Please tell us about your career or profession.

I was a union carpenter who worked my way up and retired as a heavy civil construction superintendent, now working as an estimator and project manager.

How has volunteering helped you live your values?

The Great Joy of Serving Others and the Creed are constants in my life, and by working with the undergraduates, I am constantly reminded that I shape them by my actions. Being able to participate in our rituals almost every semester keeps my obligations as a Phi Psi fresh in my mind.

What inspires you to volunteer for Phi Kappa Psi and support our members?

The desire for more generations of young men to be able to build the kind of relationships that I have with my chapter brothers, even 40 years after my undergraduate days. That and the fact that when I was an undergraduate, we didn’t have any alumni to help and guide us, since we had only been chartered 2 years earlier.

Throughout your time volunteering, please share a moment that has reminded you why fraternities matter.

Every other summer, when I reunite with the chapter brothers who were active during my undergraduate years. Combine that with all of the other long-term relationships I have built with other brothers from across the country through my involvement at the Alumni Association and national levels, and you really get an overarching view of why Fraternity is so important to me.

How has your volunteer experience shaped you personally or professionally?

When someone invites Linda and I to their wedding, baby shower, kids’ graduation or other significant life event because they consider us a part of their extended family. That tells me that that individual got what it means to be a true brother for life, and that I, in some small way, had an impact on them.

What do you hope our members will take from their fraternity experience?

That they are part of something bigger than themselves, with a long, rich history of those who came before us. And that they can have an impact on shaping the development of our current young men to continue that legacy. You don’t have to be rich or powerful to do that. Just willing.

If you could give your college-self one piece of advice, what would it be?

Don’t be in a damn hurry to graduate, enjoy the experiences available to you while you are an undergraduate. Life, with all its demands and stresses will be there when you graduate, so don’t rush it. You’ll wish you could go back to those relatively care-free days soon enough.

Why is it important for you, personally, to stay involved with Phi Kappa Psi as an alumnus?

I believe that as long as I can be relevant to the undergraduates, I have value to the Fraternity. I will use that value to pay back the debt I owe her for the years of challenges, memories and friendships she has brought me, and maybe teach some of the younger members to honor their oath in the same manner. I am blessed to have known some great alumni, living and in chapter eternal, who taught me by their example, I hope to be remembered as having a small, positive impact on Phi Psi with them.

What does supporting the next generation mean to you?

I have always told my undergraduates that I will always back their play, unless the actions they are going to take would be a chapter killer, even if they decide to go against my advice. The only way you learn to handle adversity is BY handling adversity and learning from those mistakes. In many cases, young men of today have been insulated from dealing with bad choices or bad events in their lives. Insulated by society, by parents, by educational systems. We have a role to teach them how to deal with life’s setbacks, pick themselves up, and get moving forward again, stronger from the experience. Jerry Nelson was great at reminding us of how we need to shape the next generation of leaders in our country.