  Truthfully, there is no fraternal brotherhood quite like Omega Mu at the University of Maine. We are proud of our history, and we are proud of the impressive number of fraternal brothers who played on many University of Maine athletic teams. With conviction and commitment, our Omega Mu athlete brothers brought a great deal of joy and satisfaction to the university community, creating many wonderful memories since the first baseball team was established at Maine State College in the 1870's. The worked together for the success of each Maine team, and the overall civic good of the University of Maine. The sheer number of Omega Mu athlete brothers is an unqualified triumph for the University of Maine. They each gave their best efforts on each team, and what they achieved perfectly compliments what we fraternally believe: drive and determination. It is a heady athletic legacy. Accordingly, their accomplishments claim our fraternal attention and respect. For the eminence of their athletic success; and, above all, for being our Omega Mu brothers, we are proud. Therefore, in the linked soul and spirit of our long fraternal history, we gratefully remember and celebrate our QTV and Omega Mu brothers who participated on many varsity athletic teams at the University of Maine. Their sacrifice of time was worth the effort for them and the student body at the University of Maine who watched them play. They created many warm memories since the early 1870’s. For the eminence of their athletic success; and, above all, for being our Omega Mu brothers, we are all very proud. Thoreau said it best: “What a difference, whether in all your walks, you meet only strangers, or in one house is one who knows you, and whom you know. To have a brother…How rare these things are.” How true that is, and we remain that way to this day. That is a proud fraternal legacy. Omega Mu Athlete Winslow L. Jones, 1930
Omega Mu Years           Oratorical Contest    University of Maine Athlete        "Win can top the timbers with the best of hurdlers. He has worked hard for our track team."   Omega Mu brothers Winslow Jones, left; Robert Parks, far right, win first and second at M.I.T.    "W.L. Jones of Maine home first in the 220-yard hurdle race, with R. D. Parks of Maine second."  Omega Mu Brother, Robert D. Parks           Winslow Jones, second runner in from the right.     “What if the space be long and wide, That parts us from our brother’s side A soul-joined chain unites our band, And memory links us hand in hand.” (Phi Gamma Delta fraternity song)    Fraternally,
Chip Chapman, ’82 Perge
0 Comments
Over the years, our Omega Mu brothers were involved in many Maine Masque productions, including Malcolm E. Fassett, Harry Lovely, Nathan F. True, Fernando T. Norcross, Theodore W. Haskell, Charles E. Stickney, Robert Irvine, William Demant, Evans B. Norcross, J. Richard Buck, Willam Keith, Harry P. Carle, Howard L. Farwell, Jacob M. Horne, Jr.; Bryant M. Patten, Sumner Waite, Norman D. Carlisle, Paul F. Slocum, Clifford H. George, Ernest F. Andrews, Robert S. Hussey, Elwood D. Bryant, Howard J. Stagg, III; Stanley T. Fuger, John T. Clark, John W. Ballou, George R. Berger, Robert D. Parks, Arthur B. Conner, Louis H. Thibodeau, Henry S. Simms, among many, many others! Praise for them is merited. Exhibiting diligence and discipline, these Omega Mu brothers, through many decades, brought a joyful vibrancy and communal vitality to the University of Maine community. What a superb gift to give the community, rich, alive, and inspiring. Significantly, many of our Omega Mu brothers were a driving force in many of the plays because of the impactful, leading roles that they often played, luring and capturing the imagination of the audience as they moved and glided, with apparent ease and poise, on the theater boards. By all reports in the Maine Campus and the Bangor Daily, their performances were quit affecting. The quality and depth of their disciplined art form joyfully enriched the lives of countless numbers of people. Our Omega Mu Maine Masque theater brothers, just like our athlete brothers, are an enriching testament to what it means to be a fraternity brother in Omega Mu, and we are proud of their dedication, creativity, and commitment in adding such an important historic angle in our fraternal history at the University of Maine. They exemplify the good of what it means to be a positive part of the university community, and in doing so showing the good of fraternal culture. Attending a play is a special, spirited experience, and we are proud of the legacy of these brothers for their unbending commitment to the beautiful creative art and discipline of Maine Masque theater productions. These Maine Masque theater brothers make us proud, and their legacy in Maine Masque history continues to shine. They, too, like our Omega Mu athlete brothers, continue to enrich and strengthen our perseverant and determined fraternal identity. Omega Mu Maine Masque Brother Harry R. Lovely, 1917  Omega Mu Years          "Burke Bradbury, '16, shot a fine buck recently and the fellows enjoyed an excellent venison dinner on the following Sunday."    "An informal house dance was held on Thanksgiving afternoon and evening. There was a very jolly crowd present and everyone had an enjoyable time. The chaperon was Mrs. Estabrook"   Mrs. Estabrooke, wife of our Omega Mu Brother, Horace M. Estabrooke, 1876,  Estabrooke Hall    Maine Masque 
        "The star of the production was perhaps Harry R. Lovely, Andre, Count de Grival, whose stage presence and general rendition of the character was much admired."  "Frank Stanley Kerr and Harry Richard Lovely as Galfred, Earl of Tweenwayes, and Andre, Count de Grival, respectively, as fun makers brought down the house from time to time and they took their parts as well as many professionals seen on the stage today."   "Lovely Elected President of Masque"        "Pedrolino (Harry R. Lovely), servant of to Lelio, was a great favorite, and acted his part with unusual ability."    “What if the space be long and wide, That parts us from our brother’s side A soul-joined chain unites our band, And memory links us hand in hand.” (Phi Gamma Delta fraternity song)    Fraternally,
Chip Chapman, ’82 Perge Omega Mu Voice John L. Collins, 1970  John Collins, Omega Mu, 1970 How kind of the Lambda Chi's to recall that snowball epic.      Phi Mu  Fijis did indeed initiate that running battle by attacking Phi Mu, which used to be across College Ave. After being caught off guard, the Phi Mu's needed to vent, so we joined forces to attack ATO - a slaughter, I might add. ATO  Some ATO's joined us and we proceeded up College Ave. picking off targets as we went. One memorable moment for me came as we paused to catch our breath across the street from Phi Eta and Jim Chaplin, pitching ace for the Black Bears baseball team, was challenged to chuck one of his best at Stodder Hall, a dorm about 40 yards away.   Stodder Hall  Jimmy packed a ball, wound up, and followed through with a beautiful stride. There was a hushed pause as the crowd watched the building, the only sound the falling snow. Then a large window on the third floor exploded. A cheer went up from the snowy warriors and the attack recommenced on the next house, probably Kappa Sig. A fine time was had by all - except for the guys (I think Stodder was a men's dorm then) who lived in that dorm room. Phi Eta Kappa and Kappa Sigma   “What if the space be long and wide, That parts us from our brother’s side A soul-joined chain unites our band, And memory links us hand in hand.” (Phi Gamma Delta fraternity song)   Fraternally,
Chip Chapman, ’82 Perge Omega Mu Voice George M. Montag, 1956  George M. Montag, 1956 It was in the fall 1953 and a couple of the brothers were avid hunters. Back then everyone slept up on the third floor that was called the RAM. I don't know if they still do or not. There were no lights or heat and just about everybody used sleeping bags. Well, to get back to the hunters. They were walking through the woods when they came upon a medium size black bear lying in the leaves, dead. Whoever had shot it just left it there. The brothers brought it back to the house without anybody being the wiser. When it was dark, they snuck it up to the RAM and placed it in a bunk and pulled the sleeping bag up over the bear’s head. When it was time to go to bed the owner of that bunk said, "Hey you are in my bed". No answer. So, he said it again, "You are in my bed." No Answer. So he pulled back the top of the sleeping bag and felt the head. When he felt all of the hair and the bear's nose, he let out a shriek. And to this day I don't know if he ever found out who put the bear in his bed.  The RAM           “What if the space be long and wide, That parts us from our brother’s side A soul-joined chain unites our band, And memory links us hand in hand.” (Phi Gamma Delta fraternity song)    Fraternally,
Chip Chapman, ’82 Perge Omega Mu Voice Jay L. Clement, 1982  No tale about life in the house would be complete without reminiscing about time spent in the Ram. The Ram was one of the few spaces in the house that the general populace rarely saw or even knew about, yet it was a vital element of the overall house experience. Remember the horror on your mother’s face as you showed your parents where you slept for that obligatory parents’ weekend tour? “Why are the windows wide open?” “Would that ladder really work?” “Why are there no alarm clocks?” “Do boys bring girls up here?” “It’s not really.......that clean.” But to those of us that got to experience the privilege of spending most of our non-waking moments embraced by its exalted, dark wood partitioned, and often frigid walls, it was an experience like no other.    "But to those of us that got to experience the privilege of spending most of our non-waking moments embraced by its exalted, dark wood partitioned, and often frigid walls, it was an experience like no other."  How Brothers Farrar, Bean, and Rizzatello decided that a road trip to Smithfield or was it Norridgewock to attend a mid-week livestock auction was better than doing homework or attending an 11 to 2 we’ll leave to others to relate, but they returned with a purchased piglet which they temporarily housed in the basement.
Stephen E. Farrar and Ricky M. Bean  James M. Rizzitello 
  Francis W. Shaboski, Jr.  In the middle of the night Brother Shaboski stole the piglet from its basement pen and threw it upon the sleeping form of Phil Hannan.    Philip J. Hannan III In terror, Phil punched the piglet and it escaped to scamper throughout the Ram....“Pitter, patter...pitter, patter, snort... repeated itself until some of us groggily opened our eyes to see (under one of the few hallway lights)...a piglet. A pig? Who? What? What the fuck, it’s a pig!!” “What if the space be long and wide, That parts us from our brother’s side A soul-joined chain unites our band, And memory links us hand in hand.” (Phi Gamma Delta fraternity song)    Fraternally,
Chip Chapman, ’82 Perge |
Archives
February 2025
Categories |
RSS Feed