Monson Academy

Foxcoft Academy

James N. Hart is first on the left, front row

James N. Hart is first on the right, third row

Fraternally,
​Chip Chapman, ’82
Perge!

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. These things, above and beyond everything else, are the underlying rooted connections that make us proud to be Omega Mu Fijis for the past 120 years.
 
Unreservedly, these Omega Mu brothers’ are worthy of emulation because of who they were, what they achieved in their respective careers, and in their fraternal dedication in providing timely, relevant, and practical advice through many years of brotherly service to our Omega Mu chapter. They were especially helpful during times when our fraternal reputation was tarnished. Each of them were a vital component advocating for the good of fraternal life throughout their respective lives because they believed that fraternal life can be a life-changing experience for the good for all young men, always. Due to their authentic and genuine character, and the unreserved nature with all of their commitments, these Omega Mu brothers are witnesses to our proud fraternal history at the University of Maine. In fraternal doctrine and practice, year-after-year, their actions had a far-reaching effect in sustaining our deep-rooted fraternal kinship at Maine. They are telling portraits of the life-long good of fraternal life, and they continue to shine for us today, and we say thank you again and again for their manifold achievements and the indispensable role they each played in our history. 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. Why, after all, should we believe otherwise? We have been doing it well for 120 years, and we will continue to do so.
Perge!

Dave Rand, 4th row: second left

Dave Rand, 3rd row: seventh from right

Dean Rand’s letter about our linked Omega Mu brotherhood

Fraternally,
Chip Chapman, 82
Perge!

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. These things, above and beyond everything else, are the underlying rooted connections that make us proud to be Omega Mu Fijis for the past 120 years.
 
Unreservedly, these Omega Mu brothers’ are worthy of emulation because of who they were, what they achieved in their respective careers, and in their fraternal dedication in providing timely, relevant, and practical advice through many years of brotherly service to our Omega Mu chapter. They were especially helpful during times when our fraternal reputation was tarnished. Each of them were a vital component advocating for the good of fraternal life throughout their respective lives because they believed that fraternal life can be a life-changing experience for the good for all young men, always. Due to their authentic and genuine character, and the unreserved nature with all of their commitments, these Omega Mu brothers are witnesses to our proud fraternal history at the University of Maine. In fraternal doctrine and practice, year-after-year, their actions had a far-reaching effect in sustaining our deep-rooted fraternal kinship at Maine. They are telling portraits of the life-long good of fraternal life, and they continue to shine for us today, and we say thank you again and again for their manifold achievements and the indispensable role they each played in our history. 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. Why, after all, should we believe otherwise? We have been doing it well for 120 years, and we will continue to do so.
Perge!

Wilbur A. Bumps

“Natty” Bumps and “T Pictum Pursh” Colesworthy

Dr. Wilbur A. Bumps

Fraternally,
Chip Chapman, ’82
Perge!

​Anthony Flaherty
Omega Mu
 
Thank you for sharing the words from Dewey.  They brought back memories of my football "career" at UMO.  Note that the word "career" is in all lower case letters.  That's for good reason.
When I got to Orono in August of '66, I was looking forward to playing football.  The first several days of practice gave me several first impressions, of my future Fiji brethren, and of myself.  I should take a second to note that the squad picture of the Freshman Football team included in Dewey's musings was missing Mike O'Leary.  

​Mike had blown out his knee a few days prior to the squad picture, and was recovering, I believe, from ACL surgery in the Infirmary.  Mike and I had been playing next to each other on the right side of the defensive line.  We would commiserate about the heat, the black flies, our mutual thirst for cold brew, et cetera. We would also bitch about a conditioning drill that was a favorite of Coach Bob Pickett's where one had to stand on one foot, reach behind with one hand and grab the opposite foot, and hop one-footed backward and forward and side-to-side for what seemed like forever, and then do the same thing on the other leg.  It was murder. The day O'Leary got hurt, the first day in preseason, we did nor do that drill.  Mike always said that he thought that not doing the drill somehow set him up for his injury.
 
That was a pretty good bunch of future Zobes.  O'Leary went on to start at defensive end for a couple of varsity years before breaking his leg.  John  Kimball was about 180 pounds of gristle and spit at linebacker, who somehow or other managed to get to the ball carrier every time while looking like he was never in a hurry, and tough.  

​John Collins looked like a perfect combination of an Eagle Scout and an altar boy, until it came time to hit someone.  

​And, of course, Dulac.  Not a big guy, by any means, but one of the best football players I ever knew.  He was undersized, half-blind, and I have a memory of Dewey wearing a pair of black rubber 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle' styled goggles that he wore until contact lens technology caught up to his vision, and lean and mean for a defensive lineman.  He was fundamentally perfect. He would fire off the ball, low, diagnose what was going on and get in the middle of the play, every time, all the while giving away 30-50 pounds to whomever was trying, notice I said “trying”  to block him. Future captain of the Bears.

​I remember our first game was against Bridgton Academy.  It was a warm, humid late September afternoon.  They were fucking HUGE.  I think their offensive and defensive lines averaged over 250#.  They kind of had their way with us for the first half, but wilted in the second half.  It was 14-0 at the half, and we beat them 21-14. I remember my life-long best friend, a guy named Mike Doyle, played nose tackle for Bridgton that game, head up over Paul Pooler.  After the game, he said that he'd never been hit so low playing football.   I got moved from defense to offense in the second half, and never got back on the defensive side of the ball again.  We went on to play Colby, Bowdoin, and the BU freshmen.  We lost to BU, I think by a score of 14-6.  My biggest memory of that game was when future San Francisco 49er All-Pro Bruce Taylor intercepted a little pass over the middle.  There was no place for him to run, no place at all, except right at me.  He was literally two feet away from me when I made the mistake of putting my head down to make the tackle.  I still don't know how he evaded me, but he did.  I never touched him.

​Anyhow, the season served to humble me as a football player.  And then a Perfect Storm of personal shortcomings hit me: lack of discipline, laziness, monumental immaturity, and, I had no drive whatsoever to do any of the work it might have taken, maybe, to make me better.  After spring football, where I got my ass handed to me on a daily basis, reinforced everything I suspected about my chances going forward, I gave up football, but the friends I made on the field, in the dorms, and within the Castle served me in good stead. 

​I never got to play with John Rhodes.  My football days were over by the time he got to UMO.  But he's a story unto himself, another undersized defensive lineman.  I am not sure he never weighed over 200 pounds, but he was tough beyond description, and an athlete. The story was that on the first day of varsity preseason, everyone had to run a mile.  If a player could not do a mile in 6:00 or less, he had to come out before practice every day until he could make that time.  In the year in question, John Rhodes had the fasted time on the squad.  I think he ran about 5:20; a defensive lineman, which is astounding enough until you factor in that he smoked at least a pack of unfiltered Camels a day. One of my all-time favorite guys, always smiling.

Well, that's that.  Sorry to be long-winded, but this brought back some good times.
​Flaherty
Perge! 

​Richard M. Paganucci
Omega Mu, 1971
 
I wanted to add a few words on my dear long departed friends, Rick ‘Dusty’ and John Rhodes and a couple of other points, which will be rather long & convoluted so I beg your Indulgence. 

I have to start with my life long friend, George Paul Dulac - ‘Dewey’, one of the nicest people on the planet. He and I go back to third grade in grammar school, St Mary’s in Augusta, Maine. Sports were a big part of our lives, and we could not wait to play football in high school. Dewey even played basketball while at St Mary’s. He was a rebounding animal as you could imagine.

​Dusty and I we’re planning to live in the house our sophomore year with John Nale and Tommy Richardson. Dusty called me during the summer with a change of plans. His older brother, John, ‘Rocky’, was getting out of the Marines that summer and planned to enroll at UM, so our arrangements changed. 

​John graduated from HS in 1964, enrolled Springfield College but left soon after and joined the marines in late 64, early 65. He left the highlands of South Vietnam in July, 1968 as a  Marine Staff Sgt. John was a wonderful guy, the real deal. 

He could not play ball that year due to admin issues. When he arrived in Orono, he slept on the floor because he was not used to a bed. John’s stories were classic and hysterical. He always used humor in his stories of his days in Vietnam.
 
As a result, Dusty and I roomed together during preseason and road games as John frothed at the mouth to play. John and I became fast friends as he did with everyone he met.
 
Dusty left school after our sophomore year, so John and I roomed together during preseason football and road games for two years. We had a blast together. Coaches stopped checking us for curfew during preseason - they knew we were not in the room.
 
As Tony indicated, the first day of preseason everyone had to meet physical requirements, including the dreaded 6 min mile. JR smoked more than I but he was incredible. He did the mile in record time. Unfortunately, I had to show for the 5:30 AM runs until completed.
 
John became a starter at linebacker where he was a key player for the two years he played. He barely weighed 185 lbs, but he was tough as nails. After school, John went to law school and later became mayor of Westfield, MA.
 
Sadly, Dusty died in 1984 and preceded his beloved big brother as John died a few years ago due to exposure to Agent Orange while in Vietnam. John touched a lot of people and was loved by all. He was was an incredible guy.
 
Perge!

​James D. McLean, Jr.
Omega Mu, 1972
 
At John Rhodes memorial services the stories did not stop. He was remembered as an accomplished practical joker, which was guaranteed to keep the entire town in stitches. When I went through the tollbooth, I asked the toll taker how to get to the cemetery. She asked whose service I was attending. When I said John Rhodes, she talked about John for five minutes; not giving a hoot that there was a long line of cars piled up behind mine. John, from his teaching, mayoral and DA days was a much-loved legend in Westfield. She was furious at the current mayor that he had not ordered the flags in Westfield to be flown at half-mast in honor of John. John emailed Tom Richardson and I many times in the final years of his life. He never talked about his illness, which, according to the people I met at the funeral, was devastating. In his last e-mail to me, he spoke about how he, Tom and I should plan a cross-country drive to California as a sort of last hurrah adventure.

​He is buried in the same plot as Dusty in the Catholic cemetery in Westfield. I really miss John. We were, indeed, very fortunate to have the great gift of knowing both he and Dusty.

​John was scouting in Cambodia one night and a NVA sentry stood on his hand for several hours guarding the NVA camp John was observing, and fortunately, John remained undiscovered. He was also sent to the Southern Philippines as part of an elite team to quell Muslim/communist insurgents prior to a state visit by LBJ. He said the fighting conditions there were even more dangerous and difficult in Viet Nam and Cambodia. After graduation John returned to his native Westfield, Ma. to teach. He quickly was elected mayor of Westfield, and as one of the US' youngest mayors, was named Outstanding Young Man in America for cleaning the mob out of Westfield. He later earned a law degree and served as DA in Westfield and Springfield. John was a legend in Westfield and in Veterans circles in New England. He passed away due to the after effects of Agent Orange exposure, and is buried next to his biological brother and Black Bear teammate, as well as our FIJI brother Richard "Dusty" Rhodes, '71, who passed away to cancer in the late 1970’s.

Fraternally,
Chip Chapman, ’82
Perge!

•Air Corp Ferry Command during World War II
•Received air medal and Oak Leaf Cluster for leading flights of P-38's over the South Pacific
•He broke time records in ferrying Flying Fortresses to England
•Awarded second Oak Leaf Cluster for flying "The Hump" into China
•He was killed on a mission over China on August 20th, 1944, on the return run after bombing the Imperial Iron and Steel Works at Yawata, Japan. 

​The memories of our everyday life in the Castle retain their freshness and joy when we think about them, and they are worthy of our attention. Some of the things that we have collectively done are downright impressive, from being undefeated in mud bowl games, having many Senior Skulls and Sophomore Owls, a Rhodes Scholar, many successful athletes and many campus leaders. Truly, living in the Castle was a positive world, and it was defined by our positive and productive fraternal attitude. That has been our collective focus, our collective truth, for 147 years. Yet, in truth, success in the artistic realm is something that one does not readily consider when thinking about our rich fraternal life, but we succeeded here as well. We loved snowstorms, and we created some fascinating, even uncommon, sculptural wonders on the front lawn of the Castle.
 
Our collective fraternal beauty and grandeur really shined in winter in the man vs. nature collective work in pooling our fraternal strengths and talent in becoming great snow sculpture artists in changing snow into snow sculptures on the front lawn of our Castle during Winter Carnival. It was a wonderful fraternal ritual; the stuff of our fraternal life for many decades. With Omega Mu pride and joy, accomplishing things together for the good. And, in fact, in subject, form, and scale we were really good snow sculpture artists. Some of them were monumental in size and structure, some showed artistic refinement, some were simple in structure and composition, some were classical, some were mythological, and one two were whimsical, and one was risqué. They are all artistically expressive, with several of them being unforgettable in our history. Yet hey all show our instinctual Omega Mu spirit: heartfelt, sincere, and fun. Or, rather, always Omega Mu determined and perseverant. You can be assured that our collaborative fraternal efforts captured the public-eye and brought them a great deal of enjoyment. It was a wonderful way to celebrate fraternal life, and that is as durable in our memory as all of our other accomplishments: athletic, academic, intramural, social, and civic; one great fraternity since 1874, the original, creative fraternal brotherhood at the University of Maine.
 
We have always been about the common good, real and genuine in all matters. And that, not surprisingly, is our Omega Mu way, and we keep moving forward with steady courage, mutual respect, and generational determination through all things, believing that our historic Phi Gamma Delta principles will continue to shape many new generations of Omega Mu men, and that is our proud fraternal history since our Q. T. V. days. We remain unstoppable in our historic unity and our fierce fraternal instinct to remain determined and perseverant in all matters, whether they be snowy or otherwise. So, here is photographic collection of a few of our snow sculptures that testify to the good-hearted delight and determined grace of our historic Omega Mu brotherhood, a coherent and beautiful geometry of our brotherly nature and winter’s nature at 79 College Avenue. Fraternal artistry with snow; it is good to be Omega Mu Fijis.
Perge!

Fraternally,

Chip Chapman, ‘82
​
Perge!

​By and large, all of our fraternal brothers lived rich, full lives in all of our fraternal homes. That is, in truth, a generational truth that remains unmistakably warm in our fraternal memory.
I believe it is a certain truth that our history is warmed by the fraternal spirit of all of our brothers, and I can only imagine all generations of Omega Mu and Q.T.V. brothers sitting together at Pig Dinner; walking through  our various fraternal homes with warm and familiar memories; singing sentimental songs at Pig Dinner, or dipping into their respective memory vaults and sharing their memorable stories and like the time when a B-24 bomber fly exceedingly low over the Castle during World War II, piloted by a Phi Gamma Delta brother, who dipped the wing of the plane to say hello to our brothers and then proceeded toward campus, remaining low, and cracked and blew out many windows in Balentine Hall; or a tradition story about the president of the house escorting the housemother into the dining room with all the brothers formally dressed and standing and then singing the Doxology; stories about brothers inviting rock bands to come to the Castle after performing concerts on campus and then doing so, and a serious story about our brothers in the Castle being quarantined due to an outbreak of diphtheria in the early 1930’s, with one of our brothers, quite possibly, being the contact source of thirty three cases on campus. Many other stories would be shared, and theses stories are recalled over and over again because they make everyone smile. Some stories would be polished, some more ribald, some light-hearted in eloquence and effect, some with real meaning and depth, some RAM high drama stories, and some causing perpetual embarrassment, still. Most important, they are all important because they shake us loose and bring us together and make us smile and laugh again and again, forever. What a wonderful fraternal luxury. They open the fraternal heart as to what is good, wonderful, giving, and sustaining about fraternal friendship - brotherhood. That is philia at its best, truly. Every shared story would be appreciated by every brother in attendance, and each story would give every brother pause to understand the enduring beauty and generational grace of our Omega Mu brotherhood at the University of Maine. Our fraternal narrative is unforgettable, and without generational exception, that is an inimitable distinction that we remain proud of to this day, and where we are headed is another 147 years of proud Omega Mu history, alive and well, and thereby, enriching and enlarging our proud story that started with some brothers living together in a rented home in Orono. Our fraternal spirit continues to grow as the undergraduates come back to the Castle to commence our 147th year of fraternal history, aware of the distinctive and determined richness of our history and brotherhood. 

​It was within our various fraternal homes that long-standing friendships were shaped and formed that endure to this day. There is no doubt that through a wide-range of historic decades, we have endured because we have adhered to our primary principles and traditions from generation-to-generation to guide us successfully. In moments of fraternal distress, or even extreme crisis, which has occurred on occasion, there was no asking Siri or googling for answers. We worked together without too much rancor, fraternal upset, or polarization to reach accord, and there have been issues that have certainly stretched and stressed our fraternal chain though our history since 1874. That is not to say that every decision was the right decision, historically speaking. However, we continue to exhibit a resolute uniformity of vision, courage, and character as we enter our 147th year of fraternal existence to be perseverant and determined, uncompromisingly so. These qualities always matter. Our brotherhood endures, and the Castle, our historic treasure, endures because there has been no fear and uncertainty in our fraternal DNA. That has been our good fortune through most of our history, and that good fortune is driven by collective disciplined care, concern, and responsibility, and that perfect balance is what creates the possibility of enduring historic joy. 
 
The reality of that enduring fraternal joy comes from the wealth of generations of brothers and their collective good will, wisdom, and fraternal action. These qualities make our fraternal history so compelling. For instance, brothers designed and built our first Q. T. V. Chapter Hall where Coburn Hall is now, and then they moved across the street and rebuilt the chapter hall in order for Coburn Hall to be built. A Q. T. V. brother designed our first Phi Gamma Delta home, and when the house was being destroyed by fire in 1924, brothers rushed repeatedly into that home in order to retrieve cherished fraternal objects and memorabilia that we still possess. In the aftermath, graduate brothers immediately stepped in and purchased the land and raised the necessary funds to build our Castle, and one brother helped oversee its construction on a regular basis. 

​The following brothers entered the house to retrieve as many fraternal items until they were ordered to stop by the fire department: William S. Murray, ’21; Joseph M. Murray, ’25; Edgar D. Coffin, ’26; Henry B. Eaton, II, ’26; John D. Glenn, ’26; Donald D. Mitchell, ’26;  Clarence E. Hart, ’26; Donald W. Powell, ’25; pledge Russell H. Dyer, ’27. 

During the early 1970’s and the late 1990’s-2003, graduate brothers, as well as select undergraduate brothers, worked in consort to correct substantive fraternal issues, attitudes and lived behaviors, that were debilitating and corrosive in order to re-establish fraternal discipline. Those two fraternal periods reflected a simple truth: bad principles lead to fraternal deterioration and long-term consequences. It is simple cause and effect that can either produce greatness or degradation in fraternities. Minus these two fraternal periods in our history where narrow, arrogant, and selfish concerns overrode the collective good of the house and the brotherhood, our brotherhood has always exhibited uncompromising character in adapting and responding to any change in our fraternal history. To an extraordinary degree that has been our determined and determining fraternal spirit throughout the majority of our history at the University of Maine.
 
We should consider ourselves lucky that the vast majority of our brothers, graduate and undergraduate, have and continue to have a positive, committed spirit to our historic Omega Mu brotherhood. That is fraternal integrity, and we are lucky because of their actions, both practical and heroic, in our past history. Our past history, not always perfectly mind you, has shaped our present, and the present will certainly shape our future, for good or ill. We remain strong because of the sum of all of our historical parts alone: our history, our uniting traditions, our energized and committed brotherhood, and our responsible leadership through many generations.
​
Our historic success has pivoted around these stabilizing traditions and responsible leadership. Casual leadership styles and irresponsible, self-interested behavior will always hurt the overall good of fraternal life, and fraternities, generally speaking, do not survive long stretches of unduly casual leadership styles or self-interested behaviors on the part of the brothers. Luckily, collective-fraternal well-being, or interdependence, has been our grounding principal concern for 147 years.
 
We have had countless Omega Mu leaders, through our history, who embodied and synthesized the essential ingredients of good leadership in being distinguished in their commitment, fully engaged, attentive to large and small matters, insightful, informed, and concise. With prophetic candor and stabilizing intelligence, they led well, and they addressed substantive issues rather than avoiding them. Rather than being concerned about being a pleaser to the brothers, our good Omega Mu leaders worked hard to achieve a unified fraternal effort for the overall good of the brotherhood and the sustained maintenance and beauty of The Castle. That’s what good leaders do, and we are lucky that we have had leaders like that in our storied history. Without question, good leadership, collective buy-in, and unified belief is absolutely essential for sustained success in the business world, schools, churches, athletic teams, and in every other human endeavor. It is an algorithm that requires the synthesis of heart-mind-and soul to consistently move in the direction of the collective good and sustained success for everyone. That ideal human integration, collectively embraced, has been our historic hallmark as we moved from fraternal home to fraternal home to fraternal home since 1872, and we now live in the most beautiful fraternal home at the University of Maine. 

​And yet, we enter a new and unchartered reality in our fraternal history. It is not going to be fraternally “normal” this year. It is going to be stressful and uncertain in so many ways, and whether that reality is collectively believed or not, does not change the reality that the Covid-19 Virus is real. It is not an uncertainty; it is a known fact around the world. That deadly fact is going to require collective and individual discipline of the highest order this year. The question, then, will our old fraternal chestnut about being resolutely persistent and determined be heroically and practically embodied by the undergraduates this year. They will. More generally, and without question, the present undergraduate brothers will exhibit a strong collective response of self-discipline, with no fear and uncertainty, in doing what is right and good for their individual health and their collective fraternal well-being and, in doing so, everyone wins. They understand the fixed and unchanging nature of cause and effect, and that understanding will guide them in how they live each day in following simple rules. Of course, their main reason is personal: the health of each brother. Likewise, a secondary concern is to make it through the year without having the chapter closed due to the unsettling prospect that undergraduate brothers might arrogantly choose to disregard simple rules. Google the problems that other fraternities are experiencing right now because of the childish, arrogant impulses of a few, or many, brothers: endgame, over-and-out!
 
However, it is in our fraternal DNA, in tone and due diligence with our fraternal past, that the present Omega Mu undergraduates will do what is right for the whole, without fail, in all matters. It is the hard grace of persistence and determination, day-to-day, week-to-week, and month-to-month that will lead to a successful and healthy 147 fraternal year for them in living well and healthy within the strict confines of the Castle, fraternally cooperative and mutually exclusive. We have been fraternally uncommon and unflinching in not exhibiting fear or flight when faced with adversity, and the present undergraduates will exhibit that same collective trait, no doubt. We are in this together for our Omega Mu undergraduates brothers during this difficult time because we are a linked fraternal brotherhood, and together we have always been resilient and steady in addressing and resolving difficult tasks and transitions in our history, unified generationally across many, many decades.
 
While acknowledging that there are many more, here is a short list of recent graduate brothers who, with unceasing fraternal thoughtfulness and industry, were fraternally in-the-moment and hands-on in helping the undergraduates deal with a broad range of difficulties and concerns, as well as putting a great deal of sweat equity into the maintenance and upkeep of the Castle: Dave Smith, Paul McCarron, Mike McInnis, Doug Banks, Mike McInnis, Marshall Stern, Greg Scott, Rob McKay, Joel Gardiner, Mike Soloby, Jim McLean, Dave Rand, Jay Clement, Bill McLean, Chris Thacker, and Jonathan Smith. These graduate brothers were a guiding presence through difficult times when our Omega Mu brotherhood had lost its way. They provided explicit fraternal perspective, fraternal inspiration, and necessary fraternal instruction and guidance, and in doing so they wore “many hats” in dependably taking care of the entire brotherhood and our beloved Castle. They mentored the undergraduates and helped them remember, reclaim and reconnect to various traditions and rituals. They set many things straight because no project was too big or two small for them because they cared, and they continue to care. They were impassioned, thoughtful, hopeful and helpful in their good work for the house and our brotherhood, and in doing so they exhibited what is meant by fraternal brotherhood through life. Their individual actions attest to the framing, underpinning, and sustaining truth of our Q.T.V. creed:…”enjoyment, sociability, and the best interest of the brothers through life.” Those original fraternal instructions still stand for our brotherhood.

​Old or new, undergraduate or graduate, we are always linked together, and we all care about our historic brotherhood. In this, the present Omega Mu undergraduates can be assured that the graduate brothers remain poised with a committed sense of purpose to help them, as much as they possibly can, during this unprecedented time, but it will be the unified clarity of the undergraduates disciplined commitment to simple expectations that will decide the success or failure of this fraternal year.
 
In conclusion, without any fraternal jargon, heartfelt curiosity may have started our fraternal history in 1873-1874, but it has been heartfelt discipline that has sustained us for all these year because our collective frame of mind and exhibited actions has always been guided by a desire to succeed regardless of circumstances. That is a fraternal certainty for which we are all thankful for as Omega Mu Fijis, the pre-eminent fraternal brotherhood at the University of Maine. In historic scope and influence, we have every right to be proud Fijis. And, in the end, that is what we wish to sustain for another 147 years. To this very day, our linked fraternal kinship, stable and enduring, goes on with resourceful, disciplined persistence. Few things in life are permanent, but those qualities have served Omega Mu well to sustain something of enduring value that started with a few hardworking yet humble Q. T. V. brothers sitting together, proudly, with a fraternal spirit of good will to begin creating something of enduring value. 

Thankfully, influenced as we all are by our historic fraternal past, we continue to strive with fraternal good will for our Omega Mu brotherhood and our historic home, enthusiastically so. Our fraternal story is a great story, and our fraternal focus remains the same as those first Q. T. V. brothers. Their fraternal legacy of hard work and stabilizing traditions, providential fraternal gifts if you will, still matter. Our fraternal rituals, traditions and discipline, the necessary hard graces, must be passed down generation-to-generation. They are essential in order to create collective cooperation for the grace of the good to prevail within the university community and within our historic brotherhood. Whether it means anything or not, and it should mean something to all of us, that is our positive, affirming heritage. Quite simply, they are the sensible, sustaining root of the deepest root of our 147 years at the University of Maine, and they are the seeds for all future fraternal success. And even now, practically speaking, as we fraternally face multiple challenges, they are needed even more now for the grace and joy of genuine fraternal brotherhood to continue to exist. 

​Fraternally,
Chip Chapman, ‘82
Perge!

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!

​I still remember, to this day, almost every play that I attended with my mother at the Lakewood Summer Theater, the theater at Bowdoin College, and the Shakespearian Theater in Monmouth, Maine. Parenthetically, theater played an important roll in my Mom’s life. As a student at the University of Maine, she acted in many Maine Masque plays, and she continued to attend many plays until she died in 2003. Consequently, ever week during the summer, we saw many wonderful plays at the aforementioned theaters. To name just a few, I saw “Auntie Mame,” “The Man Who Came to Dinner,” “The Sound of Music,” “Godspell,” “MyFair Lady,” “Count Dracula,” “Fidler on the Rood,” “Jesus Christ Superstar,” “The Unsinkable Molly Brown,” “Shenandoah,” and “Hair.” It was hugely enjoyable. All of the plays were great performances, and there were many others. The combined chemistry and charm of live theater is always outstanding, and I particularly loved the graceful setting of the Lakewood Theater in Madison, Maine. 

​It was at Lakewood that I saw the critically acclaimed “Hair,” a legendary play. Although it debuted in 1967, in an off-Broadway theater, it would achieve heroic theater acclaim when it appeared on Broadway in 1968. It was a play of rare order due to its revolutionary feeling, outstanding music, and thematic directness. The play raised the consciousness of audience, and the various messages are still relevant today. I can still see myself staring at all the nude bodies at the conclusion of the first-act of “Hair,” and I am sitting next to my mother. Wow. As I recall, we were in the second or third row, and I absorbed the moment, and it was a beautiful, sincere theatrical moment, but with motherly assurance she had forewarned me and explained the symbolic meaning of it; which, indeed, the meaning reached me with absorbing, attentive authority. In image and sound, they were enriching musicals of a different era, and who can ever forget the emotional power of some of the songs in each o them: “Easy to be Hard,” “Aquarius,” “Good Morning Starshine,” “Where do I Go,” and “Let the Sun Shine In.” The songs worked in the play, and they still have driving emotional force today: timeless.
 
What was extraordinary was discovering, just this past week, was that our Omega Mu brother, Andrew M, Wiswell, ’27, won a Grammy Award as the producer of the original cast album of “Hair” in 1968, and that he was nominated for the Grammy Award five additional times. 

​Andrew’s success continued as a producer of the Broadway musical albums with “The Music Man,” “Hello, Dolly,” “Kismet,” “Coco,” “Purlie,” “Fiddler on the Roof,” “The Roar of the Greasepaint, The Smell of the Crowd,” and “I do! I do!”

​However, his work as a musical producer did not simply focus on Broadway. He also produced albums for a diverse group of  musicians: Cannonball Adderley, Judy Garland, Kate Smith, Harry Belafonte, Perry Como, Chet Atkins, Barry Sadler, and many others. For his dedicated efforts, he was the recipient of 18 gold records. 

​Fraternally,
Chip Chapman, ’82
Perge!

Whether it was at 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, Kab- ul, Kandahar, our Omega Mu brothers have demonstrated devotion to duty in defense of freedom and liberty. They are the stability of our na- tion, and we, the Omega Mu brotherhood, revere, honor, and salute their persevering and determined spirit within our great nation and our great brotherhood. We will always be grateful for the military service of every Omega Mu veteran from the Spanish-American War to the present.

​•Served in Yankee Division during World War II
•Lieutenant in the Army during the Korean War
•He was serving in 5th Infantry Regiment Combat Team
•He was rallying his men in an attempt to escape entrapment by the Chinese Army on April 23, 1951, ten miles north of the 38th parallel near Tosong-Kogae, but he was captured and taken to Pyok-tong prisoner of war camp, camp #5
•It was the largest single battle of the Korean War
•The Chinese attacked with 250,000 men in 27 divisions
•William was subsequently used by the Chinese in radio broadcasts
•For his actions he earned the Silver Star
•He was the third liberated Fiji POW during the Korean War.

Fraternally,
Chip Chapman, ’82
Perge!

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!

​Fraternally,
Chip Chapman, ’82
Perge!