Delta Upsilon - University of Kansas

The Sunflower Page 2 successful businessmen. The DU Chapter won the Sweepstakes Award in 1953, their freshman year, and in 1957, their senior year. All were born in the middle 1930s and represent the greatest generation of Americans whose devotion to others exceeded that to themselves. Frank Mastin '57 was in that class. Now living in Tucson, but originally from Beloit, he went to KU on a track scholarship and graduated in aeronautical engineering, earning his MBA at Harvard. Following that, he worked at IBM and then returned to his true love: aviation. He worked as a salesman for Learjet and moved up the corporate chain, eventually becoming V.P. of North American sales. "Pledging DU was one of the best decisions I have ever made," Mastin told me. "While I seldom have the opportunity to visit or meet with the other members of the pledge class of 1953, I continue to think of them as the best male friends I have ever had." Jim Hull '57 was also in the class of '53. He was recruited to KU to play tackle and started three years—playing both ways, as was typical then. He graduated in 1958 with a major in aeronautical engineering and a minor in mathematics. He started at Boeing, then moved to Beech Aircraft, first as a structures analyst, then as a project engineer for military aircraft, and became program engineer for special systems aircraft, involving airborne surveillance for Army, Navy, Air Force, and NSA special security programs. Like so many of his classmates, Hull spent time in Vietnam. "During late '71 and early '72, I was part of a combination contractor/military team and flew an intense three-week period of air combat missions in Vietnam to evaluate the various electronic packages in multiple platforms —to configure and develop optimum packages to be used in Beech products," he told me. Dick Shaw, originally from Wichita, started college at Wentworth Military Academy and arrived at KU invested in the Army ROTC and went onto to KU Medical School and then served as a surgeon in Vietnam. He later became the vice chief of plastic surgery at Walter Reed Military Hospital. After his military career ended, he moved back to Wichita and joined a successful clinical practice. Bob Simpson '57 was one of three members of that class from Newton. Like so many, he was a career Army veteran who retired a lieutenant colonel. After stints all over the world, after retirement it was pledge brother John Reese who enticed him to return to Lawrence. Another DU, Chuck Hedges '56, then convinced him to join Hedges Real Estate to sell and invest in real estate. Today Hedges, Reese and Simpson live within a quarter mile of each other. The list goes on. Roger Wood '57, a petroleum geologist, retired from Chevron after a successful career and remained active in the Geology Department at KU, Martin Hannah '57 retired as a Navy officer, and Jack Bertoglio '58 is an entrepreneur from Medicine Lodge. The pledge class president, Bill Dye '57, has been a prominent member of the Wichita bar for over 50 years. Bruce Taber '58 is a prominent architect with a flourishing practice in Minnesota. Victor McCall '57 is another physician who joined the Air Force in radiology, and when stationed in San Antonio in the early '60s, helped pledge brother John Reese get an assignment in the Air Force stationed in Tucson at the Davis-Monthan AFB. Reese, a two-year veteran, earned the rank of captain as chief of general surgery. Charles Belt '57 Air Force veteran who went on be the commander at McConnell Air Force base in Wichita. Post-military, he became president of the Wichita Chamber of Commerce. I could go on but this column has a word limit. Three members of that class have been honored as Distinguished Alumni: Charles Belt, Tom Rinehart, and Dick Shaw. Rinehart is also honored with the Dick Wintermote Lifetime Achievement Award. The siblings of this class made their mark. Mastin's younger brother Ron '63, for instance, was an Air Force veteran was also honored by the DU Chapter as a distinguished alumnus for spending over six years as a Vietnam POW. The children of this class made their own contributions to DU many years later, with Tony '76 and Chris Bertoglio '80 active in the chapter in the '70s, and Jack and Charlette had three sons, John '81, Bob '83, and Tom '88—all leaders at KU DU. John received the Distinguished Alumni award in 2015 and has emceed the alumni banquet for many years. John Reese's son, Jeff '82, was a distinguished alumnus in 2010. And who helped bring this group together? The rush chair in 1954 was Beloit native George McKemey '54, who went on to become an Air Force pilot and died in service for our country flying a B-47 in February 1961 at the age of 28. "These guys had all the usual college fun, but they seemed to have higher ceilings," observed Jack Holt. "Amazing how they all achieved success, were wonderful family men, and have stayed close all through the years. Men of true character!" Gary Rohrer, Roger Wood, John Waddell, and Larry Baker performed as the DU Quartet in 1953's Greek Week Sing. DU Pledge Class of 1953 (Continued from page 1)

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