John H. Logie, Delta Delta-Phi ‘61

I grew up in Grand Rapids MI, graduating with just over 100 Seniors in a small suburb, in 1957.  At that time, the University of Michigan looked awfully big to me.  I was accepted at Williams College, Williamstown MA and joined 265 other young men in the freshman class, studying pre-med.  It was quickly obvious that the social life of the college was centered in the fraternities.  For a school of 1000 men, the fraternity houses were majestic.  I pledged the Delta Delta chapter with more than 20 others and was President of my pledge class.  In my second year, it developed that I couldn’t get all the necessary pre-med required courses in less than 4 years.  However, I also found out that I could qualify for the med school at Michigan at the end of three, if I transferred before my 3rd year.

So there I was, in the fall of 1959, at the front door of the Phi Chapter, then and now at 1000 Hill Street. I walked in, met some of the brothers, slipped them the grip, and was invited to join up.  All the rooms in the house were full, but I was given some leads on apartments.   However,  before I could find one, the Chapter tracked me down, (remember no cell phones back then) to advise that a member had just called to say he would not be able to come back to school, so I was able to live in right away.

Here is the point of my story.  While I had been a little nervous at the end of high school about the size of Michigan, I was over it by the time I showed up.  Even so, the whole idea of “brotherhood” was in full flower.  I was immediately accepted into the fraternity, not because of who I was, but because of WHAT I was.  I was treated the same as any other brother.

Most students who transfer colleges midway in their undergraduate years, of necessity start from scratch for friends, where things are, what classes are great, which aren’t,  same for professors, sororities, where it eat, finally where to drink, etc.

One of my class brothers, Rick Lenz, became a successful actor in both movies at TV [starred opposite Goldie Hawn in Cactus Flower].  Another, a couple of years younger, was Tony Ridder, who was at the head of Knight- Ridder newspapers when it was sold a while back.  The rest were very much like my pledge brothers at Williams. That is part of what our fraternity offered.

The experience of feeling “at home” almost immediately became a sensation that I can still remember.  We knew the same songs (later I sang professionally), we knew the same rituals, we had the same fraternal ties which still bind us together.  In short, it enriched my undergraduate experience greatly.

Having reached 3 score years + ten this summer it is easier to be reflective.  I decided to finish my undergrad program and get my BA degree.  Turned out to be felicitous, because I realized that medicine was not the right “fit” for me.  But I had no idea what was, and the peacetime draft was waiting for me.  So I ducked into Navy OCS (see Richard Gere in “An Officer and a Gentleman”) spent 3 years in the Pacific Destroyer Fleet, 2 more teaching midshipmen at Annapolis [adding an MS degree from GWU], married the girl I met in San Diego and started our family, and back to Michigan Law School (thanks to the Navy, still eligible for in-state tuition).  Went straight through in 28 months, and came back to my home town after an 11 year absence to join Warner Norcross & Judd a then-20 man firm.  It now has 220 lawyers in 6 cities in Michigan.  From 1991 to 2003 I spent 3 4-year terms as the Mayor of Grand Rapids, now over 200,000 in the core city, 750,000 in the metro area.  That is the record for longevity for mayors in the City’s 160 years.  I declined to ask for more.

How much credit should I give our fraternity?  A LOT, which is why I will continue to contribute ’til the day I die.

Yours ITB,
John H. Logie, Delta Delta-Phi ‘61