself.

“SMC was a great place. And now it’s filled with faces who say to me, ‘I remember when you were just a kid.’” Aubrey is widely recognized on campus for his work in the school’s behalf. “I think I belong to every group on campus,” he says. “The Advisory Board, the Patrons’ Association, the SMC Associates. And I’m a member of the SMC Foundation Board which is particularly gratifying because we administer the funding of scholarships.”

Aubrey says that he’d like to see a return of greater discipline in education. “What else can we rely upon but a disciplined society, willing to work like crazy, that has respect for others?” he asks. But currently he’s disciplining himself to learn the fine craft of being groom and stable boy while his young daugther competes in English jumping competitions. “Every weekend, I’m at the barn, mucking out the stables. And I kind of like all the dust and the mud,” he says. “And it’s kind of nice to get out of a business suit and go run and jump in the barnyard with the animals.”

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