Beta-Pi-Blog

Thursday, August 4, 2016

Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2016, No.04 - Travis Burch and the 71-ers

Beta Pi:

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

YEA . . . . or

NAY?

Beta Pi Blog’s purpose: to bring ATO, Beta Pi Chapter Brothers and ATO Gal-Pals together. The blog is not to be taken seriously - it is meant for fun.

The Beta Pi Blog 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

* * *

TRAVIS BURCH and the 71-ers

I graduated Vanderbilt in 1975, and my first year at Vandy was the Fall of 1971. And back then, Vanderbilt did fraternity/sorority Rush in the Spring. So Spring of 1972 was when I discovered the Land of the Greeks. In the years since I started writing this blog in 2006, I have had the good fortune to meet many ATO’s who either graduated before my time at Vanderbilt, or after.

I had the good fortune to meet TRAVIS BURCH, Class of 1971 through this blog! I received a really nice letter and some photos from Travis.

Understand . . . these guys were perhaps WAY more irreverent than we were. For example, their yearbook picture was a satirical spoof on “The Last Supper.” Talk about guys with egos!

So, without further “to-do” . . . . here is the letter:

Larry:

Hope this finds you well.

Beta Pi Brothers Jim Burgess, Steve Johnson, and I , all originally Class of '71 (although Johnson was tardy in graduating) send greetings from Cannon Beach, Oregon which was part of a weeklong reunion in Portland, Oregon with our lovely wives, Weezie, Ginger and Susie. We enjoyed all that the Portland area had to offer, including multiple glasses of Oregon Pinot Noir.

Because we are older and somewhat wiser, many of your cohorts may not recognize this August group ("What is this Ticalor thing you youngsters talk about anyway?"), but we all appear in the classic ATO Last Supper photo from the 1971 year book. Jim and Weezie joined us from their home in Ajijic, Mexico, Steve and Ginger from Wilmington, DE, and Susie and I from Athens, GA, where we invite any who find themselves in Athens to stop by and enjoy the farm-to-table fare at Heirloom Café.

Best regards,

Travis Burch

TO TRAVIS:

Thank you so much for your letter, and the excellent pictures you sent. As you can probably imagine, since I came to Vanderbilt shortly after you left, I have memories of guys talking about the spectacular “Last Supper” yearbook picture you guys made. Needless to say, “nobody beats the ‘Riz.”

Anyway, to answer your question, as to the origin of “Tick-a-lors.”

There was a guy named Matt Hart, Class of 1974, who was the un-elected leader of the ATO’s for his entire tenure at Vanderbilt. He would have been a Freshman the same year you were a Senior. You may remember him (who could forget him)? Or, you might have been at church, preparing for the Last Supper, who knows these things? :-)
Anyway . . . .

Some nick-named him “Dr. Phibes” after the Vincent Price horror movie character.

Some called him Matt “Don’t call me” Hart, because like clock-work, if you called him Hart, he yelled “Don’t call me Hart.”

So, I recall the story this way . . .

During Pledge Training, in 1972, Matt Hart led a group of Pledges, myself included, to Tootsies Orchid Lounge . . . then another time he led us on TV to the live “Teddy Bart Show” after we did some semi-bogus charity work.

And one day, Matt Hart, who had a very thick New York accent, and even thicker New York smart-ass attitude, started talking about the “Tick-a-lor Man.”

And, as Matt described him, Tick-a-lor Man was this guy from New York, a seedy sounding character in a trench coat, who sold things to people on the street. Matt imitated the guy’s voice, saying “Tick-a-lors.”

The guy kept his "goods" arrayed and displayed in his inside trench coat pockets, so naturally, to show you his products, he had to . . . open his coat! Doh! I won’t go into what type goods the fellow sold, but you can well imagine. The rest of the story might be described as secret lore.

So, the story became so popular in the ATO House that year, that someone - probably Matt Hart himself – decided “Tick-a-lor” should be shortened to “Ticks” – and we started calling the ATO House the “Tick House.”

And we started calling ourselves “Ticks.”

That is the story, and I fully expect to get slammed by Dr. Phibes for the telling.

We were not irreverent in the same way you guys were, but we made every effort to be.

Travis, 2016 is your Reunion Year. I hope you and your buds will come join us. We have an annual ATO Dinner, on Saturday after the Homecoming Game, at a place called Cabana (which is walking distance from Campus).

* * * *

REUNION IS UPON US

Reunion will be on October 20 - 22, 2016. This year there are ATO’s we know from Classes of 1971, and 1976.

FRANK COLLINS is leading the charge for the Mighty Class of 1976!

I know Frank will be attending, but no word yet from Frank who else from 1976.

At one time . . . Frank was considered to be a quiet man, a man of few words . . .

Yeah . . . right!

And we are hoping to see Travis Burch and his cohorts from 1971.

As always, Frank Biller, Steven Starr and myself, aka “The Three Stooges” will be hosting the Annual ATO Dinner and Cocktail Party at Cabana:

WHAT: Annual ATO Dinner and Cocktail Party

WHERE: Cabana, 1910 Belcourt Ave., Nashville, TN 37212

WHEN: October 22^nd, 8:00 p.m. – or immediately after the Homecoming Game (time subject to change).

RSVP: by email to lasimons4law@aol.com

* * *

KEEPING TABS:

Here is a reminder of the Brothers we have lost.

EDWARD G. “TED” STEPHANY, died January 20, 2016.

Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2016, No.01, Archive: Jan. 2016

J. NEAL CRENSHAW, died November 12, 2014.

Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2014, No.08, Archive: Nov. 2014

Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2014, No.10, Archive: Dec. 2014

MILES WALSH, died in July, 2013.

Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2013, No.05, Comments Section (over 50 comments), Archive: Aug.2013

DAVID HOWE, died November 30, 2006.

Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2006, No.68, Archive: December, 2006.
Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2007, No.30, Archive: May, 2007

KURT WAGNER, died in July, 2002.

Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2016, No.02, Archive: Jan. 2016

If you have never explored the “Archives” in this Blog – it is toward the top of the latest “blog issue”, on the right. You access it by clicking on the Month and Year, and it will drop down with choices. For example, if you click on December, 2006, it will drop down and list all issues that were published that month. If you want Issue No. 68, you click on that, and it takes you to that issue. You can then post a comment to that issue. It’s never too late to post a comment, right?

* * *

HERE'S HOW to “JOIN THIS SITE”: All you need to do is JOIN "GOOGLE +" -- click ACCEPT to invitations or click on "JOIN" GOOGLE + FOLLOWERS.

* * *

HOW TO POST, OR READ COMMENTS: Just click the button - Comments - below.

BETA PI BLOG ROSTER STATS: As of August 4, 2016, there are 37 Blog Website Members; there are 117 ATO’s on the blog list, plus 17 ATO Gal-Pals. And, there are 6 Brothers who do not have e-mail.

VTL,

Larry Simons

Beta Pi, 72

Friday, April 8, 2016

Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2016, No.03 – New Feature

Beta Pi:

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

YEA . . . . or

NAY?

Beta Pi Blog’s purpose: to bring ATO, Beta Pi Chapter Brothers and ATO Gal-Pals together. The blog is not to be taken seriously - it is meant for fun.

The Beta Pi Blog 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

* * *

ATO CLASS OF 1976

The Mighty ATO Class of 1976 should make a strong showing at Reunion in October. That is because FRANK "MARTY" COLLINS has stepped up to be ATO Class of 76 Chair.

Frank has immediately assumed leadership, and asked me to put out an APB on certain missing ATO's.

ALL POINTS BULLETIN - the following 1976 ATO's are missing, or asleep at the wheel:

JOE GARVEY

LEE "MIZZ" HALL

DOUG "DUB" MARTIN

TONY "THE TOE" MIRANDA

CHRIS "BIRDMAN" PAGE

ROGER SHIELDS

MATT "DUNG" YONGE

CONRAD PETERSON

PAT HAUENSTEIN

IF YOU HAVE INFORMATION (we need an e-mail address or telephone number) please let Frank Collins or me know.

Some other greats from 76 - who are "on the map, but off the map" - who have previously attended Reunions are:

ART LANDRY, WM

JACK NICHOLS

STEVE QUATTROCHI

OLLIE GRACE

* * *

DID YOU EVER WONDER . . . how did Frank Collins earned the nick-name "Marty"?

Here is the story (disclaimer - to the best of my memory). At ATO Rush 1973, Frank Collins walked in, and was talking to some guys, he seemed like a really impressive guy. Frank Biller (who always had an opinion) confided in me "Hey Bozo, that guy looks exactly like Marty Feldman, the guy who played "Igor" in "Young Frankenstein." Of course, we were huge fans of that movie, so at that point, we couldn't stop laughing, because - you know - we had MARTY in the House.

So, I decided to question this Frank Collins, and "test" him on this. I sat down in front of him, and I have to say, I had a hard time keeping a straight face. And even before introducing myself, I asked him

"Where . . .wolf?"

And without missing a beat, Frank replied

"There . . . wolf!"

So we asked Frank point blank about the resemblance, and Frank said

"Yes it is true . . . when God made the mold for Frank Collins, he did not throw it away - he made this other guy who is my twin, and named him Marty Feldman."

From that moment, Frank became lovingly known as "Marty."

* * *

NEW BLOG FEATURE

In the 10 years we have been doing Beta Pi Blog, I have noticed a pattern of sorts – there are some of our beloved Tick-a-lors who have not shown up since “days of yore” – they have never shown up to a Reunion. Back in the day, we always had a few guys who rarely showed up at the ATO House - those guys were known as RONIN. Kidding, they were known as "Mystery Men."

So, let us "wax poetic" about this dilemma we now face. Many of us are now in our 60's, and as we all know, life is very busy (except for Vinny Starr who - due to the abundant resources handed down to him - was able to retire at age 38). For the rest of us, life is more complicated, time is at a premium, there is this thing required of us called "work." It takes hard work - and plenty of it - to make a living. Some of us - myself included - have worked too much at times - perhaps we have become what some call a “work-a-holic” – burning the candle at both ends, as they say.

The issues of which we "wax", may be stated as follows.

Have we become prisoners to our careers, with our noses hopelessly glued to the proverbial “grindstone”?

Could it be time to take a break?

Could reconnecting with old friends be therapeutic?

If not now, when?

In that spirit, we are announcing a NEW BLOG FEATURE, which is entitled “GRINDSTONE” in honor of those prodigal brothers who so rarely have the time to come back, or pick up the phone, or send a proverbial e-mail, even send us a friendly, but proverbial “you suck.” So, here is the inaugural installment . . .

GRINDSTONE

Recently, I heard from my friend Doug “Fotch” Campbell. Doug, as you may not know, actually won an ATO award for "Ballsiest Facial Hair" in Chapter history.

A few days ago, Doug sent a picture, and a nice note describing it. Doug is a prominent, well-respected attorney based in Chattanooga. We are very proud of Doug. I ran into him a few years back at a CLE course. This was a nice coincidence, as Chattanooga is very close to Nashville, only a 2 hour drive.

Here are my favorite memories of Doug.

The Mansfield Apartment. Doug and I were both English Majors. My focus was on Poetry, and I needed a quiet place to write. I lived in Carmichael Towers, which really sucked in terms of atmosphere, and Doug had this really cool apartment, that he shared with Ken Mansfield. Doug very graciously let me hang out at the apartment, it was a great place to write poetry (which was an agonizing struggle at that time), and Doug's apartment was an inspirational place.

Fight Night. My fondest memory was when Doug served as the Referee of the Beer Boxing Match I had with Frank "Buck" Biller.

Here is Doug showing Dean K.C. Potter to his ring-side seat, with Travis Parr and John Stein looking on, J.D. Strickland with the cap, the famed Trophy Case prominently displayed. Yes, our event was sanctioned by Dean Potter, beer drinking at the time was legal at age 18, it was a time before the Vanderbilt Jack Boot clamped down on parties and student social events. We were living in the "Age of Aquarius" - this was ATO, and FOTCH was Officiating.

Here is a shot of Doug, giving me and Buck the rules. A little background here. Two days before the Fight, Buck tried to "juice" the pre-fight antagonism (that is, provoke me) by making an extremely insulting and provocative remark about my girlfriend, to my face - so there was "a tad" of animosity.

Here is Doug, tending to Buck's nose, which began bleeding profusely in the 2nd Round - deciding whether to stop the Fight. His Decision: Technical Knock-Out! Doug did an excellent job in his role as Referee. A great night. Notice Horns Howell in the background.

Anyone know the whereabouts of Horns Howell? (we need an e-mail or phone number)

NOTE: All of the Fight Night pictures are located at Vol.2008, No.09, A Tale of Fight Night, (February, 2008). You can find this by going to "Blog Archives" - near the top, on the right - and looking in 2008, February.

Bolivar, Tennessee. After Doug graduated, I remember driving to Bolivar, Tennessee, with several other ATO Brothers, way back in the 70’s, to attend Doug’s wedding to his lovely Bride Faith. It was a beautiful wedding, it was an honor to attend. For those of you who have never been to Bolivar, it is a few hours west of Nashville, it is like going back in time . . . a very beautiful place, small Southern town, the stoicism is palpable.

Olympic Wales Tales. It was in 1984, Doctor Phibes organized "Olympic Wales Tales" in Nashville, which apparently was a Tick-a-lor alternative to the 10 year Reunion (although not held at the same time). Of course, Fotch was there.

Many of the All-Time Greats attended - pictured here are (back row) Aber, Boss, Meunchie, Bozino, Vinnie, Arturo Toscanini, Fotch, (middle row) Bucko, Stubble, Biggie Rizzoulious, Miles, (bottom row) Bum-Jam, Ralph, Wimp and The Abominable Doctor Phibes.

Fotch seemed to be having a particularly good time.

Were it not for the random CLE Course a few years ago, Olympic Tales would have been the last time I saw Doug.

So, I was very pleased to get this e-mail from Doug, with a picture, and this note:

“I sent you a picture of a whales tales pale ale carton. I wear a whales tail longsleeved T-shirt to play tennis. I thought you could share the photo on the ATO blog. dmc”

Doug, thanks for the heads up on "Whale's Tale Pale Ale." It does sound very similar to our game "Wale's Tales, Prince of Wales." I wonder why - since their logo has a picture of a whale's tail, about the spelling, but thinking about spelling is the curse of the English Major, yes? Thanks for the note and picture, we do miss you, and hope we will see you soon.

* * * *

KEEPING TABS:

Here is a reminder of the Brothers we have lost.

EDWARD G. “TED” STEPHANY, died January 20, 2016.

Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2016, No.01, Archive: Jan. 2016

J. NEAL CRENSHAW, died November 12, 2014.

Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2014, No.08, Archive: Nov. 2014
Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2014, No.10, Archive: Dec. 2014

MILES WALSH, died in July, 2013.

Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2013, No.05, Comments Section (over 50 comments), Archive: Aug.2013

DAVID HOWE, died November 30, 2006.
Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2006, No.68, Archive: December, 2006.
Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2007, No.30, Archive: May, 2007

KURT WAGNER, died in July, 2002.

Beta Pi Blog, Vol.2016, No.02, Archive: Jan. 2016

* * *

HERE'S HOW to “JOIN THIS SITE”: All you need to do is JOIN "GOOGLE +" -- click ACCEPT to invitations or click on "JOIN" GOOGLE + FOLLOWERS.

* * *

HOW TO POST, OR READ COMMENTS: Just click the button - Comments - below.

BETA PI BLOG ROSTER STATS: As of April 8, 2016, there are 37 Blog Website Members; there are 117 ATO’s on the blog list, plus 17 ATO Gal-Pals. And, there are 6 Brothers who do not have e-mail.

VTL,

Larry Simons

Beta Pi, 72