Fraternity Party – 50 Years After Graduation

About two weeks ago, I received an email from a longtime friend and classmate that several members from our college fraternity planned to gather in Sandestin, Florida for a long weekend of fun and fellowship. I very much wanted to join them, but my attendance depended on Helen’s recovery from her recent hip replacement surgery. Several days before the date of the event, Helen walked a mile through the streets of our neighborhood. I applauded her remarkable progress, gave her a big hug, and immediately began packing. Helen agreed that she could spare her full-time nurse for a few days.

I became a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) in 1966 during my freshman year at the University of Tennessee. Our pledge class had 68 members, one of the largest classes in the history of the Tennessee chapter. All of us were baby boomers and members of a very large freshman class.  There were some great guys in that pledge class, and I made many friends and have remained in contact with a number of them over the years, but this gathering would be the first opportunity I would have to see some of these fellows in nearly 50 years.

After graduation about eight or ten, perhaps more, of our fraternity brothers gathered every other year, usually during a big football weekend in Knoxville to attend the game and spend time together. Several years ago, they acknowledged that no one was getting any younger and decided to have the event every year going forward, and, since about five of them have homes in the Sandestin area, the Florida resort town became a convenient place to bring everyone together. I felt fortunate to be able to join them for this gathering.

I arrived at the home of my friends Thursday mid-morning. Rob, a member of our pledge class and his wife Becky have a home in Sandestin and offered me a place to stay. Their home, right on the Bay, is lovely and has a great view of the water. Another couple from college days, Mal and Nancy, also were staying there.  After a short run into the town of Sandestin for lunch and a few hours of catch-up conversation, it was time to go to the first of three gatherings planned for the weekend. I was hopeful that all of the names would come back to me.

Except for red hair that was now white, and the addition of about 30 pounds, I didn’t think my appearance had changed much and, to my surprise, their’s hadn’t either.  Every name came back to me except for one.  I struggled to recall the name of a dentist from Nashville and avoided him until his name finally crawled out from deep crevices in my memory bank. There was one more gentleman from my pledge class who had changed completely—short hair now long (and dark), and the loss of a significant amount of weight.  Fortunately, he introduced himself before I had to ask.

Several factors worth mentioning distinguish this group. As mentioned above, we are all baby boomers, children of the Greatest Generation, people who had lived through a Great Depression and a World War and wanted a better life for their children. A better life called for a college degree.  Our generation lived under the shadow of the Viet Nam War…and the draft. That meant that we either stayed in school or stood in line for a pair of combat boots. Therefore, we took our education seriously for the most part and studied hard during the week. We partied just as hard on the weekend. Those days were a lot of fun (I remember most of them).

Over the next two nights in Sandestin, I worked diligently to catch up on the last 50 years in the lives of these men. I didn’t make it around to all of them, but I learned enough to know that each of them represented our generation in an exemplary manner. Included in this group was a Navy pilot who traded in his uniform for a long career in a Federal Express jet. There were professionals in the fields of medicine and engineering. Business professionals included those involved in large scale real estate development, insurance, finance, transportation, travel, retail, manufacturing, and management consulting. The conversations were fascinating and lasted long into the evening (or at least as long as we could stay awake). I’m proud to say I know them.

Saturday’s schedule called for a barbeque luncheon during the televised Tennessee-Florida football game, but I had to head back to Knoxville.  My drive was longer than most, and I wanted to get back to Helen before she took off to play pickleball on her new hip, or decided to leave me for a better offer. Nevertheless, I brought home some memories of a great time with some great guys who had taken life by the horns, made the best of it, and made the Greatest Generation proud.

I’ll leave you with a picture from a boat ride in the Bay at Sandestin.  Then I’ll be Easin’ Along.