We all have strong brotherhood connections. But few of us can also call our fathers (or our sons) our “brothers”. Current undergraduate Joey Riordan (PC ’13) followed in his dad’s footsteps to join the Alpha Sigma Chapter, in addition to their shared experience with the Navy.
Steve
Q: Why did you join KA as an undergrad?
A: I transferred to Georgia Tech the fall of 1983 as a 3rd year (Junior) student and was encouraged to participate in Greek Rush by my sister who was a 2nd year (sophomore) at Georgia Tech. She knew several KA brothers, which provided conversational common ground when I visited the house during Rush. I was impressed with the camaraderie, the level of respect brothers demonstrated toward each other, the broad representation of backgrounds, and the general character the brothers held. There were common values held among the chapter members, I definitely grew and matured as a young man with the help of my brothers.
Q: What is your best fraternity memory?
A: I don’t have a singular best memory. Several times we sat on the front porch on Fridays after class and we would play a guitar while several of us would do improvisational singing. Also, learning how to cook a whole hog is high on the list too. My parents still talk about the evening raid we conducted on the wood pile at my home in Stone Mountain, Ga about 11 miles from Georgia Tech.
Q: How does it make you feel to have your son Joey follow in your footsteps to join Alpha Sigma? Did you encourage him to join?
A: His decision to pledge with the Alpha Sigma brothers was a happy coincidence. Joey spent his 1st year at Georgia Tech getting accustomed to the academic rigor and Navy ROTC. He participated in Greek Rush the fall of his 2nd year. Joey called us after receiving bids and his mother and I helped him through his decision process. I think having been a KA assisted in filling in information gaps and uncertainty. I was able to attest to what it meant to be a KA. I could not answer to the current heart and soul of the brothers who offered the pledge bid. That was something he had to consider as part of his decision.
Q: Do you have any other legacies in your family?
A: No.
Q: What is it like to call your son your “brother”?
A: I don’t think that I’ve called him “brother”—but from a figurative perspective, I’m glad to see another generation of Alpha Sigma carry on the tradition and values of the chapter.
Q: What part of the KA experience are you most proud to share with your son?
A: When Joey was studying as a pledge and also post-initiation, we had several good conversations on the organization’s values and character.
Q: What is the #1 thing you gained from KA that has impacted your life after graduation?
A: The focus on key values of character and achievement through merit. Those values honed a work ethic that has been solid to this day.
Q: You and your son are both involved with the Navy. Can you elaborate on that and the connection you share?
A: Because of my career choice, Joey grew up being exposed to the Navy. When it came time for him to plan his post-high school path, the prospect of a Navy ROTC scholarship provided academic opportunities that inspired him. So in addition to sharing the experience of being a Georgia Tech KA, we both share the experience of being Georgia Tech Navy ROTC Midshipmen and I am able to provide advice, when asked, on Navy related topics. Though I’m always good for a “Sea Story” to relate an experience and on occasion I am referred to a “Commander Buzzkill” by all three children when I point out the flaws in a plan. I guess immersion in safety training and Operational Risk Management has long term effects.
Q: Please provide an update on your life since graduation (rest of family, career, etc.).
A: We are a family of 5 and Becky and I recently celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary. Becky is a Physical Therapist and Rehabilitation Director for a local branch of a national home healthcare company. Joey has 2 siblings, Shannon is a recent graduate of Longwood University and is a Registered Nurse at a Richmond Virginia Hospital. Thomas is a high school senior in Virginia Beach.
I graduated December 1985 and spent 20 years in the Navy as a Surface Warfare Officer. Most of my job assignments were located in the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area, with several being in locations such as Dahlgren, Virginia; Mayport, Florida and Yokosuka, Japan. In 2006, I transitioned to a Department of the Navy civilian position and currently work at United States Fleet Forces Command as a Program and Management Analyst.
Joey
Q: Why did you join KA?
A: I decided not to join a fraternity my freshmen year so that I could focus on adjusting to college life and Navy ROTC, which ended up being a huge time commitment my freshmen year. In the NROTC program I ended up becoming really good friends with three of my classmates, who ended up dropping the program or leaving Tech at the end of their freshmen year. Because of this, I decided to rush to find another social outlet outside of the NROTC program. I ended up receiving bids from KA and another fraternity, and ended up choosing KA due to the common interests and shared values I had with the current members of the pledge class and the overall strong brotherhood I felt while rushing at KA.
Q: What has been your best fraternity memory to date?
A: I would say either my pledge class’ weekend retreat to Tignall, Ga. where we shot skeet, rode around my buddy’s property on his Polaris, and smoked some BBQ in his smoker, or my first Old South in Panama City Beach. Old South happened after finals were over for the spring semester so it was great to just relax on the beach and not have to worry about classes.
Q: What stories, if any, do you remember your father telling as you were growing up? Or, did you have the opportunity to visit the house with him?
A: I remember him telling me a few times about the whole hog roast they did, along with the trip they took for Old South to Charleston, SC.
Q: Did your father influence your decision to join KA?
A: When I told my father that I had received a bid from KA, he was obviously excited and had nothing but good things to say about his experiences as a KA. He did, however, not push me to accept my bid, as I believe he wanted me to make my own decision about which fraternity was right for me. Looking back at my childhood, it was easy to see, though he never explicitly stated it, that I was raised to uphold common beliefs and character traits that members of KA all share.
Q: What is it like to call your dad your “brother”?
A: I don’t think I’ve ever called him a “brother”, but we do often talk about common experiences we’ve both had and the ideals of what it means to be a KA.
Q: What part of the KA experience are you most proud to share with your dad?
A: The teachings we both learned and the values we uphold.
Q: What is the #1 thing you’ve gained from KA that will impact your life after graduation?
A: KA has given me a strong network of brothers that will continue to be friends far beyond graduation.
Q: In your opinion, what makes KA stand apart from other fraternities on campus?
A: I believe we have one of the strongest brotherhoods on campus.
Q: You and your dad are both involved with the Navy. Can you elaborate on that and the connection you share?
A: As a college student/Midshipman, I have had very limited experiences into what the real Navy is like, as I’ve only spent a total of 12 weeks with the Navy outside of the NROTC environment. However, I still often discuss with my father the brief experiences I have had while with the Navy during those 12 weeks, things I have been learning in my Naval Science classes, current events involving the Navy, and my personal growth and development into a future Naval Officer.
Q: Please provide a background on yourself.
A: Started Georgia Tech Fall of 2012 as an Aerospace Engineer, pledged Kappa Alpha Fall 2013, currently a Materials Science and Engineering Major scheduled to graduate Spring of 2017. Kappa Alpha and Navy ROTC are my only two campus activities, but I am very involved in both. This semester I am the Administrative Officer for Navy ROTC and the Number IX for KA.
JUST FOR FUN
Q: What is/was the most well-known fraternity or campus tradition during your era?
Steve: We took the Ramblin’ Reck parade pretty seriously the years I attended Georgia Tech. We worked on the float, which was a marvel of mechanical engineering. At least one year, it was powered by a Pontiac GTO engine. There was no muffler, just short exhaust pipes, so it was loud and spit fire. Good times!
Joey: The Ramblin’ Reck parade is still pretty popular, but we haven’t entered a Reck since I’ve been a KA.
Q: Where is/was the #1 hangout on campus during your college days?
Steve: The library was always full.
Joey: I’m not sure if it classifies as a “hangout” but the Clough Undergraduate Learning Center is always pretty packed. As for the brothers, you can typically find us sitting in our rocking chairs on the front porch on Wednesday-Saturday nights hanging out and listening to music if the weather permits it.
Q: What is/was the most popular bar?
Steve: Fat Tuesday’s in Buckhead was pretty popular with Georgia Tech Greeks. It was new to Atlanta and several KA Brothers ended up working there.
Joey: Lost Dog in Buckhead is pretty popular, but Churchill’s in Buckhead is catching up pretty quickly. Both are popular spots for Greeks from surrounding schools and there have been KAs that have been bartenders at both locations.
Q: Describe a typical nightly dinner at the house.
Steve: We had 2-3 different cooks while I was there. All of them provided good quality meals. I can’t recall a bad meal. The meal time was important for catching up with everyone during the week. Most of the time classes and study schedules limited interaction and everyone typically took a break at dinner.
Joey: We’ve had the same chef at the house since I’ve pledged and Rico does a great job as our chef. Dinner starts at 530 and brothers typically start lining up for food around 520. Meals are a great time to catch up with friends that you haven’t seen all day due to classes or study schedules. We typically talk about how the week has been going, plans for the weekend, upcoming social events, and sports.