Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2010, No.19 - Veteran's Day Special / Reunion, Part 3

Beta Pi:




IS BETA PI BLOG WITHOUT ANY REDEEMING SOCIAL OR ARTISTIC MERIT?:

YEA . . . . or

NAY?



Beta Pi Blog exists for one reason: to bring ATO, Beta Pi Chapter Brothers and ATO Gal-Pals together. The blog does not take itself very seriously - it is meant for fun, and therefore is non-political. It includes

pictures, links, Archives of previous issues, and other time-wasters. To get there, go to web address: http://beta-pi-blog.blogspot.com .


VETERAN’S DAY SPECIAL

With our Country in thick of two foreign wars, many of our young men and women are in harms way at this moment. We honor them, and those who served our country in prior wars, and during times of peace. I am a Veteran. Buck used to call me a ROTC-Nazi - I was in Army ROTC at Vanderbilt. He’d say, hey Bozo, are you going to drill with the Nazi’s today? Lovingly, of course. During those times there was political turmoil, Nixon resigned, anti-war sentiment ran high, and during all that, I decided to drop out of ROTC. Of course,

Uncle Sam said - not so fast!

So 30 days after I graduated, I was ordered to Active Duty in the U.S. Army.

I entered as a Private, and left 2 years later as a Specialist 4. Best shape I’ve ever been in my life. I am thankful our Country was at peace during my service.





I love my Country, and I am proud that I served, and I support our troops who lay their lives on the line for our freedoms. Take time to thank someone you know who is a Veteran.

We now return to our regularly scheduled worthlessly lame programming . . .


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REUNION 2010 - PART 3


SATURDAY NIGHT - 4th ANNUAL ATO DINNER

ATO's and ATO Gal-pals were strong in attendance. The evening started out with 2 extremely long tables - enough to seat roughly 40. Present were

FRANK COLLINS, Frank’s Daughter HANNAH and MATT BLANKENSHIP

MARY COLLINS, HANNAH and FRANKIE

FRANKIE COLLINS

ANN POLK SIMONS

FRANK COLLINS and GENE YOUNG

MARY COLLINS, HANNAH COLLINS, CLARE COLLINS, my beautiful wife ANN POLK SIMONS, ABE BENAVIDES and MARY CATHERINE, an AD Pi

MATT BLANKENSHIP, Worthy Master MIKE SANDLER, and ABE BENAVIDES

JIMMY GRISSETT .   .   .  Nobody know, da trouble I seen .   .   .

ART LANDRY

GENE YOUNG and JACK MUENCH

JIMMY GRISSETT and BARB MILLER

TISON KEEL, unable to contain himself, coming on to BOZO, and making out!

It was love at first sight (ILAMATOB)!



The first table filled up very fast - and then

J.D. STRICKLAND showed up, and I told him to be a pioneer, and sit at the empty (and very long) table.

GENE YOUNG, J.D. STRICKLAND and MATT BLANKENSHIP

JACK MUENCH

My beautiful wife ANN POLK SIMONS had the honor of being surrounded by some very impressive young adults. MARY CATHERINE, an AD Pi, ABE BENAVIDES, Worthy Master MIKE SANDLER, and HANNAH COLLINS.


Then, about 9:45, just when I thought the Pi Phi’s had  dumped  us - the Heavens opened, the Sea parted, and in walked those Four Fabulous Female Greek Godesses, those Persnickety PI PHI’s

BECKY DENHAM and BETTY INGLE BACH, and ART LANDRY saying   gesundheit!

BECKY DENHAM and LARRY SIMONS

KAREN DEGERBERG and BECKY BRUNING MANYAK commenting to J.D. STRICKLAND how deep and beautiful his hair coloring was. I owe it all to Grecian Formula 44, said J.D.


BETTY INGLE BACH (Betty asked me to post only the best pictures of her.   Betty, perfect pictures are boring, and besides, you are beautiful in all of these pictures, especially the ones which are less than perfect).

BARB MILLER, and BETTY INGLE BACH, whose eyesight was miraculously restored after the parting of the Sea. Betty, you are beautiful, even in the out-take pictures you so dislike.

KAREN DEGERBERG is not buying J.D.’s story that he does nothing to his hair, as TISON KEEL looks on.

DEBBIE PAYNE with ANN SIMONS and the Young Americans.

Worthy Master MIKE SANDLER and HANNAH COLLINS

A great shot of the FRANK COLLINS CLAN

FRANK COLLINS led us all

in the ATO PRAYER

BETTY INGLE BACH listens as TISON KEEL tells J.D. and KAREN DEGERBERG how great it felt to make out with BOZO!

Ever the rascal, BECKY BRUNING decorates GENE YOUNG’S head, in true Tick style.

BECKY BRUNING (judging the length of something?) and BETTY INGLE BACH  -- Hey!  YOU!  Put that thing away!!

BETTY INGLE BACH and KAREN DEGERBERG reenacting Point - Counter-point!

BETTY and KAREN, truly beautiful Gal-pals.


Somehow not pictured - but present - were

BUCK BILLER, and

MARK McGANN




Then, something shocking happened - a LOUD electrical explosion, from somewhere in Hillsboro Village, and all the lights went out - not just at Cabana, but the entire neighborhood.  Cabana is open-air, so we heard it, saw it and felt it.  Very exciting.  Undaunted, the fine folks at Cabana lit candles, and we all waiting calmly while the waitresses painstakingly added up all of our tabs by hand.  We were so well behaved, I was proud to be an ATO.

* * *

With all this excitement .   .   . THE BLOG is going into  .    .    .

HIBERNATION.



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BONUS - EXTRA PICTURES FROM BECKY BRUNING:  Right after this issue was posted, I got a very sweet note from Becky Bruning, along with 4 pictures:

Larry- I am so e-mail attachment challenged that I am having to send these few photos to you singly instead of as a group .   .   . not the best quality from my phone .   .   . Anyway, we Pi Phi gals all agreed that Reunion '10 was a great success. We loved catching up with each other and especially enjoyed all the ATOs and hearing some legendary stories once again.

Sadly, the Wales Tales game for old times sake did not happen .   .   . I guess I will officially retire from my wenching role unless 2015 provides another opportunity.   .   .

Becky Bruning Manyak

BETTY INGLE BACH, BECKY DENHAM AND KAREN DEBER DEGERBERG

BECKY DENHAM and LARRY SIMONS

FRANK BILLER and BARB MILLER

MARK McGANN

Thanks Becky - I agree, a great time was had by all!  Thanks again for rallying the Pi Phi's to make this such a great time.  We love you!

Larry

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BETA PI BLOG WELCOMES ATO GAL-PAL BARB MILLER barbaraemiller@comcast.net .  Welcome to the Wild and Wooly World of Tick-a-lors and Wastrels.


HOW TO POST, OR READ COMMENTS: Get off the freakin’ sofa, Potato-head, click the button - Comments - just below VTL, . . If you’re having trouble, send me an e-mail and I’ll post your comment.


BETA PI BLOG ROSTER STATS: As of November 11, 2010, the Blog roster stands at 107 Tick-a-lo men online who have e-mail addresses (plus 6 Brothers who do not have e-mail), and 15 ATO Gal-Pals. The blog needs e-mail addresses, please share!



VTL,

Larry Simons


Beta Pi, 72

Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2010, No.18 - Reunion, Part 2, Police Action

Beta Pi:

IS BETA PI BLOG WITHOUT ANY REDEEMING SOCIAL OR ARTISTIC MERIT?:

YEA . . . . or

NAY?




Beta Pi Blog exists for one reason: to bring ATO, Beta Pi Chapter Brothers and ATO Gal-Pals together. The blog does not take itself very seriously - it is meant for fun, and therefore is non-political. It includes

pictures, links, Archives of previous issues, and

other time-wasters. To get there, go to web address: http://beta-pi-blog.blogspot.com .




REUNION 2010 - PART 2


SATURDAY ATO ALUMNI LUNCH: The Active Chapter, spear-headed by

Honest ABE BENAVIDES abraham.a.benavides@vanderbilt.edu



and MIKE SANDLER, Worthy Master, hosted an ATO Alumni Lunch!   Great deli-fest! Thanks to the Actives for hosting us. Among the Geezers that showed . . .

GENE YOUNG gyoung@westernwireprod.com ,     ART LANDRY awl@awlandry.net ,    FRANK COLLINS collinzes@gmail.com    and his beautiful family!   TISON KEEL tison.keel@hotmail.com ,  FRANK BILLER fbiller1@msn.com , and MARK McGANN markmcgann@bite-me.org .


FEATURE STORY!

POLICE ACTION: Additionally, after the ATO Alumni Lunch, there was a surprise and unannounced micro-porch-visit by

SEAN  International Man of Mystery  CONNERY.




Sean’s visit was so secret, no one knew he was coming, the blog did not know, not even Sean himself knew.  

Sean has no memory of the event.  If, in fact, there had been such an event, Sean would not be at liberty to discuss it, Sir! 

Sources tell the Blog that Sean likes to keep this quiet, but he is an agent of the G.B.I.

Traveling incognito, in super secret, is the price paid by agents of the Global Bureau of Investigation (G.B.I.).

So - SEAN, pictured here in his elaborate disguise, promptly Deputized TISON KEEL and ART LANDRY, and placed a secure perimeter around Fraternity Row.   All known ATO Alums were quickly confined to the House, and all  female passers-by were then placed under surveillance. 

No arrests were made, however stiff  warnings were given!  BEHAVE!




ALSO AT THE LUNCH . . . three ATO’s desiring to be added to the blog:

The following Beta Pi Brothers were recruited to join the Blog, as follows:

ALLEN FINFROCK afinfrock@finfrock.cc  ATO Class of 1990;   CHRIS GSTALDER c.s.gstalder@accenture.com  ATO Class of 2005; and  RICHARD LEVINE rlevine@tiaa-cref.org  ATO Class of 1981.  (Kidding, that's not a picture of Allen, Chris and Richard.  It's actually Marlon, Art and Buck after they got good  and greased.)

BETA PI BLOG WELCOMES THESE FINE BROTHERS!   Gentlemen, welcome aboard the Ship of Fools! 


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SATURDAY - TAILGATE: I should put my love-hate feelings toward Vanderbilt aside here, because Vanderbilt knows how to Tailgate. It is not the Ole Miss Grove, but then, nothing competes with that (folks decorating their tailgate spot with chandeliers and other goofy pomp). Vandy just puts on a great Tailgate.

Ann and I had the pleasure of company with JACK MUENCH and FRANK and MARY COLLINS and their beautiful kids. The bar-b-que was wunderbar!

* * *

SATURDAY - VANDERBILT FOOTBALL:

How do I love thee, let me count the ways . . . NOT!


Sports-writer I am not, and I had no takers when I offered the position of Blog Sports Correspondent to John Stein, Frank Biller and several others.  The position is still vacant, if anyone is interested. 





Vanderbilt vs. South Carolina was an interesting first and second quarter, we were tied, but just before the half South Carolina began a systematic trouncing, and it became progressively more difficult to watch the mayhem. The Ticks were able to utilize text-messaging to locate one another in the stadium, and make after-game plans.  That's it, no pictures or anything!


TO BE CONTINUED . . .

* * *

HOW TO POST, OR READ COMMENTS: Click the button - Comments - just below VTL, . . .

BETA PI BLOG ROSTER STATS: As of November 5, 2010, the Blog roster stands at 107 Tick-a-lo men online who have e-mail addresses (plus 6 Brothers who do not have e-mail), and 14 ATO Gal-Pals. The blog needs e-mail addresses, please share!

VTL,


Larry Simons
Beta Pi, 72