Phi-Sig: ZBT History Lesson
I was born and raised in Austin, and a 1986 graduate of the University.
You guys are about to embark on what hopefully, and probably, will be the best years of your life. Life in Austin. Life at the University of Texas. And life in a Fraternity at one of the best Greek systems in the nation.
I grew up knowing about Fraternity Life. My grandfather, although not enrolled in school, was a founding member of Phi Sigma Delta, in 1920 here at UT. I asked him, if you didn’t go to UT, why did you want to be in a Fraternity. He said 1) because of the true friendships he made with guys from all over the state and the nation 2) because it was an easy way to meet the girls 3) he didn’t go to school because he was forced to help his father in the family jewelry business, and he thought that if he met all of these young men, who were meeting all of these young women, that it was certain to help him out in his jewelry business. And He was right. Not only did he sell a lot of promise and engagement rings to his fraternity brothers and guys that he had also met in other fraternities, but he had customers and friends for life. Not just for a few years. For Life. Even though not enrolled in school, he really benefited from the great Greek System at this university.
Great Friends for Life. Great Girls . Great Business Contacts and business opportunities for life.
My father came to the University in the 50’s, and he too joined a fraternity. I guess the bad news for him was that unlike my grandfather, he actually had to go to school. I grew up going to football games with my dad, and we would always go by the fraternity house before or after the game, and I would meet his fraternity brothers, and their sons. He would always introduce me and say, “ he was in my wedding.” Or “I was in his wedding.” Or he was the best intramural short stop you’d ever seen. After graduation, my father served as an advisor for the fraternity for over 40 years. If he could join the fraternity again today, he would.
I was in a fraternity in the 80’s. Although I grew up in Austin, being on campus, and being in a fraternity, was like being in a totally different city. It was an entire new world. One of my rush captains told me, and it holds true to this day, if you join a fraternity, those guys are going to be your true friends for life. When you get married, when you have a child, when you have a death in the family, whenever you need anything,,,it is going to be your fraternity brothers that will be the first by your side. And he was so right. And he knew that because he witnessed it with his father, who was also in a fraternity. My fraternity brothers came from all over the U.S., Mexico and South Africa. Whenever I travel to another city, I always pick up the phone and call a fraternity brother. Whether it’s for a beer, a dinner, a business meeting, or if I need a bed for the night, I always have a contact in another city. It is truly amazing. Whenever I need a doctor, a lawyer, an advertising agent, a this or a that, I can always email any number of my fraternity brothers. The connections are endless.
Fraternity life for me, and I know for many many others, was everything I had hoped for. The Social benefits could not have been any better anywhere. I met so many people all over campus, and all over the city, because I was a member of my fraternity. The help with classes and study groups and knowing someone in your class, and knowing someone who had that same class and professor last semester could not have been any better anywhere. The athletics and fraternity sponsored intramural teams that we played on (all guys and co-ed teams) were a blast. The volunteering and community service that we did, on and off campus, as a group, was something we were extremely proud of, and it is something that we continue to do, as a group, to this day. And as far as life after school, the business contacts and opportunities are absolutely huge when you have a local and national fraternity pool to draw from , and to give to.
The day that I was contacted to come and speak to you, one of my best friends (and fraternity brother) father passed away. I spent yesterday in Dallas at the funeral, and at my friends house afterwards. The one thing that really stuck out the most to me was the outpouring of support and love that my friend, and his big brother (who was also in the fraternity) received from their fraternity brothers. Over 30 years later, guys showed up from Houston, Austin, Dallas, Beaumont, Chicago, New York, Mountain Brook, Alabama, and Costa Rica, just to name a few.
Joining a fraternity does not just benefit four years of your life. You get back out of it, what you put into it, for as long as you are alive.
Thank you for allowing me to share a little of my fraternity experiences with you, and good luck to you all.
