Frat Pack
Emily McMackin, The Decatur Daily | 1/18/2005 High school buddies share more than brotherhood as leaders of Kappa Alpha Order at three universities Green Bay Packers coaching great Vince Lombardi said: “Leaders aren’t born, they are made. And they are made just like anything else, through hard work.”
His observation describes the story of three college students from Decatur, all of whom serve as leaders of Kappa Alpha Order at large Southern universities.
Bill Ashwander, Jack Adams and Davis Ozier grew up playing sports together, teaming up for school projects and hanging out. Each left his mark on the Decatur High School Class of 2001.
As the friends chose separate paths for college, all were drawn to Kappa Alpha, a fraternity that counts morality, chivalry and service among its ideals and considers Robert E. Lee its spiritual founder.
Ashwander and Ozier now serve as presidents of KA chapters at Auburn University and Vanderbilt University, and Adams is vice president of the chapter at The University of Alabama.
Pledging the same fraternity may have been a coincidence, but the common roles that the guys share continues a tradition of leadership started in high school.
A quiet leader
Of the three, Ashwander, son of Dr. Charles and Barbara Ashwander, was the serious, studious one. He finished in the top five in his class and balanced academics with basketball, tennis and student council.
“He was a quiet leader,” said Decatur High School English teacher Peggy Black, “but he was extremely bright and dedicated to whatever he did.”
KA ran through Ashwander’s blood. His grandfather was president in 1941. His dad was a member, and his brother led the fraternity in the ‘90s.
Ashwander oversaw the fraternity’s insurance policy and served as treasurer before being elected to the top office in December.
“In order to dedicate this much time to it, you have to have a love for the fraternity and what it stands for,” he said.
Presiding over the sixth largest KA chapter in the nation means “making sure that everything runs smoothly,” he said. Ashwander juggled medical school applications and grant work this summer with recruiting and hosting parties for guys KA hopes to rush this fall.
The senior pre-med student will soon supervise a move into a new fraternity house. Ashwander’s grandfather was president when KA moved into its first house, which was torn down in 1994.
“For the past 10 years, the chapter has been there, but it’s been tough to get everyone together,” Ashwander said.
Despite not having a house, Ashwander has kept the group unified, said Adam Payne, a KA brother from Decatur.
“He has done a great job of keeping in touch with everybody, letting them know what is going on and keeping the fraternity from missing a beat,” Payne said.
Taking a stand
Former high school teachers describe Adams, son of John and Beth Adams, as the guy who was always cracking jokes in class or sharing his opinion. “He wasn’t afraid to speak up and say what he thought, which is good because it causes people to think,” Decatur High student government sponsor Patti Stutts said.
Adams held class offices and, along with Ozier, played football and baseball and participated in a student government class.
Although Adams liked to have fun, he understood his responsibilities.
“He was a cut-up, but he didn’t push it,” Black said.
Adams chose KA after arriving in Tuscaloosa because the guys seemed laid-back, easygoing and eager to get involved.
He headed rush as a sophomore. As second-in-command this fall, he’ll work with new pledges, introducing them to KA traditions and helping them adjust to college life.
“When you go through as a pledge, you see things you wish had gone differently,” said Adams, a senior studying finance. “It’s better to be involved than sitting back and letting someone else decide what is going to happen.”
Tuscaloosa’s KA house is the second largest on campus, and the chapter ranks ninth among KAs nationally.
“You feel responsible for what goes on in the house,” Adams said. “If someone gets in trouble at a party, it reflects on us.”
Walking the line between friend and authority figure isn’t easy, but KA members respect Adams because he’s likeble without sacrificing integrity, said Drew Ward, a fraternity brother from Decatur.
“He can lay down the rules, and people listen to him,” Ward said. “At the same time, if they have a problem, they can come to him.”
Grace under pressure
Challenges have never daunted Ozier, son of Lynn and Carol Ozier. During his senior year, he led Decatur High’s student council while coping with his sister’s death, setting an example that was “life-changing,” Stutts said.
“He showed people how to be gracious in defeat and sadness,” she said.
Black remembers Ozier as a diplomatic teen who reached beyond his circle to include other points of view.
“One of the things I heard from coaches and saw for myself was that he had a way of pulling the boys on the football team together and making them play and think as a team,” Black said.
When Vanderbilt’s KA chapter got kicked off campus for hazing his freshman year, Ozier refused to abandon his brothers.
“I saw what the other guys (Adams and Ashwander) had gone through and their experience with KA,” said Ozier, a senior studying economics. “I wanted it to be a part of my college career too.”
Ozier and guys from his pledge class worked for two years to get their fraternity rechartered. After negotiating with the national office, rebuilding alumni support and finding new recruits, KA returned to campus this year with 56 members.
Ozier now balances classes and Army ROTC with enforcing fraternity rules, ironing out a meal plan for the frat house and planning philanthropy events, such as a dodgeball tournament this fall.
“It’s easy to get lax because all the hard stuff is behind us,” he said. “That’s my main thing, keeping everyone involved and understanding that the work is not done.”
Ozier often calls Ashwander and Adams for advice. The headaches and rewards of leadership have deepened their bond.
“We were good friends regardless, but this is one more thing we share in common now,” Ozier said. “It’s easy not to stay in touch when you go to school at different places. This gives us a link.”
Mike Smith, who taught the three in government at Decatur High, hopes the connection will mean even more.
“Maybe they’ll come back to this community and help run it in a few years,” Smith said.
(reprinted with permission from The Decatur Daily, September 15, 2004) |
