In honor of Sigma Alpha Epsilon’s Founder’s Day this upcoming Sunday, we’d like to highlight one of our co-founders, Byron Wilson!
Byron’s longtime interests include F1 racing and cheering on his favorite driver, Lewis Hamilton. He also loves watching his hometown team, the Indianapolis Colts, on NFL Sundays. When asked his favorite place that he’s traveled across the world, his answer was Hawaii on the island of Kaua’i.
But his biggest passion ever since college was starting his own business. Byron and his wife Natalie founded Campus Classics in 1989, with Sigma Alpha Epsilon Headquarters being one of the company’s first partners! In fact, Byron credits SAE with helping Campus Classics get off the ground as a company.
“A lot of SAE staff members were playing softball and were showing up wearing some great-looking hats,” Wilson said. “And the other team looked like they had just come off the street. One of the guys on the other team called me and asked for us to make some stuff for their events, all because of the gear that the SAE staff had.”
Byron is an alumnus of the Indiana Delta chapter of SAE at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. During his time as an undergraduate member of SAE, he served as a new member educator, where he helped rewrite the new member education program. He was among a few Honor Initiates at the Indiana Delta chapter during his second semester in college, which he reflects upon fondly.
“In a way, being an honor initiate was a blessing in disguise because it rooted my appreciation for the fraternity,” Wilson said. “My mom died my freshman year when I was a new member, if it wouldn’t have been for the fraternity experience and the connectivity that I had with my pledge brothers, I don’t know if I would have made it through my freshman year at DePauw.’”
Looking back on his time as an SAE member, Byron says he will always remember bonding with his new member class during the new member process. He believes the process created awareness and a uniqueness to the chapter on campus.
However, the most important piece he will take away from his experience with Sigma Alpha Epsilon is the bond he had with his fellow brothers. Byron explains the lasting impact of being a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon.
“There’s just that connectivity that we all share,” Wilson said. “Whether it’s an Indiana Delta brother, a brother from the state of Indiana, there’s that receptivity and commonality that we have. There were 50 other SAE guys at my mother’s funeral. And I’m a pretty traditional guy, so that traditional hard-wiring goes a long way.”
Happy Founder’s Day Weekend to all Sigma Alpha Epsilon members and Alumni!