Sigma Phi Epsilon - University of Oregon

p. 2 OREGON BETA HEARTBEAT WALK AMONG THE TALL ONES—BE ONE! I'm going to tell you about a brother I met some 63 years ago. From California and an athlete, he could have been the center on my Eagle Point basketball team. Anyone more than six feet tall could have been center. If I get a little preachy, it's because I'm pushing more than 82 years. I had success with 13 weeks and 43 radiations, six weeks of chemo for neck, throat, and lung cancer. Then, a new heart valve and a new PaceMaker. Hang on. It gets better. Back to this guy. I've never seen a more genuine, good, young man. Complete with a smile truly going ear to ear. But serious, too. Intense. Dedicated to both the task at hand and his goals. College years from 1953- 56 went by. He played sports. I worked at Irish-Swartz grocery stores in Eugene. He made his grades and was initiated as a brother at the Oregon Beta Chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon. I struggled, but the brothers "passed" me during my sophomore year. We got to know each other and shared backgrounds, experiences, stories, family stuff. We were in AFROTC and some business school classes together. We learned how to eat properly at the dining table. And how to "pass the pig" to those gaining etiquette infractions. During 1956-57, he was elected chapter president. That was the year I ran out of money, grades, and strength working 40-45 hours a week and carrying a full load of classes. I dropped out of school. He finished and graduated that spring of 1957. He also proposed to Gloria, "under the big beautiful tree, in the backyard of the house down by the Mill Race." She accepted. What a super couple. I know Terry—Robert T. "Terry" Sullivan '57 (AKA Sully). Graduation. Commissioning. Off to the U.S. Air Force. I know he went to pilot training, starting with a month of pre-flight at San Antonio, Texas. That's where you learned about summer humidity and some of the rules and how-to's of being an officer. Then they went to Bainbridge, Ga., for primary flight training. Then to Laredo, Texas, for basic. Probably on to advanced flying assignment. Know, too, that Terry had quite a few B-52 combat missions in Vietnam. This exceptional brother is now a retired full colonel. He and Gloria found the sun and good living in Henderson, Nev. Recall the opening pearls, above. That's a high point of this tale, and of his staying in touch during my treatments and recovery. That continued contact was super and helped beyond what one normally believes could be. Sustained support, faith, and encouragement. The last of Gloria and Terry's seven children were twins, a boy and a girl. Not to be outdone, the daughter had twins: a boy and a girl. They, Terry and Gloria, came to the Pacific Northwest for those grandkids' graduations at University of Oregon and Western Oregon this past June. I made a promise to get the brothers together for a lunch/reunion and got an OK from Terry. We did it and had a super time. Great stories were told, memories sparked, and it seemed like those events just happened. Maybe just yesterday. So, during your upcoming years in college, and after, you will get closer and really know some of the "tall ones." Some of them are truly giants. What friends, brothers. Terry is indeed "A Tall One." Find one. Walk with one. Be one. Fraternally, Lewis M. Tycer '59 P.O. Box 25029 Portland, Oregon 97298 (503) 313-5222 Alumni Update John B. Peters '51 is retired and enjoying life on Bainbridge Island. E-mail: jbpeters1@gmail.com. Lawrence S. Hobart '53 has been engaged in a variety of writing programs since retirement. In 2013, he published Basalt City, a historical novel deciding the role of the Klu Klux Klan in Oregon in the early 1920s. The book is available in bookstores and on Amazon. Lawrence lives in Washington, D.C. E-mail: lshobart@ gmail.com Bertram K. Robarts '59 is enjoying retirement, ballroom dancing, working out at the gym, and keeping up the yard at his home. He is still able to keep up with a few brothers, including his good friend Ken Grant '59, who lives in Canada. E-mail: kevinrobarts372@gmail.com Marcus C. Wulf '64, inspired by the widow of George Sweat '64, completed the El Camino de Santiago. He hiked 550 miles from southern France through Spain to the Atlantic. Marcus lives in Salem, Ore. E-mail: mwulf5@comcast.net James L. Dillard '78 pilots the new Boeing 787 Dreamliner from Chicago to China, Japan, and Europe. "Nice job on your latest edition of Heartbeat!" he says. E-mail: jimdillard@ comcast.net

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