Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2007, No.01 - HAPPY NEW YEAR

Beta Pi:

HAPPY NEW YEAR!: Announcing a new blog feature, "MOVIE REVIEWS FROM THE UIS NETHERWORLD." Although "netherworld" literally means "land of the dead" - this will not be macabre or sordid. It will be short, informative movie reviews, with a "thumbs-up" type endorsement. Here is the Netherworld rating system:

B B B B= Best. Top notch, knock-your-sox-off high quality movie. Highly recommend seeing

B B B= Very good, but not great quality movie. Recommend seeing.

B B= Average, but not a bad movie. Neutral recommendation.

B= Bad movie. Avoid like the plague.

I hope some of you will contribute reviews.

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MOVIE REVIEWS FROM THE UIS NETHERWORLD:

The Good Shepherd. B B B B

This movie, directed by Robert De Niro, is being promoted as " ‘The Godfather’ of spy thrillers" - and since the Godfather is one of my "all-time-favorite" movies (i.e., a movie that I never tire of watching, no matter how many times I watch it) - I went to see The Good Shepherd with high expectations. This movie is one of those great films that is sure to yield several Academy Award winners. I came out of the theatre feeling like I’d seen a truly great film, and it is. The big surprise for me was Angelina Jolie - she plays Matt Damon’s wife - and before I saw this film, I thought she was a "B movie" actress. Was I ever wrong! Her performance is one of the finest I’ve ever seen in a supporting actress. I predict she will win an Oscar. I give this film the highest Netherworld rating - four B B B B ’s.

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ARMS AYLWARD UPDATE: I had a nice chat with Bob Aylward by telephone, Bob and family live in Seattle, and Bob is the self-described "money man" - financial manager of the Seattle Mariners. His wife Elizabeth is a Medical Research Professor, and he is about to graduate his oldest daughter from college. I know I speak for all Tick-a-los’ when I say "Bob, we’d love to see you in 2010!" Bob acknowledged that he had not been back to VU for a Reunion since we graduated in 1975, and he admitted that our 35th would be "big fun" if he decides to come. I take that as a maybe. Great talking with you Bob.

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VTL,

Larry Simons

Beta Pi, '72

Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2006, No.70 - Merry Christmas & Happy whatever!

Beta Pi:

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR: I love and respect all of my ATO Brothers, and I wish each of you a happy and blessed Christmas, and a prosperous 2007!

As you know, Christianity is ensconced in the founding principles of ATO. We are truly a Christian Fraternity. No brag, just fact. I think of Alexander Wilson, how he and Laura loved us and cared for us. I have come to realize that the love Alex gave to us was the kind of spiritually pure brotherly love that I personally believe God gives. Just my personal opinion. I have met only a few men like Alex in my lifetime, and it means a lot to me that you and I were there together, being spiritually fed by Alex. And I know for a fact it really has meaning for some of you, because you’ve told me, both privately and in this blog. Its almost like "church."

As we celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, I am praying for all of you and your families. May God Bless you and keep you.

Hey, enough of my proselytizing - but you can let me have a little at Christmas time, already!

I enjoy doing Beta Pi Blog because I love to write, and I want to thank each of you for the nice comments and positive feedback. Face to face, almost without exception, you guys have thanked me for the blog, and said how much you enjoy it. You know, we were all trained as pledges to say "I love and respect all of my ATO Brothers." But lets face it, "love and respect" is truly distinguishable from "like and co-exist with" - when we were college kids, we each liked each other, mostly, and even openly disliked some guys - I did anyway. We are adult men now, and I dare say we all have gained much wisdom through life experience, which has deepened our understanding of what it means to love and respect someone, especially an old friend from the past, a brother. Our Brotherhood is our bond, and those are not just words - I really enjoy reconnecting. I think it affirms that we really did mean something, something more than just a great college social club. We are old friends. I am grateful to count you guys as friends, and especially grateful for my closest friends Buck and Vinny, who have kept up with me, and have been closer brothers to me than my own family.

TIME MAGAZINE "PERSON OF THE YEAR": When I heard about this - that Time Magazine has named "YOU" as its "Person of the Year", honoring all people who use theinternet, I thought of you guys and our blog. There are a lot of blogs out there!

BETA PI BLOG CONTINUES TO GROW: Thanks to the internet activity and contributions of the Brethren, this page now counts a readership of 60 bona fide Beta Pi Brothers. Let me know the e-mail address of a brother.

TICK-A-LOS WITHOUT BORDERS / BROTHERS WITHOUT E-MAIL: There are several brothers we "found" who do not have e-mail connections. J.D. Strickland (phone 256-739-4931) of Cullman, Alabama does not own a computer and does not have an e-mail address (it’s a protest of some kind). West Crafton, (office phone 615-868-0352) of Nashville, Tennessee, does not have an e-mail address. I submit that we should try to stay in phone contact, and continue to encourage these brothers to get online!

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VTL,

Larry Simons

Beta Pi, '72

Tags: Frank Biller http://journals.aol.com/lasimons4law/beta-pi-blog/entries/2006/08/03/beta-pi-blog-vol.2006-no.-15---honoring-steve-starr-and-frank-biller/526,

Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2006, No.69 - Dr. Phibes & Professor Rizzilious

Beta Pi:

Yesterday, the Venerable, yet Abominable Dr. Phibes matt_hart@hilton.com weighed in with a comment which he attempted to post directly, under screen name DrPhibesHart. The comment contained information regarding a quasi-prurient matter involving Mark Darling, a/k/a/ The Rat, a/k/a Professor Ratso Rizzilious, a/k/a Biggie Rat mldarling@comcast.net , and certain young women. As fate would have it, as Phibes was posting his comment, there was a glitch of unknown etiology, so Phibes e-mailed me, asking for assistance in posting his comment, and he requested that a certain picture be posted with his comment.

Beta Pi Blog editorial staff assigned staff technical engineer, Lorenzo Bozino, who immediately began trouble-shooting, attempting to fix the glitch. Bozino contacted Officials at AOL today, who admitted AOL was experiencing technical difficulties, which resulted in a "system wide" problem - pictures posted on journals (blog sites) could not be "displayed." AOL said it is "a system problem on the AOL Journal Server due to system upgrade . . . we are working to correct the problem. . ."

In order to rectify the consequential damage done to Dr. Phibes, it is only fitting that Dr. Phibes’ comment be published herein, with the photo he provided. And now, without further obfuscation or rizziliousness, words herein below from THE ABOMINABLE DR. PHIBES:

"Gentlemen ? what a great job Larry Simon has done in re-connecting the Tick-lor nation after all these years ? Bravo, Bozo.

"I had the great pleasure of visiting El Senòr, The Legend, Marc C. "Biggie Rat" Darling at his home in Colorado this summer. Attached you will find a photo of Hizzoner and the once venerable Dr. Phibes enjoying an afternoon of play with the Daughters of the Pi Phis ? the evening photos are not appropriate for distribution on the Internet. Tick-A-Lo!"

* * * * *

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VTL,

Larry Simons

Beta Pi, '72

Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2006, No.68 - GOD BLESS DAVID HOWE

Beta Pi:

GOD BLESS DAVID HOWE: I knew the day would come when this blog would bear sad tidings - that day has come.

I have very sad news, David Howe died yesterday. I received word this morning from David’s wife, Dara Howe. Dara sent me the obituary, which is printed here.

Obituary

David Vernon Howe, P.E.

Franklin, TN

Age 53. November 30, 2006, unexpectedly at the home of his mother-in-law in Nashville.

Survived by wife, Dara, son Alex of Nashville, stepson Aron Vaughn of Franklin and the world, sister Merry Howe (Little Rock, AR), brother Bob Howe (Key West, FL), mother-in-law Ollierae Greenwood (Nashville), brother-in-law Randy and Linda Greenwood (Littleton, CO) and other extended family. Preceded in death by parents Eugene and Martha Ann Hare Howe. Howe was a civil engineer and partner in Merville and Howe Engineering Inc., in Nashville. He was born and spent his formative years in Newport, Arkansas. He excelled in academics, graduating 2nd in his class at Newport High School (class of 1971), and as a musician earned All State honors playing the trumpet. He attended Vanderbilt University where he joined the ATO fraternity and received his BE degree in 1975. He began his engineering career with the TN Dept. of Transportation and later worked for Barge Waggoner Sumner and Cannon engineering firm in Huntsville and Nashville. In 1990 he joined Ron Merville’s firm as senior engineer and project manager prior to the partnership they established. Projects Howe developed include the site plans for the Metropolitan Nashville International Airport terminal, the Saturn Automobile plant in Spring Hill, the Nashville Reservoir and other water retention projects as well as numerous residential developments and telecommunications towers. At the time of his death he served as the city engineer for the town of Kingston Springs, TN, a longstanding relationship he enjoyed. Howe was extremely well read and conversant on a broad range of topics. He followed Vanderbilt team sports, the Tennessee Titans and was a fan of NASCAR and other racing circuits. He was a soft spoken man and source of tremendous support for his wife, stepson, and especially for his son with disabilities. He was a member of The Arc of Williamson County, which provides supports for his son, and served on the board including a term as President. He will be greatly missed by family and friends. A memorial service is planned for 2 pm on Monday, December 4, atWoodmont Christian Church, Nashville. In lieu of flowers, the family invites well wishers to donate to The Arc of Williamson County (129 W. Fowlkes, Suite 151, Franklin 37064) or to The TN Disability Coalition (480 Craighead Street, Nashville 37204).

* * *

In moments like these, emotions overcome me, and I am afraid to write, but I want to say a few words for David. David was a true friend, and he was a gentleman in every sense of the word. Steady is the word that comes to mind - David was calm, and solid as a rock. He was one of the smartest people I’ve ever known, and a great friend. David was a loving husband to his wife Dara, and a wonderful father to their son Alex, and step-father to Dara’s son Aron. David was a fine ATO Brother.

Dara told me that she was out-of-town at the time, but that David apparently died in his sleep, peacefully. There will be a visitation from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Sunday at Woodlawn Funeral Home.

David, we’ll miss you old friend, may God’s blessings be on you and your family, rest in peace dear Brother.

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VTL,

Larry Simons

Beta Pi, '72

Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2006, No.67 - GUEST BLOGMEISTER DOUG MARTIN

Beta Pi:

GUEST BLOGMEISTER DOUG MARTIN: I had asked Venerable Brother Doug Martin to contribute a column to this blog, and Doug sent me some very amusing words - that apparently flew back-and-forth between him and Venerable Arthur Landry. Doug’s contribution is presented herein, for your amusement:

"Final note on Homecoming/Reunion 2006 - Class of 1976

Received an e-mail from brother Arthur Landry in response to Homecoming pix that Kathy, my wife, took and I forwarded to you both. Excerpts as follows.

"...And the prize for the person who looks best after all these years, other than your wife, goes to----Frank! Just kidding. It goes to JD Strickland." (censored derogatory comment about source of JD's remarkable preservation 30 years later) "...Is that a tin foil hat on his head? And why the tiny crowd at Dudley on a beautiful day? These do make me sorry I missed it, but it couldn't be helped..."

Sent Arthur the following reply this morning.

"Yes, it was more fun than I'd thought it would be.

"Homecoming was a nostalgic, time-warp sort of experience. A lot has changed to be sure - new construction all over, Phi Delt house closed down, Krystal and Steak & Egg are gone, Phi Psi's seem to be the party boys (what???) with many beer cans and cups strewn across their lawn. But there were momentary flashes, at the Tic house, Rotier’s, the wall at Rand terrace, when it seemed as though it was still the '70's. No moment more so that weekend than seeing JD.

"You are absolutely correct - other than a better haircut, he has not changed in appearance (or demeanor) AT ALL. I kept looking over my shoulder to see if Dom and Fur would appear next. He is not only a Vandy season ticket holder but a member of the National Commodore Club and travels to some road games where he continues to harass opponents and take abuse from all he encounters. He is attempting to enlist others in his deranged and Quixotic quest to lift the Commodores by verbally abusing opponents and their fans. His hat, not tin foil but a sissy, shiny gold ball cap, is part of the Liberace ensemble to which Buck's jacket belongs. He claims the hat is good luck. Doesn't seem to work for the Commodores though.

"The Tic house now seems to be permanently infused with the post-Shipwreck bouquet of mildew and stale beer. All carpet is gone, minimal furniture, kitchen gutted - limited meals are catered in (Alex & Laura, God rest your souls), no cow, and worst of all - no pins. Some of the kids seemed oddly impressed we were amongst the group that cracked the foundation. They don't build a pool anymore, for any number of good reasons, but it lives on in their lore from ancient times when we did. Some of them have seen or heard of Wales Tales ("played by old guys who occasionally come by") but don't play themselves opting instead for the modern scourge - beer pong - a pointless excuse for a game involving no mental acumen, little skill, and no redeeming social, educational or self-disciplinary value. What has this younger generation come to?

"The crowd for the football game was disappointing made even more so by the fact that a third or so were South Carolina fans. VU has to be thankful the SEC travels well and that the university is in Nashville with other attractions rather than someplace like...Starkville. I can't even imagine how pathetic it must have been for the Temple game.

"Wish you could have been there. Others should do it as well. At the very least it seems to give Bozo a sense of purpose; plays to his border-collie instincts."

CHECK OUT WORLD'S CHEEZIEST WEB SITE: Venerable Vin Starr sent me a link to web site that is so cheezy I could only bear 6 seconds of it. Hilarious! Just click on the link to find out why Vinnie's favorite singer is Johnny Mathis.

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VTL,

Larry Simons

Beta Pi, ‘72

Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2006, No.66 - A THANKSGIVING TIK TALE

Beta Pi:

A THANKSGIVING TIK TALE: It was Thanksgiving, 1974. I opted not to go home for the 5-day Thanksgiving Break. My plan was to have some "alone time" to write poetry. That sounds nuts, and is nuts, but I was (and still am) very "into" poetry writing. I was taking the Poetry Writing Course offered by the Vanderbilt English Department, taught by Poet in Residence, James Seay. You may remember Mr. Seay, he was a young professor, very tall and slender, with very long dark hair. He looked very mysterious because he wore a black patch over one eye. Very bohemian, very cool.

So, the Poetry Writing course requirement was to write a new poem every week all semester long. In other words, be a poet, write poetry - about 15 or 16 poems. Well, the course was terrifying, because it was taught "round-table" style. Here’s how it looked: we all (a dozen or so of us) sat around a big conference room table, and each week, everyone had to show up with a new poem, circulate copies to Mr. Seay and classmates, recite the poem, and then listen to each classmate’s verbal "critique." Finally, Mr. Seay critiqued each poem - on the spot, in front of thewhole class. The student then received the poem back from Mr. Seay. I kid you not, it was intensely frightening. If you were lucky, he put a "check mark" next to a line or two, and if you were very lucky, he wrote a terse comment at the foot of the page. A comment heard a lot from classmates was "that sounds trite" or "that is like Rod McKuen (the popular poet who was always trite). I began hearing "trite" in my dreams. Trite means "used so commonly that the novelty is worn off; stale; syn: hackneyed, stereotyped, commonplace." A powerful word, I’ll tell you.

This method of teaching was meant to teach the young poet to "self-critique" - the idea being, write a page of lines, come back to it the next day, and critique yourself. If there is one good line, keep it, scrap the rest, and start over. This method is actually quite useful. But at the time, I was terrified, because some of the critiques were quite cutting. It felt like Chinese Water Torture.

So, it was Thanksgiving, and I’m planning to light a roaring fire at the Tik House fireplace, set the mood just so, and write. But . . . there was always the lure of our stereo, and the Allman Brothers, Lynyrd Skinyrd, you name it, I put it on the stereo for inspiration.

Then, about 3:00 a.m., I’m agonizing with writer’s block - I heard screeching tires coming from the direction of the SAE House (this is a true story). So, I go out on the side porch, and I’m looking down 25th Avenue (south, toward Memorial Gym) - and this drunk guy had set a Grocery Store Cart/basket in the middle of 25th Avenue! Then he was backing his car up. It was a very clunky looking Chevy, and not a late model, more like a 1960's model. When he had backed it up sufficiently, he put the car in gear, and he floored it - "burned rubber" - heading at break-neck speed toward this grocery cart. I suppose his goal was to launch the cart into space, because when he hit it, the cart actually did go airborne! The impact made a loud "crack" noise. The thing flew over and landed in the Phi Delta Theta yard, with a thud.

To me, this was intensely entertaining, and because there were only a few people to witness it, this stunt was obviously being done for the pure fun of it, much like when David Letterman features someone throwing large pumpkins off of a tall building, just to watch them splatter.

So, I finished a few poems, showed up in class the next week, and got creamed for trite poetry. One of my classmates was the very cool Marie Raggianti (yes the very same Marie Raggianti who later became very famous for blowing the whistle on Tennessee Governor Ray Blanton, the pardons and parole scandal, which eventually brought down Ray Blanton, and a movie was made - "Marie" starring Sissy Spacek). Well, Marie was a really nice girl, very lovely, very cool. Why else would they get Sissy Spacek to play her on the big screen? I had a very enjoyable, friendly date with her, we talked poetry - she told me she liked "my stuff" - but little did I know she was destined for fame.

All of those words, just to waste time, (I love wasting time) thinking about the Tik Mansion at Thanksgiving. I wish each of you a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving.
GEEZER PHOTO FEST, PART 2, FROM 2006 VU REUNION: In todays e-mail, Doug Martin sent me an additional treasure trove of pics. Great memories - Doug, you make me feel very, well, thankful to be an ATO.

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VTL,

Larry Simons

Beta Pi, ‘72

Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2006, No.65 - HEME HONORED AT VU LETTERMENS' DAY

Beta Pi:

HEME HONORED AT VU LETTERMENS' DAY: At the now infamous Vanderbilt vs. UT game last Saturday, while we all still had a glimmer of hope in our hearts that Vandy would somehow beat UT 2 years in a row, during pre-game festivities Vanderbilt paraded a slew of All-Time-Great Vanderbilt Lettermen (and women) onto the field to honor them, en masse. Among those greats, one athlete stood out among the horde - THE HEME! George Tomlinson, one of Vanderbilt’s finest football players.

After the game (which was too disappointing to mention further) Heme and his daugther Maddie, and son Grady, and me and my wife Ann, had burgers at Ted’s Montana Grill. I am posting a few pictures of Heme and his kids. Maddie is a high school junior who plays basketball, and Grady is a freshman football player - obviously, Heme’s kids inherited their Dad’s super-athlete genes, but they must have gotten their good looks from their Mother! Heme, great to see you again, old friend.

GEEZER PHOTO FEST FROM 2006 VU REUNION: In todays e-mail, Doug Martin sent me a few pictures from Reunion, which are also posted. Great pics - thanks Doug!

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VTL,

Larry Simons

Beta Pi, '72

Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2006, No.64 - A TALE OF SHA NA NA & SHIPWRECK

Beta Pi:

Many of you may remember Shipwreck, the year Sha Na Na played Vanderbilt, and the Sha Na Na sax man came to Shipwreck after the concert. To investigate this further, your Beta Pi Blog reporter has sent an e-mail directly to the Official Sha Na Na website (click on the link on this page). Here is the e-mail:

"Dear Sha Na Na:

I was a Vanderbilt student from 1971 to 1975, and I remember Sha Na Na came to play a date at Vanderbilt. It was so cool, after the Concert, one of the Sha Na Na guys - a saxaphone guy who was ultra cool - came to my fraternity party. It was the famed ATO Shipwreck Party, in which we built a pool in our basement, with a slide down the stairs, and college kids would get drunk on PGA punch and "slide" down the stairs to the pool.

What was so cool that particular Shipwreck was this Sha Na Na sax man actually attended our party. He was sitting on the planter, above the pool slide, blowing awesome saxaphone blues while all these drunken partiers slid down the slide.

It was, in my humble opinion, only the all-time greatest college party in the history of Rock n' Roll, that’s all. And the Sha Na Na sax man made the scene cool - in the extreme!

Here's are my 2 questions:

Do any of you guys remember the Vanderbilt gig (around 1973) or the ATO Shipwreck Party?

Who was the saxaphone player?

I am still in touch with most of my ATO fraternity brothers, who remain interested in Sha Na Na. I will let them know I'm trying to reach you with these questions.

Thanks for the memories.

Sha Na Na Fan forever,

Larry Simons"

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It is a shot in the dark, but who knows, Sha Na Na might just respond. It’s a good story, even if we never get a response. I will keep you posted.

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VTL,

Larry Simons

Beta Pi, '72

Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2006, No.63 - A TALE OF TIKLORS IN SAN JUAN

Beta Pi:

I owe Beta Pi Chapter an apology - some 30 years overdue. I shirked my responsibility as Pledge Trainer, and I apologize to you, sincerely. Here’s the story . . .

It was Spring, 1974. I was a Junior, living in the ATO House with Frank Biller as my roommate. The Chapter had already honored me by electing me House Manager, and you doubly honored me by electing me as Pledge Trainer of the incoming Spring 1974 Pledge Class. I understood the responsibility, and took it with energy and commitment. We were in to the planning of Pledge Training full tilt, and I had a Pledge Training event scheduled for next Saturday morning. It was a Sunday night, Buck and I were tooling around the House.

I walk into our room (the "middle room" at Tik Mansion) and Buck says "Larry, its your Dad on the phone - he wants to take us to San Juan!"

I go "You’re kidding?"

"No kidding, its George, he’s on the phone now!" Buck had gotten to know my Dad, George H. Simons, because Dad came down to visit me at Vandy, more than most parents. He was going through a divorce during my Sophomore and Junior year, and came down to visit me a lot. My Dad was a guy who loved to party. He just showed up and joined in ATO parties, and once he even went with a small group of Tiklors to Columbia, Tennessee for what became "Columbia Tales." By the time I was a Junior, my Dad was on a first-name basis with Buck and Vinny, and many other ATO’s.

"Here, give me the phone."

"Dad, Buck said something about a trip to San Juan, you’re kidding, right?"

"I’m not kidding. I need a little vacation, and I want you to go to San Juan with me - bring Buck along. I already invited him, and he’s in. How about it?"

"When?"

"This Friday."

"This Friday! Dad, I’d love to go, but I’m Pledge Trainer - I have a pledge event scheduled this weekend. Let me think about it and I’ll call you back."

So, I get off the phone, and Buck says - "Geez, Larry, George is so cool - he just invited me to go to San Juan!" So, Buck and I talked it over, and as you might imagine, the temptation to fly to San Juan for 3 days was too much for a couple of college guys to turn down. I figured I’d get a brother to "cover" for me, run the Pledge event, and - no problemo - I’d breeze back into Nashville - no questions. I was somewhat naive. My memory could be wrong, but I think I convinced Tom Lovinggood to cover for me.

So the plan was in place, I was "covered", and that Friday we flew to San Juan and had a great time - I’m posting some pictures of Me, Buck and my Dad, and also, a photo of George at Columbia Tales.

We get back to Nashville, and I find out the Chapter named Chad Weiss (if memory serves me) as "Co-Pledge Trainer." I felt a chill in my spine, that feeling of "Boy, I really screwed up." I knew that I was one step away from being fired as Pledge Trainer, the boys had even named my successor. Now, I’ve never been a quitter, so I determined to do the best I could, keep my game-face on, and keep my commitment to the Chapter. I finished out Pledge Training, carried out my plan (build the fence) and that was that.

The lesson I learned is one of the most meaningful lessons I’ve ever learned: When a man gives his word, people expect him to keep it. That is the lesson I learned from Beta Pi: Larry, you gave us your word - we expect you to keep it. That may sound sophomoric, but please people - we were only 20 years old!

Gentlemen, again, I apologize for breaking my word, and for letting you down. I thank you for helping me learn a valuable lesson.

* * * *

As fate had it, that trip we took to San Juan was the last vacation I had with my Dad. He died of a massive heart attack in January of 1975 (my senior year). He was 47 years old, and as you guys know - he loved to drink and smoke (doctor’s advice be damned). Over the years, Buck has called me from time to time, and we’ve shared memories about my Dad. He was a real estate broker - a salesman - and Buck has made a career in sales. Dad once gave Vinny one of his promotion gag-gifts - a deck of cards imprinted "Who is George H. Simons?" - which Vinny gave to me a few years back. Buck and Vinny, here’s to you, my best friends, and to my Dad, George, may God rest his soul.

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VTL,

Larry Simons

Beta Pi, '72