Omega Mu Voice: Michael R. Porter, 1973

Omega Mu Voice
Michael R. Porter,
1973

"In 1969, I transferred from the University of Dayton in Ohio to UMO after being recruited by Coach Walt Abbott. When I traveled up to Orono, in late August, for the football meeting, I was with my parents who wanted to see the campus. While traveling 95, my father gave me a lecture about driving too fast. Then it happened, the engine in my MG threw a rod and the car jumped three lanes and almost kill us. While sitting on the side of the road, my father could only think about the football meeting and that we were going to be late. Finally, a state trooper stopped to check on us and was immediately accosted by my father on how the trooper needed to drive us to the campus to catch the football meeting. Only in Maine would you see a trooper drove us from Bangor to Orono at 95 miles an hour to catch the meeting.

However, I was 10 minutes late. So, when I opened the gym door it squeaked to where Walt turned and looked to see who was late for his meeting. The look was a hard stare as most of us can imagine, so I stood next to the door leaning against the wall of the gym. Within five minutes, the squeaky door opened again, this time Walt's nasty stare was on another U-Maine football candidate, Steve Hayward. So, the first person I ever met at Orono was the man himself, both of us beside each, leaning against the gym wall. Since we both knew no one, we stuck together, including lockers next to one another.

Coach Walt Abbott, above and below

Omega Mu Brother
Stephen J. Hayward

We managed to make room changes and Steve moved into my room during second semester. Steve was two years older than me since he made a detour through Vietnam. When he moved into the dorm my parents came up for a weekend and they were impressed with how neat Steve had move all his stuff in, very military like. They commented on the jars of cocktail onions and olives he had on the shelf, and why would someone just have jars on a bookcase? When my parents left I asked Steve why the jars? He said he drained out the juice and filled it back with Vodka! Steve drove a red Austin Healy 3000 convertible! He also had the best stereo system in Orono which he liked to place them at the open window on nice days to share with the entire campus. Steve totaled the Austin Healy that spring while driving two girls from our dorm, one was Paula who later married Pag.

Steve receiving the Silver Star in Vietnam

Omega Mu Brother
Ricard M. Paganucci,
​Above and Below

Mike Porter

One off season Steve and I had a contest on who could put on the most weight, I am talking around 30 Lbs. This is where Steve got the name Bimbo the baby elephant, and most of the weight was gained at Pat’s where we both worked in the Den for Tyler Libby and his gang of FIJI thieves. Every night Steve would order special a cheese burger with lettuce and tomato and lots of mayo. The name was given in honor of Steve and it was called the Bimbo burger as we know it today. My last time at Pat’s the Bimbo burger was proudly still on the menu.

Steve was not a linebacker, he was a fullback. Steve played freshmen and thought about continuing his second year until we spent the summer at Falmouth down on the cape with a bunch of FIJI misfits! Steve opted to extend the summer verse hanging out with Walt in the middle of August at U-Maine.

Once Steve met Bonny it was all over for him, they married his Junior year and had a son Michael. I just remember driving him to the church since I was the best man. The marriage did not last long so Steve was on the move again. This time he was a state trooper and on his way to becoming the personal body guard for the Governor of Maine. He was living in Falmouth, Maine with Peter Stanwick and other FIJI studs when we all were going to drive up for Pig Dinner. This was 2 years out of college for me, so I drove up early on a Friday night so we could all head up to Orono once everyone got out of work. While killing time, Stanwick talked me into going to a bar since his girlfriend was a teacher and all her worker friends were hitting the bar. This is where I met my wife of 46 years…..again, all great things in my life have Hayward’s fingerprints all over it. We also didn’t make it to Orono that weekend for Pig Dinner.

But while I was courting my future wife, I would spend each weekend in Portland where Steve and I played touch football for a team called Hanks Cookies. He was a Phi Mu who owned a bakery. It was during this time that Steve was offered the opportunity to join the Treasury.

Many years later Steve called me when we was working a case in Massachusetts as the lead treasury agent. My wife and I met Steve who was working a big case that was going to trial in New Bedford, Mass. Steve followed the money in the investigation of drug deals coming from South America. He showed us photo’s of barrels being x-rayed showing the hidden cash inside the barrels. Somewhere along the way, Steve learned Spanish and traveled to Columbia to work undercover for the Feds. Eventually, he was hired as a contractor and was living in Columbia for some time, and at some point he had a severe stroke that was not treated properly and caused his being paralyzed from the neck down.

Omega Mu Brothers
Steve Hayward and Jim McLean

I visited Steve at the veterans hospital right after he returned to the USA. He was unable to speak or move anything, it was a tragedy! Years later, both Zinno and I visited Steve at his home in York where he lived with his wife Terry. Steve had made huge progress on speaking and even starting to stand. My biggest regret was not staying in touch more after that visit.

John Zinno

He only had a few stories to share about Vietnam. One that I will always remember was after he was shot in the throat he was given the last rights, and his father, Brig. Gen. Hayward, was notified that his son was killed in action. He prayed this was not the case and understood that it could be a mistake, so he waited several days to get it confirmed and told no one. Thank the lord the big guy did make it through and blessed us all with his presence at UMO, a special person in all our lives.

Love you, Stevie"

​“What if the space be long and wide,
That parts us from our brother’s side
A soul-joined chain unites our band,
And memory links us hand in hand.”
(Phi Gamma Delta fraternity song)

Fraternally,
Chip Chapman, ’82
Perge