SPRING 2022
THE
AUBURN PHI
Official Newsletter of the Alabama Beta Chapter of Phi Delta Theta at Auburn University
REMEMBERING BUCK
B
rother Malcolm “Buck” Marsh 884 died peacefully at age ninety-eight at home hospice, surrounded by his Family. Apropos of the way he lived, Buck spent his last days receiving visits, phone calls, and get-well cards from friends and relations built over a lifetime of putting people first. Buck believed strongly in the Brotherhoods in which he participated; those he formed in his college days as Captain of the tennis team at Tennessee Tech University, in his Army life, and as a student and alumnus of Auburn University and a member of Phi Delta Theta. Buck grew up within the Tennessee Valley region; his father was a concrete engineer building dams for TVA’s rural electrification program. Buck and his two younger brothers spent time playing baseball and hunting the woods of the Tennessee Valley as their family moved from one project to the next. While attending Tennessee Tech, Buck was drafted into the US Army in 1943 and served as an infantry rifleman in the 36th Armored Infantry Regiment, 3rd Armored Division, in World War 2. Buck entered combat with this “Spearhead” unit in Belgium in December 1944 just as Allied Forces engaged the German Wehrmacht’s massive counterattack, known as the Battle of the Bulge. Buck’s combat experience taught him the values of strong leadership and brotherhood. He revered his Company Commander, Capt. Walter Berlin, as a man who led from the front and by example. Buck entered the army as a conscripted private and left as a first sergeant. He believed in aspiring to leadership to
strengthen himself and to inspire those around him. After the war, Buck attended Auburn on the GI Bill and signed The Bond in 1946. He received a degree in building construction in 1949. While at AU, Buck formed lifelong friendships with his brothers at Phi Delta Theta and he deemed those bonds near as important as those he made with the men of Rifle Company A with whom he fought side-by-side. He spent his professional life in the construction field. He also enjoyed a three-year stint (1978–80) as an adjunct professor of construction management (CM) at Auburn University. Buck was an early adopter of Fast Track CM and was recognized as expert in this field. Buck formed Phi Delta Theta’s East Alabama Alumni Club and enjoyed organizing Founder’s Day Celebrations and awarding Golden Legion pins. He would encourage all Phis to get involved at their locale. For more information on Buck’s life, he self-published his military service memoirs, Reflections of a WWII Infantryman, in 2011 and is prominently featured in the nonfiction book Spearhead, a 2019 New York Times best-selling account, by Adam Makos. In coelo quies est.
PRESIDENT’S LETTER
A
uburn students have a big debate about whether the spring or fall semester is more fun. As a junior, this is the first spring semester without COVID restrictions that I have had since enrolling. This spring semester has been one that got off to a quick start; each new executive member quickly settled into their positions. In the early months of the spring semester, Auburn Phis attempted to fill the aching absence of Auburn football by waiting outside
of Neville Arena for hours on end to get a good seat for a weeknight basketball game and sleeping in on Saturday mornings. Since the weather has warmed up, our outdoor grilling pavilion at the house has been utilized on the weekends when Chef Darren is not preparing meals for us. With this semester coming to an end, we are excited to finally get a chance to rest and begin recruiting young men into Alabama Beta. Our brothers were upset to hear of
the passing of one of the greatest Phis to come from Auburn, Buck Marsh 884. The members who got the chance to meet Buck are grateful to have had the opportunity to meet him. His legacy will continue to carry throughout the tradition of Alabama Beta. Please Continued on page 4