Phi Gamma Delta - University of Texas

Spring 2014 Newsletter

Texas Fiji of Phi Gamma Delta at the University of Texas

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Phi Gamma Delta Buen RetiRo Committee P.o. Box 4769 austin, tx 78765 Address Service Requested TEXAS FIJI H Paddock Family Gives Back to Its Extended Family of Texas Fijis Written by Davis Paddock PC '90 T hroughout my childhood, I went with my family to a reunion each summer. Only it wasn't the typical family reunion; it was a reunion of my father's Texas Fiji 1957 pledge class. The men were all busy fathers and working professionals but made time to come from all over the state of Texas to renew their friendships with one another. Like my father, all of them met their wives while attending UT, which made the entire weekend a true family affair. Those weekends were filled with laughter, lots of stories, and a good time for all of the attendees. I didn't realize it at the time, but those weekends had a positive impact on my life even decades later. At those reunions I became friends with another son of a member of the 1957 pledge class. Our friendship continued from these reunions to becoming bunk mates at Camp LaJunta for four summers and later staying at his house in Dallas every fall for Texas-OU weekend. His friendship was a big reason I decided to pledge Fiji with him in the fall of 1990. My decision to pledge Fiji was the biggest of my college years and undoubtedly the best as well. For one, I had the opportunity to rush and pledge my first cousin, Richard Paddock PC '91, in 1991 and share three years in the Chapter with him. While I did not date my wife in college, I did meet her through the UT Greek system; we have now been married over 10 years and have two wonderful children. Finally, there is no group of friends with whom I keep up more closely than those I made from Buen Retiro. As I look back now, I realize how similar my fraternity experience was to my dad's, though it was separated by some 30 years. I now see fraternity brothers throughout my everyday life at church, at my children's schools, and back in Austin for football games. We plan our own reunions and make special efforts to get our families together for dinner. When I see these old friends, we pick up right where we last left off: telling old stories, reminiscing about the good times, and catching up about other brothers with whom we may have lost touch. Davis Paddock PC '90 Richard Paddock PC '91 Bob Paddock PC '62 The University of Texas has grown tremendously over the years. While the fraternity system has experienced a number of ups and downs since 1957, and a large number of fraternities have not survived the test of time, the Tau Deuteron Chapter has sustained a leadership position on campus over the long-term. While the students in the Chapter always get the lion's share of the credit for pledging the next great class to continue the tradition, the Chapter also has a long history of strong alumni support, dating back to the donation of the original Lake Club and providing funding for improvements to Buen Retiro throughout the years. We have again reached a time in the Chapter's history where the Chapter needs meaningful alumni financial support to keep pace with campus growth. As point of reference, the 1975 pledge class had 28 members and my 1990 pledge class had 36. Current pledge class sizes are now typically 50-52 in size. The current capital campaign will fund improvements that will essentially double sleeping capacity at Buen Retiro so that every member of the junior class will have the opportunity to live at the house with his pledge brothers. The campaign will also double the number of parking spaces (sufficient parking has been a significant issue since my days in the Chapter almost 25 years ago) and provide funding for a new multi-purpose social facility. UT Austin and the Texas Fiji experience played a significant and positive role in all of our lives. Generations of alumni have recognized this personal impact with generous financial contributions subsequent to their college fraternity experience. My father, two uncles (1962 and 1963 pledge classes), and cousin (1991 pledge class) and I all contributed to the capital campaign, and we hope that each of you will join us in giving back to the Chapter that has meant so much to us. Please consider making a gift in order to continue Tau Deuteron's long traditions and maintain Buen Retiro as the pre-eminent fraternity house on campus. Your support is essential to sustaining Tau Deuteron as a Chapter that will attract our sons and grandsons for generations to come. Perge! Davis Paddock PC '90 Bill Paddock PC '57 AD ASTRA Zach Thompson PC '42 of Humble, Texas, passed away on July 7, 2013. Lorenz W. "Sonny" Stolz Jr. PC '47 of La Grange, Texas, passed away on April 15, 2013. T. Ray Perry PC '48 of Richmond, Texas, passed away on February 3, 2013. Jim W. Walker PC '54 of Amarillo, Texas, passed away on March 21, 2013. Harry E. Taylor PC '55 of Fort Worth, Texas, passed away on January 24, 2013. Christopher M. West PC '78 of San Antonio, Texas, passed away on January 29, 2014. Visit our new website, www.texasfiji.com, for all things Texas Fiji!

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