DURWARD: MENTOR

by Rachel Greene

Durward Owen had many skills and qualities that made him the man he was, and the man admired by so many, but perhaps most formative to Pi Kappa Phi was his ability to mentor others. He had a way of holding up a mirror and showing you not who you were, but who you could be. He saw potential in you before you saw it in yourself. For many, that initial moment of feeling seen by Durward was the start of something greater.

Rather than teaching young men to follow in his footsteps or to embark on the same path he had gone down, Durward encouraged them to confidently trust their instincts and cultivate their passions. For Durward, mentorship was not about molding clones of himself; it was about lifting others high enough to thrive independently. In doing this, he asked only that in their successes, they remember their Pi Kappa Phi roots.

National President Joe Brady, Epsilon Omicron (Villanova), summed it up plainly: “Durward identified people, believed in them, and therefore, they believed in themselves.”

For Durward, mentorship was not about molding clones of himself; it was about lifting others high enough to thrive independently.

Former leadership consultant and Fraternity staff member Wally Wahlfeldt, Upsilon (Illinois-Urbana-Champaign), recalls what it felt like to be treated by Durward as more than just a recent graduate. “He treated you like you were an experienced adult,” Wally said. “Sure, technically I was an adult, but he treated me like I’d been out in the workforce for a while, and like I had an opinion and knowledge that was actually valuable, when I didn’t think I did at all.” That sort of validation, Wally said, wasn’t something he expected at that age, and something he knows many of his peers did not receive from their first bosses. “Even if you’d had no other job before working at Pi Kapp, you still recognized that you would not have gotten this elsewhere. He was special in treating us like that.” Reflecting, Wally said, “I say this all the time, but Durward’s mentorship when I was a young man changed the trajectory of my life.”

For many young men like Wally, Durward’s mentorship didn’t end when the workday was over. Former staff member Stuart Hicks, Kappa (UNC-Chapel Hill), remembers Durward creating an all-encompassing environment of learning, structure and support for the young men who worked at the National Headquarters over the years. “He was part father, part boss,” said Stuart. “While he taught us a job for the Fraternity, he also taught us how to be men. Whether we were learning to dress professionally or make an accounting entry, he showed us everything.” The lessons extended beyond the office walls, too. “It was almost like we all lived together,” said Stuart. “Most of the time we’d go to the house and Connie would make us dinner. He created such an environment for us ‘kids,’ right out of school, and he was looking out for us. He kept us busy, probably kept us out of trouble and was always teaching us.”

With a carefully balanced blend of warmth and high expectations, Durward became the mentor many young men never realized they’d been missing, filling a gap in their lives that would make all the difference.

J. Ernest Johnson, Alpha Iota (Auburn), said, “There were a lot of lessons I learned from my father, but not many about the life I wanted

“I believe I know how to select good people, and also how to let them be their best. It is their shoulders on which I have stood.”

–DURWARD OWEN

to lead, away from the farm and the Army and everything he’d known. That’s where Durward stepped in.” All along, Ernest realized that Durward was not in this role out of necessity, but out of a love for fraternity. “He could be working anywhere, he could have been CEO of a Fortune 500 company, but he chose to serve; by being a leader and an educator.”

Pi Kappa Phi is stronger because of him, but so is every space and every person touched by the men he believed in.

Ernest recalled one of Durward’s most formative lessons. “He would give you a project and let you run with it. I think he hired people who were smart enough to know that when they hit an obstacle, they shouldn’t just come back to him, they should try several things and learn what worked.” That level of trust changed how Ernest saw himself. “He didn’t get mad if you messed up, he’d talk you through it. Sometimes he’d laugh and say, ‘You got off easy this time,’ but he just expected you to grow from it. That’s what mentorship is, not protecting you from failure, but teaching you how to recover.”

During his 35-year tenure as Pi Kappa Phi’s chief executive officer, he employed 110 alumni, many of whom went on to serve the Fraternity through roles on the National Council or in other volunteer capacities.

Joe remembers that same dynamic. “We were given an awful lot of responsibility,” he said. “It was before it became fashionable to ‘fail up,’ and he was teaching us that most mistakes aren’t fatal.” Durward gave his young staff members room to fail, but the confidence to try again. “Whatever successes I’ve had as a father, husband, businessman, volunteer and philanthropist...I learned all of it from Durward,” said Joe. “I have a son,” he said, “and I’m imparting on him many of the lessons I learned from Durward. His impact will endure for generations.”

Hon. Tom Carter, Gamma Delta (Memphis), summed up Durward’s approach: “He made you feel like: I need you. You can make a difference. Go forth, do good. Make me proud.”

No number of stories about those he mentored will do justice to the impact he made throughout his life. That impact didn’t stop with the young men who he employed at the National Headquarters; it has spread to their families, their colleagues and their communities. Every lesson he taught, every confidence he instilled, every expectation he raised continues to ripple outward, showing up in boardrooms, classrooms and communities. Pi Kappa Phi is stronger because of him, but so is every space and every person touched by the men he believed in. Durward was a mentor who saw potential and cultivated it, not just for the sake of his Fraternity, but for the world beyond it.