Throughout his life and travels Bronson Frick has been somewhat amazed to find his Wabash connections paying off in unique ways – even when it involved his school’s biggest rival DePauw.
Dan Quayle, a DePauw alum, sent his children to a Brown County summer camp. Quayle’s advance team welcomed Frick and his friends to hang out with them when the vice president came to Estonia to re-open the U.S. Embassy.
When he arrived in Washington to work for President Clinton he sent an email to David Kendall ’66. Much to his surprise Kendall responded and took the young Wabash grad to lunch. "Without hesitation he took me out and spent a lot of time with me," Frick said. "I know his time was very valuable and that made a huge impression on me in not only the willingness of Wabash alumni to work hard in the world but to help mentor other students."
He also experienced the other side of the Wabash-DePauw rivalry. Vernon Jordan was well known as one of President Clinton’s most trusted advisors and he’s a Depauw grad. "The first time I met him I let him know I went to Wabash," Frick recalled. "He told me on the spot he would have me fired."
Frick wasn’t quite sure if Jordan was ribbing him or serious. "I asked my boss about what he said and she said ‘well, if Vernon Jordan wants you fired you will probably end up getting fired.’ But the opposite proved to be true. He was willing to provide mentoring as a political person."
Then there was Donna Shalala who served as Clinton’s Secretary of Health and Human Services. "She also had a connection to Wabash. Apparently when she was an undergrad in Ohio she had a boyfriend at Wabash, so she knew all about Wabash and was familiar with campus."
Those experiences helped build an appreciation for Wabash Frick holds dear today. "Wabash really enabled me to create a different path. Wabash encouraged me and supported me in taking a novel approach to the future. I’m grateful for the amazing education that Wabash provided and the amazing network of alumni that continues to astound me. Being elsewhere in the world and meeting someone who went to Wabash, it’s just as strong a connection now as it was the day I graduated."