A Different Perspective on
Founder's Day
By BILL PHELAN
National Vice President, Internal Affairs
Ever since we were all young, oblivious underclassmen pledging our commitment to Alpha Delta Gamma, we knew the importance of the date October 10th, 1924, the day our fraternity was founded. Yet not until 2002 has the fraternity, as a whole, made it a point to actually celebrate the founding of ADG. This year, we had numerous chapters observe a variety of celebrations to mark Founders' Day. Whether it was something as simple as going out to a local drinking establishment with alumni or as extensive as assigning a series of daily activities in support of our five S's, I am certain that the Founding Four (and their moderator) would have been proud of our efforts.
Rather than rehashing the typical discussion concerning the history of ADG's founding (the elevated train, Armand's Pizza, Jesuit tradition, etc.), I would like to take a different route - although this is not to say that these aspects of our founding are unimportant. I just would like you all to think for a bit.
In the overplayed Christmas cinema classic, It's a Wonderful Life, the main character, George Bailey, was shown what his town and family's life would have been like had he not been born. From this we are taught the important lesson that each man's life touches so many other lives and when he isn't around, much is lacking. What if we were to take this paradigm and apply it to our fraternity, Alpha Delta Gamma? What if ADG was never founded at Loyola University in Chicago? What would life be like if Alphadelts never made it past their respective universities or colleges because they didn't have ADG in their lives? (By the way, I am aware that a few of the following individuals were honorary brothers, but let's have fun and speculate!)
For one thing, baseball would be missing some key figures. Babe Ruth would not have been around to help the New York Yankees win seven American League pennants and four World Series titles. (It's a shame he isn't around today; the Yankees could have used him in October!) Additionally, if not for ADG, baseball would not have a record for a player to win the batting title in three separate decades, for George Brett would never have been able to achieve that feat.
In addition, this country would be lacking a great deal of leadership. Catholics in the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.
would be bewildered and not able to find Jesus, because their shepherd and Alphadelt, Theodore Cardinal McCarrick,
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( Founding Fathers )
would not be around. The city of New Orleans would have probably been put back under French control, for two of the city's mayors and a Louisiana state senator were Alphadelts. If it wasn't for ADG, Europe may not even be here today! It was President Harry S. Truman who helped reconstruct Europe after World War II and, you guessed it, he was an Alphadelt too.
Finally, if it wasn't for ADG, over one billion people would have never been served. Former McDonald's chairman and CEO Michael Quinlan was an Alphadelt. I certainly would have missed all of those high quality toys found in my Happy Meals.
Although some of these examples represent a stretch of the imagination, they should make you think. I am sure that McDonald's would not have changed that much if Mr. Quinlan never took the helm of the company. But would you have changed? Think about it. If you never experienced what it means to be an Alphadelt in your four (or five or even six) years of college, would you be the same person you are today? Would you even be where you are today? Not to bore you with personal anecdotes, but if it wasn't for ADG, I would have attended another school my sophomore year. If it was not for ADG, I would not have met my girlfriend of nearly two years. (And if two years is not long enough, I can introduce you to alumni who are marrying or have married those they met due to ADG!)
But enough about me - think again of yourself. Would you be the man you are today if you weren't instilled with the ideals of Alpha Delta Gamma? Would you have ever developed the traits you currently have that were forged by the five S's? I don't think it's going out on a limb to say that you would be a different person today if you weren't an Alphadelt. I am not saying that you would have chosen another major and would now be a taxidermist instead of a lawyer, but that your life would be missing the ideals of true manhood, sound learning and the unity of fraternal brotherhood. These qualities, I believe, cannot be found synthesized so perfectly anywhere except in Alpha Delta Gamma. Thankfully, our Founding Fathers realized this as well on that fateful day of October 10th, 1924.
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