Pi Kappa Alpha - University of Texas

5 www.texaspikes.com L ike most first-year students, when Martin Dies '67 began his Greek experience, he was looking for a fraternity with quality members and an active and well-respected on- campus presence. Beta Mu fit this description perfectly. "Pi Kappa Alpha helped provide a community of likeminded colleagues and friends with shared experiences in confronting the challenges of college and career," he said. Looking back, Martin appreciates the time he lived in the house and was able to become better acquainted with upperclassmen brothers. Additionally, as an undergraduate, he was a member of the Texas Cowboys, adding another dimension to his UT experience. "e most rewarding aspect was being able to interact with several outstanding Pikes who proceeded me in the organization and then later helping younger Pikes become involved," he recalls. As an alumnus, Martin has remained involved with PIKE and UT in numerous ways. From Texas Exes to the College of Liberal Arts (COLA) and Beta Mu's capital campaign, he has worked to repay the organizations that helped shape him and his career. Martin was a member of the Texas Exes board of directors when the Forty Acres Scholarship program was established and he was able to endow one of the first scholarships for COLA honors students. e scholarship was made in honor of his late father who was a member of the State Senate and strived to fully fund and expand higher education opportunities for students. Another way Martin supports COLA is through the creation of the Dies Family Student Center located in the new Liberal Arts building—a shared, multifunctional space, exclusive to COLA undergraduates. "A Liberal Arts or Humanities education at its best teaches one to critically examine all sides of an argument and to approach decision-making from an objective, factual standpoint," he said. "I believe that today there are far too many groups of individuals in our country who are ideologically driven, and this has proved detrimental to our country. us, the best way for me to support constructive change is to support COLA students and programs." As for Beta Mu, Martin was motivated to contribute to the capital campaign aer talking to Pike leaders of his generation and being convinced that current active members recognize the importance of (and are committed to) change, as evidenced through their current GPA. "I do believe that fraternities today must adjust to become more service and campus oriented in order to be relevant," he said. "A change which has occurred at UT Austin is the need for a fraternity to have a modern facility so they can remain competitive on campus. By supporting the campaign, we honor all earlier generations of Pikes and their service, which is a rich tradition." Professionally, Martin is a civil trial attorney and has worked in several areas of law the last 44 years. In 1981, he filed the first asbestos property damage cost recovery building case for a public school district and has pursued similar litigation for public entities around the country for 30 years. "Take full advantage to develop close relationships with your colleagues and brothers," he advises current undergraduates. "ey will help you later in life and you will be in a position to help them as well. Of course, it is important to take advantage of every education opportunity at UT, which has world-class resources as well." Pike relationships have played a great role in Martin's life. Men of his era oen contemplated some sort of military service, and he will never forget being called to the company headquarters during basic training and the feeling of relief that took over when he saw a former Pike brother serving as an Army officer. Career-wise, Martin had the opportunity to nominate a Pike brother as a trustee and later he was able to renew friendships with several brothers when he moved back to Austin, one of whom encouraged and facilitated his involvement with Texas Exes. "e relationships we form in the fraternity and in college surely do last a lifetime," he said. Martin and his wife, Darci, have a son, Patrick, who is an in-house corporate counsel for an Austin company. Martin's daughter, Lauren, is a pediatric anesthesiologist and critical care physician at UT Houston Health Science Center. Martin, Lauren and Patrick own and operate a cattle and horse ranch in East Texas. Martin raises bird dogs and enjoys quail hunting. Martin lives in Austin and can be reached at mwdies@ mwdieslaw.com. A LIFETIME COMMITMENT Martin Dies '67 on His Continued Involvement with UT, PIKE Philip I. McConnell '55 entered Chapter Eternal on September 15, 2017. Phil had a successful career as a corporate attorney, working for Central Pow- er and Light, Southwestern Bell and Central and Southwest Corporation. While in Dallas, he was elected president of the Dallas Bar Association's Corporate Counsel Section, the North Texas Dis- trict of the American Society of Corporate Secretar- ies and the Texas Utility Lawyer's Association. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Pat, and their two daughters, Liz and Sue. Donald K. Cunningham, D.D.S. '59 entered Chap- ter Eternal in February 2017 aer fighting a rare form of Parkinson's. He lived in Colorado Springs. Russel L. Farabee '74 entered Chapter Eternal on December 30, 2017. Rusty first attended the Uni- versity of North Carolina and later transferred to UT and completed law school at SMU. He practiced real estate law in the Dallas area for more than 30 years. He is survived by his daughters, Valerie and Elizabeth. William E. Pryor Jr. '85 entered Chapter Eternal on September 22, 2017. Bill grew up in Refugio, where his mother's family had historical roots. He earned his economics degree from UT and worked for Merrill Lynch upon graduation. He worked in the investment business until moving to Austin in 1994, and in recent years, became a successful real estate broker. Growing up in south Texas, Bill very much enjoyed the outdoors, hunting and fishing. CHAPTER ETERNAL Martin Dies '67 with his son and daughter.

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