My fraternity, Pi Kappa Alpha, was the center of my college universe. I grew into a man under the tutelage of the upperclassmen, enjoyed the many on and off campus parties, learned social skills, and was launched into my campus leadership positions by my brothers. But, most importantly, I bonded with those young men in a very powerful way. I have many close friends from decades in Atlanta, but emotionally I am still closer to those men from my fraternity than any others.
We were lucky to go to college in the 1960s. First, everything was against the rules, so there were plenty of chances to break the rules and not have it mean much. Next, great allowances were made for misbehavior back then. If people or property weren’t badly damaged, it was usually let go with a slap of the wrist. Today people get sued for hurting someone’s feelings. And we had wild parties, but with limits when it came to the girls. Being a gentleman was important in those days, and that was our standard. We really liked and respected the girls. Having said all that, we experienced a version of Animal House. And I was Hoover. I was the one who dealt with the Dean of Men and the University administration. My brothers nicknamed me “Dean”.
