A Vietnam War veteran returned to Gamma Tau to finish something he started 47 years ago, and a group of undergraduate brothers helped make it happen.
Bob Fagan went to Drake and pledged Theta Chi in 1966. Before being initiated, he was drafted into the Army and sent to Vietnam at the height of the war. In combat, Fagan was awarded the National Defense Ribbon, the Vietnam Service Medal, the Vietnam Campaign medal, and received a Presidential Unit Citation with his Army unit. Upon returning home, he continued his studies at Drake and received his Bachelor’s Degree in 1971. However, he was never initiated.
About a year ago, Fagan’s pledge brother, Jim Neylon, invited him to the chapter house for an alumni gathering. That experience of meeting many Theta Chi brothers brought back many fond memories. Later realizing that Fagan had never been initiated, the undergraduate brothers decided to fix that. He was initiated on Saturday, April 26 and proudly wore the Badge of Theta Chi for the first time that day.
"We didn't want to forget about it. We thought he deserved to be initiated," said Sean Duncan, an active Theta Chi member at Drake. "It's something that I think will mean a lot to him," Duncan said. "And, it means a lot to us to show that we care about him."
"It's kind of like a thing of belonging to somebody," Fagan said. "It's a special bond that you have with each other."
The large alumni gathering at which Fagan was honored also celebrated the fact that Gamma Tau raised nearly $1.6 million to build a new fraternity house.
To view the local news footage about Bob Fagan and Gamma Tau Chapter, click here.