“I grew up in Allen Park, Michigan. My parents were long-time season ticket holders of Michigan football, so it was kind of expected that I go to school there. I attended from September 1962 through December 1966, graduating with a degree in Industrial Engineering. I lived in West Quad Adams House my freshman year and the next three years in the Chapter House. I was Athletic Chairman as a sophomore, “D” as a junior and lived in Fireside with Ken Majchrzak ’66. I was “A” as a senior and lived in the basement room with John Holmes ’65. After graduation, I hired in at Ford Motor Company and spent 40 years there in IT before retiring in 2007. I’ve lived in Ann Arbor since 1976. I have three sons, one of which joined Delta Chi while at Wisconsin. In recent years, I’ve been the VP of the Building Corp. and President of the Alumni Board of Trustees working with the chapter officers. I’d be pleased to reconnect with the brothers from my era (734) 996-1718 or [email protected]. My memory is far from perfect, so please forgive me if everything isn’t quite how it actually happened.
This I Remember:
I remember Toga parties exactly like the ones in the movie Animal House. We even had a special ‘non-alcoholic’ punch for the ladies (loaded with vodka). I remember learning about the JFK assassination while walking on campus and how everyone went back to the Chapter House to sadly watch the TV coverage. I remember watching Cazzie Russell & Bill Buntin win Big Ten Championships in Yost Field house. I remember a long drive to Kansas City to see their first appearance in the Final Four. We lost to Duke, but got to watch John Wooden’s UCLA team win the tourney. I remember going to the football games at Michigan Stadium. The chapter arrived early and sat as a group. You could get high just breathing the air. Bottles of just about everything were being passed about freely and most of us indulged a little bit too much. I remember driving to Columbus to see the football team beat Ohio State 10-0 and win a Big Ten Championship. The weather was freezing cold and I drank a lot of “Old Grand Dad”, so I’m told I trash talked their student section and survived because we won. I recall missing out on going to the Rose Bowl because I had already committed to be in the wedding party for a high school friend. I remember pledge formals and seeing everyone dressed up in tuxedos and the ladies in fancy dresses. I remember attending a party in the basement and standing next to Dave Siglin ’64 and his future bride, Linda, when she suddenly threw her drink in my face. I had no clue what caused that to happen, so I simply returned the favor.
I remember beating a “jock” house in touch football, mostly because all their “jocks” were playing football for Michigan. I recall John “Homely” Holmes ’65 singing after the game “I’d rather be an arm pit than a Beta Theta Pi”. Well, pay back came when we had to play them in basketball and their “jocks” were now available. I’m talking guys like All Americans and future NFL Pros Rich Volk and Frank Nunley. The first time I got the ball on offense I was literally knocked down, the second time I was kind of tackled, so the third time I just handed them the ball.
I remember seeing Bob Dylan perform at Ann Arbor Pioneer High School. I remember seeing the Kingston Trio and the Lovin’ Spoonful perform at Hill Auditorium. I remember running up “heart attack” hill on the golf course for IM cross country. I remember being goalie for IM water polo because I was the only one tall enough to stand at the shallow end. My biggest regret was passing up a chance to try out for the varsity tennis team. One of the coaches saw me playing indoors at the IM building and asked me to come out, but I didn’t think I was good enough. It would have been really cool to make the team and get one of those varsity jackets.
My fondest memory of all was singing in the drinking room after parties or TGIF. We had all drank a few and were feeling mellow. Dale “Pork” Bjorklund ’67 would play the piano and we’d sing all the songs. Some were raunchy and some were nostalgic, but the feeling in the room was magical. I don’t recall song sheets, so I guess the older guys taught us the words. Later on, Frank Morrey ’64, AKA “EFF”, compiled the words to all the songs. I still have an original copy of his song sheets. The best thing about Delta Chi was that it transformed a large and impersonal school of about 40,000 students into “home”. It provided “brothers” almost the same as siblings. It helped me develop social and leadership skills. It was a great experience and why I’m proud to see those traditions continue with a brand new Chapter House.
