Always be AEKDB!

I'm a Frat boy!  I have been one since the day that I took my first breath.  I was born in Statesboro, Georgia only minutes from the campus of Georgia Southern University, where both my Mom and Dad had attended and graduated.  Daddy was a Kappa Sigma.  In fact, his first cousin David was a Kappa Sigma founding father at Georgia Southern and Daddy was in the first pledge class.  In a great deal of my childhood pictures, Daddy still wore a Kappa Sigma jersey.  I followed in his footsteps and became the first father/son Kappa Sigma legacy at Georgia Southern.  To say that the brotherhood that you experience with your fellow brothers is strong is really an understatement!  It is something that last a lifetime and if you are fortunate enough to experience it, consider yourself privileged.

I am often reminded of the great bond that I have with my fraternity brothers.  Two of them live right here in my hometown and I see them often.  Others call frequently or we keep up on facebook.  We even have reunions every five years to celebrate our past and catch up on what is new in each others lives.  What is amazing to me is the way that we all seem to pick right up where we left off when we stepped off of campus in the years that we graduated.  It is almost like no time has passed between us and our friendships are as strong as they were almost 20 years ago.  Now some people will argue that fraternities are just a way to "purchase" your friends while away at college.  I will argue that "purchased" friends can not be called your brother, or still care about you years after you last saw one another.

I have been privileged enough to not only share a bond with my brothers, but I have also been able to watch the bond that Daddy shares with his.  It is really no different.  Sure the time frames are different and the school might have changed over the years, but the stories are very much the same.  The respect for each other is the same.  The love for each other is the same.

Kappa Sigma has a saying that goes something like this....  Not for a day, an hour, or a college term only, but for life!  I happen to be one of those people that believe that.  Now I have some brothers that have put their fraternity days behind them and do not participate in our reunions or do not speak of their time in Statesboro.  I find that disappointing.  How can anyone not want to continue friendships with the very people that helped to shape part of who you are?  I am one of those people that believe that you get out of something only what you are willing to put in.  I gave my heart and soul to my fraternity brothers in my time at Georgia Southern, and I am still reaping benefits to this day!  I am proud to be a Kappa Sigma Frat boy and will always be AEKDB!

I am writing all of this because our fraternity house is currently receiving a makeover and I have been taking some trips down memory lane as we are receiving updated construction pictures.  I helped in the fundraising efforts and it has been nice to watch as some of my hard work is finally coming to light.  The new construction on the house will help ensure that Kappa Sigma will remain the number one fraternity on the campus of Georgia Southern for years to come. The best part of the entire project was getting in touch with some of my brothers that I have not talked to since 1995.  Again, we just picked up where we left off and the next thing you know I would get their pledge to help Kappa Sigma in its rebuilding efforts.  I am hoping that when we have the ribbon cutting on the newly refurbished house that my brothers will join me in Statesboro to celebrate our future as well as relive some of our past!  My time as a Kappa Sigma in Statesboro, Georgia was some of the best years of my life and I enjoy sharing those memories with my brothers as well as making new memories with them as we continue to be part of each other's lives.  You see, on the day that I became a Kappa Sigma I took an oath and I plan to follow that oath and be a Kappa Sigma for life because...

ALWAYS BE AEKDB!!!

LUCKIE