The Re-Founding Fathers of Phi Delta Theta’s Georgia Epsilon Chapter are enlivened and honored to have been initiated into this amazing Fraternity on the beautiful morning of Saturday April 23, 2016 at Forest Heights Country Club in Statesboro, Georgia. At the midday installation ceremony, Chapter President Scott Langley DeVries accepted the original 1971 Georgia Epsilon charter that was presented by Phi Delta Theta’s Executive Vice President & CEO Bob Biggs, a Georgia Epsilon alumnus.
Greek Life officials and a large number of alumni from all over Georgia attended the ceremony. Among them were Chapter Advisory Board Chairman Austin Deray (Mercer ‘10), Director of Expansion Tucker Barney (Puget Sound ’14), Executive Vice President and CEO Bob Biggs (Georgia Southern 76’) and multiple of the original Georgia Epsilon Founding Fathers from the early 1970s.
At the installation banquet, Dr. Francisco Lugo, Director or Fraternity and Sorority Life at Georgia Southern, spoke about the promising signs for the future of Phi Delta Theta at Georgia Southern, and he expressed his excitement for the future accomplishments that this group of diverse men will achieve in the future. Austin Deray, the chapter’s beloved Chapter Advisory Board Chairman expressed his pride in the young men of Georgia Epsilon and his excitement for their future. Charles D. Wiggins, Georgia Epsilon’s Bond #1, gifted a beautifully crafted painting of the Phi Delta Theta crest to the new brothers that was originally gifted to them by a sweetheart back in 1971. Chapter President Scott DeVries spoke about how this is not just a brotherhood on paper but a family for life. The final speaker, Bob Biggs, delivered a wonderful speech about how Phi Delta Theta is not a mere campus interlude, but it is something that one can and will hold on to for the rest of his life.
The Georgia Epsilon Colony was re-established last March with a total of 41 Founding Fathers. Since the re-colonization, the chapter has seen growing success establishing their reputation on campus. They have done multiple community service projects for Habitat for Humanity, the Boys & Girls Club, campus beautification and many more. Three days following the tragedy in Paris in 2015, Georgia Epsilon held a Pray for Paris rally on campus to let people know that there were others on campus who cared about them and were willing to listen to their concerns.
In the future, the chapter hopes to inspire many young men that attend Georgia Southern University to join the brotherhood of Phi Delta Theta by showing them it is much more than a group of friends. The brothers would like to cordially thank Tucker Barney, Bob Biggs, Bubba Renfrow, and all of the alumni in the area whose support and hard work made the installation weekend possible.
In accordance with Phi Delta Theta’s Strategic 10-Year Plan, Phi Delt 2020 and its growth initiative, Phi Delta Theta is currently executing expansion strategies that culminate in seven chapter installations annually and 200 chapters by 2018. The installation of Georgia Epsilon was the third chapter installation of 2016, and the Fraternity currently has 182 active chapters and 9 colonies.
