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Omega Mu Veteran, Charles C. Otterstedt, 1955

2/21/2021

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"Furthering through perseverance"
Our Omega Mu veteran-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 we can all be proud of as Omega Mu Fijis.

Whether it was at 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, Phu Cat, The Iron Triangle, Hamburger Hill, la Drang Valley, Cu Chi, 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 be grateful for the military service of every Omega Mu veteran from the Spanish-American War to the present. Thank you.
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Omega Mu Veteran
Charles C. Otterstedt,
1955

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Omega Mu Years
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University of Maine Baseball
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Charles Otterstedt had a 7-1 record his junior year.
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Captain of the baseball team his senior year.
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Charles C. Otterstedt is leaning on the car wearing the check shirt. 
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Military Career
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He served in the United States Army for 31 years in the Medical Service Corps, and he retired a colonel
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Medical Platoon Leader, 325th Battle Group, 82nd Airborne Adjutant,
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Company Commander, Battalion Commander, 326th Medical Company, 101st Airborne
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Battalion Commander 25th Infantry Division, Vietnam. The headquarters for the 25th Infantry Division was in Cu Chi, Vietnam
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Battalion Commander 25th Infantry Division, Vietnam.
The headquarters for the 25th Infantry Division was in Cu Chi, Vietnam, famous for the extensive tunnels that the vietcong dug.
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He also served in the Office of the Surgeon General in Washington, D.C.
He was awarded the Purple Heart, Legion of Merit, two Bronze Stars for valor, the Soldiers Medal for Heroism, the Army Commendation Ribbon for Valor,  and three Air Medals during his tour with the 25th Infantry Division.
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“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 had in hand.”

(Phi Gamma Delta fraternity song)

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Fraternally,
Chip Chapman, ’82
​Perge

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Fiji Island

2/19/2021

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“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 had in hand.”

(Phi Gamma Delta fraternity song)

Fiji Island
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We all have our personal memories of the traditions that we enjoyed while we lived together in the Castle. First and foremost, they have stayed in our memory, astonishingly. They rise effortlessly and cause us to smile and chuckle with gratitude each time we think about them. They resonate in our memory, still. They glow in our minds-eye, and we do not brush them away, much less suppress them, for each memory is a journey home, a return passage; even better, a homing instinct to a particular place, event, brother, or a group of brothers when you were undergraduate living in the Castle. They all create a great collective story filled with genuine fraternal sentiment, and all the memories cover the emotional spectrum of our years living in the Castle. Take a moment and recall your memories about our Christmas parties, Fiji Island, Pig Dinner, mud bowl, The Fiji 24 Hour Relay Marathon, our formals. Not difficult to do, is it? They give you a sparkle in the eye and an easy smile, I know. It is safe to say that we loved all of them. With each tradition and event, something wonderful happened. These events were the distinctive, fundamental core of our Omega Mu culture. They helped define priorities, daily, weekly, and monthly. Because of the them, we lived with assurance and stability, generatively so. We were deeply tied to these traditions and activities, our uniting chain of events. And, in retrospect, we all believed, appropriately so, that all of our daily and seasonal traditions were structurally important in creating the wonderful fraternal life that we lived in the Castle. They were, and they continue to be the be-all and end-all of our long chain of sustained fraternal good at the University of Maine.

Although there have been many different iterations on our fraternal traditions and activities, all the variant expressions, for the most past, created the basis for the sustained human grace and strength of our fraternal life, all the while knowing that fraternities fare less well when they do not have sustaining traditions. That is painful truth. Our traditions were, and they remain, our sustaining hope because they exist for the common good. The tradition, activities, and duties set the daily, weekly, and seasonal tone of our fraternal life together, in every measured way. Thematically, the traditions, activities, and responsibilities were different. Some were very mundane because the were concerned with daily practical matters, whereas as some were more suspenseful, mysterious and fun like the RAM and Fiji Island, and some were magisterial and dignifying like Pig Dinner and escorting the housemother into dinner. However, all of them made things work within the house and preserved the cooperative and enjoyable world of our Omega Mu life. We enjoyed all of them, and we did not discuss whether they were their relevant, old-fashioned, or out-dated. On the contrary, and I think we would all agree, they were all sensible, reasonable and enjoyable. In retrospect, all of them are the underpinning of our historic success, and they remain relevant now. They established, collectively so, a balanced and cooperative fraternal life for everyone that was satisfying. And, perhaps, it is not far-reaching to say that they shaped us a little for the better. I believe they did. They certainly did not hurt. Simply put, our Omega Mu memories resonate powerfully with all of us, still, because they link generations of Omega Mu Fijis. ​

Clear and distinct Omega Mu memories still cause us to smile and be proud that we are Omega Mu Fijis. We are, as you all know, an exemplary brotherhood. Upon that fact there is no debate. We remain proud of this fact through life, and we have no problem telling others, with fraternal, evangelical pride, that we lived in a beautiful fraternity home with a great group of men during college, and we continue to champion the fraternal life. Furthermore, I am equally sure that we are all thankful for whatever coincidence brought all of us to the front door of the Castle, our historic fraternal home. Thank God we did not turn back!​

We are, rightly so, a brotherhood family. That being said, I believe all Omega Mu Fijis will smile with understanding, in the truest way possible, what Dietrich Bonhoeffer stated about home in Letters and Papers from Prison and; second, what Thomas Jefferson said about lifelong friends:


“Most people have forgotten nowadays what house can mean, though some of us have come to realize it as never before. It is a kingdom of its own in the midst of the world, a stronghold amid life’s storms and stresses, a refuge, even a sanctuary.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer)

“Friends we have, if we have merited them. Those of our earliest years stand nearest in our affections. Our college friends are the dearest.” (Thomas Jefferson)
​

The Fiji Island Party was an Omega Mu fraternal rite-of-spring celebration, a gift if you will, for generations of Omega Mu brothers, and I suspect that every Omega Mu brother has a Fiji Island memory. It was a signature fraternal event each year, and it is certainly an essential memory, still, with all of us, rich and vital. Starting in the early the 1940’s, one tradition, the Fiji Island Party, was borne out of a simple desire for unbridled revelry, and for over forty years it continued. Initially, the location for the party was in the Castle, but by the 1960’s Fiji Island occurred on the lush, sweeping, boulder-strewn beauty of an actual island off of Stonington. In a primitive existentialist sense, it was a blast from Friday to Sunday with something happening throughout the island. It was a special weekend that we were all grateful for. There was a great deal of wanderlust, loose, casual and free-form, in the intimate environment of the island. Brothers walked everywhere, camped everywhere, and simply enjoyed being together on the island. There was always a relaxed energy that was simply fun. It was a well-spent weekend, and it was certainly worth the boat ride to get there and back. It was a spirited, happy, memorable time. Or, as I see it, an adventurous holiday grace of a special sort in our brotherhood. In any case, it was always captivating, and it never disappointed.

The memories of Fiji Island, like the memories of Pig Dinner, mud bowl, dinner traditions, formals, front lawn and Phoenix Lounge activities, and many others, collectively frame a good portrait of our fraternal brotherhood. We sustained these traditions, and, in so doing, we grew stronger and more unified as a brotherhood. That is the simple truth, historically clear and to the point, and we remain unified. The pictures below chronicle the fraternal mood and emotion of our Fiji Island weekend, and as you do so, recall what Bonhoeffer said about home and what Jefferson said about friends. Surely they are accurate statements about our architecturally beautiful fraternal home at the University of Maine, the Castle, and the congenial, life-long fraternal friendships that were shaped by our well-intentioned, well-functioning fraternal traditions. The seamless gift of both has created an enduring brotherhood that has a unique fraternal character all its own, and we cherish both gifts. That is our Omega Mu way. We remain proud of our distinctive history, but we do not rest on our laurels. We press on and continue into our 147th year with enduring Omega Mu persistence and historic sensibility, always looking forward with a determined, restless enthusiasm. That is the heart and soul substance of our fraternal charisma since 1874, an enduring fidelity. Perge.
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....."and once they are engraved upon the memory, woe to him who would endeavor to erase them."
​Goethe

1950's
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1960's
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1962 Fiji Island Party
1970's
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Four Omega Mu Brothers on Fiji Island: L-R (males) Pat Ladd (in back, white shirt), Bob Mennealy (holding a cup), Paul Wood (bandana), and Bill Soloby (sunglasses)
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1980's
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“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 had in hand.”

(Phi Gamma Delta fraternity song)

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Fraternally,
Chip Chapman, ’82
​Perge
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Omega Mu Voices: Mike Concannon, 1990

2/13/2021

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Omega Mu Voices
Mike Concannon,
1990
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Mike Concannon
Omega Mu, 1990

How I took the long way round in becoming a brother:
​I think I’ve got the timeline mostly right here.  My time at the Castle ran from 1986-1990.  Myself, Jon Smith and Phil Jackson were all randomly thrown together all in the Oxford Hall dorms, at the Hilltop complex, in the spring of 1986.  Gary Bresnehan and Don Leonard were in the mix too, but I cannot remember if they were in our building or one of the others in the quad.  Pretty sure Phil was/is a Maine native, Gary was from Pittsfield, MA, Jon from Taunton, MA, and me from Ft. Myers FL but originally from Manchester, NH.

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The usual freshman hijinks commenced, as you would expect. I still remember the impromptu softball games across the street in the open fields, now the Maine Foster Center. I believe this is when John picked up the Pilgrim moniker. Ask him about the shoes with the big buckles. To be fair, this is also the time that I wandered into the wrong bathroom at the dining hall. From what I recall, Jon was the ringleader in steering us towards the Castle. Makes sense as he is a legacy and all that.  We promptly started on the rush/pledge/brother journey, but I hung back a little bit.  I was, admittedly, a bit out of my element at the time, and also had a little bit of a challenge in committing. Not that that’s been a life-long theme or anything! I hung out on the periphery of the goings on at the house for the remainder of the ’86 year.
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Jonathan B. Smith, 1990; David L. Smith, 1961; Jeffrey L. Smith, 1984
I didn’t rush and pledge until the spring of ’87, as I recall.  And, even then, I wound up dropping out partway through. I cannot quite remember completely why, but I do recall things being a bit ‘chippy’ at the house between some of the brothers, as well as some ‘challenges’ in the relationship between the chapter, National and the university.  Regardless, I managed to get my act together and rushed-pledged in the fall of ’87 and getting initiated on 12/4/87, if the date on the back of my pin is accurate.
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Omega Mu Life, 1988-1990
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My strange journey with the US Navy:
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Unlike some of the guys of my era who had a game plan from day one like Jon ‘Woody’ Akoury, Jeff ‘Hutch’ Hutchinson and Joe Leporati, I did not have a single thought in my head about military service.  I only bring this up as it is known I have served, but the details that made it back to the house are hazy and third hand.  In fact, it wasn’t until well after graduation and Gulf War 1 that I went down that road.  My maternal grandfather served in the Navy during WWII, and my Dad served in the Navy, pre-Vietnam.  Dad was all gung-ho for me to do military service right out of high school; my mom, not so much.  Personality wise, I kind of wound up somewhere in between the hard-core disciplinarian and George Carlin’s Hippy Dippy Weatherman.
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Interestingly enough, both my grandfather and my dad started telling me ‘sea stories’ as I got older.  That, along with the realization that if I was going to do military service, I had better do it before I got too old, is what prompted me to finally get off my ass and enlist, but I did it my way.  I enlisted in a Navy program called Sea-Air-Mariner (SAM for short.)  I went through full basic training at NTC Great Lakes in January of 1994. Boy, that was stupid timing on my part, then on to SSC San Diego for A school, and then to Tampa to do the 1 weekend a month/2 weeks a year as a Reservist.  I wound up doing that for just over 20 years and retired in March of 2014 as a Navy Chief.  Pretty uneventful except for the 1 year mobilization in 2013.  But even that was pretty tame in the grand scheme of things.
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Random memories from 4 years at the Castle
Oh boy, plenty of random bits floating around.

Wednesday night 10-2’s: One of which included Jeff Labbee making his infamous appearance as ‘Q-tip.’  A costume made of fishnet worn as a poncho and secured with a belt around the neck.  For some strange reason that completely cleared the foyer of the young women who were on their way in.
Fiji Island ’87​:

​I think I had just dropped as a pledge and was somehow able to go anyway. Me, Pilgrim and Phil walked completely around the island.  Reggie, the boat captain, looking at us like we were a bunch of deranged idiots as he hauled us out to the island.  But our cash was good, so he did not care too much.  Cathy ‘Max Factor’ bringing a curling iron along and not understanding that there was no place for her to use it. Me just bringing a sleeping bag to crash in; great plan until it snowed. Someone took pity on me and let me crash in their tent.
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Christmas parties: Joe Leporati as Santa one year. I have pictures of Wally and Chachi as evil elves somewhere but can’t find them right now.  
  • Lew Gordon as BH one year. During the ‘essay’ portion of the activities he came in an bounced his stick off of one of the dining room tables. It promptly bounced back and knocked out one of his front teeth.  He kept going like nothing happened.
  • Lew’s deranged doberman, Sasha.
  • Squatch and his African Grey parrot and his Python.
  • My super-power mullet haircut that somehow lives on to this day in some of the composite pictures that may still be up in the house.  I made it back for a Pig Dinner a few years ago and it was ‘OMG, it’s that guy!'
  • The bucket of power and slides down the staircase on a snowboard from the Ram.
  • Jeff Tarmy.  Gah.
  • My inability to make it from the Ram to the bathroom.  That poor chair.
  • Yes, it was me who put the itching powder in Hutch’s bed.
  • Randomly finding Phil Jackson’s brother pin after it fell of his shirt at a Fiji Formal one year.  Literally stuck to the bottom of my shoe.
  • ​The Mullin brothers dog Katy who kept getting painted purple and running across the field at football games.
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  • So Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered back in September of 1987. There was a certain semi-core group of us that used to gather around the tv in the basement to watch it on that godawful lumpy, smelly plaid furniture, as well as reruns of the original Star Trek. it was not anything really formalized that I remember, nevertheless we would wind up down there more often than not; you know, instead of studying or doing something productive.  As time went on someone realized that we were subconsciously arranging furniture in a ‘particular’ way, suspiciously similar to the bridge station layout on the Enterprise. ​
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Takeaways:
Despite all the hijinks and the regret that I only lived in the house for 1 year, the 4 years I spent at the Castle is how i was forged in to the person I am today.  There was a bit of a black cloud over the chapter the entire time I was there - some of it self inflicted, some of it part of the overall times.  At times there was a lot more work involved in keeping the chapter afloat than there was in having a good time.  (Some of which I’m still just finding out about today.)  Regardless, we all buckled down and kept things together and still found ways to have fun.  I came out the back-side with a pretty good work ethic along with the ability to still find the humor in dark situations.  Lessons which have served me well over the years.

To steal a line from Jon’s video - ’the constant potential of what you’re going to become.’
​

I’ve only made it back twice since graduating, but in both cases it was great to see exactly that potential in the brotherhood.  There are some things you have to go through and experience when you’re young - it’s part of the journey.  With that, it’s been great to see the legacy of the house continue.
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“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 had in hand.”
​(Phi Gamma Delta fraternity song)
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Fraternally,
Chip Chapman, ’82
​Perge

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Omega Mu Athlete Portrait: George P. Dulac, 1970

2/13/2021

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“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 had in hand.”

(Phi Gamma Delta fraternity song)

There is no fraternal brotherhood like Omega Mu at the University of Maine. We have been a proud fraternal team, in the truest sense of the word, since 1874. Quite simply, we are proud of the beauty of the Castle and our unparalleled fraternal history at the university, and we continue to succeed because we have resilient spirit and aim to succeed in all areas: socially, academically, social service, and athletically.

​Athletically, we have had many fraternal brothers who were bona fide athletes on many Maine teams since the very beginning of the university’s athletic history, when the teams were called the Mamelouks and not the Black Bears. That is a heady athletic legacy.

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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.
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So, we must remember these QTV and Omega Mu brothers with fraternal amplitude because these brothers, with sound unflinching desire and instinct, are part of our proud athletic at the University of Maine. Their considerable accomplishments claim our fraternal attention and respect, and they show us something fundamental about character and life. Therefore, we gratefully remember and celebrate our QTV and Omega Mu brothers who participated on many varsity athletic teams at the University of Maine. Our fraternal athletic scorecard is historically long and deep: QTV and Omega Mu Fiji athletes.
Omega Mu Athlete,
George P. Dulac,

1970

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Omega Mu Years
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1968 mud bowl. Back Row: Spook, Andrew Flaherty, Dave Smith, John Rhodes, Jimmy Dunn, Glenn Smith, Paul Dulac?, John Dolan, George Wiest, Jim Chaplin. Front Row: Ernie Niles, ?, Bob Duetsch, Robert Van Dyke, Tyler Libby, George Thomas, Jack McBrayne
Omega Mu Housemothers, 1966-1970
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Ruth C. Hammond, Alma Pratt, Clara Hammond
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Paul Dulac

University of Maine Football
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When the Freshman Football Recruits arrived on campus in August of 1966, I think I was not alone in being unable to see beyond the 3 weeks of grueling preseason looming ahead. What we didn’t know at the time was that the seed of a new brotherhood had been sown and was being nurtured with every passing day.

Forty young men ranging in age from 18 to 25 years old descended on UMO’s campus that August determined to play Freshman Football for the University. We came from all over New England, New York, New Jersey and some most recently from Vietnam. This class was eerily similar to the UMO Freshman class of  1945-46. In each case 18 year old kids found themselves coming together with war veterans to form a freshman class.


Jimmy Fitzgerald, ex-paratrooper for the 82nd Airborne played on the defensive side of the ball that late summer. Famous for saying “God, this is fun” in the midst of the rest of us throwing up after doing wind-sprints. At the time none of us thought that maybe jumping into the jungle while being shot at by North Vietnamese Regulars might be a little more daunting than our rigorous practices.

Johnny Rhodes (71), Staff Sargent, USMC had returned from tours as a Jar Head leader in the jungles of Vietnam in 1967, only months before landing on the UMO campus. He wanted to play football for the Bears. The veterans of this era were all about 24 years old on average and had seen much more of life than the rest of us strapping on shoulder pads at the same time. I remember all of this like it was yesterday but it was 56 years ago.

On a warm late August afternoon in “66”, Freshman Football players gathered at the Student Union relaxing in shorts and flip flops. We were looking at the recent female arrivals on campus.  It was nice to see the fairer sex after weeks of tackling guys in the dirt.  The conversation that afternoon centered not on girls, but on fraternity rushing.

The fraternity brothers from various houses were already starting to recruit freshman football players. The “Jock Houses” on campus at the time were Phi Mu, Kappa Sig, Phi Eta and Sigma Chi. Phi Gamma Delta, as a recruiting house was conspicuously absent.  Many of us were not particularly interested in the houses most active in asking us to consider pledging. Almost simultaneously a few of us asked each other this question, “why don’t we pick a Fraternity and all pledge it so we can stay together over the next four years?” Many laughed at the notion but some of us didn’t. We were seriously considering the idea that we could further our relationship with one another off the field as well as on it. “Why not?’ Just because it hadn’t been done before….?”

FIJI was not in the running initially because Grant Watkins was the only FIGI brother playing football. Everyone liked Grant a lot but other houses had 12 to 15 football player brothers all of whom were working on us at once. The Freshman Football Team for the next month or two continued to discuss the notion as we visited all the “Greek Getaways”.  We partied and attended the social events.  The process of elimination was almost unconscious; certainly not deliberate but eventually crept to the surface: “Let’s give FIJI a try!”

At the end of the day, “wet behind the ears” 18 year olds like me partnered up with other Freshman Football Players. We arrived at the “Castle” fully prepared to take it over, sort of?  We engaged in Hell Week activities, many conducted by my future brother-in-law, Tyler Libby, (Uncle Ty Ty’s Tasty Treats) and in spite of all this brotherly love we continued to laugh our way through it.  Johnnie Rhodes seemed to chuckle his way through spitting the fire out in 67.

I remember my 1966-67 UMO Freshman football team FIJI Pledge Class very well. We began as brothers on the gridiron and then continued as FIJI brothers.  Today we sometimes see each other in April at Pig dinner and reminisce on these times; they are some of my fondest of memories. You may recognize some of these very grand brothers: the late Johnnie Rhodes(honorary 66 pledge class member), John Collins, Mike O’Leary, Tony Flaherty, Johnny Kimball, Paul Pooler and myself. Perge’
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Paul Dulac: FIJI Pledge Class of 66-67
Captain of the University of Maine football team, 1969
UMO 1966-1970
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Freshman Team
Fiji Brothers: 
John Collins, Paul Pooler, Paul Dulac, Anthony Flaherty, John Kimball. 
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Varsity Team, 1967
Fiji Brothers: 
Paul Dulac, #55; John Collins, #41; Mike O'Leary, #89; John Kimball, #68, Grant Watkins, #23; Paul Pooler, #54
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Varsity Team, 1968
Fiji Brothers: ​Grant Watkins, Paul Dulac, Mike O'Leary, Dick Paganucci, ​Richard Rhodes, John Collins, Paul Pooler, John Kimball, Chris Eaton. 
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Varsity Team, 1969
Fiji Brothers: 
​Paul Pooler, Captain Paul Dulac, John Collins, John Rhodes, Chris Eaton, Dick Paganucci, Pat Ladd, Paul Roy, Jim Hayes, John Kimball, Dick Rhodes, Ed O'Bara, John Zinno. 
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All Fiji Football Team, 1968
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Paul Dulac and John Collins
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Furthering through perseverance”
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Fraternally,
Chip Chapman, ’82

​Perge

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Fraternal Portrait: Nathaniel E. Wilson, 1888

2/7/2021

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“Furthering through perseverance”
Our brothers’ careers have been productive, constructive, spirited, and prosaic. They displayed impressive skills, talents, and abilities They were, and we continue to be, a beautiful and lively expression of our enduring fraternal beliefs, and that underlying harmony is far-reaching in expectation for all brothers’, undergraduate and graduate. It is the core of what our fraternal founders asserted in 1848 and 1874 and 1899: to live active, commendable, and responsible lives, and to build up community. Clearly and compellingly, they added, and continue to add, positive value at the local, state, national, global, and fraternal level because they engaged life fully and responsibly. In short, they were authoritative pillars throughout life. They were-are exemplary in their citizenship, character, and their sense of dutiful responsibility, and, in many instances, they were leading voices in their career fields. They prove that success of any kind does not occur by luck or accident, and we remember them because they continue to provide that message for our time. We have long been, from one generation to the next, proud to be Omega Mu Fijis. We continue to cherish our fraternal friendships, our shared memories, and our evolving, forward-focused history at the University of Maine. These things, above and beyond everything else, are the underlying rooted connections that make us proud to be Omega Mu Fijis. Why, after all, should we believe otherwise? We have been doing it well since 1874, and we will continue to do so. Perge.
Fraternal Portrait:
Nathaniel E. Wilson,

1888

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Maine State College, 1888
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The second Q.T.V. Chapter Hall where Nathaniel E. Wilson would have lived his senior year, 1887-1888. This picture was taken during graduation week activities in the early 1890's.
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The second Q.T.V. Chapter Hall is first on the left, behind Coburn Hall and next to Holmes Hall. 
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A portion of the 1891 map of the campus. #9 is Coburn Hall, #10 is the second Q.T.V. Chapter Hall, and #11 is Holmes Hall.  
His Q.T.V. Brothers
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Harry Butler and Dudley E. Campbell
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William J.Hancock and John W. Hatch
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Charles L. Phillips and Frank A. Smith
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Managing Editor of the campus paper, The Cadet.
Class Day 
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Senior speeches at the 1888 Maine State College graduation.
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The year after he graduated from Maine State College, Nathaniel E. Wilson spent one year as an assistant chemist at the University of Vermont Agricultural Experiment Station.
TAfter working one year in New Jersey, Nathaniel Wilson moved to Reno, Nevada, and taught at Nevada State, later the University of Nevada. Over the course of the next fifty years, Nathaniel Wilson became a beloved citizen in Reno as an educator, author, civic leader, and business owner. He was a rugged individualist who succeeded in the aforementioned fields because he believed in the dignity and worth of hard, honest work. And, from all indications, Nathaniel Wilson was a great man, a humanitarian. He was poised and authentic, and he exhibited a soundness of good judgement and a steady fidelity in all of his professional endeavors, undergirded by an inborn grace and depth of human feeling in dealing with his students, colleagues, business associates, and the citizens of Reno. And, to be honest, to do both is an accomplishment. Consequently, he had a far-reaching effect in always working for, and ultimately achieving, the greater good for the University of Nevada, the city of Reno, and his business, The N.E. Wilson Drug Company. He contributed to the welfare of so many people that he established a positive, enduring public image, acclaim even, and it was authentic. If truth be known, in my view, Nathaniel E. Wilson unswervingly lived up to our conventional fraternal wisdom, our shaping fraternal wisdom, that we always embracingly claim we believe in as Omega Mu Fijis: persistence and determination. These two words comprise the beautiful historic arc of our fraternal success at the University of Maine. They are simple, wise words, and we are unwilling to give up in believing in them. Broadly speaking, time and again, these bedrock fraternal words of courage that demand work and effort have produced outstanding accomplishments in our brotherhood, whether as undergraduate or graduate brothers. Single-mindedly, as Omega Mu Fijis, we would not have it any other way, and we are better off for it. Quite simply, we do not give up, and with faithfulness, patience, and good work we continue into our 147th fraternal year because there is no alternative, and there never will be because that is not our way. Nathaniel E. Wilson understood them, professed them, lived them, and increased them throughout his life, and he lived a long and dignified life, dying in 1961 at the age of 94. One of Saint Paul's best assertions in the New Testament encapsulates the ideal and the reality of  our Omega Mu history and the lived-life testimony of Nathaniel E. Wilson: "You are the evidence of which you speak." Below is a small portion of a newspaper article about Nathaniel E. Wilson that echoes the sentiment of Saint Paul and our enduring fraternal beliefs:

“The influence he wields point to him as an outstanding example of what a man earns when he lives his life as a trust, set up in accordance with certain definite principles from which no deviation is permitted. For though he is not rich in world goods, he is one of the world’s wealthiest men in public esteem, confidence, and reputation for honesty and integrity which no man can attack…the reputation of Wilson must be earned, and there’s only one way it can be earned, by being the kind of person he is.”
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Educator at the University of Nevada
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Head of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Nevada
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Author
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​President of the N. E. Wilson Drug Company
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N. E. Wilson Drug Company bottles
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His pharmacy journal
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Omega Mu Brother
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Our Omega Mu brothers: Nathaniel E. Wilson and John W. Hatch, 1888
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“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 song)

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Fraternally,
Chip Chapman, ’82
​Perge

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Omega Mu Veteran Brother, Joseph S. Boulos, 1941

1/31/2021

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​Our Omega Mu veteran-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 we can all be proud of as Omega Mu Fijis. 
Whether it was at 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 be grateful for the military service of every Omega Mu veteran from the Spanish-American War to the present. Thank you.

Our Omega Mu 
​
Veteran Brother,
Joseph S. Boulos, 1941

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“Therefore, since we are surrounded  by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off ever hindrance and run with perseverance the race marked out for us.”
It is something to ponder, isn’t it, a cloud of witnesses. This QTV-Omega Mu brotherhood has a large cloud of witnesses since 1874, and one of them is Joseph Sebastian Boulos. Joe moved beyond the predictable and the safe to confront the evil and violence stalking the world. He left the familiar and comfortable of his fraternal life in this house with his brothers; and, most importantly, the abiding love of his family to pursue something bigger with courage of conviction because he held fast to the good. That is greatness. Joe’s military career during World War II was distinguished in navigating the tracer and flak-filled sky between England and France and Germany as a navigator in a B-24 Liberator with courage, hope, and persistent resolve. He risked it all, but as

Friedrich Schiller so clearly stated, “To save all, you must risk all.” That is a sobering truth. Joe knew that, and without any fear and trembling he chose the risk of trusting in the winning gamble for the power of good to prevail over evil. He stood tall; he stood firmly in doing his part in making darkness yield before light. He was an exemplary witness, to my way of thinking, of the costly grace of service to humanity and our nation for the good to prevail. 
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Omega Mu Years
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Joe is wearing the Sinatra style hat
Military Years
  • Navigator of a B-24 Flying Fortress with the 704th Squadron of the 446th Bombardment Group during World War II
  • Based in Flixton, England
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Left picture: Joe is on the right; right picture: Joe is the third one in from the right
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Targets included U-boat installations at Kiel, the port at Bremen, a chemical plant at Ludwigshafen, ball bearing works at Berlin, aero-engine plants at Rostock, aircraft factories at Munich, the marshalling yard at Coblenz, the motor works at Ulm, and the oil refineries at Hamburg and Magdeburg. 
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Flight crew of the “Plastered Bastard”
Bombing Runs
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446th on a bombing run to Gotha, Germany
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U-boats destroyed in Kiel, Germany
Crash of the "Dragon Lady"
  • Joe was killed during a planned afternoon bombing run when the “Dragon Lady” crashed on take-off, killing everyone on board, on April 27th, 1944.
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  • Joe was awarded the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters for bravery
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Honoring the 446th Bomb Group
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St. Mary’s Church Honoring the 446th Bomb Group
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Joseph Sebastian Boulos Library
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“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)
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Fraternally,

Chip Chapman, ’82
​
Perge!
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Omega Mu Voices: Chain

1/31/2021

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“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)
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“Chain, chain, chain” 
​
Chip Chapman
Omege Mu, 1982


Historically,
It is w
orth
Pondering,

Is it not,
The long
Interesting


Chain of 
Omega
Mu 

Nicknames, our
Deep-rooted
Folkloric

Fiji tradition,
The human
Bread of

Our brotherhood
That dates
Back to

Our Q.T.V 
Foundating
In 1874,

And has
Has remained
A linking

Fraternal strength,
Nickname-
To-nickname,

One-by-
One, in

Linked

Historic
Form, like
Verse, in

Helping creating
A wonderful
Fraternal

Pulse of
Fraternal cheer
And good

Humor within
Our Omega
Mu

Brotherhood
And life-
Long

Friendships,
And, when
It is all

Said and done,
That,
Over the long-

Haul of 
Life, means
More than

Anything. 
But, 
Thankfully,

We do

Not have
Low-

Brow, common
Pedestrian
Names t
hat

Are empty, 
Irreverent and
Sordid like

Weasel, Mothball
Pinto, Stork,
D-Day, Flounder.

And, god bless
Belushi’s hilarious 
Soul,

A Bluto, an
Exemplary fraternity
Man who

Famously s
houted,
With evangelical
Fraternal

Fervor, his 
Rhodes Scholar
Historical intellect

On full
Delta House
Display:

“Was i
t
Over when

The Germans

Bombed 
Pearl
Harbor? 
Hell
No!”


Likewise,
Hell no, our
Omega Mu 

Nicknames have
Always been
Refreshing and

Ennobling with
William F.
Buckley gravitas:

Rich and
High-minded
With urbane

Wit, c
lass,
Style, and

Civilizing

Good t
aste and
High intellectual 
Import,

And w
ere
Arrived at
Through An

Inscrutably
Sober, 
Clear-eyed

Divination
Process from
Antiquity,

Grounded in
Deep spiritual
And

Philosophical
Matters; not

A trivial process,

Mind you, but
A sacred
Rite full of

Mystery and
Magic, 
Nobility and

Purpose that
Takes calm,
Scrutinizing

Care, time,
And patience,
Literally

Soul-
Searching, 
In order to


Discern
The refined
Fraternal 

Essence of
Each 

Omega Mu

Brother in
The face-to-
Face l
ife within

The architectural
Charm of 
The 
Castle, 

And these
Names endure
Link-to-fraternal


Link, generation-
To-generation-
Due to

Their rich,
​
Rhythmic, 
Resonating

Good taste,
And soulful
Profundity


That we
Cherish and
Reverence in


Our seamlessly
Linked

Omega Mu 

​
Brotherhood,
And, quite

Naturally,

Amusing
And
Bemusing,

They spark
Fraternal
Joy and pride:

Shitball, Sluggo, The Missing Link,
The Spook, Dusty, Swampy Pond, 
The S.P, Humpy, Dippy, 

T. Pictum Pursch, Natty Bumpo, Jordan the Lion,
Allie, Judge, Lengthy,
Lamb, Sin, Pater 


Gloomy, Puss, Froggie, 
Wizard, Bopper, BVD, 
Chappy, Clyde Crash-cup, 

Gangster, Hazey, Marks-a-lot,
McCerebral, Pecadora, Pizza, 
Sola, Solu, Swampy, 

Hog, Leo, Dewey, 
Farrar, Hazbro, Gandhi, 
Mongo, Shetland, Spike, 

Shoes, Sweetie, Scud, 
Big Daddy, Skillsaw, Bug, 
Jughead, Cranium, Granddad, 

Popeye, Razor, Ant-Man. 
Philthy, Shab, Homer, 
Whoa, B.F., Scooter, 

Bean Hole, Swany, Fella,
Toad, Mad Dog, Stick,
Buckwheat, Garland, Bart,

Stroutie, BoBo, Snake, 
Weasel, Shack, Bunny, 
Tuner, Palu, Jag, T, 

Rip, Jock, Dr. Cook, 
Huddy, Wafer, Grace, 
Baldy, Infant, Hoot,

Jingles, Scout, Morrgy, 
Shorty, Hoss, Prep, 
Count, Sasquatch, Snap, 

Harpo, Beaver, Stevo, 
Smitty, No Hair, Grape Nut, 
Drool, Buster, Sleep, 

Toots, General, Stiff, 
Sphinx, Spanky, Hashi Mura,
Puffy, Love, Ding-Dong,

Brick, Yap, Bitter, 
Slicker, Soup, Cubby, 
Mama Colucci, Munchie, Squire, 

Father, Capt., Ikey, 
Prunes, Fang, Flea,
Lumpy, Stork, Bosco,

Thug, Pat Me Groin, Root,
Dogger, Yorkie, Red Wolf, 
Sister, Froggie, Scrapper,

Sut, Cat, Rat,
Zin, Zip, Zinc, 
And Mao,

Never to
Be forgotten,
Secure in the

Rich tapestry
Of our historic 
Omega Mu memory

“Because you can
Have something that
Lasts throughout your life.” (Jerry Garcia)

And that is the
Heartfelt human of
“Perfection and grace” (Steely Dan)

Of our linked
Fraternal
Brotherhood, 

One generation
After another,
Eternal as

Law in being

Spiritually
Linked with


Our historic 
Past and the
Present link

 
Of o
ur
147 year 
Fraternal year,

An unbroken 
Brotherhood
Chain of

Fraternal well-
Being o
f good,
Decent,


Perseverant and
Determined
Men linked

By one noble,
Enduring,
Historically

Resonating
Name, the 
Best name,

Always,
Unapologetically
And proudly,

In heart 
And
Head,

Omega Mu 
Fijis,
The best

Fraternal
Expression of
Brotherhood

At the
University of
Maine since

1874.
Perge
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Fraternally,
Chip Chapman, '82
​Perge
0 Comments

Omega Mu Athlete Portrait, Thomas W. Golden, 1955

1/29/2021

0 Comments

 
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“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)
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There is no fraternal brotherhood like Omega Mu at the University of Maine. We have been a proud fraternal team, in the truest sense of the word, since 1874. Quite simply, we are proud of the beauty of the Castle and our unparalleled fraternal history at the university, and we continue to succeed because we have resilient spirit and aim to succeed in all areas: socially, academically, social service, and athletically. Athletically, we have had many fraternal brothers who were bona fide athletes on many Maine teams since the very beginning of the university’s athletic history, when the teams were called the Mamelouks, not the Black Bears. That is a long-rooted athletic legacy at the University of Maine.
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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 proud.
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​So, we must remember these QTV and Omega Mu brothers with fraternal amplitude because these brothers, with sound unflinching desire and instinct, are part of our proud athletic at the University of Maine. Their considerable accomplishments claim our fraternal attention and respect, and they show us something fundamental about character and life. Therefore, we gratefully remember and celebrate our QTV and Omega Mu brothers who participated on many varsity athletic teams at the University of Maine. Our fraternal athletic scorecard is historically long and deep: QTV and Omega Mu Fiji athletes.
Omega Mu Athlete,
Thomas W. Golden,

1955

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Football
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Tom is 67 on the back row.
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Sophomore year
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Junior Year
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Senior year
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Tom, the right guard, is third from the left.
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Tom Golden, 66
All Yankee Conference First Team
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All Fiji Football Team
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All American
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Golf
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Captain of the golf team his senior year.
University of Maine Athletic Hall of Fame
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Maine Sports Hall of Fame

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"Furthering through perseverance"
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Fraternally,
Chip Chapman, ’82

Perge

0 Comments

Spanish-American War Veterans

1/28/2021

0 Comments

 
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Whether it was at San Juan Hill, Santiago de Cuba, Sulu Archipelago, Chateau-Thierry, Verdun, El Guettar, Elba, Monte Della Vedetta, the Battle of the Bulge, Rabaul, Inchon, Pusan, Chosin Reservoir, Pork Chop Hill, Hue, Phu Cat, The Iron Triangle, Hamburger Hill, la Drang Valley, 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 be grateful for the military service of every Omega Mu veteran from the Spanish-American War to the present. Thank you.
Omega Mu
Veteran Brothers:
Spanish-American War

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​​Mark L. Hersey fought in the Spanish-American War, and he saw action in Santiago, Cuba.

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Charles C. Scott was a sergeant in the First Maine Regiment, U.S. Volunteers during the Spanish-American War. A plaque in Coburn Hall honors him and three other University of Maine men who died during the war.
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Edmund Clark served in the United States Signal Corps during the Spanish-American War.
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​Charles S. Bartlett served in the United States Navy during the Spanish-American War.

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George Hutchinson was a sergeant in 10th Pennsylvania Volunteer Regiment during the Spanish-American War.
Our Omega Mu veteran-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 we can all be proud of as Omega Mu Fijis.
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“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)
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Fraternally,
Chip Chapman, ’82
​Perge

0 Comments

Omega Mu Christmas Party

1/28/2021

0 Comments

 
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"A place that goes on whether you are there or not, that you come back to and find waiting with a welcome.”
We all have our personal memories of the traditions that we enjoyed while we lived together in the Castle. First and foremost, they have stayed in our memory, astonishingly. They rise effortlessly and cause us to smile and chuckle with gratitude each time we think about them. They glow in our minds-eye, and we do not hurry to rush them away, much less suppress them, for each memory is a journey home, a return passage; even better, a homing instinct to a particular place, event, brother, or a group of brothers when you were undergraduate living in the Castle. All the memories cover the emotional spectrum of our years living in the Castle. Take a moment and recall your memories about our Christmas parties, Fiji Island, Pig Dinner, Mud Bowl, The Fiji 24 Hour Relay Marathon, our formals. Not difficult to do, is it? They give you a sparkle in the eye and an easy smile, I know. Its safe to say that we loved all of them. With each tradition and event, something wonderful happened. These events were the distinctive, fundamental core of our Omega Mu culture. They helped define priorities, daily, weekly, and monthly. Because of the them, we lived with assurance and stability, generatively so. We were deeply tied to these traditions and activities, our uniting chain of events. And, in retrospect, we all believed, appropriately so, that all of our daily and seasonal traditions were all structurally important in creating the wonderful fraternal life that we lived in the Castle through all the years that we lived in the Castle. They were, and they continue to be the be-all and end-all of our historically long chain of sustained fraternal good at the University of Maine since 1874. ​
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Although there have been many different iterations on our fraternal traditions and activities, all the variant expressions, for the most past, have created the basis for a wonderful fraternal life, all the while knowing that fraternities fare less well when they do not have good, sustaining traditions. Our traditions were, and they remain, our sustaining hope because they exist for the common good. The tradition, activities, and duties set the daily, weekly, and seasonal tone of our fraternal life together, in every measured way. Thematically, the traditions, activities, and responsibilities were different. Some were very mundane because the were concerned with daily practical matters, whereas as some were more suspenseful, mysterious and fun like the RAM and Fiji Island, and some were magisterial and dignifying like Pig Dinner and escorting the housemother into dinner. However, all of them made things work within the house and preserved the cooperative and enjoyable world of our Omega Mu life. We enjoyed all of them, and we did not discuss whether they were their relevant, old-fashioned, or out-dated. On the contrary, and I think we would all agree, they were all sensible, reasonable and enjoyable. In retrospect, all of them are the underpinning of our historic success, and they remain relevant now. They established, collectively so, a balanced and cooperative fraternal life for everyone that was satisfying. And, perhaps, it is not far-reaching to say that they shaped us a little for the better. I believe they did. They certainly did not hurt. Simply put, our Omega Mu memories resonate powerfully with all of us, still, because these events and traditions link generations of Omega Mu Fijis. ​
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Clear and distinct Omega Mu memories still cause us to smile and be proud that we are Omega Mu Fijis. We are, as you all know, an exemplary brotherhood. What’s more, that is a certain historic fact and truth since 1874. Upon that fact there is no debate. We remain proud of this fact through life, and we have no problem telling others, with fraternal, evangelical pride, that we lived in a beautiful fraternity home with a great group of men during college, and we continue to champion the fraternal life. Furthermore, I am equally sure that we are all thankful for whatever coincidence brought all of us to the front door of the Castle, our historic fraternal home. Thank God we did not turn back!

​We are, rightly so, a brotherhood family. That being said, I believe all Omega Mu Fijis will smile with understanding, in the truest way possible, what Dietrich Bonhoeffer stated about home in Letters and Papers from Prison:
​“Most people have forgotten nowadays what house can mean, though some of us have come to realize it as never before. It is a kingdom of its own in the midst of the world, a stronghold amid life’s storms and stresses, a refuge, even a sanctuary.”
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It is fitting to recall the fraternal feel of all the sights, sounds, smell, laughter, and joy of our annual Christmas party in our stately Castle. We can see Brother Santa, fraternally and spiritually intoxicated, delivering well-sauced remarks to all the brothers gathered in the dinning room, all of them smiling and merry. The groans, smiles, sights, and laughter of the evening were timeless. Indeed, in sight and sound, it was always a wonderful evening, and we still contemplate how Santa made it through the evening. It was high performance art, spirited in all the right, indulgent ways. To be fair, we were all, in one way or another, uplifted by the fraternal warmth and humor the entire evening. It was vintage Omega Mu Fiji. There certainly was no malaise, only a deeply felts sense of brotherly well-being, cheerfulness, and fraternal contentment in being together in the Castle. In fraternal mood and emotion, the pictures show The Merry Heart, to use a Robertson Davies book title, of our Omega Mu brotherhood, and that is what matters the most. 

We all hail from 79 College Avenue, home of the oldest and best fraternal brotherhood at the University of Maine, and that is the best Omega Mu memory. It is who we proudly are, without qualification. But, again, we all know that. Merry Christmas, Omega Mu Brothers. Let your Christmas memories rise and surface, and enjoy the resonating sound and color of the following Christmas Party homage pictures. They are everlasting. Perge. 
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“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)
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"A place that goes on whether you are there or not, that you come back to and find waiting with a welcome.”
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Fraternally,
Chip Chapman, ’82

​Perge

0 Comments
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