From pig roasts, to outrageous celebrations of sporting victories, to becoming a dermatologist, Brother Scott Miller ’91 takes us through his journey as only he can, of his days in the Delta Chi Fraternity at the University of Michigan.
Miller harkens back to 1989, particularly April 3.
“To begin, people have to understand how the stage was set. It begins on April 1, 1989. Michigan had been seeded third in the basketball championships, an honor the University had until that point, never won before. On April 1, Michigan won its game against the University of Illinois 83 to 81 to move on to the championship. To celebrate, we all poured out of the house to go down to the bars on South University. We weren’t the only ones. The streets were packed with similarly minded party-goers that night, which, as fate would have it, was also the same night as the annual unapproved Hash Bash on campus. That particular night, the police were tear-gassing the Hash Bashers to get them out of the quad, and as they fled the police, they ran smack into the partying crowd at South University. The result was a party of epic proportions on South University. The next day, all the network news could talk about was all the partying that went on at the University of Michigan campus and the worries the authorities had about what might happen if Michigan were to win the championship game on the 3rd.
Fast-forward two days to April 3, 1989. Delta Chi hosted a basketball party. We had big screen TVs everywhere so the crowd could catch the championship game and the house was packed. Michigan went into overtime against Seton Hall for the basketball championship, and the game was a complete nail-biter. If Michigan won, it would be its first national basketball championship in school history. Needless to say, Michigan won 80-79, and everyone, I mean everyone, all shouted at the same time, “South U!” We all poured out of the Delta Chi house, and already as far out as Hill Street, the roads were clogged with swarms of revelers out running for what was sure to be the party of the millennium at South University. And it was like you can’t imagine. The crowd was so tightly packed that at many times, my feet were literally not even touching the ground. You couldn’t decide where to go, or what to do. The crush of the crowd just forced you this way and that. It was a crowd like I have never been in before, or since.
Unfortunately, immense damage was done to the city, but contrary to what the news reported as wanton vandalism, the damage was not being done on purpose; it was just the sheer volume of people. People climbed up onto cars to get out of the crowds, which damaged the cars under their weight. Geoff Thompson ’90, Mike Asman ’91, Steve Wei ’90, myself and a few other of our brothers climbed up a pole to get on top of a store-front overhanging South University to escape the crowd, which eventually collapsed under the throng of other people doing the same as us, and we crashed down onto the crowd below us. I also heard stories of other brothers who were pressed by the immense crowd up against the large storefront windows, which eventually gave way under the pressure. Amazing that no one was hurt. Accidental damage like this was being done everywhere just by the sheer crush and volume of the crowd. Streetlights fell, windows broke, cars were crushed, awnings collapsed. It was mayhem. Police arrived in riot gear, and helicopters were circling overhead trying to disperse the crowd, but the crowd was so dense it had nowhere to go. Not only were they not dispersing, people saw the helicopters and spotlights from a distance, and it was attracting even more people to the area, just adding to the compression and involuntary collateral damage. It was packed in so tight, suffocation was a real and present danger, yet the partying went on like this all night long, even into the early morning sunrise. It was a memory I’ll never forget.”
The comradery would remain strong amongst Miller and his brothers at the chapter.
“One of our brothers, James Armbruster ’92, was in the hospital, and some of us went to the hospital to visit and cheer him up. While we were there, a few of us noticed that on the kids’ ward, there were a bunch of children who could use some cheering up too, so we arranged a time with the hospital to come back another day dressed up as clowns and visit the kids’ ward. It was a great time, and the kids were so excited to have such visitors. Some of those children were so sick that it would choke you up while you were trying to be cheery. I was most proud of my Delta Chi brothers that day.
I wish I could say I stayed in touch with more of my fellow brothers, but medical school right after college was a blur, and then I was in the Army, which kept me moving around and deployed so much that I lost touch with most. I did have an epic couple of New Year’s Eves with Geoff Thompson and Stan Jelic ’88, and occasionally I’d reconnect with Steve Wei, but eventually I lost touch with even them for too many years.
I went to medical school on the Health Professions Scholarship Program, following in the footsteps of my Delta Chi big brother Steven Wei. My first assignment out of internship was as division support command surgeon for the Army’s experimental warfare division: Force XXI. While in that position, I attended airborne training, flight school, and several other specialized warfare schools in preparation for my next assignment with Joint Task Force Six as the flight surgeon on their Downed Aircraft Recovery Team (DART), with the 1/10 Cavalry Reconnaissance Regimen. At that time, JTF-6 was in support of the war on drugs as an anti-drug interdiction team. I guess I did something right there, because I was promoted from captain to major two years below the zone, which I’m told is unheard of.
Following that, I did a dermatology residency at Brooke Army Medical Center. Just after finishing my residency, I moved to Fort Jackson, S.C., to be the Army’s dermatologist there, but that didn’t last long. The U.S. was gearing up for Operation Iraqi Freedom, so I was pulled out of the hospital setting back into operations to support the Third Brigade Combat Team (the Rakkasans) attached to the 101st Airborne Division as combat medical officer. Our team is known for having cleared the elite Iraqi Republican Guard headquarters and for taking control of the military airport in Bagdad, earning a Presidential Unit Citation.
I came home from the war with two spent Iraqi artillery shell casings that I collected one morning after an all-night firefight with the Iraqi artillery team that was shelling us. They were two huge brass casings the size of liter bottles. I was planning to have them polished and engraved for my twin boys back home as a memento of what I survived to get back to them, but the Air Force confiscated them when I was processing through Kuwait. Upon returning from war, I declined an opportunity to promote to lieutenant colonel in favor of an honorable discharge and civilian clothes, so that I could return home to my family, whom I missed more than anything else.
I have a wife, Elisia and four children. The two oldest are the aforementioned twin boys, one of whom is a sophomore at the University of Texas and the other, a freshman at Texas Tech. My youngest are a seven-year-old daughter and a six-year-old son. They are a wonderful bunch of children, my whole world and the reason for everything I do.
Today I live in Amarillo, Texas, where I own my own dermatology practice with three partners. I’ve given my support and dermatology services to the Heal the City free clinic in Amarillo. My wife and I also support a school in Brazil that teaches English to the children we sponsor.
As for hobbies, I continually complain that I have too many. I’m most known for mahjong, which is a game mostly unknown in the West, but actually is the most popular game in the world. It’s a lot like poker, but played with tiles instead of cards, and is much more strategic than poker. I compete internationally, having participated in championships and tournaments in Austria, France and Nepal. When this newsletter goes out in October, I’ll be in China for the World Games there. I’ve written several books and magazine articles on the subject. I’ve also spent the last nine years studying Shobukan Goju Ryu karate.”
Those wishing to contact Brother Miller are encouraged to do so via email at [email protected].
