George's speech

Banquet Address

Arkansas State 50th Anniversary

April 18, 2009 – Jonesboro, Ark.

George W. Spasyk

Brothers, future brothers, and friends of Lambda Chi Alpha.Thank you, Warren (Dupwe) for that wonderful introduction. I usually don't like introductions. I feel they never say enough about me. But that one was great! All I can say is that now that I’m retired after 40 years on the Lambda Chi Alpha staff, I'm finally getting all the credit I deserve.I chuckle every time I’m introduced as Executive Vice President Emeritus, a title conferred upon me when I retired in 1990. It didn’t take me long to realize that “emeritus” is a Latin word meaning “for free.”Seriously, it is a thrill to be here with you, and as I look out over the room tonight, the visions of the past rise up before me like a dream. The memories of the events that brought me here to your campus in 1958 to visit the Veterans Club form a kaleidoscope in my mind. My close association with the brothers of Iota-Theta is quite unique in Lambda Chi Alpha, as I attended your first 10 initiations — mostly followed by trips to Mountain Home and Norfork Lake after finals were over. And I probably did as much Fraternity business at Pete’s Cafe out on the highway as I did on campus. And there is no chapter other than my own, where I have attended every 5th year reunion over a 50-year period. I have attended your weddings, and sadly, some of your funerals. I have known your parents and have watched your children grow into adulthood to become parents themselves. You have visited my home in Indianapolis, and I have visited in your homes.Obviously my role in the Fraternity and my close working relationship with the chapters and frequent visits to all of the campuses came to an end when I became Executive Director in 1968. But I still had the opportunity to meet and work with your undergraduates and alumni at General Assemblies, Leadership Seminars, Regional Conclaves and appearances at major chapter anniversaries, such as the one this weekend. At any rate, I do have a storehouse of memories of Iota-Theta Zeta and of the brothers here. Some of those memories I recall with nostalgia — and some I recall with nausea. But most of them are good memories. Through most of your existence, this Chapter has achieved significant success, especially in academic excellence, community service and alumni and university relations. The General Fraternity’s Grand High Alpha awards were created in 1973 to recognize those chapters that have experienced outstanding success in all operations over a period of three years, and the award can be received only once every three years. I’m absolutely convinced, that if the Grand High Alpha awards had been in effect in 1959, when you received your charter, Iota-Theta would have won at least 3 or 4 of them during your first 15 years. And I really believe Iota-Theta can again achieve a level of greatness that will surpass anything your Chapter has ever seen in the past.

It is a simple fact of life, and I can attest to that, having spent 40 years in the profession of fraternity management, that every chapter has its ups and downs, and Iota-Theta is no exception. When you have had a down cycle, however, alumni of Iota-Theta have always rallied their support of time, talent and treasure to help restore the undergraduate Chapter to a position of strength and stability. We have always had brothers who have gone above and beyond, sometimes at great sacrifice, to see that Iota-Theta would remain strong: Warren Dupwe, Harry Truman Moore, Roy Ockert, Charlie Crow, Charlie Long, Mike Mallory, Jay Clark, Jim Stephens — and I really have to stop here, or I could go on all night.

In the eons of time, the 50-year history of Iota-Theta Zeta and my 40 years on the Fraternity staff are less than the blink of an eye. And yet, the changes that have taken place within Lambda Chi Alpha and in society have been mind-boggling.

I can vividly remember when I first heard the word "marijuana." I didn't even know how to spell it. I can remember when "bong" was the sound of a church bell; when "coke" was what you treated your favorite date to at the corner drug store; "pot" was something your mother cooked in and "grass" was mowed.

There were no sex changes in those days — you made do with what you had. And I can even remember when people got married, and then lived together. Wasn't that a quaint custom?

Communication and travel were totally different in those days too. When we wanted to call someone on the telephone, we had to talk to a live person, called an operator. The Charter Members here might recall that Grand High Zeta member Coleman Nolen, an Arkansas initiate, presented the Charter to the newly installed Chapter. Coleman was a lawyer in the little town of Okemah, Oklahoma. If I was visiting some of our Oklahoma chapters, I would call him ahead of time to see if we might get together for lunch or dinner. On one such occasion, I picked up my phone in Indianapolis and asked the operator to put me through to Okemah, Oklahoma. Eventually, after patching me through to St. Louis, Springfield, Missouri, and other cities along the way, an operator answered, “Okemah, Oklahoma. Number please.” And I said “2." Yes, that was Coleman Nolen’s telephone number – “2." The Operator said, “I could connect you with Mr. Nolen’s office, but I know he’s not there — I just saw him having lunch at the Diner. Do you want me to try to reach him there?” I said, yes, and in a few seconds, I was talking to Coleman. Now tell me, could you do that with your sophisticated cell phone, or Blackberry, or iPhone?

At any rate, it was a quieter, slower, more enjoyable time, and I miss it — a lot.

To get back to Iota-Theta — I do have to point out that not all of you have been as involved or as generous as your circumstances would allow you to be, and I hope and pray that the events of this weekend will inspire you to renew your involvement, and where distance prevents real contact with the Chapter, that you will open up your hearts and your purse-strings to provide the kind of tangible support you’re capable of providing.

I am closing these remarks tonight, as I have on several other occasions, by retelling two of my favorite stories — one aimed at the undergraduates, and the other for the benefit of the alumni.

For the undergraduates, you have to understand that what you do as a Chapter has a great impact on more people than you realize. This can be illustrated by a favorite story of mine that came out of the Olympic Games some years ago.

During the running of the mile relay race, after two runners had completed their laps, it was obvious that the American team was going to bring home the Gold Medal. The first two runners had built up a commanding lead. But then a tragic thing happened — on passing the baton from the second American runner to the third, the third runner dropped the baton, and for the United States Olympic Team, the race was over. As tens of thousands of fans in the stadium and millions watched on TV around the world, the third U.S. runner threw himself on the track and beat his head and fists into the track until they bled, and we could only imagine what went through his mind at that moment. The fact is that because he dropped the baton, his two teammates, who had run their hearts out and built up a commanding lead, might just as well not have run at all. Their efforts were wasted. He also had to realize that he had a fourth teammate standing at the starting line who would never have the opportunity to run in the Olympic Games because he, the third runner, had dropped the baton.

High Pi Jake Hampton reminded us in his remarks that a few years ago, the undergraduate brothers of Iota-Theta had dropped the baton. In a very real sense, the undergraduate brothers of any Chapter are always in the position of the third runner in a relay race. In the case of Iota-Theta, some 1,400 brothers have gone before you to develop a Chapter of which everyone can be proud. You owe it to them to carry the banners to new heights of success. Remember, too, that there are future generations of Arkansas State students, most of them not yet born, who will wear the colors of Lambda Chi Alpha, of Iota-Theta Zeta. What kind of chapter will you leave for them? The baton is once again in your hands.

For the alumni here, let me challenge you as well. Picture if you will, two men riding on horseback along a dry river bed. Out of nowhere they hear a cry, "Halt," and they did. And then the voice commanded them: "Dismount from your horses, pick up some stones, put them in your pocket, and remount." And after they had done so, the voice said, "You have obeyed well. Proceed, but tomorrow, you will be both happy and sorry." This mystified the riders, but they did exactly as they were told, took off into the darkness and later made their camp under the stars. As the grey streak of light spread across the morning sky, they awoke and hurriedly reached into their pockets, and there they found, not a handful of pebbles, but rather diamonds, rubies and other precious stones. And they remembered the voice of the night before, "Tomorrow, you will be both happy and sorry — happy that you picked up a handful of these stones; sorry that you didn't pick up more.”

As I see it, that's the narrative of education, but it's also the narrative of fraternity. May you not regret that you didn't take all the opportunity, all of the advantages that were presented to you, for this opportunity may never, ever come again. Rather, may you continue to search and search, to find the opportunity for growth, and leadership, and service . . . for you are part of a great Fraternity, forged in the fire of comradeship at the turn of the last century . . . molded by the proud achievements of more than 250,000 brothers . . . animated by a sense of destiny. This is truly a glorious ideal, with the spirit of youth on the one hand, and the lesson of maturity on the other.

Thank you, my brothers, for sharing your friendship and your brotherhood with me. You have enriched my life once more and added to my storehouse of fraternal memories.

The good wishes and prayers of all our brothers everywhere are with you today and always. The arms of brothers are joined together, as they are here tonight, shoulder to shoulder, in a beautiful blending of generations.

And in the words of Dostoevsky: "Even if later we are occupied with important things, even if we fall into misfortune, still let us remember how good it was here once, where we were all together, united by a good and kind feeling that made us, perhaps, a little better than we were." You, my brothers, have made me a lot better than I could ever have been without your friendship, encouragement and support. You have truly been the "wind beneath my wings."

We can all look back and treasure the images of lives we have known in Lambda Chi Alpha. I see them as reflections of my life, cast from a lamp, with an eternal flame that burns in each of us.

I have seen here once more at Iota-Theta an abundance of brotherly love, and I shall be eternally grateful to you for sharing it with me. Truly, unto us has been forged a mighty friendship. Thank you, and God bless you all.