the hawKeye
page 2
PROCESSING IT ALL
Undergraduate Brothers stayed at Union Iowa House as the university prepared temporary housing,
and the UI Greek community stepped up to donate clothing and food. Multiple alumni worked with
longtime advisor Doug Parsons '75 to navigate insurance and other steps toward a new home. In
the immediate aftermath, Barry postponed his flight to D.C. and stayed in town to help the Brothers
however he could.
"Having lost my wallet in the house, I had to go back to the law school to get my transcript so I
could replace my driver's license," Barry said. "I still stunk of smoke, but I found out that I passed
the Bar (two days earlier than I was supposed to know). It was one of those bittersweet moments."
A few days later, Barry finally went back to D.C. The weight of the past week caught up with him
on the flight home.
"I remember having to go to the restroom and just breaking down for a little bit until I was able to
go back to my seat," he said. "I saw the same thing among my brother and his friends—fires are a
big deal."
THE SPIRIT OF PHI PSI PERSISTS
REFLECTING ON IOWA ALPHA FIRE 30 YEARS LATER
(Continued from page 1)
"[Having to rebuild] our home lent itself well to a pivotal moment
for fraternities. And today, it seems like we're as strong as ever."
–Barry Sackett '88
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
e Chapter House fire is
featured on the January 1994
covers of e Daily Iowan
and The Gazette.
See full versions of these newspaper
articles by scanning the QR codes or
following the links below.
THE GOOD THAT EMERGED
Having lived through this traumatic event, Barry is thankful for the mutual support and continued
growth Iowa Alpha has demonstrated sense. "While I was in law school, the focus of Greek life
was changing, becoming less about parties and more about philanthropy, grades, and personal
development," he said. "In that sense, rebuilding our home lent itself well to a pivotal moment for
fraternities. And today, it seems like we're as strong as ever."
Through the years, Barry has kept up with alumni as much as possible. His father was a Brother
at Iowa State, and his older brother, Morgan '87 (featured in the spring 2023 Hawkeye), was IFC
president as an undergraduate. He frequently sees Brothers when he visits Chicago, at Hawkeye
sports events, and when he visits during his work with the Iowa Bar Association.
"The fire was traumatic for a lot of people, but the spirit of Phi Psi survived along with us."
Barry is a practicing attorney in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and can be reached at sackettb@
goosmannlaw.com.
Thank you to Darrall Brick and Lt. Scott Goolsby for their time retelling what they remember and
to every first responder for their work that fateful January day.
www.epageflip.net/i/1527382-daily-iowan-jan-21-1994
www.epageflip.net/i/1527998-the-gazette-jan-21-1994
