I joined the Alabama Alpha chapter in 1968. Although I did not know John Ramsey at the time I pledged, I later learned that John strongly influenced the personality of the chapter. I was attracted to Phi Psi because of the close brotherhood, and I believe brotherhood was the most important characteristic of fraternity life to John. I clearly remember an address he delivered at a Founders Day celebration in 1977. According to John, when his father learned of his Phi Psi pledge, he dropped what he was doing to travel from Kansas to California, just to place a pledge pin on his lapel. Six months later, when John was initiated, his father was there again to pin him with the fraternity badge. He then described his experiences teaching summer sessions at his alma mater and at the University of Nebraska. In both instances, he told of how warmly he was received by Phi Psi’s from those two chapters, although he had never known any of the brothers personally. He talked about how they included him in their summer activities, which made his stay much more enjoyable. He concluded, “When we take the fraternity seriously, we realize that the fraternal bond of brotherhood is real, is strong, and is warm.

After I became chapter advisor, Fred Clay, our House Corporation president, and I learned firsthand of the strength of the community John Ramsy had built in Phi Psi. We had come to realize that if the chapter was to continue, the aging chapter house must be throughly renovated. As a relatively young chapter, our alumni base was small, but the support we received was overwhelming, to put it mildly. The restoration project was completed in 1982, and, thanks to Bill and Rachel Cadenhead, we were able to get John down to Tuscaloosa for one last visit in late January, 1983, although he was in very poor health. We invited many of his University friends and dedicated the restored chapter house in his honor. At the dedication banquet, he gave eloquent, vivid, impromptu testimony about his belief in the ideals of our fraternity. If there was a dry eye in the room, I could not find it.

Three weeks later, John Ramsey passed away. Rachel Cadenhead told me the dedication day was the happiest day of his life during his later years — and words cannot express what it meant to me. In my opinion, the Alabama Alpha chapter owes its success today to John Ramsey. Fred Clay and I merely harvested the deep seeds of brotherhood that John had planted in the hearts of many Phi Psis during his tenure.