We recently caught up with our very own David Hooker '81 and had the chance to ask him about his Lambda DKE experience, here's what he had to say:

- Why did you decide to join Lambda DKE? What about the fraternity attracted you and convinced you to pledge? 

• Peter J. Bianchi ’78 was my first exposure to DKE. During my senior year in high school, I made a college visit and met Peter. At the time, my older brother was living in the East Wing of Old Kenyon...but somehow I met Peter. We immediately became friends. Peter even drove me to the Port Columbus airport for my flight home in his baby blue VW Beetle. I had no idea at the time but “Rush" had started for me. After my fall of 1977 matriculation, the biggest draw for me of Lambda DKE was the fun we were having with the actives. The guys were great and it was clear the fraternity of friendship was much more than partying and having a good time. My first freshman buddy and I starting hanging out with a number of the actives, going to games, watching football, and road trips to Columbus. A very special thing about Lambda was the energy the actives put into making events unique, special and meaningful. One example is the West Wing BBQ party, originally organized by brother Alex House ’80, where a quarter side of beef is roasted all-day long and then enjoyed in the evening. Brother Peter and Brother Joe Hagin ’79 became life-long dear friends during Rush and helped me make a very good decision to pledge Lambda DKE.

- How involved are you in the fraternity now, and in what way? Why are you involved, either in giving or in attending in-person events?

• My Lambda involvement today is with the friends I am fortunate enough to have made while at Kenyon. We hold reunions from time to time are at Kenyon, which include visits to the West Wing and the Lodge. We get together and share old stories that get better with time and we share stories about our families and careers. In the last few years, we banded together to help fight the unjust sanctions leveled against Lambda by Kenyon administrators. We have also come together to support one another, and, in particular, Brother John Palffy ’80 who passed away in 2019 from cancer. 

- Would you encourage a younger relative to join Lambda DKE? Why or why not? What would you tell that younger relative that they can expect to get out of the fraternity experience?

• I suppose we must recognize that a fraternity experience is not necessarily a perfect fit for every college student. However, I highly recommend it. The key is associating yourself with high character people that share a core set of values while experiencing a diversity of ideas and backgrounds. I found this at Lambda DKE. The intensity of the experience produces a bond that lasts a lifetime. The living arrangements help teach you how to get along with people. You get to make mistakes and learn from them. The fraternity governance system reflects how professional organizations and corporations are structured. The fraternity events you need to plan require skills needed for the rest of your life. At its best, Lambda DKE provides a structure to help brothers struggling with issues such as academic performance and substance abuse. At the same time, Lambda DKE was a ton of fun! 

- Do you have any particular best memories of Lambda DKE? Can you tell me about them?

• The movie Animal House was released in 1978 and, in the spring of 1979, a copy of the film made it to Kenyon. Back then you had the actual film that needed to be put into a projector and shown on a screen. The Kenyon Film Society showed the film in Rosse Hall. It was a warm spring evening and, after the movie, the place went nuts. Spring Riot, as it was then known, burst forth with an intensity never before experienced. A huge bonfire lit up the quad. The fraternities all engaged in a good natured craziness that I’m sure no-one there will ever forget. Watching the DKE “funnalator” launching water balloons was particularly fun.
• Each year the formal cocktail party marked the last event of rush. It was always a beautiful event. The Brothers and pledges would all be dressed in a coat and tie. The ladies would come in dresses. We may have thought we were sophisticated, but we were just mimicking the way social life was in the professional world.
• The DKE Omicron Chapter (University of Michigan, with notable Alumnus President Gerald R. Ford) was inactive in the late 1970s. The Omicron Alumni were organizing a revival of the Chapter and needed help from some actives. Several DKE Lambda Brothers made trips to Ann Arbor to help with their rush and successfully reenergized the Omicron Chapter.

- What happened after you graduated Kenyon? How did Lambda DKE prepare you for life after college?

• Politics was always an interest of mine. In 1976, while in high school, I volunteered for President Gerald R. Ford and traveled around the Midwest campaigning for his election. As a Junior Lambda DKE, I spent most of my spring break volunteering for fellow DKE George H.W. Bush in Florida. A highlight was working a Beach Boys Bush Benefit concert with Joe Hagin ’79, Tom Bulkeley ’80 and Colin Bertram ’81...and after the concert having dinner with the artists. The experiences inspired me to move to Washington D.C. and get involved. I was hired as a budget analyst for the U.S. Senate Budget Committee chaired by Senator Pete Domenici of New Mexico. A huge political and economic concern at that time was the nation running a deficit of ninety-billion dollars. This year’s deficit will run in the many trillions. How times have changed. Not only is the size of the deficit so much bigger, very few people seem to care. Back then it was in the headlines almost daily. A large part of what made this a fantastic experience was sharing a townhouse with Brothers Joe Hagin ‘79 and John Palffy ‘80. Joe was a top aide to Vice President George H.W. Bush and John was a senior policy analyst at the Heritage Foundation. The two of them never let me forget the time I accidentally hit Senator Robert Packwood (R-Oregon and Chairman of the Finance Committee) in the face with a squash racket, sending him to the Bethesda naval hospital.
• I often joke that I went to Washington to change the world with lots to say about everything. Since nobody in Washington D.C. actually listened to me, I enrolled at the University of Michigan School of Business, and in 1987 graduated with an MBA. 
• Following business school, I took a job as a District Sales Manager for an independently owned distributor of automobiles and trucks called Mazda Great Lakes (MGL). MGL build a network of 130 independent Mazda dealers throughout the Midwest distributing cars, trucks and parts and providing marketing, advertising, public relations, service and training support to our dealers. I served in a variety of positions including advertising manager, Vice-President, Chief Operating Officer, and finally succeeded my father as President in the mid-1990s. In 2000, I negotiated a sale of the company to Mazda Motor of America, which was controlled by the Ford Motor Company. The sale was helpful for MGL’s majority owner, 85-year-old Peter Cook, and my father. It was too early to consider retirement, and I had no-idea what professional opportunity would be available to me.The love of my life and wife, Leslie, and I have three children and at the time the oldest was in middle school. We loved living in Grand Rapids and preferred not to go through a relocation.
• Unexpectedly, I received a call from a dear friend. We both served as board members of a charitable trust supporting an organization called Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. Meijer Gardens was a young institution and needed a business person to lead the organization for up to year while a new Executive Director could be found. After three months of serving as Interim Executive Director, I was appointed President and CEO. While not initially seeking this position, it was one of the most fortunate things ever to happen to me. The job is incredible rewarding and helping benefactor Fred (1919-2011) and Lena Meijer and the Meijer Family build the institution that carries their name has been fantastic.
• Read all about the Gardens at www.meijergardens.org.

- Is your Lambda DKE experience still impacting you today? How so? 

• Yes, most definitely. Lambda DKE helped everyone how to live and work with a a diverse group of people and to recognize and celebrate the different talents and contributions that could be made by all people.

- What are some of your focuses in life currently, and what are your plans for the future?

• My plans for the future include joining my wife in a non-profit business she and a friend started called Beer City Dog Biscuits (BCDB). BCDB provides vocation training and work for adults for disabilities. Together, we will focus on building the business and finding a place for our disabled son Tanis to live and work. 
• My plans also call for lots of time for leisure, travel, golf, pickle ball, skiing, hiking, and reading history books.

- Is there anything else you'd like to share with us regarding your life (current or past), your experience in Lambda DKE or at Kenyon?

• Make Kenyon Great Again: Reinstate DKE