Donald LeRoy Terwilliger Passes Away

Senusret I · #1 09-04-2002, 09:26 PM

"Our last living Founder Passes . . . . We just learned that Don Terwilliger passed away on August 10, 2002 at the age of 95 in his home of Sarasota, Florida. We are working on putting together the appropriate acknowledgements and tributes. This is the obituary that appeared in the August 18, 2002 New York Times:

TERWILLIGER-Donald Leroy, died August 10, 2002, at the age of 95 in Sarasota, FL. He was a graduate of Lafayette College, Class of '28, a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, and a founder of Alpha Phi Omega. He served as a Lieutenant Commander in the U.S. Navy from 1942-1946. He founded D.L. Terwilliger Co., a lithography firm in NYC. He was a founding member of the 23rd St. Association in NYC. He was predeceased by his first wife, Mary Esther Henderson. He is survived by his wife of 31 years, Jean Terwilliger, Sarasota; his son, Lee, Pine Plains, NY; and his daughter, Sally, of Boulder, CO; two grandsons, three step-sons, and five great-grandchildren."

EagleChick19 · #2 09-04-2002, 09:29 PM

I'm sorry to hear about the passing of your founder!

emb021 · #3 09-05-2002, 04:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by EagleChick19
I'm sorry to hear about the passing of your founder!

Our Founder was Frank Reed Horton, who passed away in 1966. Don Terwilliger was the last of our founding members of 14 students and 6 advisors. In our most recent Pledge Manual, there was a letter from Don.

~Q5~ · #4 09-05-2002, 09:15 PM

looks like somebody aint got nothing better to do

Senusret I · #5 09-05-2002, 09:23 PM

It's a condolence, Brother, let's not split hairs.

Besides, our pledge manual says "Our Founders."

Quote:

Originally posted by emb021

Our Founder was Frank Reed Horton, who passed away in 1966. Don Terwilliger was the last of our founding members of 14 students and 6 advisors. In our most recent Pledge Manual, there was a letter from Don.

~Q5~ · #6 09-18-2002, 11:57 AM

Hey you ( you know who i am talking to)

This has got brothers from my chapter resurfacing from i dont know how many years ago. I need to find some more info on him.

Senusret I · #7 09-18-2002, 12:04 PM

Unfortunately, that's all I know!

You know how we roll sometimes. . .

Quote:

Originally posted by ~Q5~
Hey you ( you know who i am talking to)

This has got brothers from my chapter resurfacing from i dont know how many years ago. I need to find some more info on him.

~Q5~ · #8 09-18-2002, 12:20 PM

well whatever he did he had a major influence on them enough that they would contact us to express it. I am gonna have to break down and ask the....... well you know.

emb021 · #9 09-24-2002, 02:14 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ~Q5~
Hey you ( you know who i am talking to)

This has got brothers from my chapter resurfacing from i dont know how many years ago. I need to find some more info on him.

What kind of information are you looking for??

The obituary is all the info we have on his passing. The National website doesn't have a whole lot of biographical info on Don or most of the other founders. There is a letter in the current Pledge Manual that Don wrote.

Sad to say, but we haven't had much contact with Don in recent years. I know he was living in retirement here in Florida, but his family seems to have kept us away from him. I know several of us in Florida would have liked to have organized a road trip to visit him, but his family wouldn't allow it. At the Easton Event in 2000, both Lafayette College and the Fraternity would have like to have him there, but again it didn't happen. I hope the reason he wasn't able to come and all was due to declining health. But its also sad that the Fraternity was not contacted by his family when he passed away. Some Brothers came across the obituary on-line a month or so later, and passed on the information.

I do hope one of the future issues of the Torch & Trefoil will have an article on Don (and the other founders).