A few months ago my classmate Bill Harrington ’85 wrote in a planning note for our 30th annual bachelor party (yes, annual, though only one man today remains a bachelor): “When we were young men, we had no idea what ‘as long as life shall last’ meant. Now we do.”
Bill’s note crystallizes the value each of us “bachelors” enjoys from the Wabash friendships formed during our student days. Who among us had any idea of the lifelong bonds that were cast simply as a result of spending our college years at this tiny school in Crawfordsville, IN?
Who had any idea, back then, of the subtle and not-so-subtle ways Wabash would change our lives and enable us to make a difference in the lives of others? Wabash’s rigor and challenge forged even middling intellect into a mind capable of understanding, appreciating, and communicating in ways that would help us shape our workplaces and communities—almost intuitively, it seems.
But the real work Wabash prepared us for stretches far beyond community and career, more importantly informing the relationships we hold most dear: friend, husband, son, father. We make our biggest impact in those roles, where our true posterity lies.
With hindsight it’s easy to see how Wabash—its challenges and friendships—helped make us better men. Able to be “that guy” who speaks up when something is going off the rails, supporting or calling out a friend or colleague, helping him succeed. Listening to and being there for others, sometimes stepping out of our comfort zones to do so.
That good work continues at Wabash today. Academic challenge in the classroom remains undaunted—perhaps even more rigorous than you knew it to be, from professors who remain remarkably engaged with their students. And those faculty efforts are today bolstered by new initiatives giving students hands-on practical experience in shaping the “real world” around them.
But it remains the brotherhood of Wabash for which I am most grateful and that I am most pleased to observe as it works its magic on and off campus. Where football players leave practice and immediately cross Jennison to support their brothers on the soccer field against DePauw. Where theater Professor Mike Abbott chooses to produce the musical Guys and Dolls and it sells out every show as our community support its comrades. As hundreds of students join hundreds more alumni in service projects organized as part of the tenth annual WABASH Day.
As years pass, I’m pleasantly surprised at the ways that brotherhood opens doors to friendships and opportunity across all generations of Wabash men, from those planning their 30th annual bachelor party, to current students, to men celebrating their 50th reunions and beyond. And those friendships help us focus on the real work of being a man—a gentleman—in today’s world.
I hope you find a few moments this time of year to sit back and relax with family and friends, enjoying the fruits of your labor and surrounded by a bounty of love. As you bask in those moments, take a few minutes to call one of the Wabash men (or professors, coaches, or countless others) who helped shape you into the person you are today and thank them.
Think about what “as long as life shall last” has really come to mean for you and those closest to your heart. Consider how you will ensure that brotherhood continues, as long as life shall last.
—Greg Estell ’85, president, National Association of Wabash Men