(Photo l-r: Kevin Frye, Phil Vassar, Kevin's mother & father)
Our thanks to Kevin Frye (Eta Kappa/James Madison 2003) for sharing the story of his recent visit with Brother Phil Vassar!
On October 14th, I took my mother to a concert at The Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia for her birthday. To say that it was a great time is an understatement. The reason the evening was so special is because we were in attendance to see one of our favorite country music stars - A true musician, a showman, an alumnus from my (and her) alma mater of James Madison University and - best of all - a brother of our beloved Theta Chi Fraternity.
Brother Phil Vassar (Eta Kappa/James Madison 1984) is the owner of two ASCAP Songwriter of the Year trophies, is a Billboard Country Songwriter of the Year, and has had countless hits as a singer and songwriter. He has recorded eight albums, collected a mantle full of awards, and, as I can personally attest, is a genuinely nice person.
I owe him a very sincere thank you for how memorable he made our entire evening. Phil kindly invited my family and I backstage so I had the opportunity to thank him face to face, brother to brother. In our brief time together we exchanged pleasantries, shared a quick story or two, got a hug for the birthday girl, and took a quick picture.
By happenstance, Phil’s own mother was backstage as well and my mother had the chance to meet her. They were able to chat as two James Madison Theta Chi moms, which was a very sweet addition.
I can’t tell you how much the entire night meant to me and my mom. My mother texted me after the show: “Tonight was so terrific! The concert was awesome and getting to meet Phil was icing on the cake. I will always remember this.”
Though we had only met one time at a homecoming event when I was an undergraduate at JMU, Phil invited me and my family in and made us feel very special. This very gesture in and of itself is emblematic that Theta Chi is for Life. Phil, your show and the picture we took afterwards will always remind my family of an awesome evening. To me, that photo reaffirms everything I’ve ever believed in about our fraternity. Thank you!
Fraternally,
Kevin Frye
Eta Kappa/James Madison 2003