Alabama Beta Chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon at the University of Alabama
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/1349980
THE RED DOOR p. 2 A fter an injury that resulted in the loss of a baseball scholarship to Old Dominion University, Drew Dobry '90 heard the South calling his name. With his childhood dreams to play Division 1 athletics ending, The University of Alabama stood out to him as the best school to attend because of diverse education opportunities, reasonable tuition costs and of course the amazing football tradition. He was able to save for his college expenses and began his time at UA as an engineering student and a member of AFROTC. Although he was skeptical about a future military career at first, Drew found that the program fit his personality, and it ultimately led him to joining Sigma Phi Epsilon. "SigEp reached out to me and other leaders on campus. They were looking to build something bigger and better than the traditional Greek life," he said. "Similar to Alabama Beta Chapter today, I joined when it was in its main growth phase with a new house on University Boulevard during the first few years back on campus." As an undergraduate at Alabama Beta, Drew learned the importance of goal setting and accountability, specifically through his role as brother development chairman. There were also many brothers whom he looked up to and learned life lessons from during his time with SigEp. "Richie Harris '90 and Rich Aldridge '89 set the bar for great moral standards," he shared. "The seeds they planted in my life will remain with me always." Looking back on his time at SigEp, Drew says getting ready for initiation weekend sticks out in his mind. "We went out to the woods and had a 'road to brotherhood,' which is where the Burning Heart took place," he shared. Football weekends, both from his time as an undergraduate and an alumnus, hold fond memories for Drew. He has enjoyed coming back to campus and seeing brothers over the years. Although he and his Alabama Beta brothers don't get together regularly, they keep up via phone and social media, and their bonds remain strong. Drew retired from the military in January 2020 and has been working as a defense contractor ever since. He and his wife Lynn (UA '91) live in Gulf Breeze, Florida, and have three sons who all followed in their footsteps to UA. His oldest, Andrew, graduated in 2018 and is attending medical school at University of Florida through the Air Force Health Profession Scholarship Program; his younger sons, Ben and Clay, are currently AFROTC scholarship cadets at UA with Ben majoring in International Relations and Clay majoring in Aerospace Engineering. Under the Bama Salute program, Ben was able to present Drew an American flag at the 2019 Alabama-Tennessee football game in honor of Drew's service in the USAF. "This was definitely a top 3 moment throughout my 28-year military career and one of the best memories at Bama. Roll Tide!" If you'd like to connect with Drew, he can be reached at drew.dobry@gmail.com. Building a Better Brotherhood Alabama Beta Afforded Drew Dobry '90 Opportunity for Personal Growth and Leadership Experience Grant Ahlheim '24 St. Louis, Mo. Curtis Ausili '24 Naperville, Ill. Javi Bernal '24* Boston, Mass. (Jose Bernal '90) Landon Boone '23 Naperville, Ill. Henry Boyle '23 Phoenix, Md. Zach Brown '24 Denver, Colo. Kellen Calby '24 Chicago, Ill. Will Cannon '24 Dallas, Texas Sam Culleton '24 St. Louis, Mo. Jake Frances '23 Naperville, Ill. Mason Haller '24 Birmingham, Ala. Alex Hoogland '24 Birmingham, Ala. Seth Hudson '24 Montgomery, Ala. Peter Hunton '24 Birmingham, Ala. Ethan Karr '24 St. Louis, Mo. Peter Maier '24 Covington, Ky. Lane McCool '24 Houston, Texas Colin Murphy '24 Williamsburg, Va. Michael Orscheln '24 Kansas City, Kan. Connor Phelps '24 New Smyrna Beach, Fla. Steven Popiolek '24 Naperville, Ill. Rameen Rabiei '24 Nashville, Tenn. Ben Rathke '24 Denver, Colo. Dylan Rogers '24 Atlanta, Ga. Austin Taschler '24 St. Louis, Mo. Hughes Thomas '24* Birmingham, Ala. (Wells Thomas '20) Jonathan Thomas '24 St. Louis, Mo. Bobby Wells '23 Gettysburg, Pa. Harrison White '24 Atlanta, Ga. Deven Wieland '24 Kansas City, Kan. Hunter Wilhelm '24 Memphis, Tenn. Aidan Witherow '24 Los Angeles, Calif. Ryan Yaeger '24 St. Louis, Mo. * Legacy; relative in parentheses WELCOME, NEW MEMBERS

