In Loving Memory of Paul Salmon
April 15, 2009 by Matt Sayar
Alpha Tau Omega just had one of the biggest, most successful events our fraternity’s ever thrown. We all worked hard to make this happen, and every single person I talked to had a good time at the event.
I poured my heart and my soul into helping it get as much exposure as possible. I got us in multiple newspapers, on multiple TV stations, drew up and printed out a thousand fliers and stuck them under doors, got radio stations to donate airtime, negotiated with restaurants… At one point I was telling people I just met that they should “come out and eat some wings, it’s only $5 for all you can eat!” Saying that over and over again just became a habit.
After relentlessly promoting it for so long, I kinda lost track of what it was all about. Saying “all proceeds go to benefit the Russell Hill Cancer Foundation” just became part of the speech. Sure, I knew it was for a brother that passed away from leukemia. Sure, I knew his parents were still involved with our chapter. However, I was just trying to make ATO look good this whole time.
Then Paul Salmon’s name popped up on my Facebook “People You May Know” section. I was surprised, and I clicked it. Seeing Paul’s Facebook page gave him a whole new dimension for me. I never met him, I never knew him, I never shook his hand. But I heard stories. Hell, I heard a lot of stories. “Fish” sounded like a guy I wanted to know.
I noticed people posted on his wall for his birthday. A lot of people. Suddenly, I knew how much he meant to so many people, and all of a sudden this event we threw wasn’t just about making ATO look good. It was about Paul. Fish. It was about this guy who touched so many people’s lives that they still remember to say “Happy Birthday,” two years later.
The Battle of the Buffalo was a way for us to help keep Fish with us. The Battle of the Buffalo was to thank Fish for being our brother. The Battle of the Buffalo was to keep his memory alive.
And I am damn proud to have helped keep his memory alive.
Popularity: 2% [?]
I am Paul’s father, an ATO from the class of 1977 at GMI (now Kettering University). Words escape me when I see such a kind and loving thing done in Paul’s memory. Of course I was very proud of Paul and I miss him dearly, beyond what words can express. He is now happy in God’s hand.
I am also so very proud of the fine young men of ATO at UAH. These young men have what it takes to be on my special list. The acts of sacrifice, hard work, loving memory, helping their brothers, and helping the community show men that are very selfless and should be role models for many of their peers.
Many of these young men have joined us at church services and cookouts and have invited our family to fraternal social functions. They are a group that knows how to have fun without loosing their sense of responsibility to their brothers, their classmates, families, their community, and most importantly their God.
Thank you ATO for your kind remembrance!