One morning, I was walking across the Quad from Jacobs Hall toward the old student center building. I noticed the brother of a fellow upperclassman Radio/TV major walking the other direction, looking sad. Mind you, I didn’t know him well, but knew who he was, Sarah Bontempo’s brother, Chucky. In a loud voice I said, “Why are you looking so glum?” He said, “My grandpa died.” At that time, I felt awful for asking the way I did, but that exchange became one of the most meaningful moments in my life. Chuck became a friend and, eventually, he brought me to meet fellow western New Yorker, Keith Kusmierczyk. Shortly thereafter, I joined Chuck and Keith as brothers in Tau Kappa Epsilon.
The bond with the two during my freshman year at Ashland University took different paths over time. Chuck and I became close friends and consider each other as family. My children, even at ages 19 and 22, continue to refer to Chuck and his wife Vicki as Uncle Chuck and Aunt Vicki. In recent times, Keith and I have been become reacquainted and his kindness from the first time I met him continues as if we picked up from right when we first met in 1989.
Today, I watch as my daughter builds bonds as a student at Ashland University and member of Alpha Delta Pi, and I remember how Chuck’s and Keith’s kindness helped me grow, both at Ashland and still today.
