I joined APO at the beginning of my sophomore year because of the unique combination of community service and friendship. What made it special was meeting so many wonderful people during my three years in the chapter. Even after this many years, I have many good friends who I met through Alpha Phi Omega. In fact, I met my wife through APO, and we ended up getting married on Cornell’s campus 6 years later. My favorite social events were the dances we held in the Big Red Barn. When I was VP Service, we put on the chapter’s first dance marathon, and held it inside Helen Newman Gym (back when North Campus was a very different place). Probably the best memory of Gamma chapter is spending much of my free time in the chapter office and sending messages to one another through the spiral notebook used for communication (yes, this was before email and texting). I had such a great time in APO that I stayed involved for years after moving to California. I joined the Gamma Gamma chapter at UC Berkeley as a graduate student, and eventually became a chapter adviser, and joined section staff, finally spending 2 years as section chair. I continue to serve the community in San Jose, where I have lived for 22 years. I am on the local school board and this year am a candidate for San Jose City Council.
As advice to current brothers, I would say cherish your time at Cornell and as a member of APO. And take advantage of all the leadership opportunities, as they prepare you well for a successful future, both in your career and in your community
