The Tales of Sydney and the Furry Friendship That Started It All

After more than 30 years in their respected fields, Kay Whaley ’80 and Kathy Hamrick ’80 joined forces to create “The Tales of Sydney,” a collection of children’s books. Their fourth and most recent book, “Sydney’s Adventures in Aubieland,” takes the reader on a journey through Auburn’s campus as Sydney, a Portuguese Water Dog, tries to undo the curse of stepping on the Auburn seal.

Auburn legend says if one steps on the seal they won’t graduate in four years, find their true love at Auburn and will have seven generations of Alabama fans in their family. The only way Sydney can reverse the curse is by jumping into the fountain at the Auburn University president’s mansion at midnight on the leap day of a leap year.

Whaley’s idea for “Sydney’s Adventures in Aubieland” formed while strolling Auburn’s campus after moving to the area in 2022.

“The idea for that story just came from one day walking across the campus and looking at Samford Hall. You look at it from the corner, and [I noticed] those two clocks looked like eyes,” said Whaley. “Instead of a building, I saw a character.”

The adventurous story includes characters that are inspired by the people, places and traditions of Auburn University. A few characters include George Petrie as “Sad George,” Samford Hall as “Big Sam,” an Auburn University Marching Band drum major as “Major Delay,” Langdon Hall as “Langdon,” and, of course, Aubie.

“The idea for that story just came from one day walking across the campus and looking at Samford Hall. You look at it from the corner, and [I noticed] those two clocks looked like eyes. Instead of a building, I saw a character.”

The three previous books were written in a narrative poem style, however Whaley described writing the fourth book from first-person narration style as “more natural.” “Sydney’s Adventures in Aubieland” is told from the point of view of “the boy with the green shoes,” a character based on Whaley’s 13-year-old grandson Blake.

Although the fun-filled book was created for entertainment purposes, it also includes educational elements, such as excerpts of the Auburn Creed, that are meaningful to all Auburn alumni.

“The journey that Sydney and her friends take through campus represents some of the ideals in the Auburn Creed, such as hard work and the pursuit of knowledge.” said Whaley. “I hope the story helps kids understand [those] principles.”

The author and the artist

Whaley’s first book was an on-and-off project for six years until she ran into Kathy Hamrick, a freelance commercial design artist. After Whaley proposed the idea of a collaboration, Hamrick was all in.

“It really wasn’t until Kathy [Hamrick] and I teamed up that I really became serious about it,” said Whaley. “When she and I started talking then I was inspired to finish it.”

“I’ve always slapped paint on stuff since I was born. I guess it was already in my genes to be interested in visual gifts,” said Hamrick. “I was always pursuing art, a lot of three-dimensional things as a child. Then the older I got, I was asked to do graphics, posters and banners. Graphics just took hold and I’ve been doing graphics ever since.”

The process

Hamrick’s illustration process requires weeks of sketching, followed by perfecting her watercolor strategy for each book page. If ever at a loss for imaginative thoughts, Hamrick said she draws inspiration from Jesus.

“He’s the author of creativity, so I count on him for everything when I get hung up,” said Hamrick.

Shortly after Whaley and Hamrick’s first book was published, the COVID-19 pandemic hit the U.S. Although this was a frantic time in the world, it granted the author and illustrator extra time to consider creating more books.

“Initially, with the first book, our focus was, ‘Oh, can we do this? Can we actually see something in print, and can I have that vision actually on paper’ because I never really thought it would happen. It was just such a thrill to actually get it done and to see the end product,” said Whaley.

“I never really thought it would happen. It was just such a thrill to actually get it done and to see the end product.”

The creative duo won “Best Series of Illustrations or Paintings” in a national contest sponsored by the Dog Writers Association of America (DWAA) twice, for “Sydney Tours Eufaula” in 2019 and “Sydney and the Christmas Star” in 2023. The latter was also a DWAA finalist for “Best Children’s Story.”

Book writing wasn’t always Whaley’s dream. After graduating from Auburn with a degree in secondary English, Whaley began her career in the classroom. Outside of teaching high school English, she used the little extra time she had for creative writing.

“Teaching didn’t give me a lot of freedom to do much writing,” said Whaley. “The children’s books almost came as a surprise for me. I have grandchildren who really inspired me.”

Prior to book writing, Whaley’s published work included poetry, short fiction and nonfiction articles that can be found in Alabama English, Voices International, and Reflections, a regional collection of creative writing contest winners from around the Alabama Wiregrass region.

“Having grandchildren when writing the first book, I wanted them to have something to remember or to learn about the town where their parents grew up: Eufaula,” said Whaley.

The furry inspiration for Sydney

The character Sydney is based on the prized show dog of Whaley’s dear friend, the late Anne Gardner ’80, who owned the real-life Sydney before dying from a hard-fought battle with brain cancer. Sydney’s cousin, Banks, has assumed her role as inspiration after Sydney also passed away.

“Anne Gardner was such an inspiration, supporter and creative in her own right,” said Whaley. “She was just so passionate about this project and being able to carry it on for her has been really special. She introduced us to the world of Sydney.”

Currently, Whaley is brainstorming ideas for the fifth book of the “Tales of Sydney” series. Going back to her roots, Whaley said Sydney can be found next at Rabbit Island located on Lake Eufaula.

“Sydney will be skiing her way to her next adventure soon!” said Whaley. 

By Mallorie McCoy ’24