Theta Xi - Bradley University

THE TAXI NEWS PAGE 2 S eeing the fruits of his labor has never gotten old for Fred Brown '62. Between serving 10 of his 36 years at TRW Space & Electronics as the vice president for group development and 15 years as the Systems Engineering Leadership Program director at Loyola Marymount University, Fred has a lot of success stories to look back on. The foundation for Fred's phenomenal career was laid at Bradley University, and it wasn't just from what he learned in the classroom. Joining Theta Xi transformed Fred more than he could have ever imagined. "What made Alpha Sigma so outstanding was the teamwork amongst the brothers. Teamwork was something I encouraged during my 50-year working career," Fred said. "It paid off well at TRW. I've never forgotten what I learned about brotherhood." After the likes of Denny Vaccaro '60 made Fred feel special and wanted at Alpha Sigma, he was eager to add to Theta Xi's tradition of excellence. Fred served as the secretary and treasurer and was surrounded by brothers who loved to lead. "It was a special time for Alpha Sigma in the early 1960s. Our departed brother and chapter alumni advisor, Gene Pacyaga '60, called those years 'the Golden Years.' In my junior year, various house members held the positions of student body president, 1961 class president, Interfraternity Council president, and a couple of other campus-wide positions. The house won the interfraternity athletics championship and beat Sigma Chi for the football title. It was indeed a golden time for Alpha Sigma." While Fred hasn't had the luxury of returning to Peoria in recent years, he's remained in touch with a few brothers and kept all of Theta Xi's teachings close to heart. At TRW, he led program development efforts to win the contracts on a couple of billion-dollar space telescopes. One is currently in Earth's orbit and one will be launched in 2021. He was also the project scientist on the Viking lander biology instrument, guiding the implementation into flight hardware of the three NASA science experiments that tested the Martian surface for signs of life. Fred served on the flight team that operated the biology instrument on the surface of Mars. Fred appreciated all Alpha Sigma did for him at a young age, and that made it all that much more rewarding for him to mold the minds of LMU graduate students. Nearly 250 master's degrees were granted during Fred's tenure as program director. "I had defined a pretty rigorous curriculum. Many of the instructors were highly experienced industry systems engineers," Fred said. "The students were being taught by a faculty that was practicing systems engineering daily. The students loved it." Since retiring in 2018, Fred has found more time to play golf and pickleball, enjoy his twin grandchildren, and drink a few martinis. The more he looks back on his successful career, the more he becomes thankful for Alpha Sigma. "I'm so glad I have those years to cherish." You can connect with Fred at queenmjb@att.net. REMEMBERING THE GOLDEN YEARS Memorable Times at Theta Xi Lead to Successful Career for Fred Brown '62 Colin Gamagami '22 Homer Glen, Ill. Daniel Kerns '23 Peoria, Ill. Tyler Landes '23 Peoria, Ill. Josh Mogg '22 Glenarm, Ill. Jeremy Oliphant '23 Lisle, Ill. Braeton Richardson '22 Swansea, Ill. David Varon '23 Deerfield, Ill. Eric Winkleman '23 St. Louis, Mo. WELCOME, NEW MEMBERS

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