A PERSONAL GLIMPSE OF A LIVE WELL LIVED
A Personal Memoir
by Significant Sig, Major General, Thomas Pierson Jones '58.
You Will Always Find It Here.
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The very first piece of luck was my having been born in the United States. I have served and traveled across the globe and can honestly say, that being poor in the US is better than being born anywhere else in the world. We are truly blessed with our freedoms, protections, incredible natural resources, and a quality of life second to none.
I was blessed with two incredible parents. Both of which were born poor. My parents got married in the midst of the depression, therefore became very thrifty. Despite their limited means, they provided with a wonderful life and taught me the importance of working hard valuing those things that you have, rather than coveting what you do not.
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My Sigma Chi journey began early. The dean of men in my high school was a Sigma Chi and a man I admired, along with the man who later became my father-in-law who was also a Sigma Chi, from the University of of Pennsylvania. Because of these two men who I admired, I too wanted to become a Sigma Chi.
When I joined Gamma Psi I immediately felt welcomed. The Spirit of Sigma Chi which talks about the ideals of friendship and accepting diversity in others was well practiced by our brothers. Our pledge class was very diverse. Many came from Michigan, others came from all across central U.S. and another from Tennessee. Some were from very wealthy families and others, like me, not so much. |
I grew up as an only child and didn’t have to share accommodations with other siblings. Moving into the house packed with other young men, I had to learn to get along and live side by side with others. This was a great learning experience, learning to live elbow to elbow and sharing a communal bathroom.
Of course, not everyone in our house got along perfectly well. But, as the Spirit of Sigma Chi states, “Our diversity and a shared common bond, is superior to friendship among member sharing the same temperaments, talents, and convictions. Genuine friendship can be maintained without surrendering the principle of individuality or sacrificing one's personal judgement.” |
There were several couple of brothers who came from the most affluent Detroit area neighborhoods. I remember one in particular. His father was Jimmy Hoffa’s Attorney, representing the International Teamsters Union. He would follow his father’s footsteps in law, and represented the same union.
I will be turning 86 in a few months. As you would expect, about half of my pledge class has passed away. Like Fitzgerald, many died way too young and for a variety of causes.
I will be turning 86 in a few months. As you would expect, about half of my pledge class has passed away. Like Fitzgerald, many died way too young and for a variety of causes.
I miss my brothers. Cherish those moments. It is likely you will never experience such a sacred bond of brother and life-lasting friendships ever again.
E.B. Hill was one of the founding members of our chapter, but I did not have much contact with him. He was an austere professor kind a guy. He had a wonderful wife, Irene, always by his side. Because they had no children, we all would become part of their extended family. I don’t know, but I suspect not, that we didn’t fully appreciate how blessed we were to have him as a generational chapter advisor and to benefit from his wisdom, guidance, and unconditional support.
E.B. Hill was one of the founding members of our chapter, but I did not have much contact with him. He was an austere professor kind a guy. He had a wonderful wife, Irene, always by his side. Because they had no children, we all would become part of their extended family. I don’t know, but I suspect not, that we didn’t fully appreciate how blessed we were to have him as a generational chapter advisor and to benefit from his wisdom, guidance, and unconditional support.
I was never an officer, but I was pledge master for one year.
I was initiated April 1955. This was the same year MSC became a University and it was Sigma Chi’s 100th Anniversary. Barney Burke, a pledge brother of mine, lived in Cincinnati. So he and I, perhaps another, decided we would attend the Centennial Celebration held in Oxford, OH.
Significant Sig John Wayne was there. I met one of the authors of the Sweetheart of Sigma Chi and he autographed my Sigma Chi Centennial history book. I spent part of the evening with him.
While there, I met a strange little man. He wearing a three piece suit and remember his glasses, attached by a silk ribbon, pinched on his nose. I later discovered he was Patrick H. Hurley, a Past Grand Consul. He led had an amazing career and had some Cherokee history in his family.
I was initiated April 1955. This was the same year MSC became a University and it was Sigma Chi’s 100th Anniversary. Barney Burke, a pledge brother of mine, lived in Cincinnati. So he and I, perhaps another, decided we would attend the Centennial Celebration held in Oxford, OH.
Significant Sig John Wayne was there. I met one of the authors of the Sweetheart of Sigma Chi and he autographed my Sigma Chi Centennial history book. I spent part of the evening with him.
While there, I met a strange little man. He wearing a three piece suit and remember his glasses, attached by a silk ribbon, pinched on his nose. I later discovered he was Patrick H. Hurley, a Past Grand Consul. He led had an amazing career and had some Cherokee history in his family.
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He had been Secretary of the Army and served under President Hoover. When President Dwight D. Eisenhower was in office he was a general in the army, So famous, President Eisenhower mentions him in his book, “Crusade in Europe,” where he give a personal account of World War II. President Eisenhower would send him to China as his personal representative. Later in life he became a big-time attorney in Oklahoma.
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So when Sigma Chi’s 150th anniversary came up, I felt compelled to attend. As far as I know I was the only one from Gamma Psi there and the only one to have attended both our fraternity’s 100th and 150th anniversaries.
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What did I get out of Sigma Chi?
It may be best captured by the notable phrase, “I seek true friendship… You find it here.” It is those lasting friends made and that the sacred bonds of our brotherhood extend well beyond 729 E. Grand River. Our fraternal reach is global.
It may be best captured by the notable phrase, “I seek true friendship… You find it here.” It is those lasting friends made and that the sacred bonds of our brotherhood extend well beyond 729 E. Grand River. Our fraternal reach is global.
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When I returned from duty I was a young married man, with a new baby. Like most of us at that age, I was focused on raising my family. It would be a while before my association with other Sigma Chi alumni would begin. One of the first occasions was with the president of Indiana State University, Alan Rankin, a Sigma Chi.
He was interested in starting a Sigma Chi chapter on campus. So, a group of eight brothers, with a variety of skills, formed a committee. Our initial attempt was unsuccessful. Not to be deterred, Dr. Rankin several years later tasked future Grand Consul Richard Hester, and was successful. |
That is when I met J. Dwight Peterson. The same name and the highest honor the International Fraternity bestows upon an undergraduate chapter. He was in the securities business at the time, part owner of a company called Cities Securities. His firm had been the underwriter for bonds when they were building a dormitory at Indiana State.
I remember one evening, when Peterson and Indiana States’ president, and a few other brothers met for dinner. Peterson, a past Grand Consul at the time, was mature man and I was a very young man. He put his arm around my shoulder and was eager to shared all kinds of wisdom. So that’s when I got to know the first of several Sigma Chi Grand Consuls. |
In addition to meeting Grand Consul J. Dwight Peterson, I have known two others; Jim Bash and Dick Hester.
Fellowship - it’s a maturing experiencing living in the house. One of my most fond memories was with Bill Arscott, class of 57. He graduated with a degree in art and continued on received his masters. He later became a college professor at Stephen F. Austin State University where he became the longest-tenured faculty member. Professor Arscott began as an art instructor half a century ago and now teaches filmmaking.
At the time, I never understood his art. He was a non-traditional artist and a wild man. Repeat, he was a wild man and one of the most unusual, unconventional men that I have met in my life. He invited me to be his roommate, he was a junior and I was a sophomore. Because he was very senior in the house, we got the plum room (suite) in the old house.
Fellowship - it’s a maturing experiencing living in the house. One of my most fond memories was with Bill Arscott, class of 57. He graduated with a degree in art and continued on received his masters. He later became a college professor at Stephen F. Austin State University where he became the longest-tenured faculty member. Professor Arscott began as an art instructor half a century ago and now teaches filmmaking.
At the time, I never understood his art. He was a non-traditional artist and a wild man. Repeat, he was a wild man and one of the most unusual, unconventional men that I have met in my life. He invited me to be his roommate, he was a junior and I was a sophomore. Because he was very senior in the house, we got the plum room (suite) in the old house.
What I got out of being a Gamma Psi Sig was life-long friends and a brotherhood far greater than I ever imagined. I have been blessed with that experience twice. You get the same thing in the Military, especially when you serve during war time.
