  Omega Mu Voices Edward O'Bara
Omega Mu Pledge Brothers 
Ed O'Bara and Mike Sullivan   Left to Right: Jim Hayes, Mike Sullivan, Paul Wood, John Zinno, Paul Roy, Buster Marzinzak, Jim Walsh, Bill Pond, Jim McLean, Dennis McKenna, Russ Ross, Pat Ladd, Ed O'Bara, John Halloran, Jim Browne  Mike Sullivan and Bruce Kubik in Florida, and I believe Bob Doyle is taking the picture. Edward O’Bara Omega Mu After graduating from the University of Maine, Mike started working in the nuclear industry, traveling around the country with Tony Flaherty and a number of other friends. In addition, at this time, Mike was also a Deadhead, following the Grateful Dead in his travels.    Periodically, Mike returned home, and then he started working closer to his home near Cape Cod, and it was here that Mike met his wife, Nancy, who worked in local restaurants while going to school to earn her teaching degree in order to start her career in education.  Mike and Nancy married, and then they had two children, Ray and Meghan. Ray graduated from the Berklee School of Music, and then he played in a band and taught music in public and private schools. Meghan works in the hospitality business and has three children, and this has created a great deal of happiness with the grandchildren thing!  Mike settled down and worked at the Seabrook, N.H. nuclear power plant where he made a very good living, especially during the refueling time periods. He loved the beach where he would set up his big umbrella and have a few beers, good food, and a basic good time meeting and talking to everybody.   They also had a cottage on beautiful Newfound Lake in New Hampshire where they would spend many summer weekends.  The onset of Alzheimers was a slow process in developing until Mike entered the nursing home . He received good care and remained a very happy patient as everybody worked through the Covid situation. Always remember Mike as someone who cared deeply and took good care of his friends and family; a good athlete who always exceeded his talent, and a very generous person.  “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
From multiple angles, our QTV and Omega Mu brothers have enriched the civic life at the University of Maine, and we are fortunate to have had many hardworking, talented brothers throughout our history. The balance between our athletic involvement, intellectual pursuits, and campus involvement is outstanding. In each area of involvement, our brothers brought energy and enthusiasm, and one particular area where our brothers brought particular depth and color was in many wide-ranging Maine Masque theater productions. With fraternal strength, Omega Mu brothers became mainstays on the theater boards when Maine Masque was established in 1906-1907. What a long-lasting accomplishment for all of us to be proud as Omega Mu brothers. Professor Windsor P. Daggett, a Fiji from Brown University, had the spirited and inspired notion to establish the Maine Masque at the University of Maine, and in doing so adding a historically important piece to the shaping character of the University of Maine community. Personally, I have a great deal of nostalgia for all the plays that I attended while I attended the university. They are amongst some of the happiest, satisfying times while I was at Maine, and I continue to have many triggered memories of those plays because the visual charm of any play is magical. Being the first managing director, Windsor P. Daggett carefully mentored many young men ands women in the fine creative points of theater. He was an inspiration to all of them, and his instructional guidance was exceptional. He did everything with a depth of feeling and intelligence from stage-craft, building sets, lighting, props, and stage management, elocution, and the historic background of the plays. Individually and collectively, he instilled emotional poise in all of his actors and actresses to work creatively as a group to create something enjoyable. Under the guidance of Professor Daggett, the Maine Masque earned a reputable, well-respected reputation for creating high-quality plays for the enjoyment of the University of Maine community. The response from the student body was warm and appreciative, and many of our talented Omega Mu brothers helped make the plays a success. 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 Louis H. Thibaudeau, 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 enriched the lives of countless numbers of people in the University of Maine community and Bangor. 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, 147 years strong. As the oldest combined fraternal brotherhood at the University of Maine, we have a winning history, irrefutably so, because we have been, and we continue to be, a diverse group of brothers who are honorably linked in brotherhood. Whether it was on the football field, basketball court, in the pool, on the track, on the baseball field, on the theater boards, or within the Castle with each other, we have gracefully balanced many things that continue to make us proud to be Phi Gamma Delta brothers. Simply and gratefully stated, living in the Castle, with each other, was one of the happiest times in our life, and there is no way to measure that feeling, nor the unwavering commitment to each other throughout life. We were, we are now, and we will continue to be the signature fraternal brotherhood at the University of Maine. Competent, self-reliant, and persistent QTV brothers started our combined fraternal brotherhood at the University of Maine, and strength and devotion, diligence and hard work, continue to guide our Phi Gamma Delta brotherhood today. They are the roots of our collective well-being, our self-confidence, and our fraternal success. Whether it be in the house, on the football field, or on the theater boards, healthy principles foster pride, longevity, and a positive civic, fraternal spirit. We all know these things, and at our best we have lived up to these principles with unfailing trust and enthusiasm in all that we have done for the University of Maine community, and within our brotherhood, generously so. They are, in a word, broadly stretched through our fraternal history, the axis mundi of Phi Gamma Delta since 1848, our Maine State College Q.T.V. brothers since 1874, and our Omega Mu chapter since 1899. A united story, one in fraternal spirit. But again, we all know this. In any event, if you listen to the conversations during Pig Dinner, you will hear Omega Mu brothers who are 10 to 70 years apart talking, sharing, smiling, and laughing, spiritedly, about many things about living together in the Castle. It is energetic and lively, and every brother is attentive and appreciative of each tale and story that is shared, across all generations. Quite simply, it is a shared sense of happiness, love, and loyalty. That is the beautiful generational interplay throughout the Castle, RAM to basement. It is unique, and everyone is clearly enjoying themselves as they retell a particular athletic contest story, a road trip to Montreal or Newport, various Fiji Island stories, and stories about our many athletes and military brothers, Mud Bowl games, Pat's, and many other Omega Mu traditions. It is remarkable to hear the happiness and meaning in each story. Happiness and meaning: the essence of our Omega Mu brotherhood, and there is nothing nuanced about it. All the stories and tales convey our Omega Mu pride and joy. Although memory may have dimmed a little on the details of each story, the constants are the Castle, our beautiful Tudor home, and the uniform joy of many brothers simply coming together, again. Being in our fraternal home with our friends; we cherish both. That is unconditional commitment. And as such, as time moves on, we appreciate both even more. This is, perhaps, the best thing, the fraternal blood and marrow of who we are throughout life: proud, steadfast Fijis. And for that, above all, we are all thankful. We are one fraternal brotherhood, a great constant, for 147 years, and that needs to be applauded. It is a coherent fraternal narrative that is sustained by the binding threads of our fraternal home and a fraternal brotherhood that we all love through life. That is the Omega Mu way, and nothing can change that. Bravo. Perge.  Phi Gamma Delta Maine Masque Brother, Windsor P. Daggett
              “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 Our Omega Mu brothers who served in the military are cherished and constant fraternal friends, and we would like to say thank you for the steadfast, purposeful commitment you made to our nation to defend those four freedoms we all believe in: “Freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.” For those brothers who were killed in defense of these freedoms, they will always occupy a consecrated place in our linked fraternal heart because they exemplify the idea of superlative commitment, strength, and fortitude for the good to the end itself. The greatness of their collective purpose and will, on our nation’s behalf, will never be forgotten. By their “clear-eyed faith and fearless heart,” these brothers have left us a fraternal legacy that echoes what we often say about Omega Mu Fijis: “Perseverance and determination are omnipotent.” Their code of integrity, courage, duty, responsibility, and self-sacrifice on behalf of our nation is a powerful legacy that we will always be proud of as Omega Mu Fijis. Whether it was at New Orleans, Red River, Fort Blakely, Marianna, San Juan Hill, Santiago de Cuba, Chateau-Thierry, Verdun, El Guettar, Elba, Monte Della Vedetta, the Battle of the Bulge, Rabaul, Inchon, Pusan, Chosin Reservoir, Pork Chop Hill, Hue, Easter Offensive, Phu Cat, The Iron Triangle, Hamburger Hill, la Drang Valley, Bien Hoa, Khe Sanh, Rumaila, Al-Batin, Medina Ridge, Kabul, Kandahar, our Omega Mu brothers have demonstrated devotion to duty in defense of freedom and liberty. They are the stability of our nation, and we, the Omega Mu brotherhood, revere, honor, and salute their persevering and determined spirit within our great nation and our historic brotherhood. We will always honor the heroism of all of our brothers who have served in the armed forces from the Civil War to the present. Thank you. Omega Mu Veteran Sumner Waite, 1911
Omega Mu Years         Maine Campus      University of Maine Prism      Sumner Waite, middle
  Press Club  Maine Masque      Sophomore Declamations   Composer    University of Maine Athlete  Black Bear Football      Black Bear Track and Relay Team     Military Career   World War I  Served in World War I as assistant chief of staff of the Thirty-Seventh Division and as chief of staff of the Third Division.     Sumner Waite celebrating Pig Dinner During World War I    European Theater of Operations during World War II He commanded the Thirteenth Infantry Division.  Assistant Chief of Staff of the European Theater of Operations, and he served in France as the United States Army representative with General Charles de Gaulle. In addition, he wrote several important papers on the importance of tank warfare.  Prime Minister Winston Churchill, left, and General Charles de Gaulle Tank Warfare during World War II
    
 China, Burma, India Theater of Operations World War II   From 1945-1946 he as the assistant chief of staff of the China-Burma-India Theater  Sumner Waite received the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, French Legion of Honor, French Croix de Guerre with palm, Belgium Croix de Guerre, and the Belgium Military Cross. He retired as a Brigadier General, and he was the third University of Maine alumnus to earn that rank    “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
March 2023
Categories |
RSS Feed