Phi Delta Theta Club
of Columbia, Missouri
P.O. Box 442100
Lawrence, KS 66044-2100
Address Service Requested
MO ALPHA PHI
The
Save the Date
September 20, 2025
Alumni Weekend
Keep an eye out for more details
coming this summer!
P
lease contact Matthew Beckett '96
at matt@beckettcompany.com to
learn more about House Corporation
Board openings and how else you can get
involved.
Volunteering your time with Missouri
Alpha helps keep our brotherhood strong.
Volunteers
Needed!
Get involved with
Missouri Alpha!
W
hen Larry Huffman '61 decided to join a fraternity, Phi Delta
Theta was the first group that invited him to their house. "I was
very impressed by the men who showed interest in me and the
other guys going through recruitment, and I think that sold
me really on the first day."
Though pledgeship was hard, it bonded Larry and his
brothers. As a member, Larry lived in the old house,
and at the time, there was nothing but woods to the
west. He has fond memories of hunting squirrels,
rabbits, pigeons, and more with one of the brothers.
Larry got married right before graduation and was soon
offered a job with Standard Oil in St. Louis, where he
began working after graduation. When he found out that
he was going to be drafted into the military, he panicked and
enlisted in the Navy. After graduating from Officers Candidate
School in Newport, Rhode Island, he received orders for the admiral's
staff at the U.S. Naval Base in Subic Bay, Republic of the Philippines. "It
was probably the greatest experience I had in my young life at that time;
it was absolutely awesome."
After three months in the Philippines, Larry's wife joined him, and they
became great friends with the other junior officers and their wives. After
completing three-and-a-half years of duty in the Navy, Larry's
wife's father offered him a job at his car dealership, Pearl
Motor Company, in Mexico, Missouri. Larry eventually
bought the company after his father-in-law's passing. "We
had great employees, and they made my business very
successful." When Larry retired, he turned the business
over to his son, George '96.
Larry's daughter was born in the Philippines during
his time in the Navy. He also has two sons, who were
born in Mexico, Missouri. Larry has played sports
throughout his life, including basketball for one year at
the University of Missouri. "I've spent a lot of time quail
hunting, pheasant hunting, and trout fishing all my life."
Larry's Phi Delt brothers are his lifelong friends. You can connect with
him at huff1939@gmail.com.
FROM PHI DELT TO THE NAVY
Larry Huffman '61 on Career Highlights
