Omega Mu Voice: Gregory M. Scott, 1981

Omega Mu Voice
Gregory M. Scott,
1981

Chadbourne Hall

Friends of the Castle
Greg Scott, 1981

Wandering down College Ave, from Chadbourne Hall, to the Fiji House my freshman year with Earl McGillicuddy seems like a very long time ago and, then, in some ways, it feels just like yesterday. Earl and I pledged the house together. The house was in a rebuilding mode, with some great guys committed to the task: Billy Horr, Craig Shaknis, Dave Higgins, Mike Burns, and Dean Collins come to mind, and there were many others. Their enthusiasm for the future of the house and the brotherhood hooked both of us. The 11-2 parties did not hurt. They were held every Wednesday night and were considered the first official party of the weekend at UMO. The drinking age was 18, and UMO was a party school; something that the administrators of today would like to forget.

Earl McGillicuddy

Bill Horr and Craig Shaknis

Dave Higgins and Mike Burns

Dean Collins

One of the things that attracted me to the house was the connection to others on campus and to friends back home. Unlike some of the other Fraternities on campus, Fiji was open to friends and family. Even as a rushee, or a pledge, it was not unusual to meet a cousin or a friend of a brother who was in town and invited to the house.

This continued into our time at the house. I can remember Earl’s friends coming down from Houlton, Jimmy Joyce’s friends coming up from Dedham, MA, and the guys from third floor Chadbourne were always coming through the front door, and a crew of Ricky Bean’s Rangelites were always welcome. Now that was a mixture of personalities! The guys even came complete with their own nicknames: Boomer, Turtle, Woody, Woodskunk, Smokey, Willie and McGuirk are a few I can remember.  Throw a sorority into this mix, and you had the feeling that Fiji was a good place to be. Ever wonder where the Phi Gamma Delta sign that hangs on the wall behind the bar came from?  It was hand carved by Steve Symonds, a Chadbourne Hall friend. His nickname is McGuirk, and he was one of our number on Fiji Island. ​

Jim Joyce and Ricky Bean

Friends of Fiji

Steve Symonds and Greg Wilson

Steve 'McGuirk' Symonds hand-carved our Phi Gamma Delta sign

Fiji Island

Greg Scott and McGuirk on Fiji Island

“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