Joseph Matthews was a member of the North Carolina State University Class of 1928.  He was a member of the Concert Band and the College Orchestra.  He was initiated into Alpha Chapter in the 1926-1927 time frame.  At the first National Convention held in November 1929, he was elected to serve as the first National President of Mu Beta Psi.  During his term of office, the fraternity took steps to formalize the National Organization and set the fraternity on a course to grow in the coming years.Following graduation, Matthews worked for the North Carolina Department of Agriculture as a chemist until 1933 when he was placed on active duty with the Civilian Conservation Corps.  During World War II, he was assigned to the 106th Infantry Regiment.  He was captured during the Battle of the Bulge and spent six months in a POW camp.

After retirement from the military, Matthews earned a Ph.D. in Agricultural Economics and joined the faculty of NC State serving as an Assistant Professor of Economics and a member of the staff of the Center for Occupational Education.  He retired from teaching and research in 1973.  He remained active in many organizations including the 106th Infantry Association — of which he served as a lifetime member of the Board of Directors.  A few months before he died in September 2000, the organization presented him with the Order of the Golden Lion, its highest civilian citation, for his dedicated service and commitment for over fifty years.

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Luther Epps was regarded as an American engineer, inventor, author and poet. He studied Aeronautical Engineering at North Carolina State University, graduating in 1940.  A brother of Alpha Chapter, he was a member of the Red Coat Band and the Concert Band.

Epps worked as an engineer and manager for the Grumman Aerospace Corporation for 37 years. Most notably, he worked on the Apollo Lunar Module as the Assistant Program Manager and helped American astronauts land on the moon.  As an inventor he received a patent in 1978 for a “combined water heater and sauna room heater device.”  He was a lifelong member of the Rotary International.

After his retirement, Epps founded the I-Cubed Corporation, which specialized in new innovations and part-time jobs for other retired engineers.  Epps authored numerous books, among which were short stories, children’s stories, books on designs, books on spiritual traditions and his memoirs.  He died on August 30, 2012 at the age of 92.

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Samuel Hines was originally from Warsaw, NC.  During his time at Davidson College, he played saxophone in the college band, college orchestra, and was Director of the Jazz Orchestra.  He represented Mu Beta Psi on the college’s Honorary Fraternity Council. He was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa.He graduated in 1934, earning his degree in English.

Hines attended graduate school at UNC Chapel Hill and earned a degree in Psychology.  During World War II, he served in the U. S. Navy.  He later moved to Richmond and worked for the Veterans Administration until 1949.  He then worked for the CIA from 1949 until his retirement in 1974, starting as a budget analyst. He was appointed Director of the Budget by Richard C. Helms in the late 1960s and held that position until his retirement. He was awarded the CIA Intelligence Medal for Merit at the end of his career.

Hines died in March 2006 at the age of 92.

Hugh MacMillan was from Atlanta, GA.  He was initiated into Beta Chapter of Mu Beta Psi at Davidson College.  As an undergraduate, he was active in the Glee Club for four years, both as a singer and as their Business Manager.  He graduated from Davidson in 1931, earning a degree in Political Science. He later earned a degree from the Emory University School of Law in 1934 and began his career at the height of the Great Depression.

In 1937, MacMillan joined the legal department of the Coca-Cola Company, and after service in World War II, he went to work for Coca-Cola Export, based in New York. He was responsible for introducing bottling operations to Japan, India, and other Asian countries.  He returned to Atlanta in 1972.

MacMillan’s gift of $2.3 million enabled the Emory University Law School to launch a $12 million construction and renovation project that roughly doubled the school’s library space. Upon completion, it was dedicated the Hugh F. MacMillan Law Library in his honor.

He died in September 1995 at the age of 85.

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Fry earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Davidson in 1930 and went on to earn his Master’s Degree from Appalachian State University.  He taught music in the junior and senior high schools in Albemarle, NC for forty years. Additionally, he served for thirty years as the registrar for the Summer Choral Workshops sponsored by N.C. Summers Institute in Choral Arts.

Fry assisted in the establishment of the High School Small Ensemble Festival, held annually at UNC-Chapel Hill. He served as the secretary and vice-president of Modern Music Masters Society (Tri-M), a national honor society for outstanding high school musicians. His leadership in the Music Educators’ National Conference included the chairmanship of the Choral Section, and a term as President of the state Music Educators’ Association. He was a charter member of the American Choral Directors’ Association and was the first president of the North Carolina Chapter.  In 1988, he was the recipient of the Lara Hoggard Award for distinguished service to choral music in North Carolina.

Paul Fry passed away on August 3, 1989, at the age of 82.

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Dr. Vaughan earned his B.A. from Washington and Lee University.  During his time there, he was a Founding Brother of Epsilon Chapter of Mu Beta Psi and served as the first President during his junior year.  He went on to earn his M.A. and Ph.D. in English from the University of Virginia. For two years before graduate school, he taught English, directed two choral groups, coached a state champion track team, and advised the literary magazine at the Episcopal High School.

Dr. Vaughan is the founding president and CEO of Virginia Foundation for the Humanities, founding Director of the South Atlantic Humanities Center, and a member of the faculty of the University of Virginia where he taught for 35 years in the College of Arts and Sciences (English) and in the Darden School (MBA and Executive Education Programs).  He is a frequent speaker on the humanities in the public interest to institutions including the Congress, the National Conference of State Legislators and numerous civic, cultural, and educational institutions.

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Born in the town of Gray, ME, and raised in Philadelphia, Robert Schlegel attended Washington and Lee University. He played the saxophone in the Jazz Lab Band and became a Brother of Mu Beta Psi’s Epsilon Chapter. He was also a member of the Chi Psi Fraternity, serving as their Secretary, and was active with WLUR-FM radio. He graduated magna cum laude in 1985, earning his degree in Journalism, with a minor in French. He went on to earn a Master’s Degree in International Affairs from Old Dominion University.

Schlegel completed the US Navy the Officer Candidate School in 1986.  His first sea tour was on board the U.S.S. Spartanburg County.  In 1988, he transferred to U.S.S. Harry E. Yarnell for a tour as Damage Control Assistant. He then served as Cruise Missile Instructor at Fleet Combat Training Center Atlantic. From 1993 to 1996, Robert served a department head tour as Engineer Officer on U.S.S. Scott.  In 1999, he was assigned to serve as the Executive Officer on U.S.S. Arthur W. Radford. He held this position until September 2000.

Schlegel then reported to the Pentagon, where he assumed duties as Deputy Current Operations and Plans Branch Head for the Chief of Naval Operations.  In December 2000, he was selected for afloat command and was promoted to the rank of Commander in August 2001.

On September 11, 2001, Schlegel died as a result of the deliberate crash of American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon. He was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery.

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Lachi Music is an award-winning internationally touring creative artist and personality, Grammys Board Governor and Founder and President of the U.N. recognized RAMPD.org–a global network of music creators and professionals with disabilities. Born legally blind, Lachi uses her platform to amplify identity pride, Disability Culture and inclusion to the pop culture narrative.

Through RAMPD Lachi brought accessibility to the 64th and 65th GRAMMYs, walking the red carpet with a glammed mobility cane. She also hosted a PBS American Masters segment highlighting disabled rebels. Named a “new champion in advocacy” by Billboard, she’s held talks with the White House and the UN, and has been featured in Essence, Forbes, Hollywood Reporter, Good Morning America, and the New York Times for celebrating intersectionality through her music, storytelling and fashion and for her upbeat and unapologetic brand of disability pride.

 

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When I look at how far I have left to go before I reach my goal of being an “accomplished” musician, I feel like I do indeed still have a very long way ahead of me.  When I consider how my younger self would regard my current standing, I realize I’m exactly where I need to be – in the thick of it all and surrounded by passionate peers, engaged and growing with each challenge or success.

If I am notable, it is only because of the support of communities much like our own beloved Mu Beta Psi.  The music industry at large is a network of passionate music lovers who may or (often) may not play an instrument or sing or perform in any capacity but bring crucial skills and energy into the fold.  If you are enjoying a song of mine in your car, it is because a studio technician spent weeks creating the perfect place to record and is practically an electrician.  It’s also because an audio engineer spent days listening and re-listening to the same track for imperfections and applying best practices in post-production.  It’s also because a band member spent hours registering the track and its meta-data for copyright ownership and distribution.  It is also likely to have involved a considerable amount of time developing a release timeline and a deeper understanding of branding, marketing and social media strategy.  If you’ve heard me perform one of my songs live, there are even more people involved from the club owner, sound booth technician, lighting engineer, show promoter, booking manager or festival representative, local music op-ed writer, photographers, and whoever is responsible for paying us at the end of the night.  It has never been a one-person show and the ability to perform a song is but a small fraction of the whole.

I am a kaizen junkie and believe in leaving things better than how I found them so my involvement with Mu Beta Psi and the skills acquired there were in alignment with my overall development and still have context and relevance to this day on and off the stage, leading the band in rehearsal or representing the band in professional negotiations.  I’ve never been terribly political but I have always been very open and accepting of anyone willing to show up and put the work in when it counts.  My work with The Dapper Conspiracy is an ever-growing, ever-culminating effort to put good music out into the world and entertain.  Yet as much as I love seeing my band’s name up in lights, I’m equally as proud of my work within music education.  I’ve enjoyed growing various music programs and developing age-appropriate curriculum in the preschool industry, and continue to find fulfillment currently as a full-time music teacher at a charter school.  I have taught private lessons to students of all ages but seeing kids light up after learning a new musical skill or concept they can duplicate is a joy I hope everyone gets to experience at some point in their lives.  If we are to preserve a passion for music and pass it on to future generations we must balance our own personal desires for success with opportunities to give back to our communities and pass on our knowledge so that others have a chance to realize their dreams and reach further than we ever imagined in our own lifetimes.

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