We recently caught up with our very own Beech Watson ’71 and had the chance to ask him about his DKE UNC experience, and where life since UNC has taken him. Here’s what he had to say:
Where has life taken you since you graduated? Give us a brief recap up to this point including career and family highlights.
I enjoyed a 36 year career in the banking industry on the corporate/commercial side. I lived in Roanoke and Fairfax, VA, Charlotte, NC, and Jacksonville, FL. Retired from Wachovia at the end of 2007 avoiding, by the grace of God, the financial crisis that particularly impacted the banking industry. Met and married Jean Gazala in May, 1999. She was raised in Richmond, VA, and we joke that two Virginians had to move to Florida to find each other. Jean founded and ran her own high-end ladies clothing consignment shop and just retired in 2020 after 33 years in business. We enjoy traveling and look forward to being able to do so again. We have been to France, Italy, Morocco, China, Africa, Canada and many places in America.
What are the most important lessons you learned because of Beta DKE?
Friendship and loyalty are cornerstones of DKE. Our pledge class hailed from all over and had a variety of backgrounds. However, we came together and remain close even after 50 years. We have held reunions every five years since we graduated. Two others joined our class pledging one year later giving us 24 members of the Class of ’71. Attendance at each of our reunions has been 85% our better.
When you look back on your time in Beta DKE, what moments do you tend to remember most?
Pledge training, Hell Week, Hot Nuts in the basement, Christmas party in the basement with trees and animals, sorority mixers, chapter meetings with hilarious minutes by Brother Rho, living on the third floor (definitely a unique experience), bullseye eggs made only the way Tempe could make them, DKE punch mixed by the man himself Brother Eddie Caldwell, and on and on. Pledge training began the process of turning raw-to-the-bone freshmen into DKE’s. While Hell Week, while not in the least fun, bonded us together as we went through hell and came out as Brothers of Beta DKE. Our Brother Phi is someone I still see at least annually. We talk about his managing of Hell Week and how it brought our pledge class together like nothing else could. I thank him for what he did to, and for, us.
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