Not Forgotten

On Feb. 10, 1966, the plane that Navy Lt. Gary Hopps ’60 was flying in Vietnam was shot down. For several years, Hopps was MIA. In the meantime, his fraternity brothers from Sigma Chi headed out into the world, found jobs, created families, and got on with the business of living. But when Kirk Brandon ’60 saw Hopps’ name on the Vietnam Memorial a few years ago, he realized he wanted to memorialize his old friend, whose MIA status had been changed to KIA. He called on his fellow Sigma Chis for help. David Brunner ’61 took to the Internet, digging around eBay to find items related to Hopps’ military service, including a replica of the Distinguished Flying Cross and a patch from Attack Squadron 145, for a memorial shadow box to take up permanent residence in the Sigma Chi house. And in October, the fraternity brothers—both current students and alumni—gathered at the house with members of the Hopps family for a memorial service to finally, officially, honor their fallen friend. To read more about Hopps, visit the “Alumni News” section on the website of the Mu Chapter of Sigma Chi.