January 12th, 1914
“Brother Thomas read his report of the Ekklesia.”
 
January 19th, 1914
“Brother Randall moved that the seven o’clock study rule go into effect Friday Jan. 25th at noon and last until the following Friday noon. Carried.”

February 2, 1914
“Brother Hall spoke for the rushing comm. in regard to the list of prospective Maine men now in the hands of the M Club.”

“A letter from the N.Y. Club in regard to interesting our brothers in this club.”

“Brother Thurell urged more studying in the house and that all ranks and grades should be
handed in to him as soon as possible.”
 
February 27th, 1914
“Brother Thurell moved that we submit to the sectional convention the advisability of appointing a section comm. to investigate anti-fraternity feeling in section I.”
 
March 2nd, 1914
“Brother Creighton reported that the invitations for the house party would be sent out Monday night.”

“Brother Haskell read a letter from the Allegheny chapter extending an invitation to Omega Mu for a delegate to their house opening.”

“Brother Hanson moved that a comm. of three be appointed to attend to the matter of getting alumni back for commencement. Carried.”
 
March 23rd, 1914
“Brother Hall moved that each brother at our meetings state what he has done for the college and the fraternity. Carried.”

“Brother Schneider moved that a new comm. of five be appointed to be new spirit into the rushing process. Carried.”
 
April 13th, 1914
“Brother Thurell reported that a complete new ceiling would be placed in the dining room at a cost of $15.00. Also, the ceiling would be repaired in the music room.”
 
April 21st, 1914
“Brother Murelle moved that the brothers attend a Friday night rally before the track meet in Lewiston. Carried.”

April 28th, 1914
“Brother Hall reported for the Tennis Court Comm. saying expenditures on the clay court amounted to about $10.00.”
 
“Brother Haskell reported on the Outing Comm. suggested that the bros invite their girls to the next outing.”

“Bros Thomas, Hall, Norcross, Abbott, and Haskell gave advice on cooperation and fraternity spirt.”

May 11th, 1914
“Brother Schneider moved that we drape our pins and charter in respect for the death of Brother Sherman, and that a copy be kept in the chapter records, printed in the university and fraternity publications, and senior to his family. Carried.”
 
May 18th, 1914
“The name of Ernest Coobroth was passed around the hall. The ballot was clear on Collbroth.”

May 25th, 1914
“Bother Thomas moved that our alumni members indebted to the house be given until Oct. 1st to pay their bills. If not paid by this time, their names be recommended to the board of Archons for suspension. Carried.”
 
“The seniors gave short talks of parting advice to the chapter.”

September 28th, 1914
“Brother Edes moved that a comm. of one be appointed to take charge of binding our music.
Carried.”

“Brother Garrison moved that a comm. of three be appointed to make plans for fixing up the smoking room. Carried.”

 October 5th, 1914
“Brother Hart spoke a few words urging the brothers to keep up the scholarship of the house.”

October 19th, 1914
“Brother Hanson read a letter from Bro. Chambers related to buying a cabinet for the preservation of the chapter records.”

November 9th, 1914
“Brother Phillips moved that the custom of singing and having a social time at the supper table be established, with the understanding that smoking be allowed. Lost.”
 
December 5th, 1914
“Brother Eades moved that the initiation fee to Omega Mu be $20.00. Carried.”

Fraternally,

Chip Chapman, ’82
​
Perge!

There are no words, verses, lyrics, or choruses to adequately describe what it felt like to see the library restored, the living room restored, and the dining room restored, as well as work in the basement. It is warm and embracing. It felt satisfyingly wonderful to sit, if for just a minute or two, in the restored library after the dedication of Joseph Sebastian Boulos Library at the end of September. The theme, tone, and atmosphere of the day was one of pure gratitude and celebration. We celebrated the beautiful, dedicated life of Joseph Sebastian Boulos, our fraternity brother, for his single-minded,  strong-willed service to our nation. Second, we celebrated, with simple gratitude and satisfaction, the restorative work that had been achieved so far. Tellingly, the work that had been done in the dining room, living, room, library, and downstairs. What we have accomplished is a direct reflection our fraternal culture and values, a culture of greatness and engaged involvement from generation to generation. The restorative work is not completely realized, but it is getting there. Being an Omega Mu Fiji took on new meaning, and being a backwards thinking person, I could not help but think how the past and present always exist in each and every room in The Castle, a timeless fraternal river of men who lived in The Castle

​Intangible and invisible, in many cases, their footsteps, stories, friendships, and memories are still within the well-walked rooms of our hallowed Castle. They are the strong, spirited, fraternal roots of our brotherhood, and we honor them. As I looked around the library and the living room, many pictures of brothers came to mind and I just smiled at the happiness that I lived a balanced, full life here, and fraternity life is always a balance of romanticism and responsible discipline, alive and always interesting, and that is the way it always should be. It is often said, “You get out what you put in.” That is rare now, it seems to me, but something of purpose and life-long consequence does happen if you do. That is elemental to achieve life-sustaining success in anything. I will always be thankful for being an Omega Mu Fiji. Second, I could not help but smile because the library, like many other sections of our hallowed Castle, was in a state of ruin, degradation, disrepair, and that we have all helped restore and persevere them through conscientious effort because we care about it’s architectural beauty and historic heritage. Lovingly and carefully, diligently and tirelessly, much has been accomplished. For what has been already accomplished, we are thankful, but for the restorative work yet to be done we look forward to seeing it soon. And, we will get there because our forward-thinking determination will not alter, and the results will be equally gratifying. Our architectural Phoenix is rising. We know this well because our brothers believed the same thing in that intense year of fraternal labor, hope, and faith in helping build the timeless nobility of The Castle in 1924-1925 with earnest, nonnegotiable purpose. That is our distinctive, collaborative character. 

​It was intimate and very personal for me to simply to sit, for a moment or two, in the Joseph Sebastian Boulos Memorial Library and be simply grateful for the tangibly restored exterior beauty of The Castle, the restored beauty of the first floor and basement, and the invisible, intrinsic value of good fraternal friends. The synthesis of each creates a matchless, beloved treasure: our 120 year Omega Mu brotherhood, rich in determinative value and historic sentiment, in an ever-changing world. Phi Gamma Delta will continue to have a strong, shaping effect on generations of future brothers, providing them with purposeful direction in their service to our nation and in the broad range of careers that they are each called to serve with distinctive character and vitality. In conclusion, it was, indeed, a day of tremendous emotion in seeing the fraternal cohesion of many brothers coming together to honor Joe Boulos, and in seeing the beautiful restorative work in The Castle. Time marches on, and we continue on, steadily so, with a fraternally rich combination of energy and commitment, and principled, collaborative character and steady direction, to achieve what it not yet, without any loss of perseverance and determination, because that is our way of doing things. Proud to be Fiji. 

Fraternally,
 
Chip Chapman, ’82

Perge!

​There is no fraternal brotherhood quite like Omega Mu at the University of Maine, and there is no fraternity house that is as bracingly beautiful as ours. We are proud of the beauty of The Castle and our fraternal excellence. We aim high. And I believe that it is safe to say that the stars seem to align fairly regularly throughout our combined Q.T.V. - Fiji fraternal history for good things to happen socially, academically, and athletically. Just as it took teamwork, commitment, and consummate skill to plan and construct the architectural charm of our house on College Ave, our brothers have achieved tremendous success in the aforementioned because of their determination, commitment, character, and a desire to win. Success in anything is grounded in the grace of individual and team discipline, and our Omega Mu athletes have exemplified that level of unswerving workmanship and zeal for success throughout our fraternal history. The sacrifice of time was worth the effort for them and the student at the University of Maine who watched them play. They created many warm memories through all the years. It is a heady athletic legacy that started within a few ears of the founding of the University of Maine on 1865. For the eminence of their athletic success; and, above all, for being our Omega Mu brothers, we are all proud. Our scorecard is deep, and this is our proud cheer: Gimme an O, gimme an M, gimme an E, gimme a G, gimme an A, and so on, then Omega Mu Fiji athletes, Omega Mu Fiji athletes, Omega Mu Fiji athletes. We are proud Fijis. 

Ralph Bonna and Bob Young

Jim Chaplin

​Tom Eldridge

Stephen Hopping 

​Glenn Smith

Ronald York

Milton Hadley, III

Dennis Olsen ​ and Grant Watkins

Watkins, Dulac, O’Leary, Paganucci, R. Rhodes, Collins, Pooler, Kimball, Eaton

Pooler, Captain Dulac, Collins, J. Rhodes, Eaton, Paganucci, Ladd, Roy, Hayes, Kimball, D. Rhodes, Zinno

Robert Hayes, Michael Porter

Francis Keenan

John Collins

Paul Dulac

​Chris Eaton

​David Goode

Jim Hayes

John Kimball

​Richard Paganucci

Paul Pooler

John Rhodes

Richard Rhodes

​Paul Roy

George Solomon

David Thompson

Robert Van Dyk

Michael Wnek

John Zinno

Jim Doliner

Greg Papasodora

​Greg Papasodora

Brian Datson

William Horr, Jr.

Jim Kane

​Jeff Stevens

​Steve Dunwoody

Steve Dunwoody

James Rittenberg

Richard Skarkina

Bunny Burns

Peter Cumpstone

Peter Cumpstone, middle

Brian Daly

Edward Gott, III

Bob Rand

Peter Wilkinson

Fraternally,
 
Chip Chapman, ’82
​
Perge!

January 10th, 1956
“Brother Hester was appointed chairman of skit night for the house.”

January 17th, 1956
“Brother Werner moved that we subscribe to Sports Illustrated. The motions was passed.”

March 5th, 1956
“It was moved and passed that the house subscribe to Newsweek and Life for the next three years.”

March 20th, 1956
“The motions to allow Zobes who have potato pealing, pots and pans and dish-cleaning duty to sleep after 6:30 was defeated.”
 
April 10th, 1956
“Brother Hester moved and it was seconded that we have a Protestant minister for a speaker during religious emphasis week.”

April 17th, 1956
“Brother Ronco gave a report on the section meeting he attended on April 13th-14th. Brother Ronco stated that we won the Scholarship Cup for the most improvement in scholarship over a period of one year in sections I and II.”
 
“Brother Bronson moved and it was seconded that we have the Dale Whitney Band for the spring house party.”
  
May 15th, 1956
“It was voted that ask Tom Tear, Vera Hughes, and Martha Tate to return next year.”

September 24th, 1956
“Brother Daigle suggested that we have a more serious note at the Razoos.”

October 8th, 1956
“Brother Daigle moved and it was seconded that we have chaperones for the upcoming football game. The motion was passed.”

October 29th, 1956
“It was moved and passed that the fine for missing GI parties and fire-watch be raised to $2.00. The motion was passed.”
 
November 19th, 1956
“Brother Hester moved that the Saturday night party be a costume party. The motion was seconded and passed.”

​November 26th, 1956
“Brother DeGrasse discussed that the house was spending more than they were taking in.”
 
December 10th, 1956
“Brother DiBiase moved and it was seconded that the brothers responsible for the damages incurred during the last party pay to get everything fixed. The motion was seconded and passed.”

January 21st, 1957
“ Brother Giostra moved that the cook be paid $65 dollars a week and that he do his drinking in his room.The motion passed.”
 
Februar 18th, 1957
“Brother Edgar made a motion that we have a cocktail party before the Winter Carnival Ball. The motion was passed.”

March 3rd, 1957
“Brother Rand moved that both pianos be tuned. Motion carried.”

March 18th, 1957
Brother Cashman made a motion that we give $20.00 to the Good Will Chest. Motion passed.”
 
April 22nd, 1957
“A blackball was passed on Bud White, and he did not pass the session.”
 
April 29th, 1957
“Brother Thurston made a motion that we give Kelly 48 hours to conform with the ways of this house and it’s members or move out. The motion was carried.”
(By the way, he conformed.)
 
May 13th, 1957
“Brother Daigle made a motion that the house send letters to the parents of members who are deficient in paying their house bill. The motion was carried.”
 
May 20th, 1957
“Brother Daigle reported that Dean Murray would be the speaker at the Norris Pig Dinner.”

September 23rd, 1957
“Brother Cookson made a motion that each brother donate $2.00 towards a Hi-Fi set. The motion was passed.”

October 7th, 1957
“The house decided that we were in favor of the Sex and Morality discussion during religious emphasis week.” 

October 14th, 1957
“Brother Daigle made a motion that Phi Game Delta vote yes at the next I.F.C. meeting on the question of the Muscular Dystrophy Drive. The motion was carried.”

October 28th, 1957
“The problem of outside members not attending house meetings was discussed.”
 
November 4th, 1957
“Brother Thurston read off the jobs which were assigned to the brothers for the midnight razoo.”
 
January 6th, 1958
“The motion was to amend the constitution to the effect that anyone breaking into the pantry would be fined $10. The motion was passed.”
 
March 3rd, 1958
“Brother Giostra made a motion that we hold our Fiji Island outing at the Hampden Canoe Club. The motion was carried.”
 
March 10th, 1958
“The housemothers missing records was discussed and Brother Cookson would check into the matter further.”

March 17th, 1958
“Brother Cookson discussed the importance of the house rules in relation to drinking, quiet studying, and the fire watch.”

 April 21st, 1958
“Brother Cuccaro made a motion that we have a jam session at the house on April 26th.
The motion was passed.”

April 12th, 1958
“Brother Haley made a motion that locks be taken off the house phones.
The motion was defeated.”
 
“Brother Haley made a motion that zobes get up at 6:30 A.M. only if they have zobe jobs to
perform.” The motion was defeated.”

Fraternally,

Chip Chapman, ’82
​
Perge!

January 7th, 1913
“Brother Creighton moved that a committee of three be appointed to look into the matter of the house robbery. Carried.”

January 13th, 1913
“Brother Doak reported that the robbers had been caught and dealt with by law.”
 
“Brother Brewer reported that presents had been purchased for the house mother, cook, and maid for the sum of $9.25.”
 
“Brother Thomas moved that one brother represent Phi Gamma Delta in a meeting of fraternities to arrange a suitable floral tribute for Mrs. Ballantine’s funeral. Carried.”

February 17th, 1913
“Brother Wetherbee reported that they were waiting to hear from Q.T.V. brothers who had expressed interest in becoming Phi Gamma Delta brothers.”
 
February 24th, 1913
“Brother Doak reported that next Monday would be a good time to have initiation.”

March 3rd, 1913
“Brother Long read a letter from Brother Pogue saying that Brother C.C. Chambers was
 appointed National Field Secretary.”
 
March 10th, 1913
“Brother Long reported a gift of a year’s subscription of George Banta’s 
Banta’s Greek Exchange.

“Brother Norcross reported on his trip to Williamstown to attend the installation of the Iota Chapter at Williams College.”

April 14th, 1913
“Brother Long read a letter from Brother Pogue that Brother Baldwin was appointed section chief.”
 
April 21st, 1913
“Brother Brewer read a letter from the manager of the Musical Clubs asking if we could house some men of the Colby Club for the joint concert. Carried.”

April 28th, 1913
“Brother Shields reported that the canoe was painted at a cost of $1.40.”
 
“Brother Long suggested a date of May 21st for the alumni smoker. Carried.”

“Brother Haskell moved that a letter be mailed to Brother Fassett on the event of his marriage. Carried.”

“Brother Thomas moved that the steward be instructed to purchase materials and wallpaper for two bedrooms and the parlor. Carried.”
 
May 12th, 1913
“Brother Haskell gave a short outline of the work being done by the House Remodeling Comm.”
 
“Brother Thurell gave a snappy talk for the Scholarship Comm. and give the house an idea of how we stand along this line.”

May 19th, 1913
“Brother Bradbury reported the flagpole would be repaired by the first of next week.”
 
May 20th, 1913
“Brother Wetherbee moved that the house go to Dean Hart’s for an informal surprise party for him. Carried.”
 
May 26th, 1913
“Brother Hanson moved that Phi Gamma Delta put a baseball team into the Inter-Frat League next fall. Carried.”

​“Brother Wetherbee moved that the steward to take charge of the alumni banquet on June 9th. Carried.”

​September  22nd, 1913
“Brother Haskell moved that the steward be allowed to engage a second maid to assist in the work around the house with the understanding that she wash the dishes at night and clean all the study rooms. Carried.”

 September 29th, 1913
“Brother Hanson moved that a committee of three be in charge of the initiation banquet. Carried.”

“Brother Hall moved that a comm. of two be appointed to look into the matter of purchasing a drinking fountain. Carried.”
 
October 6th, 1913
“Brother Bradbury reported that Brother Hitchings had offered to pay for the drinking fountain.”
 
“Brother Hanson moved that thanks must be extended to Brother Hitchings for his generosity. Carried.”

“The matter of price to be paid for each meal by brothers living outside the house left in the hands of the steward and accountant.”
 
October 13th, 1913
“Brother Garrison suggested that all the brothers get girls for the Colby game and have an
informal party in the evening. Carried.”

“Brother Haskell reported that a Q.T.V. quarterly had been found in the library and suggested that we have it bound. Carried.”

“Brother Thurell moved that a comm. of two look into the matter of purchasing an electric
 flatiron. Carried.”

“Brother Haskell moved that bro. Stickney act as our graduate representative to the next
Ekklesia. Carried.”

October 20th, 1913
“Brother Abbott moved that we accept the Mock Trial as part of our initiation. Carried.”

“Brother Haskell read initiations from Pi Iota, Pi Rho, and Alpha Chi asking that we send delegates to their initiations.” Delegates - Brother Hall to W. P. I. chapter. Brother Garrison to Amherst and Brown. Carried.”

Fiji chapter house at Brown University 

​October 27th, 1913
“BrotherAbbott moved that the upperclassmen act as advisors to the freshmen.
Carried.”
 
November 3rd, 1913
“Brother Haskell moved that the Christmas Party be strictly formal and last for three days.”
Carried.”

“Brother Haskell read a letter from bro. Chambers asking we send a delegate to the Trinity
initiation.”
 
November 17th, 1913
“Brother Creighton reported that the fire extinguishes had been filled and that rope had been purchased in case of fire, and that the rope would be installed in the corner rooms.”
 
“Brother Hall reported that the cost in building a new refrigerator would be $100.”

December 8th, 1913
“Brother Haskell moved that the house stand behind the inter-frat council’s ruling not to
recognize Lambda Chi Alpha. Carried.”

“Brother Norcross moved that the Music Comm. be instructed to make necessary repairs to the pianos. Carried.”
 
December 15th, 1913
“Brother Thurrell reported for the Scholarship Comm. stating that many of the bros. were not doing enough work in their studies.”

“Brother Hanson moved that suitable Christmas presents be purchased for the house mother, maid, and cook. Carried.”

Fraternally,
 
Chip Chapman, ’82
​
Perge!

January 15th, 1912
“Brother Garland reported on music, stating that music had been purchased for $2.19.”

“Brother Chandler reported that the ritual and by-laws had been rearranged and put into proper order.”
 
Brother Smiley moved that a committee of two look into the matter of starting a pool and recommending a date to the Delta Mu Chapter for their Pig Dinner.”

“Brother Shields moved that the brothers write a letter to brother Shirley in respect to his father’s death. Carried.”
 
January 22nd, 1912
“Brother Pope moved that the so called ‘seven o’clock rule’ be placed in effect until the end of finals. Carried.”

“Brother Chandler moved that there be no card playing during finals week. Lost.”

February 5th, 1912
“Brother Shields moved that the black-ball system be abolished. Lost.”

“Brother Cleaves moved that the committee which fixes up old records take the matter of better protection of the original charter into their hands. Carried.”

February 12th, 1912
“Brother Haskell moved that the picture of the banquet in New York be framed and put in the lower hall. Carried.”
 
“Brother Cleaves moved that the study floors be waxed before Thursday evening. Carried.”
 
“Brother Cleaves moved that a committee of five be appointed to make arrangements for the annual boat ride. Carried.”

​ February 19th, 1912
“Brother Long reported that a letter to the alumni seems to be the only advisable means of interesting them in the $100,000 fund.”

​“Brother Ballou moved that Bro. Cleaves be our delegate to Iota Mu’s Pig Dinner at Worcester. Carried.”

W.P.I brothers in front of their house

March 8th, 1912
“Brother Smiley moved that the bros. call on President Alley next week. Carried.”

March 11th, 1912
“Brother Haskell read a letter from Bro. Elwell, QTV, lately initiated by the Yale Chapter.”

March 18th, 1912
“Brother Smiley moved that a committee of three be appointed to work in conjunction with the work committee to fix up the tennis courts. Carried.”
 
“Brother Pond moved that a special meeting be called in two days to discuss the new men.
Carried.”
 
March 25, 1912
“Brother Chandler moved that the annual fraternity banquet be held on Monday of commencement. Carried.”
 
“Brother Long moved that a committee of three be appointed to take charge of getting alumni back for commencement. Carried.”
 
“Brother Pond moved that a committee of three be appointed to arrange a series of Alumni
Smokers. Carried.”

April 8th, 1912
“Brother Garland spoke on various chapters that he had visited, and of the possibility of establishing a chapter at Williams College.” 

April 22nd, 1912
“Brother George moved that alumni be charged one dollar for the alumni banquet. Carried.”

​“Brother Hall moved that a committee of two be appointed to look into the matter of fixing up the canoe. Carried.”

April 29th, 1912
“Brother Cleaves moved that two brothers be selected to attend the Beta Theta Pi reception.
Carried.”

“Brother Long moved that the annual banquet and reunion be called The QTV Banquet and Reunion. Carried.”

​May 6th, 1912
“Brother Martin moved that a committee be appointed to look after Mrs. Harrington’s
entertainment.”

May 13th, 1912
“Brother Haskell moved that Mrs. Harrington’s salary be raised to $30.00 per month for the
upcoming academic year. Carried.”
 
May 20th, 1912
“Brother MacDonald moved that the house accountant be instructed to pay $2.50 to each man outside of the house in accordance with the custom since 1898. Carried.”
 
September 24th, 1912
“Brother Haskell moved that the chair appoint a delegate to represent this fraternity at a meeting called by the faculty to discuss social affairs of the fraternities and about the college. Carried.”
 
October 7th, 1912
“Brother Thomas reported for the committee on social affairs. When a house party is intended the date and names of the chaperones should be handed into this committee. All parties shall end at 12 o’clock. Report was carried.”

“Brother Hart spoke on behalf of the alumni, stating that they were pleased with lasts years work and that the new year was starting well. He also spoke on the repairs being done on the house by the QTV building association.”

Dean Hart

“Brother Martin moved that the name of Bradbury be passed around the hall. Carried.”

Ira Bradbury

October 14th, 1912
“Brother Thurrell moved that each brothers assessed a few cents to buy flowers for the dinning room tables each week. Carried.”

​The dinning room in our first Phi Gamma Delta House

“Brother Martin moved that a committee of five brothers be appointed to plan the initiation and initiation banquet. Carried.”
 
October 21st, 1912
“Brother Towle reported for the work comm. stating that $7.70 would paper the parlor and$10.50 for the hall.”
 
“Brother Abbott moved that a comm. of 1 or 2 be appointed to see that the scholarship cup and pictures in the library be properly inscribed. Carried.”

The library in our first Phi Gamma Delta house. 

Picture of the foyer in the first Phi Gamma Delta house with the library on the left and the
dining room on the right.

November 11th, 1912
“Brother Long reported that the work comm. would post work assignments each week for the brothers to do.”
 
“Brother Long moved that brothers not be allowed to get breakfast past the regular hour. Lost.”
 
November 18th, 1912
“Brother Haskell reported that Brother Bacon would be glad to help in any way in remodeling the house.”
 
December 9th, 1912
“Brother Hall reported that the card catalog had been put in order.”
 
“Brother Long read a letter from the Yale chapter that a new house was assured for next year.”

Fraternally,

Chip Chapman, ’82

Perge!

Stories, as we all know, are the life of Omega Mu, and they keep alive our Omega Mu spirit each time we see each other, and there is nothing wrong with feeling nostalgic and then saying to yourself: “Did I really say and do these interesting things while living in the house; did all those events occur in the RAM, and did I really look like that during my years in The Castle?” And the beautiful thing is that these events did occur decade-through-decade, and you did look like that. Hard to believe but true. The historic grit of reality, and our binding stories were framed within the distinctive walls of The Castle. They provide a clear, significant lens in appreciating our long history; second, they provide a broad generational spectrum of our brotherhood and our shared home, The Castle. That is the power of authentic storytelling. We lived these stories, day-in-and-day-out. 
 
Fraternally,

Chip Chapman, ’82

​Perge!

This episode goes back to my pledge days in the Fall of ’64. Since it’s been over 50 years, I won’t even attempt to name the parties to this story, after all, who knows, some might have grown up to be politicians, or pillars of their communities and I wouldn’t want to kill their career and ruin their families---------remember Christine Blasey Ford ! That said, our Fiji house had a running rivalry with Phi Mu, the jock house across the street, and our pledge class thought we could hasten an end to our rituals if we pulled off a prank on Phi Mu; so someone came up with the idea of borrowing a cow from the Ag Dept. (after dark) and feeding it laxatives, as it was being lead down to Phi Mu-----then, sometime in the early a.m. the cow would be put through the front door (always unlocked) when all were asleep. Now picture this: you’re going to have a pile of football players wake up to find a cow in their living room and that would generate laughter from all the Fijis that would be watching from the “Castle”----even the Phi Mu’s would break out in laughter---but that wasn’t enough

The pledge class felt the need for a more immediate form of gratification, so it was decided not to wait until breakfast, but to toss a string of firecrackers into the house to wake everyone up---all at the same time----and when the firecrackers went off, the cow panicked and began to jump all over the furniture as it was shitting everywhere at the same time, and the Phi Mus were slipping and falling in the shit, so they ran outside in their skivvies to get out of the way of the cow.

It made so much noise that all the Fraternity houses lit up---up and down the street-- and all the
occupants came running out-----to find all the Phi Mu’s freezing in their underwear running in every direction-------the laughter could be heard all the way to Patsy’s Pub---it was quite a sight-- --it was the talk of the campus for months---some of us still laugh about it 50+ years later. 

Perge!

Spring break, sophomore year, I decided to go visit a girl I knew who was at college in Winston Salem, North Carolina.  I had my car and wanted to drive down so asked around to see who might want to go with me.  Greg Papasodora (’70) was up for it.  So, I wrote to the girl, found out where we could stay, arranged for a blind date for Greg, and we made plans to go.  That year, Doug Baston (‘69) was in Washington, D.C. as a congressional intern for Senator Edmund Muskie.    

President Kennedy and Senator Muskie

​President Kennedy delivering the commencement speech at the University of Maine in 1965

Edmund Muskie speaking at the University of Maine in 1976

Doug was my big brother at The Castle and Greg and I decided to stop off in D.C. to stay with Doug during our drive.  Most of the trip was pretty uneventful.  Greg and I had an OK time with the girls, but nothing special.  On the night of April 4, 1968, we said goodbye to our girls and started to drive out of town, heading back to D.C. before driving back up to Maine.  At 6:01 PM, Martin Luther King was shot in Memphis but we were not aware of that yet.  As we left Winston Salem that evening, we noticed lots of African Americans out and about, and it was clear that there was something going on that we did not know about.  We pulled into a gas station to gas up and folks were all over the place.  Not a white person in sight.  We got pretty nervous sitting in the car while the gas was being pumped, but nothing happened except that a police car pulled up across the street.  As soon as we drove out of the gas station, the cops (two white guys) pulled us over and asked what we were doing there and where we were going.  We told them we had been visiting friends and were heading back to Maine.  They said, “Follow us and we’ll get you to the interstate without any trouble.  Don’t stop, don’t come back into town, keep going.”  By this time, I suspect we turned on the radio and found out what had happened.  That night, we drove all the way to D.C.

On the way, we could see a glow in the sky from the big cities: Durham, Raleigh.  The riots had begun and buildings were burning.  We kept driving and pulled into D.C. early in the morning.  We woke Doug up and he let us in for a few hours of sleep.  When we woke up, Doug told us the city was under curfew and we were to stay indoors. 
 
We looked out the window of his first-floor apartment on Mass. Ave. near DuPont Circle, and there were people everywhere – all of them African American, most running or walking, very few driving.  Some were coming from farther down Mass. Ave. where the shops were.  These folks were pushing shopping carts filled with TV’s and other appliances, or had their arms full of clothes still on hangers.  The folks heading toward the shops were not carrying anything.  The folks heading back up town were loaded up.  At one point during the day, we were hanging out with some girls in their apartment on the first floor while they handed out donuts and coffee through their window to the National Guardsmen on duty outside.  When the Guard showed up, the looters disappeared.  

​The day passed with news of riots, looting, burning, all over the country.  We were seeing it first hand.  By the end of the day, we were going stir crazy from being inside all day and of course had a few beers.  By the time darkness fell, we were feeling restless and mischievous.  We decided to venture out.  We took a Kodak Instamatic camera, and “just in case” Doug’s 32 caliber pistol, loaded.  (Just in case of what, I now wonder.)  A block from Doug’s building, on the corner of a side street was a closed liquor store.  We could see the store from the entrance door to Doug’s building.  At this point, we could see no one around – not looters, or Guardsmen.  We crept through the shrubbery in front of Doug’s building, just seeing how far we wanted to go.  Suddenly, a car whipped around a corner, slammed the brakes on in front of the liquor store, and a bunch of African American guys jumped out.  One picked up a landscaping rock and smashed the glass display window of the liquor store.  All of them began hustling cases of booze out of the broken window and into their car.  We crept closer and took some photos of the action.  Suddenly, a National Guard truck careened around a different corner and stopped with headlights high beamed on the looters and the liquor store.  A bullhorn voice demanded they stop and drop what they were carrying, put their hands behind their heads, and lie down face down.  They did, and the Guardsmen cuffed them, tossed them into the truck, and drove away.  Witnessing that was sobering, and suddenly we wondered What the fuck were we doing?! And with a loaded gun? We hustled back into the building, scrambling through the shrubs again, and sighed with relief.  Then cracked open another beer.  Smiling sheepishly, we toasted our adventure – now viewed as a really stupid thing to do. 
 
We didn’t go out again during curfew.   It was a few days before the city settled down enough for us to leave and head back to Maine. 

Yea, John has it right. He remembered some details I didn’t.  Some more details:
 
We didn’t venture out again, but we did spend time up on the roof of the building watching Washington burn al around us. I have some pictures from these days.
 
Also, my place was on the second or third floor of the building there were two friends, girls who were also interns, in a first-floor apartment. They were nervous, as the windows had no grates or grills.  So, I brought down the pistol (it was .32 Barretta), loaded it, chambered a round, and set the safety. I showed them how to release the safety and told them just to point it in the general direction of any intruder and pull the trigger. I figured they would either hit them or scare them.
 
At some point later, and I can’t remember if this was before John left or after the curfew lifted and he got out of town, I was allowed to return to work in the Old Senate Office Building, several blocks away. That meant that I had to stand on the front steps of my apartment building until a military patrol came by. I then showed my Senate ID card and a soldier would be assigned to accompany me to the building. The entrances to office building itself were surrounded by barbed wire and were guarded by a mix of military and capital police. I would show the ID again to get in. When leaving work, the process was reversed.

​Not only was Martin Luther King assassinated that spring, but also Senator Robert Kennedy, on June 5th in Los Angeles, on the night he won the California Primary.

Kennedy had announced that he would run for president on March 16th in the Caucus Room of the Old Senate Office Building, just down the hall from my office. I went down to listen and stood in the crowd – mostly press and other staffers – in that small room. Earlier this year I was watching the Netfix documentary “Bobby Kennedy for President”. In the episode covering his announcement, the old black-and-white film footage followed his entrance into the Caucus Room. For a few seconds it captured, standing just a few feet away in the background, a fifty-year-younger me, watching as history literally passed me by. 

 Perge!

By the fall of 1969, many of the seniors on the Black Bear football team had been starting for the “varsity” for two seasons already. In those days, no freshmen were allowed to play anything but freshman football. For the varsity games, we were in the stands like all the other fans. But let’s go back to see how we got there. 

Freshman football team

Tangerine Bowl Team, 1965

The year we were freshmen (1966), the Black Bears had gone to the Tangerine Bowl the previous year (record 8-2) and many of the players on that championship team had been underclassmen and were back for another season. However, their success was far below what they had accomplished the previous season. They finished 4-5, which we all took as a great disappointment.

By the fall of 1967, those of us who had been freshmen the previous year had proven ourselves during spring ball and been invited to return to play at the varsity level. We had lots of sophomores on that 1967 team, and it showed. It was also the first year Walt Abbott took over as head coach from Harold Westerman – “Westy”. Westy was head football coach at Orono for 15 years and had only one season below .500, that was in his final season in 1966. He was a legend as a football coach at Maine and it would be a tough act to follow. Walt and his staff did his best and we played as well as we could, but we went without a single win that season (0-8). We finished dead last in the Yankee Conference.

By the fall of 1968, we were primed to do better and had high hopes. Our opening game was against U-Mass at Amherst the first week in September. It was a hot day, and by the second quarter, we were gassed. U-Mass had a big, talented squad and as safety, I covered five different wide receivers on my side.


They just kept coming on and off the field and it was clear we were not going to keep up. It was demoralizing, but we proved how tough we could be. One particularly humiliating game that season was against UNH at Durham, in which they pulled out some tricky plays like reverses to wide receivers who then threw the ball downfield to the quarterback. Very embarrassing for the defensive secondary to get burned like that. They also had a little tailback, last name of Rudolph, who was the toughest player, pound for pound, I think I ever came up against. Hitting him was like running into the corner of a building. He shredded us too, and we remembered. Still, we went on to surprise some folks, finishing 3-5 for third place in the Yankee Conference.

By the fall of 1969, many of us had two seasons of varsity experience under our belts, two more years of conditioning and weight lifting, and we had high hopes. Again, our opening game was against U-Mass, this time in Orono. They had a 230 lb. fullback and I was a massive 165 lbs. soaking wet. At one point, he broke through the middle on a draw play and I tried to catch him. I was one of the faster players on our defense and I immediately realized I was not catching him! In fact, he was pulling away from me! In desperation, I dove at his heels and caught one on my chin bringing him down, and getting loads of blood on my jersey. U-Mass still beat us that year, but it wasn’t so easy.

The pivotal game in our senior season came after we had beat URI and Vermont, and lost to U-Conn. UNH had beaten U-Conn, who had beaten us. UNH came to Orono for our Homecoming. Their star quarterback from the year before had graduated, but Rudolph, the tailback was still there. Did I mention he was tough? Did I also mention he was ugly? Well, he was both of those things, and we had our sights set on that little bastard!

In the second quarter, UNH had the ball in their end of the field and ran a slant off their left tackle with Rudolph carrying the ball. I was on that side in the secondary and saw the hole open up and Rudolph churning through it. I attacked the line and gathered myself for what I expected would be an open field tackle, when suddenly two bodies converged on poor Rudolph. George Paul Dulac, right defensive tackle had shed his blocker and hit Rudolph on his right side under his arm at the same moment Mike O’Leary, right defensive end drove his helmet into Rudolph’s left shoulder. Rudolph spun like a pinwheel and crumpled to the turf. He didn’t get up. He lay on the ground moaning and not moving much as Dulac, O’Leary and I did a war dance over him. Kind of a brutal moment, but that’s how we played football. The Fiji defense was rising to the occasion. Rudolph left the game with broken ribs. One problem solved.

In the third quarter, we had traded the lead with UNH a couple of times, and the defense had just come off the field holding them for another punt. As the offense took the field, Dulac and I sat for a rest on the bench and I turned to Dewey and said, “Dewey, we’ve got ‘em! Don’t you feel it?” with my fist clenched in front of his helmet. Dewey let out a huge laugh and at that moment, a yearbook photographer snapped a photo of the two of us. It would end up in the yearbook for that, our senior year.

But the game wasn’t over yet. We led 21-14 but couldn’t keep a drive alive, so punted and UNH took over with just minutes to go. I can’t recall how far they moved the ball, but they were past midfield when we made our stand. They were more of a passing team without Rudolph so we knew what they would try. First and 10 they threw a screen pass to their left and O’Leary drilled the ball carrier for a loss. Second and 14 and they tried to fool us with a draw. Dulac sniffed it out and dropped the ball carrier for another loss. 

Third and 15: drop back pass with their speediest flanker on my side, the wide side of the field, he made a quick inside fake, cut to the sideline, and the ball was in the air. It was my play and it was so clear what I had to do. I had to give the guy some space because he was fast and I couldn’t let him beat me. But it was a long way from the QB to the left sideline and I drove my right leg into the turf and broke on the ball. I dove and was flying horizontally, reaching for the ball. My hand reached the ball just as it reached the receiver’s fingertips and it flew to the ground in front of their bench, incomplete. Fourth and 15 and I can’t recall what they tried next, but it failed, we took over on downs, time expired, and we won. Fiji (Dulac), Fiji (O’Leary), Fiji (me-Collins) made the plays!

So, we had lost to U-Mass and U-Conn, but beaten UNH, Vermont, and URI. We took second in the conference that year, tied with either U-Conn or UNH with U-Mass winning. However, U-Mass was cited later that year with recruiting violations and I thought they had to forfeit their conference championship as a consequence, making Maine co-champion that year. The records don’t show that, however, but I still feel like we had a championship season. Walt Abbott was head coach at Maine for 9 years, and 1969 was his only winning season. 
​
Perge!

Fire, fire!  Ever wonder why electric blankets were banned from the Ram?  Ignoring the issues of possibly overloading the few outlets that were available, perpetually forgetting to shut them off, or questionable wiring throughout the Ram, this modern contrivance would have made those cold nights a pleasure.  But always one to set an example, Brother Holmes was snuggled under such a contrivance and as he often had a propensity to do after a hard night of drinking and other recreational activities, pissed the bed.  Whether it was the electrolytes or water or the hand of god, the blanket shorted and started smoking and may have even caught fire, I don’t recall.  Brother Holmes slept on, others saved the day, but the rule was set in stone.

War is hell.  A confined space, exhaustion, the stress of school work, testosterone, a variety of personalities, and perhaps some alcohol loosened restraint; what could possibly go wrong?  Who knows how these things start, the bombardment of Fort Sumter, the sinking of the Lusitania, the bombing of Pearl Harbor (by the Germans), tanks crossing the 39th parallel, Ram wars.  

I just remember participating in the war of all Ram wars – pillows thrown, body slams, blitzkrieg incursions to other partitioned areas, beds tipped over, it went on for what seemed like an hour.  And remember that other rule about no girls in the Ram?  At one point in the war I dove over a partition from my top bunk to the adjoining top bunk only to hear a double ‘Oomph’; lo and behold Brother Lowell had smuggled his girlfriend Paula into his bed in the Ram and none of us knew it until she became collateral damage.  Another senseless victim of war.

“Trust the Brotherhood”.  What could be more trustful than relying on a brother to perform wake up duty?  Equally important, to have brothers not screw with the wake up tags that hung from the downstairs peg board (although it happened).  Another rule – no alarm clocks in the Ram.  Instead you trusted that one brother who had duty to wake you up at the appointed time so you could make it to class or other appointments.  Perhaps a trivial yet still vital element of the house experience. 
 
Chef, John “JT” Thomas, for those of us from the 80s, JT was much more than a cook.  He was a friend and confidente to many of us and could always be counted on for advise on prom date flowers, exotic (and expensive) room party drinks, the best show tunes to sing for Greek sing, and all of the other challenges that college life created.  He never judged us, no matter how trivial some of our troubles undoubtedly seemed or how misguided we got with alcohol, controlled substances, or the sins of the flesh.  Just imagine what kind of stories he could share; thank goodness we made him a brother.   Does anyone remember the road trips to Tenants Harbor to pick up lobsters for some function or another JT had planned?  

​Meals weren’t just sustenance, they were a demonstration of our ability to self-govern and to control our own destiny; they were a time when we all came together as a brotherhood, to share a limerick and to break bread as a family; and they were a time we could forget about the stress of academia.  

1947 dinner with the house mother

​1979-1980 dinner in the house

​What were your favorites?  For Brother Audie above it was the chocolate chip cookies and the chocolate mousse.  For some it was the warm mini bread loaves glistening in butter, ready to be torn apart and shared.  For others it was the fabled ‘rib night’ where rib coats and rib ties from Salvation Army and Goodwill were de rigor instead of paper napkins.  Yet others like Brother McLean loved ‘taco night’ (taco sauce….whoa!).  And ‘steak night’ far out-shined today’s shoe leather Pig Dinner offerings.  

​His given
Name,
Means
“Well born.”
 
ἀδελφός, οῦ, ὁ,
His middle name,
Means
“Brother”
 
His surname
Means
“Slope”
 
And his
Well-earned
Fraternal
Nickname
 
Means
“Genuine”
“Center Thread”
 
And, even,
Poetically,
“Cherry blossom.”
 
And
Watson and Crick
Would be

​Astounded by
How
Each quality is
 
Lyrically wedded
Within
His DNA

​Helix in
Proportional,
Grace, a
 
Thinking and
Feeling
Heart; a
 
Feeling and
Thinking
Brain.
 
Who,
Peerlessly, wears
Fiji purple,
 
Well
Standing
In front of
 
The Castle,
Under spring
Cumuli, 

​Encircled by
Omega Mu
Brethren,
 
Eminently
Self-possessed,
Self-satisfied,
 
Brother,
With an
Interesting
 
Swooping
Shiva-like
Fluidity of

​Physical syntax:
Body sentient
Yet relaxed,
 
Leaning slightly,
Yielding with
Grace,
 
Brother-
To-brother,
Buttressed
 
And his
Impish
Eyes
 
And
Tide-of-life
Smile.
 
Creating
The perfect
Wordless
 
Pictorial
Fraternal
Bloom

​On our
Snowy sloping
Front lawn
 
Reflecting
What is
Born,
 
Brothers,
Between us,
Now
 
 
 
Is a linked
Fraternal
Kinship
 
Forever through
All the years
Thereafter.
 
Our Well-Born
Eugene
 
Brother
Delphus
 
Slope
Cote
 
But we
Simply call
Him Mao

​“Finest kind”
We like to
Say in Maine

And that
Sums up
Two colourful
 
Omega Mu
Legends:
Phil and Shab

​Who have
Created a
Ribald
 
Blossoming of
Energy and humor
That whirls and
 
Flows through
Them with fervent
Emotional
 
Torque
Since their first
Eyelids-
 
Blinking meeting
In The Castle in
1979 

That has endured
Through the
Refracting
 
Arc of
Years as a
Veritable
 
Truth in
Omega Mu
History as
 
They
Continue to
Offer sensitive,
 
Sensible wisdom
In seeking
Answers,
 
Original in
Conception,
Mind you
 
To the
Lofty
Topics of the
 
Human
Condition of
Being or non-being

​And the profundity
Of their brain-
Knitted
 
Insights float,
Moment-to-moment,
In open-minded
 
Chattering engagement,
Intellectual
Free association,
 
Insightful and
Interesting,
Through
 
Cigar
Smoke and
Clutched

​Cans of Bud
Without a
Scintilla of
 
Rascality or
False
Chumminess
 
As they chop away,
With Ockham’s
Razor,

​Ways to
Simplify
Every
 
Metaphysical
Epistemological and
Ontological 

​Puzzle of
The elemental
Motives of
 
Life
From their
Divergent yet
 
Convergent
Axial of
Fraternal will
 
With no
Mind-boggling,
Flamboyant
 
Language or
Crude curses
Because
 
There is no
Illusion of being
Or non-bing with
 
Phil and Shab:
They simply
Are,
 
Eternal as
Law: inter-
Being

​At all times
Since
1979:
 
An
Emotional thicket;
 
A
Verbal love war;
 
An
Emotional opera

​A modern day
Cain and Abel,
Shab and Phil,

​An undivided,
Contrapuntal
Primal union.
 
Who,
With no
Rehearsed words,
 
Mutually quick
Reflexive gazes,
Gesturing,
 
Beer-clutching
Hands,
Engulfing every-
 
One in a
Boundless web of
Bombastic
 
Joy
As they
Bring a
 
Joyfully
Chromatic
Fiji purple

​Radiance, a
Fiji “Magnificat”
Chant,

​Of their
Committed 
Will to
 
Always
Be-
Omega Mu
 
Fijis with
Unwavering,
Unfettered,
 
Effusive,
Expressiveness
From start
 
To finish
In their
Robust,
 
Soulful
Revelry to
Be
 
The finest
Kind of
Fijis,
 
Shab and Phil

Fraternally,
 
Chip Chapman, ’82
​
Perge!