In the fall of 1959 we hit the Purdue campus, most not knowing each other or that we even existed. Good judgment, providence and timing brought us together at Phi Gamma Delta - Class of 1963.
While some classmates were unable to attend our reunion in person, we wanted the 50-year milestone to be as inclusive as possible. Thanks to the internet, we caught up with each other via email in September 2013. It started with a photo of a recent painting of 640 Russell by artist Steve Haigh, a history of Lamda Iota, along with a picture of the house when built in 1927, and a fascinating chronology of the evolution of Phi Gamma Delta from the early 1940's to the present provided by Bill Martin, Executive Director, Phi Gamma Delta.
Over a period of several days in September, pictures from our fraternity days at Purdue along with 50-year personal histories were shared with all classmates. Bragging was allowed – even encouraged! The contents confirmed that success came for all in a variety of ways. The words in the song of Frank Sinatra's life fit perfectly: "I Did it My Way".
After nearly two years of planning and preparation, the laughter and fun began in Washington, DC at the Washington Court Hotel on Thursday evening, Oct. 10th. Some of the Class of '63 members arrived earlier that day with their Fiji sweethearts. We didn't need a plan to take advantage of the situation – dinner together that evening was a natural.
By noon on Friday, Oct. 11th ten classmates attending our reunion and their spouses had arrived and we enjoyed lunch at Bistro 525. The conversation was spirited and made it seem like only yesterday that we were all together at Purdue.
The Federal Government shutdown altered our original plan for the afternoon but not our spirits. We implemented a backup plan which included non-government sites. Most went to the Newseum to enjoy the fabulous displays of print media, visual media, photo journalism, Berlin wall, 9/11/2001, Kennedy family photos and assassination coverage, and more. It is highly recommended if you are ever in Washington, DC. Others made their way to The Corcoran Gallery of Art.
While there is no Pizza King or Bruno's in Washington, we enjoyed a typical college-days dinner at Pizzeria Uno, where we compared notes about our afternoon experiences and recalled some typical Friday nights during our time at Purdue. Along with more great conversation we celebrated Brian Lamb's 72nd birthday.
Saturday morning started with a walk to C-SPAN where Brian, his niece and Sarah and Chellie Zou, who were Purdue Silver Twins, led us on very informative tours of the live studios and operations areas. An impromptu Q & A session with Brian on the hot seat followed lunch at C-SPAN. Subjects ranged from the future of the media, government shutdown, DC politics, internet sources, generational use of media sources, and more.
Our "official" class reunion photo was taken in one of the C-SPAN studios with the nation's capital in the background. Each couple took advantage of the same venue to create a bit of reunion history to share with families and friends back home.
Saturday dinner at Carmine's was special in so many ways; Bill Cook delivered a memorable toast complete with a match, Wayne Henderson led us in singing the Fiji doxology. We enjoyed an Italian dinner served family-style: antipasto, calamari, veal, chicken, salmon, pasta, and tiramisu, along with plenty of wine - more than anyone could eat or drink. No one left hungry!! Following dinner, classmates, led by Wayne, serenaded our Fiji Sweethearts. All agreed that our performance was high in spirit - medium in quality. The grand finale was a presentation of Golden Owl certificates and Golden Owl lapel pins to fellow classmates by Bill Brock and John Zaloudek. It was a very memorable evening to say the least.
Our farewell brunch on Sunday came all too soon as we hugged and laughed some more, recalling newly created memories of our fun-filled gathering after 50 years - proof again that Phi Gamma Delta is not for college days alone.
