Sigma Phi Epsilon - Missouri University of Science & Technology

Our Home's Future Alumni Board Committed to Chapter House Upkeep COM3 (Charlie Anyan '62) Says "Go" 3 Dave Denner '76 President Missouri Gamma Alumni Corporation denner@earthlink.net G reetings, brothers and friends. The MO Gamma Chapter and Alumni Corporation had a successful 2024 and look forward to continued success in 2025. Trey Schreckenberg '26, our new Chapter president, and his team are working hard to improve recruitment numbers and to build on 2024's academic performance, which saw the Chapter return to the top 3 among on-campus fraternities. Our alumni communications team continues to amaze me with their ability to connect brothers. BEARTRACKS and eTRACKS are reminding brothers old and new how their time at Missouri Gamma was the most memorable and the most influential time of their lives. We are SigEps for life, and the more we are connected, the stronger we'll be. As our Chapter House ages, we face increasing costs and challenges to maintain the house in "like- new" conditions. Tom Bach '79, who joined our board last year, is assisting Housing Chairman Dave Braun '79 to resolve ongoing issues with HVAC equipment and electronic door locks, both of which will most likely need to be replaced soon. Upcoming roof replacement and external painting costs lie in the near future as well. E very SigEp MO Gamma brother has a life story to tell, one that is shaped during our childhood and rapidly developed during our time at SigEp. By the time we graduate, we are prepared, but we don't necessarily know the path our future holds. One such brother's path, Charlie Anyan '62, begins like most, but then takes off with a "blast." Charlie grew up loving trains. "I remember finding an old electric train set in pieces in the garage attic. I set it all up and rewired it, and the dang thing ran. My dad was impressed." Charlie followed in his older brother's (David Anyan '62) footsteps and went to Rolla, pledged SigEp, and declared his chosen major: electrical engineering. "I remember my freshman year one weekend night, we were partying and we saw some brothers still sitting at their desks studying. I asked, 'What's up with those guys?'" "They are EE majors," came the answer. Charlie went the next day and changed his major to physics. "If it wouldn't have been for SigEp," Charlie begins, "I would have flunked out my freshman year. Everything was a learning experience. I remember one night at dinner, I reached out my hand in demand for the butter. An older brother dumped the butter on my hand and said, 'You wait for the butter to be passed.' I'm sitting there with butter all over my hands … I learned that lesson quickly." Charlie graduated on a Saturday, went to work at McDonnell Aircraft Corporation (MAC) on Monday, and was immediately assigned to the Gemini Space Program. MAC had been awarded the contract to build all Gemini Spacecraft and simulators, and the program, which made 12 flights between 1964 and 1966, had just begun. "I started as an electronic test engineer, which was great, because it gave me the opportunity to learn all the various types of test equipment used on the spacecraft. I eventually became an electronic systems engineer, responsible for ensuring that all of the communications, telemetry, and tracking equipment functioned properly together." Charlie worked on all the Gemini missions, traveling back and forth from St. Louis (construction and simulation) to Cape Kennedy (preparation and launch of the flights). He knew all of the astronauts, most of whom he says he met upside down: "I would be on my back working on the capsules when they walked into flight simulation in St. Louis." Names like Jim Lovell, Gus Grissom, Buzz Aldrin, and Neil Armstrong became household names during The Space Race, and Charlie became good friends with many of them. He eventually became part of the launch ground crew: "My title in the communications room was Com3. I reported during the countdown to Com1 (Communications Director), who then answered to Flight (Flight Director: the man who pushed the 'Go Button'). On one flight, at T-minus-9, Com1 asked me to come over to his station. He hands me his headset and says, 'I need you to take over from here.' I was just a kid, I felt numb, and all I could do was just go through the motions. T-minus-1 came, and Flight asked me for a 'go/no go.' I took a quick look around the communications room. No one said anything, so I said 'Go.'" Charlie's career kept him involved in aeronautics, working for the U.S. Army Aviation Systems and Raytheon Corp. But his fondest memories (and some of his funniest stories) are from his earliest years. "The Gemini program was the best job I ever had in my life. The space program was the number one story in America at the time, and it was like the astronauts were movie stars and we were their co-stars. When we would go to a restaurant or bar, the people would flock around us, asking for autographs and to have their pictures taken with the astronauts. I even signed a few myself. I always signed Alan Shepard's name, because I looked a little like him and he was a good friend." Charlie found time outside his busy professional career to develop his childhood love of train collecting. He became very involved in the Train Collectors Association and started the St. Louis "Gateway" chapter. He held offices such as the Southern Division President and eventually the National President for the Association. His collection of trains would be the envy of any hobbyist. "At one time, I had a 20' x 30' room where I kept my collection, and I had a 20' x 8' display with five trains running." Charlie has kept up with SigEp over the years through his good friend, Mike Kearney '61, with whom many SigEp stories have been rehashed over the years. Charlie's (and Mike's) pledge paddles are proudly displayed in our MO Gamma Chapter House, forever reminding us of the strong legacy of our Chapter. Editor's Note: Thanks to Brother Anyan for spending the time with me to tell his story. If you have a story about yourself or another brother that needs telling, drop me, Dave Naeger '80, a note at dnaegs@gmail.com. (Continued on page 4)

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