The Man We Called 'Bro'

If you have not yet heard the news, ADG lost one of the most active and vibrant Alphadelts it has ever known; Brother Anthony P. "Bro" Smulders passed away this past Sunday of heart failure. He was 66. I'll post the official press release on the homepage shortly (http://www.alphadeltagamma.org/).



I don't know what else to say about this man, our brother... the man we all called 'Bro.' It's kind of funny to me, really, when I think about that. He was more like a father to many of us than just another brother. But, that's the thing, he was never just another brother. He was something much more than that. He was a true brother, a friend, a confidant, an exemplar of the ideals of Alpha Delta Gamma... and a really funny guy!



Many stories are being passed around already, and I think everyone who ever met Bro has at least one of those stories. He was the first national officer I ever met, actually, and to add meaning to his visit, it was also during my candidate retreat in '96. It wasn't our final night, just a time to break away from the doldrums of freshman year in order to more deeply connect with our brothers and with what ADG stood for. It meant a lot to us, our candidate class that is, and having Bro there speaking to us was an unforgettable experience.



If you met Bro, though, I needn't say anything else, because you already know him and what he meant to each of us. If you never had the chance to meet him, no doubt the past few days' worth of correspondence have given you some idea of what we lost on Sunday. Oh, but how much we gained for having him in our midst, though.



Raise a Heineken in his honor, my brothers. I think he would like that. I know we shall never forget him. Keep the stories alive, pass them down, and let us all try to live up to the example he gave us.

Be strong, my brothers, for each other and for yourselves. We mourn as one, we celebrate as one. Ad Dei Gloriam.