At Delta Phi Epsilon's 59th Founders' Day Banquet,
in February 1979,
Alpha Chapter President John J. Byrnes, Al-'75,
presents the Fraternity's highest award,
the Gold Honor Key,
to Terrence J. Boyle, Al-'63
In 1961-62, while I was an undergraduate student at the Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Washington, D.C.,
I chose to spend my junior year in Switzerland at l'université de Fribourg. During this year abroad, I pledged a Swiss fraternity,
die katolische deutsche studenten Verbindung"Teutonia," and greatly enjoyed the experience.
When, therefore, in late August 1962, I returned to Georgetown University for my senior year,
I was very eager to pledge the Delta Phi Epsilon Professional Foreign Service Fraternity,
which was and remains G.U.'s only fraternity having a house.
At the time I decided to pledge, though, I knew very little about Delta Phi Epsilon.
In my freshman year at Georgetown, I was a debater and got to know quite well
the faculty moderator of the SFS's Edmund Campion Debate Society, Dr. Henry M. Cunningham,
truly a prince of a man, who was then also the Director of the Georgetown University School of Business Administration
and (although I didn't know it at the time) the National Vice-President of Delta Phi Epsilon for its Georgetown chapter.
From talking with Henry Cunningham during debate trips to various East Coast colleges,
I learned that Delta Phi Epsilon had long stood for the independence of the Foreign Service School
and, therefore, was not at all liked by the University's Administration.
(That was a definite plus, in my opinion) Furthermore, in my sophomore year
several of my Foreign Service School classmates, especially my friends Robert A. Kelly, David T. Casey, and James L. Condren,
pledged Delta Phi Epsilon. And lastly, at the start of my senior year, another friend, Ronald E. Stepien,
who had been a sophomore year apartment-mate of mine at G.U.
and had also spent his junior-year-abroad with me in Fribourg,
decided on pledging Delta Phi Epsilon.
In September 1962, therefore, I became neophyte #4 on the 85th Pledge Line
of Alpha Chapter of Delta Phi Epsilon Professional Foreign Service Fraternity.
Less than a week later, though, I dropped from pledging
upon learning that the weekly Sunday meetings and Saturday work details would conflict
with the preparation sessions that G.U. Associate Dean Frank Evans had scheduled
for the University's candidates for Danforth Fellowships.
I was determined, though, to come back and pledge again the next semester.
This I did when, in February 1963, I became neophyte #1 on Alpha Chapter's 86th Pledge Line.
Twenty-one neophytes started pledging that semester, but only nine of us lasted through the Initiation Weekend.
What a relief it was when, on Sunday, April 7, 1963, Michael Anderson, John Frisoli, Kevin Gallagher,
Gregory Gleason, Robert Gorman, Eric Martel, David Mecklenburg, John Ondrick,
and two G.U. faculty members, Fr. Gerard Brown, S.J., and Dr. Jerome Vogel,
were with me at long last initiated as brothers by as our Line Captain,
Bro. Peter Xavier Sheridan Shields Lawton Andrew Collins, and the other officers of the Fraternity.
Throughout the many years that have followed, I have been very active in this Fraternity.
I have known, and worked closely with, almost all of the Brothers who since World War II
kept Delta Phi Epsilon alive (e.g., Bros. Diego Asencio, Henry Bergeson, Kenneth Bleakley, Michael Campilongo,
Vincent Chiarello, David Collins, Kevin Conry, Henry Cunningham, Robert Danis, Ronald Davidson,
Glyn Davies, John Dick, Thomas Dillon, Joseph Eblan, Alfonso Espinosa, Jack Fenn, Walter Giles,
Clarence Gunther, Carl Haardt, Oral Jensen, Jan Karski, Franklin Lavin, John Leahy, Joseph LeMoine,
Vernon Moore, Michael Osajda, Paul O'Friel, Charles Pucie, Clifford Rees, Edward Rodriguez, Gunther Ruff,
William Sandridge, Emil Schnellbacher, Daniel Sweeney, Reginald Tyson, George Viksnins, Edward White,
and James Window).
From 1976 to 1982, I served as the Fraternity's National Board of Governors as Secretary for Collegiate Chapters
and since 1982 I have been the National General Secretary.
And, ever since 1981, I have also been a director and the Secretary-Treasurer of the corporation
that owns the Delta Phi Epsilon House. Since mid-1985, I have been the day-to-day manager of that House.
Check out the web site of Alpha Chapter of Delta Phi Epsilon Professional Foreign Service Fraternity
for a good introduction both to the Fraternity and to the extent of my involvement with it.
