Beta Pi:Venerable Brother 
Art Landry mailto:awl@awlandry.netndry.net is today's honoree. Art was Worthy Master of Beta Pi in 1976, and is a Katrina Survivor. Here is Art's essay entry - which retells an awesome tale from Pig Roast Yore.
ENTRY RECEIVED FROM ART LANDRY:
"Like all our ATO brothers, I have great memories of Alex and Laura. There are two that stick in my mind, one mild, the other more dramatic. During the year I lived in the front bedroom of the Tic house with Doug Martin,what with the blacked out windows and my approach toward class attendance, I had effectively reversed the day.
My parents came to VU one weekend, which I wish they hadn't, and my father walked into the house at about 10:30 am. Alex met him in the hallway to the bedrooms and my father asked him which room was mine. Alex told him, politely but firmly, that he would check to see if I was awake yet. My father was not pleased, but I was.
The other story involved the pig roast. It was a cold, wet night and Alex was wearing a hooded jacket, sitting in front of the pit. The house was invaded by a bunch of rugby players from somewhere up north, who started drinking our beer and hollering and generally being obnoxious.
One thing led to the next, some Tic told one of the ruggers to get f'ed, and it seemed to me that I, living there and being WM (plus Jack Nichols wasn't there at the time), had to be the one to ask them to get the hell out.
One of them advanced on me and clearly would have kicked my ass. I was thinking about running out of my own back yard when I heard a scraping sound, and I saw that Alex had turned his chair half way round and was showing the guy a shovelfull of hot coals.
Alex not only saved me the indignity of being run out of the Tic house, he saved me from an asskicking. He was a man."
Art, this fall is your 30th Reunion, and Ticklors globally are looking to you to rally yourself and the array of '76-ers, and show your mug in Nashville!
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VTL,
Larry Simons
Beta Pi, '72
2 comments:
E-mail received from Art Landry, September 12, 2006:
"thanks, Larry ( I guess- old pictures can be a little depressing). But on the subject of Katrina survivorship, I do have to say that I never got rained on or got my pants cuffs wet. I was back in town 10 days later and it was like Apocalypse Now. Pretty wild.
Art Landry"
E-mails exchange between MARK McGANN and ART LANDRY, received September 13, 2006:
MARK McGANN writes:
"This is most curious because I have a similar memory of that same event only I believe that I was, unintentionally I assure you, the provocateur and therefore the intended victim of the interloper's wrath. I would have classified my remarks as "glib". I too believe that I was protected by Alex and his shovel full of coals, but I may be mistaken. I just remember sitting by the fire surrounded by a truly pregnant pause while Alex's barely noticeable yet firm presence controlled the situation. I remember that the moment came and went rather quickly but most assuredly would have ended quite differently had it not been for the quiet strength of that truly special individual. I also remember that Art received really special treatment during his tenure. Must have been something to do with being from NOLA."
ART LANDRY responds TO MARK McGANN:
"that does come back to me now. I believe that you were "really fried" and I think, to be precise, that you told this particular SASQUATCH, "blow me". All I know is he and his group would have killed and eaten us. I did ask him to leave, in a misguided attempt to stake my claim (as it were) and of course to defend you, my ATO brother. But I think he was prepared to move into my room.. The most imposing person there was M.Hektner, a/k/a Lurch, and he was far from fearsome. You nearly got me killed!"
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