Lambda Chi Alpha - University of Alabama

Alpha-Phi Zeta 3 Lambda Chi bonds Lasting and Forever, says tim vaughn, AF900 E veryone makes mistakes in their lives. Some mistakes come back to haunt us, others teach us lessons, and even more give us something to laugh about later on. Tim Vaughn, AF900, claims mistakes were an integral part of his college years. It was his awareness and ability to learn from his mistakes during his college career that allowed him to be successful in professional life at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center. His father, knowing his son well, prevented him from attending the University of Alabama until he learned to concentrate on academics. After proving himself to his father during his freshman year at South Alabama, he was invited by Brother Gerald "Steve" Phillips, AF857, to pledge Lambda Chi in January 1976. Pledging Lambda Chi was the beginning of an experience that has shaped who Tim is today. In Tim's mind, "LCA provided a platform and a means for me to make friends, many of them lasting friends, as well as a way to meet girls, because, believe it or not, I am a shy person." Tim served as kitchen steward and High Kappa while in the Chapter. While Tim's good memories in the Chapter House are abundant, memories involving the pond between the Lambda Chi and Kappa Sigma houses stand out. "Ponding" was a Lambda Chi ritual that pitted the pledge classes against the junior actives or JAs. He remembers having to throw the junior actives into the ditch and vice versa, an activity that involved lots of plotting. The pond was used as a reservoir for unfortunate brothers who did something to make everyone mad. Specifically, the year when the Chapter House hosted renowned basketball coach CM Newton for dinner and a speech sticks out in Tim's memory. Despite repeated warnings from Tim, Bob Patterson, AF932, Tim's co-steward that year, wanted their cooks, Mary and Annabelle, to prepare corned beef for dinner, using the canned, jellied variety. Tim had learned that Mary and Annabelle's cooking was a little risky when they were making something outside their comfort zone. Knowing this, Tim said he "valued my life, so instead of listening to CM speak, I picked up McDonalds for dinner and locked myself in my room." The corned beef ended up looking like a "big, rectangular beef cookie," and due to their embarrassment of the corned beef being served to CM, several of the brothers grabbed Bob and threw him in the pond several times. This was a mistake, on Bob's part, that certainly provided a lot of laughs. Besides serving as a platform for many fun memories, Lambda Chi also provided more substantial lessons in Tim's life. The Fraternity taught Tim how to "get along with people and not be afraid to speak out with conviction and action for what I believe." This lesson helped Tim overcome several early career mistakes. Tim has stayed a part of the brotherhood because he believes "relationships and friendships are long lasting and forever, and I believe they are so important to develop the core of who we are as human beings." Tim has stayed in touch with many of his brothers, including Dave Wasserman, AF901, Roy Gregg, AF881, Gordon Jones, AF891, and Butch Camp, AF888. Tim is very excited to have a continued relationship with the Lambda Chi brotherhood, though he wishes to be more involved. Tim is ecstatic about the growth in size of Lambda Chi over the years. His son, Eric Vaughn, AF1366, graduated from U of A as a LCA legacy in 2004. Tim was deeply touched and honored to be able to participate in Eric's initiation ceremony. Tim's advice to undergraduates speaks to life lessons he has learned. "Recognize the mistakes you are making or will make before they are occurring. Be more aware of the consequences of your actions. Many people never learn and keep repeating mistakes." When Tim is not daydreaming of his time in the Chapter House he serves as the chief of the Metals Engineering Division at Marshall Space Flight Center, where he oversees 40 civil servants and 20 contractors working on manufacturing development hardware, a job his bachelor of science in metallurgical engineering from U of A prepared him for. Experience gained at Lambda Chi in learning how to deal with people and develop relationships has proven critical to his professional success. He also spends time teaching Sunday school, acting as president of his church council, volunteering for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, training his two dogs, and watching Bama football. Tim reminds us all that as Bama fans "we are living the dream —it doesn't get much better than what we currently experience with our sports program." Tim lives in Huntsville, Alabama. Tim can be e-mailed at timothy.p.vaughn@nasa.gov. In Memoriam Major General (retired) Thomas Merrill Sr., AF378, of Birmingham, Ala., passed away on May 5, 2013, at the age of 87. He is survived by his wife, Kay Harwell Merrill, and children: Thomas Jr., Jennifer, Laurie, and Melinda. David O. Stamey, AF633, passed away in his home surrounded by his loving family on September 18, 2013, at the age of 72 after a battle with Alzheimer's disease and pneumonia. Alumni News Fred T. Lackey, AF471, has a grandson, Reece Baugher, AF1690, who was recently initiated at Alpha-Phi Zeta. Reece is the fourth member of Fred's family to become a LCA member. His granddaughter is a member of Delta Zeta and is the sixth family member to become a Delta Zeta at the University of Alabama. Fred is still working as an engineering consultant on the National Missile Defense program known as the Missile Defense Agency. He and his wife, Nancy, live in Huntsville, Ala. E-mail: ftlackey@comcast.net Robert F. Lisenba, AF604, just became a great-grandfather and is still going strong after turning 74 this year. Robert works out at the YMCA three days a week in Cleveland, Tenn., where he lives with his wife, Gayle. E-mail: bamagrad62@gmail.com Hon. David A. Kimberley, AF985, was recently appointed to the adjunct faculty of the National Judicial College at the University of Nevada-Reno. David is also a member of the Alabama Criminal Pattern Jury Instruction Committee. He resides in Gadsden, Ala., with his wife, Cynthia, and their two children. E-mail: davidkimberley@ymail.com David C. Haines, AF1511, is back in Dallas, Texas, after visiting brothers Greg Greene, AF912, and Chris Milliken, AF1512. Dave is executive vice president for Vanguard Vodka. E-mail: dhainestx@gmail.com Alumni Update

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