KA Provides Foundation for Successful Life
The influence KA had on Ben Brian ’52 permeates through all aspects of his life today. Ben met his wife Betty through a brother, and the two of them have been happily married for 58 years. The emphasis KA places on spirituality, chivalry and being a Southern Gentleman have provided the code Ben lives by. With all that KA has done for Ben, it’s no surprise that he’s happy to give back to KA.
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Valuing the Opportunity to Stay Connected with Best Friends
“The leadership positions I held within KA really helped me to develop leadership skills and learn what it means to have responsibilities where a lot of people are depending on you,” says Jeff Adams ’75 when asked how is life would be different today if had never joined KA.
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Richard Truly ’59
Richard Truly ’59 has kept his feet on the ground and stayed in touch with many Brothers of Kappa Alpha Order. Before coming to Georgia Tech, Richard just assumed that he would join a fraternity because his father was in a fraternity, although at the time, Kappa Alpha Order was not on his mind. When Richard arrived at Georgia Tech, he met up with a good friend, Tom Gurley ’59, and together they went through the rush process.
Eric Carlson ’74
1. Why did you join the fraternity?
Fortunately, several high school friends from Tampa had KA connections. During rush, I visited several fraternities, but KA stood out as a great group with strong ideals.
2. What was your favorite memory of the fraternity?
Old South, band parties, football games, Dot, Mother Ware, water battles between the birdmen and mole men. As a side note, I shot some film in 1976 (those were the days before video cameras!) of the brothers in action, and rediscovered the film about ten years ago. It's now on video, and soon to be on DVD. Several brothers have seen the video, and I hope I can get some more copies out. It's rated PG, so you don't have to hide it from the wife and kids!
Bob DeFoor '91
Why did you join Kappa Alpha as an undergraduate?
When I came down from Kentucky to start college at Georgia Tech, I didn’t know many students ahead of time. Several of my father’s friends were KA’s in our town and had written letters of recommendation for me so I went by the House during Rush Week. My initial plan was to defer joining a fraternity until after I had been in school for a while (not knowing how difficult the classes would be), but I met a couple of Brothers from Kentucky, Rick Muse and Jeff Cunningham, on the first night and felt very comfortable with everyone.
Bill Chastain ’79
Many Kappa Alpha Order brothers have memories to last a lifetime, but Bill Chastain ’79 stands apart in having written about them, in his new book “Peachtree Corvette Club.” The recently published book has drawn reviews from The Tampa Tribune who called the narrative “fast-paced and descriptive” but the inspiration is clearly drawn from his memories of his school and his fraternity.
Bill Morrison '86
For 13 years, Bill Morrison '86 has been president of the House Corporation. It keeps him connected to Kappa Alpha. And while president, the fraternity got a new house. This brief Q&A interview is part of an ongoing series designed to help us get to know our brothers better.