Published on October 2, 2026 by Zac Fuller  
Beck Taylor with the Hovaters1
President Beck A. Taylor with Paula and Rod Hovater

The Atlanta regional alumni chapter celebrated its 10th anniversary with a fellowship gathering at the home of Paula and Rod Hovater. The Sept. 29 event marked the first of several regional alumni chapters across the country to reach a decade of connecting fellow Bulldogs.

The Hovaters—Rod, a 1967 graduate, followed by Paula in 1969—hosted an evening featuring remarks from President Beck A. Taylor, an alumni story from recent graduate Joe Wortman ’26 and a sit-down with former chapter chair Keith Kirkland ’88. Jacob Hales ’19, the chapter’s young alumni committee chair, was grateful to be a part of such a milestone for Samford’s alumni chapters.

“My favorite aspect of this event, and the events in general, is seeing the common ground I share with fellow alumni, whether they graduated in 1966 or in 2026,” Hales said. “I feel blessed to be a part of a university that does so much work behind the scenes to have a strong alumni program.”

Regional alumni chapters regularly host events and give graduates the opportunity to build relationships with alumni in their area, reconnect with former classmates and stay updated on news from their alma mater. Atlanta is one of seven regional chapters celebrating 10 years, alongside Dallas-Fort Worth, Memphis, Mobile, Montgomery, Nashville and Washington, D.C. Three other chapters have scheduled events to take place this fall:

Dallas-Fort Worth: Oct. 6 – Register here.

Washington, D.C.: Oct. 15 – Register here.

Nashville: Nov. 10 – Register here.

All alumni in the surrounding areas are encouraged to attend. The remaining milestone chapter celebrations will take place in the spring of 2027.

 
Located in the Homewood suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford enrolls 6,522 students from 46 states, Puerto Rico and 12 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s 35 Most Beautiful College Campuses, Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and boasts one of the highest scores in the nation for its 97% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.