A Legacy of Lifelong Brotherhood
Moyer “J.” Smith (’85) knew DKE brothers before he came to the University of North Carolina, so he was pretty clear on which fraternity he would try to pledge. But was pledging DKE everything he expected?
“Some of it was fun, some of it wasn’t,” Smith said, “But the purpose was to get the pledge class to bond, which I think worked. You see people in a different light and appreciate the guys that will pick up for everyone else. Ultimately, it got us working together and I think taught us a lesson about unity.”
Once he became a brother, Smith stayed very active within the group, serving as President and Pledge Master at different points in his four years with DKE. He remembers the hard work that went into making the fraternity a success, but also recalls the good times.
“For one of our end-of-the-year parties, we had a reggae band called ‘Awareness Art Ensemble’ in the back in the parking lot. The turnout was huge – it was wall to wall people inside and outside the house. I had never seen anything like it,” he said. “We probably 500 or 600 people to that house that night. The parking lots in front and back were packed. People were watching from the balconies and fire escapes. It was a wild night.”
Beyond the big parties, Smith mostly values the way the experiences brought the DKE brothers together.
“I think the nice thing about the DKE house is the U of C is a big place, and being a DKE brother kind of helps bring it down to size,” he said. “It allowed us to be part of a group. We had the same goals. We had a good time, but we also wanted to do the right thing, and taking care of our classes was important.”
He added that DKE brothers have a place to call home for the rest of their lives when they come back to campus.
Smith recalls how the brothers helped each other to pick classes and find the right professors – all important guidance for students who might otherwise feel lost at a big university.
He is proud to have two sons at the University of North Carolina, and the brothers are both in the DKE house. What attracted his sons to the fraternity was the fact that they could be brothers while still maintaining their own priorities, he said.
“Both of my sons are on the lacrosse team, so along with grades, that’s really among their top priorities,” Smith said. “DKE allows them to keep that priority and still have great brotherhood in the fraternity.”
Over 25 years since his days as an active brother, Smith still gets together with his brothers whenever he can.
“I keep in touch with a lot of the brothers,” he said. “When my son pledged years ago, we were all sending emails back and forth about that and about where other guys’ kids were going to go. That’s one of the great things about being a DKE brother – you have brothers all over the country and whenever you need an answer you know who you can go to.”
All of which leads Smith to the advice he might have for active DKE brothers: get to know everyone, stay active in the fraternity, and remember to keep contacts.
“Contacts I made with DKE have been helpful both socially and professionally throughout the past 25 years,” he said. No matter where I go, there are DKE brothers.”
Smith’s personal experience making contacts with DKE brothers involved his move to Wilmington. He met a few DKEs at a Chick Filet game in Atlanta who already lived in the vicinity.
Smith feels that DKE has definitely paid off for him in terms of lifelong friendships and relationships. That’s why he’s made a point of donating to DKE every year since graduation.
“As long as that house stays strong, it will be there for us and be there for future generations of brothers like us,” he said. “I like to go to athletic events on campus, and whenever I do, I go by the DKE House. I get to see old friends and keep up with the new younger brothers. It means a lot to me. DKE has definitely given more to me that I can give back.”
Reconnect with Moyer Smith at [email protected]
