A BROTHERHOOD LOST, THEN FOUND

by Rachel Greene

WHEN DELTA UPSILON CHAPTER (PITTSBURGH) Historian Kevin Keneally emailed alumni asking for donations and advice on fundraising in April 2022, Bob Brinker felt compelled to answer the call. While he was eager to help and connect with the current undergraduate members, he had someone else in mind who could help them much more, the true fundraising mastermind of their collegiate days; Chip Carton.

During his time in the chapter, Carton convinced his brothers to push a wheelchair from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to the capital in Harrisburg. The journey, which was about 200 miles, sounded absurd to every other chapter member, but Carton wouldn’t take no for an answer. He convinced his brothers that despite the amount of effort this would take, it would be worth it because it would bring great publicity to the Fraternity’s philanthropic initiative at the time, Project PUSH (now The Ability Experience). When he finally got everyone on board with his ambitious plan, Chip wasted no time ensuring the logistics were in order so the journey could go off without a hitch, calling local police departments to block off streets, contacting hotels to ask if they would provide complimentary lodging to the fraternity men during their journey and even reaching out to the governor of Pennsylvania at the time to ask him to make an appearance. The governor could not attend, but his wife eagerly met the chapter on the steps of the capitol when they arrived to commend their efforts.

If any alumnus could help the chapter learn to fundraise, Brinker knew Carton was the man for the job. Having Carton share his ideas and wisdom with the chapter was a phenomenal idea. However, a slight barrier to this idea was that the two men had not seen or spoken to each other in decades. Years prior, as the brothers of the Delta Upsilon Chapter gathered for a reunion and reminisced about their collegiate years in the Fraternity, the men called him over and over, hoping he would answer and be willing to come to the reunion or at least reunite with them over the phone. But they had no luck.

After having call after call go to voicemail again this time around, Brinker decided he was not going to give up that easily. He searched Facebook for his long-lost Pi Kappa Phi brother and finally found him. Much to his surprise, Carton was very active on Facebook, primarily posting updates about his longterm, fatal illness, ALS (Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). None of his brothers had seen him in years, and none of them knew he had been living with the illness for far longer than the life expectancy. Carton had not wanted the men who had once seen him leading the chapter to push a wheelchair across the state of Pennsylvania to see him now, using a cane and lacking the strength and stamina he once had, so he ignored their calls repeatedly. More eager than ever now to reconnect, Brinker sent him a Facebook message.

Days later, and after ample consideration, Carton replied and agreed to see him in person. He shared that his reasoning for ignoring the phone calls from the reunion and cutting contact with his brothers completely was his diagnosis. Not wanting to bring down the fun, happy energy of the group, he remained out of touch with them for years. While his brothers may have been eager to help, he had never even thought to ask. In his mind, he had accepted his fate, and his diagnosis was his burden alone to bear. To his surprise, Brinker not only wanted to spend time with him despite his illness but also did not intend to waste any time when it came to helping him fight it.

With Brinker’s connection with the undergraduate members of Delta Upsilon Chapter and his newfound knowledge of Chip’s diagnosis, he felt they had been given the perfect opportunity for the chapter to learn about fundraising and support their brother in his fight to raise funds and awareness for ALS. After hearing Carton’s story, more than 50 members of the chapter, young and old, current and alumni, rallied together to fundraise on behalf of his team to attend the ALS walk in Pittsburg in the fall of 2022. Carton was astonished to see the chapter’s efforts for someone who had been in the chapter 40 years prior, remarking, “I had not even considered reaching out to the Fraternity for help regarding my ALS; this never crossed my mind. I did not know I had people that loved me this much.”

Arguably, an even more powerful impact is the one that Brinker and Carton have had on current undergraduate members. The chapter was given the resources to fundraise successfully and a united cause that their entire chapter, alumni and undergraduate members alike, could rally behind. Furthermore, they have witnessed the longevity of the fraternity experience firsthand through the strong bonds the alumni share. Keneally shared, “Hearing this story from our alumni, many members of the chapter were getting choked up. It was incredible to see not only the impact we had made on Chip’s life through fundraising but also just to see that the connections we are currently making within the chapter really are lifelong.”

While the story of Carton and the Delta Upsilon Chapter may be unique, Brinker recognizes that the sentiment behind it is one that all brothers of Pi Kappa Phi can relate to, stating,

“This is not just a story about ALS, or even about Chip Carton. It is generations of fraternity brothers, even if we have not talked in decades, rallying behind someone whom we called our brother and still share that connection with, despite time or distance between us. This is a story about a brotherhood that lasts a lifetime and spans across generations, the brotherhood that only the fraternity experience can provide.”