Donor Spotlight: Byron Connell ’63

We want to take this time to say THANK YOU to Byron Connell ’63 for his continued support of Phi Phi Club of Alpha Chi Rho over the years. We recently caught up with Byron  and asked him about where life has taken him, Alpha Chi Rho memories, and what Phi Phi Club means to him today. Here’s what he had to say.  

Why have you remained so dedicated to Alpha Chi Rho?

I guess it’s because I recognized that membership wasn’t just for my college years; it was for life. Re-locating to upstate New York, some years after I graduated, limited my ability to visit the House, but my wife and I still managed it from time to time (usually during football season). Communication from the House was very spotty – remember I’m talking late 1960s and 70s. Instead, I made a few small donations to the Educational Foundation and was able to do so more regularly as my career developed. Around 1990, I was invited to become a Trustee of the Foundation, which I accepted, and have been a member of the Board ever since. Currently, I’m Chairman of the Board of Trustees.

On one of my visits to Philly, probably either at Homecoming or Alumni Day, the Phi Phi Club was asking for volunteers to serve on the Club’s board of directors and I offered myself up. I’m still doing it.   

How has being in Alpha Chi Rho changed your life? 

Well, a Graduate Brother gave me my first post-graduation job. Because I took it, I met my wife of, now, 55 years. We had a daughter. None of this would have happened without Alpha Chi Rho. 

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