Sigma Phi Epsilon - Colorado State University

COLORADO STATE UNIVERSITY SUMMER 2023 R oy was born in 1928 in the small town of Friend, Kansas. His family moved to Holly, Colorado, when he was 6 months old. He recalls living a very good life even though times were difficult in the 1930s with the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl. It was during these times he developed most of his character. In high school, Roy was tasked by the U.S. Government to manage a work gang of German POWs. He was responsible for 12 prisoners. Each morning he would give each of them a knife to harvest the broomcorn. "That's crazy when you think about it, but we all had to do difficult things during the war because there was nobody else around to do them," he shared. When it was time to go to college, Roy wanted to find a place he would fit in, and Colorado A&M was that place. When he joined SigEp, he was trying to learn what the world was like and the meaning of the fraternity. "I was very immature coming from a small town. I was not a sophisticated guy, and I learned a lot about the world from my brothers." Roy tells us more about his life below. WHAT PEOPLE OR EVENTS IMPACTED YOUR LIFE? "Harris Gard was a math professor and advisor for student government, and he was very important to me. He not only taught me math but also how to function as a student leader. When I ran for student body president, 90% of my motivation was ego, trying to prove that I was somebody. The agenda of the student body president is not a heavy one. It wasn't about making the world better or helping people live better in it. However, I began to recognize that I was interested in representing people and helping them." TELL US ABOUT THE VIETNAM WAR. "I was an AFROTC student and served in the Air Force for two years. I was a prosecutor in Germany. I've always had an interest in history, so I read a great deal about Vietnam. When we got involved in Vietnam, I sensed that we were not being told the truth. I decided to go there in 1965 because I wanted to learn about the war. When I came back, I was convinced that we shouldn't be in this war. But the whole country felt otherwise. At the time, I was one of the lead Democrats in Colorado and decided to call a meeting of the Democratic Party [with the idea that] we should establish a reference library on Vietnam that has both sides of the war. I was laughed out of the room. I quit because I didn't believe we were doing the right thing internationally." WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO GO INTO PUBLIC SERVICE? "I had always wanted to serve people, and I knew politics and government were important. When I went to law school and served in the Air Force, I wanted to come back and be in the legislature. So, I took a year off and studied ethics at Yale, which was very helpful. I became a young lawyer and ran for the House from Denver and served four years in the Senate. I then ran for the U.S. Senate, lost, and dropped out for 10 years. I came back into politics when Governor Lamb asked me to be his agricultural secretary. I later became his chief of staff. Then he appointed me state treasurer, and I held that job for 10 years. Then I ran for governor and was elected three times." WHAT'S THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IN LIFE? "For me, it's that you live with a group of people who care enough about you to keep helping you find a better level of performance and a better level of being a human being. I had that, and that's what I'm most thankful about!" A Look into the Life of Roy Romer '50 Our Brother Shares His Experiences and Expertise …FOR ASPIRING LEADERS Tell the truth. Be bold, take risks. Listen strongly to people who disagree with you because there's some truth they may have that you need. Don't be the smartest guy in the room. Be the guy who's learning the most. Be humble. …FOR GRADUATING SENIORS Pick work you like and do it with quality. You may not be the fastest runner, but you can do what you can. Always be thinking about standing in the other person's shoes. What do they feel? If you always keep an open mind, you will pick up knowledge from those around you. ROY'S ADVICE… S P EA R The

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