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Presidential Address
On this page, we will post the public addresses by the National President as necessary for your perusal. Additionally, you can visit and comment on the ADG President's Blog by visiting: http://adgpresident.blogspot.com/
August 15, 2009 Good evening, everyone, brothers, friends and family. It has been my distinct and thorough pleasure to see you all again this year; whether you are a first-timer to this annual reunion, or a long-time acquaintance, thank you again for taking time to come back to this family and create some new memories.
As I had mentioned on Wednesday, this is, to me, a convention of firsts. This is the first time we have had brothers from Kosovo, Taiwan, and Ecuador in the same room (and from the same chapter!); this is the first time I have ever set foot in the state of Wisconsin; this is the first time for many of us to have experienced a conclave hosted by Wayne. This has also been my first ever convention without the presence of Bro. While he is extremely missed, I know he is still here with us and probably having as great a time as we are. I need to take a moment to recognize some people before I continue. First of all, I would like to thank all of the actives for taking time out of their pre-semester duties to attend. Speaking of first-timers, I look around the room and see several of you who have only this past academic year become brothers. I hope this is only the first of many future conventions for you. Second, I have to thank all of the alumni in attendance. Without your constant support and guidance, both on the local and national level, we would not be where we are today. The greatest gift you can offer is your time and wisdom. I am fortunate to see those of you here who have donated both so generously and freely. Also, I need to recognize the National Council. I would not be where I am today, and indeed the entire fraternity would be far worse off without their constant dedication and support to everyone here. Most especially, I need to recognize Chris Sapp for his constant support and presence on the Board. He has been more than just a ‘right-hand man’ in my own efforts. He has housed me, fed me, and entertained me while visiting Rho and in other occasions where I am just passing through. Thank you for everything you have done for us, Chris. Lastly, I could not continue without thanking my wife, Anna. She has been supportive throughout every crisis and obstacle we have run into. While I had never thought of quitting, I had wanted to walk away for a while on more than one occasion. It is then that she would simply remind me that she would be there no matter what I needed. For more than I could detail in words, thank you for everything. We had another strange and unusual week this year. We fought the stigma of ‘frat’ and won. We enjoyed Milwaukee’s Irish Festival. We played two sport challenges without major injury, aside from Tom Beck’s ankle (but, he’s only a Captain, so still not a Major injury). We also had a car window smashed, but at least that was not done by a brother. Take this home with you. Part of our fight is not only against the stigma, but against ourselves. Bring this week home in any form possible. To elaborate, I’d like to read a passage… A Message to Garcia (1899) In all this Cuban business there is one man stands out on the horizon of my memory like Mars at perihelion. When war broke out between Spain & the United States, it was very necessary to communicate quickly with the leader of the Insurgents. Garcia was somewhere in the mountain vastness of Cuba- no one knew where. No mail nor telegraph message could reach him. The President must secure his cooperation, and quickly. What to do! Some one said to the President, "There’s a fellow by the name of Rowan will find Garcia for you, if anybody can." Rowan was sent for and given a letter to be delivered to Garcia. How "the fellow by the name of Rowan" took the letter, sealed it up in an oil-skin pouch, strapped it over his heart, in four days landed by night off the coast of Cuba from an open boat, disappeared into the jungle, & in three weeks came out on the other side of the Island, having traversed a hostile country on foot, and delivered his letter to Garcia, are things I have no special desire now to tell in detail. The point I wish to make is this: McKinley gave Rowan a letter to be delivered to Garcia; Rowan took the letter and did not ask, "Where is he at?" By the Eternal! there is a man whose form should be cast in deathless bronze and the statue placed in every college of the land. It is not book-learning young men need, nor instruction about this and that, but a stiffening of the vertebrae which will cause them to be loyal to a trust, to act promptly, concentrate their energies: do the thing- "Carry a message to Garcia!" General Garcia is dead now, but there are other Garcias. No man, who has endeavored to carry out an enterprise where many hands were needed, but has been well nigh appalled at times by the imbecility of the average man- the inability or unwillingness to concentrate on a thing and do it. Slip-shod assistance, foolish inattention, dowdy indifference, & half-hearted work seem the rule; and no man succeeds, unless by hook or crook, or threat, he forces or bribes other men to assist him; or mayhap, God in His goodness performs a miracle, & sends him an Angel of Light for an assistant. You, reader, put this matter to a test: You are sitting now in your office- six clerks are within call. Summon any one and make this request: "Please look in the encyclopedia and make a brief memorandum for me concerning the life of Correggio". Will the clerk quietly say, "Yes, sir," and go do the task? On your life, he will not. He will look at you out of a fishy eye and ask one or more of the following questions: Who was he? Which encyclopedia? Where is the encyclopedia? Was I hired for that? Don’t you mean Bismarck? What’s the matter with Charlie doing it? Is he dead? Is there any hurry? Shan’t I bring you the book and let you look it up yourself? What do you want to know for? And I will lay you ten to one that after you have answered the questions, and explained how to find the information, and why you want it, the clerk will go off and get one of the other clerks to help him try to find Garcia- and then come back and tell you there is no such man. Of course I may lose my bet, but according to the Law of Average, I will not. My father asked me to read this essay when I was in my early teens. I can honestly say that I did not understand its message and meaning then, but time and experience have a habit of tinting what we read and view. I am trying my best to live by this message, now, and I hope I am succeeding even in a small degree. In this era, we, as a fraternity, need to come out from under the shadow of the word ‘frat.’ We saw even this week that the hotel we were stationed in used that word to describe us in their signs around the lobby. The other night, they had “Party Policy” notices on the front desk, “for preventative measures,” as they claimed, though they did not say it was entirely because of a fraternity’s presence here this week. I’m glad to say we proved them wrong. We didn’t start this battle, but Alpha Delta Gamma will triumph in the end, I believe, but only if we stand together and remember our roots. One of the hardest fights, though, is internal and it is against apathy and fear. We have a huge weapon at hand, though. Check the mirror. If you still aren’t convinced, pick up the phone or log in to Facebook. You will find within yourself and your brothers Be an inspiration. Bring the message to Garcia. In today’s entitlement-minded society, with its trillions of useless distractions, it becomes so easy to leave the necessary tasks up to other people to handle. Huzzah I say to those of you who eagerly take on a task, if for no other reason to see it done. Elbert Hubbard concludes his essay as follows: …but when all the world has gone a-slumming I wish to speak a word of sympathy for the man who succeeds- the man who, against great odds has directed the efforts of others, and having succeeded, finds there’s nothing in it: nothing but bare board and clothes. My heart goes out to the man who does his work when the "boss" is away, as well as when he is at home. And the man who, when given a letter for Garcia, quietly take the missive, without asking any idiotic questions, and with no lurking intention of chucking it into the nearest sewer, or of doing aught else but deliver it, never gets "laid off," nor has to go on a strike for higher wages. Civilization is one long anxious search for just such individuals. Anything such a man asks shall be granted; his kind is so rare that no employer can afford to let him go. He is wanted in every city, town and village- in every office, shop, store and factory. The world cries out for such: he is needed, & needed badly- the man who can carry a message to Garcia. I wish you all a safe travel back to your homes, and a productive and safe rest-of-the-year. Universal ADG Night (U-Night) will be here sooner than you think, and I hope to hear from each and every one of you then. Stay in touch always, my brothers and friends. Remember that you are always loved, that you have the capacity to love equally. Ad Dei Gloriam (full text of "Message to Garcia" can be found here: http://www.birdsnest.com/garcia.htm)
Brothers,
What an interesting semester Fall 2008 was! From Zeta's 75th Annual Toga Party, to Xi's hurricane, the first weekend of chapter visits was off to a roaring (pardon the pun) start! Not to be outdone by Zeta's 18 new members in the previous semester, Beta rushed and brothered 16 new members of their own! Not to be outdone by Beta, Psi chapter went out and really made a name for themselves on Barry's campus by inducting 18 brothers in the Fall, as well!
I think it is a sign of things to come, but only if we all get out there and prove to the world that ADG is not a 'corporate fraternity,' but that we are something more indeed. Something for life. Something that will combat and persevere over the nay-sayers and pessimists of the world, who only want to see the bad side of things, especially Greek life. Let the world be put on notice that we shall not fall into their trap of stereotyping and negativity!
In the fall, I was able to visit: Zeta, Xi, York Colony, Alpha, Kappa, and Alpha Epsilon. This spring, I am hoping to complete the circuit with visits to Lambda, Epsilon, Beta, Rho, Psi, and Alpha Delta. So far, the going is good, but the pace is somewhat taxing. Still, it's hard to complain when each visit is like a trip home; seeing my brothers always overrides any snags encountered on the actual trip itself.
Everywhere I have been, I am seeing positive signs and definite improvements. While we definitely had a setback at one of our chapters this semester, I firmly believe that will serve, in the long run, to bolster and strengthen the rich and vibrant history of Alpha Delta Gamma. Please be aware, though, that no matter how many successes we have, there are always ways in which we can shoot ourselves in the foot. Temper your pride with humility, for both are well-earned.
In other news, I have decided to start a blog for the office of ADG President. Whether my successors continue this practice will be up to them, of course, but for the time being, I thought it would be a good method to reach out to everyone more frequently. You can find the blog here: http://adgpresident.blogspot.com. It's a start. Comments and suggestions are always welcomed!
As the semester is winding down, don't forget to register for convention in Milwaukee this summer! The dates are August 11th through the 15th. You can find all the details here: http://www.adgconvention.com. If you would like to pay your registration fees online (only $125 until June 1st, so act fast!), you can now do so through our store website here: http://alphadeltagamma.org/store/conventionfee.html.
Brothers, friends, we are on the rise and the success is primarily thanks to you. Please be aware of your surroundings, though, and the many pitfalls that await us, should we stray from the ideals of the Founding Four. There is so much success to revel in, but we need to cut back on the shortfallings, as well. Remember, every step forward, and every step backwards, is both the fault, and cause to celebrate for all of us. Be mindful of your brothers, learn from their mistakes, learn even more from their successes, and do not be hesitant to contact the Council if we can be of any assistance at all. I'm very proud of each and every one of you; thank you for all of your hard work in making ADG as potent a force on campus as it is today!
Ad Dei Gloriam.
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Presidential Address