[TSteven]

I grew up in a small southern college town. The Sigma Chi house was located just a few blocks down from our home.

When I was ten, while my older biological brother was an undergrad, the chapter decided to go all out for the All Campus Sing festival that spring.

At the time the chapter didn't have a piano, so my brother asked my Mother - who is a Sigma Sigma Sigma - if it would be ok to 'borrow' our piano (it was an upright) and take it down the street to the chapter house. My Mother reluctantly agreed. After all, she knew what it meant to be Greek.

Because my Mother had agreed to help, the chapter decided to do something special for her. My brother enlisted me and my next oldest brother (who also became a Sig) to be sure that our Mother would be home when they came for the piano.

Why...?

Well, when the night came to pick up the piano, the whole chapter quietly assembled outside our home and began to serenade our Mother.

Side note: We also lived across from a woman's dorm and we could see all the lights coming on in the rooms with the girls lining up to see what was going on. They were all very much moved.

Once our Mother heard the singing, she went to our front door and quickly realized what was going on. I remember to this day how touched she was. And when the chapter sang "The Sweetheart of Sigma Chi" to her, tears sprang to her eyes.

After they were done, each member came in and paid their respects to my Mother and presented her with a bouquet of flowers.

Then they gently - or so we were told - took the piano down to the chapter house.

Postscript: The chapter won All Campus Sing that year, and for many more years to come.

Postscript 2: After that, 'the boys' - as my Mother called 'her' Sigs - were allowed to borrow the piano every year until the chapter purchased their own. She was so won over that one year - shortly thereafter - she allowed the chapter to use her grandmother's china for parents' weekend. Before hand, she instructed the chapter on proper manners and etiquette. And of course she was present for the event to 'officially' help. Yet in reality she was there to be sure that nothing happened to her grandmother's china.

I guess you could say that while my brothers were with the chapter, she sort of became an unofficial 'house mom' for the chapter. All because of a night of serenading.