“It was 1980-1983,” recalls Brother Stuart Popp ’83. “The house was at close, if not full, capacity (maybe 20 guys), and it was in decent shape. We were one of the smaller houses on campus, so it was tough to get any sorority parties. We probably had a decent party every second or third Saturday. But probably the biggest thing that made the house special was JR (the house cook). He “retired” once, supposedly in the mid ’70s. But he was recruited back a few months after I moved in. He got bored down in Rural Retreat, Va. I remember we had a meeting right before he came back with a few members from Building Corp., and they explained all about JR.”
“The goal was to get a single room as quickly as you could,” says the Delta Chi. “I think I only had to live with someone for one and a half years.”
Brother Popp admits his memory is a bit fuzzy these days, but he is fairly certain his roommates were Paul Hess ’83 for one term, Eerik Dickinson ’83 for one term and Mark Dunning ’84 for a term.
“JR’s food was probably my favorite thing,” he recalls. “Sticky buns, steak on Sunday, cook-to-order breakfast (whole cooking sheets of bacon, deep-fried French toast, pancakes that were really cakes made in a cast iron pan). All the food was really good but probably started my cholesterol on its slow rise to Crestor! The parties were good, and the booze and beer certainly flowed! In fact, for as few guys as we had, the parties were pretty good. The trash can punch was wickedly good (but not so much the next day).”
Popp still has a lot of fond memories of his days in the house including the drinking room downstairs, the pledge formals, fall rush and chapter meetings. He says that for as different as they all were, he and his brothers learned to live pretty well together. In fact, to this day, he is still in touch with former roommate, Mark Dunning.
Upon his graduation from Michigan, Brother Popp went to work for the Ford Motor Co. as a systems analyst for four years. Other career moves included AT&T for 16 years, R.L. Polk (now IHS) for five years and Federal Mogul Corp., which is his current company. He also obtained an M.B.A. in business from the University of Michigan. “How you perform in your first job matters way more than the school you attended,” offers Popp.
As for his family, Stuart is married to his wife of 20 years, Mary, who is a medical assistant, and they have a son, Nicholas, who is 13 years old. He has lived in Plymouth, Michigan since 1973; he loved it so much, he moved back after college. He enjoys antique and collector cars which include his 1956 Cadillac Sedan DeVille, a 1977 Lincoln Town Car and a 1978 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz.
“I’ve had a great job and a nice family,” says Stuart. “I am looking forward to retirement (but not for 10 more years), and hopefully, lots of traveling.”
Those wishing to reach out to Brother Popp may do so at [email protected] or 313-506-0166 (mobile).
