The 2006 Upsilon Xi Homecoming Breakfast produced a large crowd of members both old and new. Upsilon gathers every year to enjoy breakfast, hear the great stories that older members share, review where the club has been, discuss the current state of the club, and where the club hopes to be in future years. This is done because the club has displayed 44 years of excellence and hopes that the traditions will remain the same: that Upsilon Xi is and forever will be the best men’s fraternity, while still promoting Christian fellowship, scholarly pursuits, dedicated service and developing Christian character throughout Lee’s campus.

The current Executive Committee of the UXAA:
(Left to right: Treasurer Nick Humble, Vice-President Bill George,
President David Blair, Secretary Wayne Slocumb)

This semester’s Alumni Coordinator, Matthew Propes, was responsible for the Homecoming Breakfast and did an excellent job making the necessary arrangements to ensure the success of the meeting. Matt started the breakfast off with a welcome to all of the alumni and current members and thanked them for taking the time to make the breakfast a priority. Matt then gave a brief synopsis of the day’s agenda and then introduced current Upsilon Chaplain Jeff Eastham who gave the morning’s Invocation. After Jeff prayed for the breakfast and the continued success of the club throughout the upcoming years, every person was invited to stand and tell their name and their tap semester. Some members also shared a short memory or story from their experiences in Upsilon.

After the fun stories and embarrassing moments, the current Upsilon Xi President, Brock McIntire, gave the annual “State of the Club” address. This year’s address was a little different, because not only was the club still doing well and growing in numbers and success, it also included the news that the Administration of Lee had decided to severely curtail all future induction activities. Brock encouraged alumni and members that “we have already put together a committee of men who will think of new and unique ways to teach the lessons of hickory.” The news that future inductions will be radically different from past ones isn’t initially encouraging, because the same lessons that have been taught for the past forty years must now be taught in different ways. The present club firmly believes that the induction committee will develop new ideas and innovative ways to teach the old lessons in new ways. Regardless of what is instituted, the true meaning of “Hickory” will always remain the same and will be passed down in some form to future Upsilon members.

Following President McIntire’s speech, the current President of the Upsilon Xi Alumni Association, David Blair was introduced to give an update of alumni activities. David spoke about alumni accomplishments and what he hoped to accomplish in the immediate future, including an update to the alumni directory among other ideas. David presented a PowerPoint presentation which outlined the current state of the UXAA.

After David had finished with his presentation, the club honored its Annual Alumnus of the Year: Andric Daugherty. The following words were said about Mr. Daugherty:

The Upsilon Xi Alumnus for 2006 is a man who has distinguished himself in ministry, in business and in continuing service to his fraternity. The club recognizes for this honor a 1984 graduate of Lee, Andric Daugherty.

Andric is part of a family rich in Upsilon heritage. His wife, Rhonda, was a Little Sister. His brother, Robert, was a member, as was his sister, Twyla, and brother-in-law, Bill Green. His son, Brent, is the current club treasurer—and nephew Erin Quinley and his wife, Nikki, were members. His parents, Robert and Pat Daugherty (who are here today) have been behind-the-scenes advocates of Upsilon for many years.

In his professional life, Andric has served as youth pastor at Fleming Church of God in Augusta, Georgia; as youth and children’s pastor at Crichton (pronounced CRY-ton) Church of God in Mobile, Alabama; and for the past 15 years at Pathway Ministries in Mobile, where he is currently the Church Administrator. The church leaders where he has ministered have consistently praised his work.

Taking a break from church work at one point, Andric worked in a family-owned nursery and landscaping business. He has received certification from Auburn University and is a certified nurseryman in the state of Alabama. He is gifted and experienced in building projects; in his present role at Pathway he has supervised renovations of the sanctuary and gymnasium and the development of a major parking facility; and he oversaw the conversion of a former run-down mechanic’s garage adjacent to the church property into a state-of-the-art youth facility that just last week attracted nearly 400 young people to a Fifth Quarter event after area football games.

Andric attracted denomination-wide attention during the past year as one of the key persons engaged in coordinating relief efforts following Hurricane Katrina. He and his church staff were on the scene within 48 hours with food and water, and in the subsequent months he coordinated the efforts of dozens of teams and hundreds of workers—at one time hosting a visiting team of more than 100 members—in cleanup and rebuilding. In this role he has hosted several visits of the current Upsilon club to Biloxi and nearby areas.

He has little time for hobbies, as you might expect, but his favorite pastime is deep-sea fishing on his beloved boat, “Hickory.”

Incidentally, just a couple of weeks ago, Andric employed Upsilon alumnus Chris Butz as the new youth pastor at Pathway. (What’s this? A LOW man hiring a HIGH man?)

Upsilon’s values include fellowship, scholarship, service and character. This year’s distinguished alumnus incarnates these values. It is my pleasure to present to you the Upsilon Xi Alumnus of the Year, Andric Daugherty.

David went on to explain that “we had to tell him that his son Brent”, currently the Treasurer for the club, “had won an award and that he needed to be here to see him accept it.”

At the conclusion of the Alumnus of the Year Award, the benediction was given by the current General Overseer of the Church of God and Upsilon alumni, Dr. G. Dennis McGuire.

Rev. McGuire prayed for the success of the club and thanked God for giving Upsilon the men that have made it so successful over the years. Rev. McGuire also prayed that Upsilon would grow to a potential that no one could ever have imagined. The Homecoming Breakfast was a great time for alumni to see where the club is now and also a great time for the current members to see where the club has been in the past.