FarmHouse - University of Nebraska

NEBRASKA CHAPTER 5 (Continued on page 6) A L A S T I N G B O N D Dr. D. Boyd Shank '32 Reflects on His Years at FarmHouse G rowing up in northern Kansas, only a mile from the Nebraska border, Dr. D. Boyd Shank '32 was a true country boy. He didn't know much about fraternity life when he stepped foot on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus, but he quickly found a place he felt comfortable, a place full of farm boys just like himself. He found FarmHouse. It wasn't simply a shared interest in farming that convinced Boyd to accept a bid from FarmHouse; it was the chapter's values. The chapter's focus on leadership, scholarship, and fellowship impressed him. This was not a Fraternity only concentrating on social functions, but it was a "builder of men." As an undergraduate, Boyd stayed active on campus through his involvement in basketball, agronomy club, the University of Nebraska crops judging team, and various honorary Fraternities. He graduated in 1935 with a degree in agronomy, later receiving a Ph.D. in plant genetics from Iowa State University. Boyd's expertise in farming led to successful career in plant breeding, giving him the opportunity to work with several universities. He was in charge of both the cotton breeding program and corn breeding program at the University of Arkansas. For 34 years he worked on the South Dakota State University staff in their corn breeding program, later becoming a professor emeritus of plant science. For everything FarmHouse gave Boyd, he decided to repay the Fraternity by giving to The Next Hundred Years of Building Men campaign. The experience and friendships he forged in his years as an undergraduate continue to be an important part of his life, long after he joined in 1932. As an alumnus, he felt it was his responsibility to give back to the Fraternity for everything he received. Boyd resides in Brookings, South Dakota, and his wife, Clarice, passed away in 2013. The couple has two sons, David Dee and Timothy John, four grandsons, five great-grandsons, and one great-granddaughter. Q&A with Members of the Drvol Family Gregg '77, Dan '78, Scott '80, Bob'88, Brett '04, Lucas '06, Corey '08, Alex '08, and Ryan '13 T he Drvol family has been an important fixture in FarmHouse Fraternity for generations, with nine members being brothers of the Fraternity. While undergraduates, Gregg '77, Dan '78, Scott '80, Bob '88, Brett '04, Lucas '06, Corey '08, Alex '08, and Ryan '13 were heavily involved in the chapter serving as chapter president, song chairman, recruitment chairman, pledge educator, alumni relations chairman, each making a large impact on their beloved Fraternity, and continuing to do so as alumni. New members competed against other Fraternities in dodgeball and tug of war as part of IFC's New Member Summit. L to R: Bob Drvol '88, Dan Drvol '78, Alex Drvol '08, Scott Drvol '80, Corey Drvol '08, Brett Drvol '04, Gregg Drvol '77, and Lucas Drvol '06. Q: Going through recruitment can be an overwhelming process. Why did you join FarmHouse? Gregg: When I was in high school, a friend of mine had a brother in the house and we both went down to Lincoln to present a project and stayed overnight at FarmHouse. For me, I was pretty quiet in high school and I met a lot of influential members that night and they talked to me afterward. I had never been interested in a Fraternity until I found out the moral make-up and standards that are special to FarmHouse. If it wasn't for finding out what the Fraternity was and what it stood for, I would have never joined. Corey: For me, it was about the focus on academics, leadership, and campus involvement. I knew that I wanted to pursue all these areas during my time in college, and wanted to be surrounded by people who were already successful in pursuing them. Q: What sense of pride did you gain as a Nebraska Chapter member? Scott: We developed a sense of pride in the chapter as a result of watching men grow through their college years. The members became leaders in the wide ranging sectors of their respective fields and it was clear that the FarmHouse structure, brotherhood, and mission had a great deal to do with that development. Dan: I have pride both in the past and in the future. I have pride in the leaders it had in the time I was there, and in the leaders it has now. They were really outstanding young men at both times and people I am proud to be associated with. Q: What does it mean to you having so many family members in the Fraternity? Alex: It's created a common bond among us all. It doesn't surpass the bond of being family, but we have all gone through similar experiences

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