Did You Know These History Project Facts?

• The ATO Zeta Mu Alumni Association spent over $80,000  to produce the Original  3-Sets of the Coffee Table  size books (shown in above photo), and print 100 sets of the 8 1/2" x 11" size books (described in 'How to Get Your Set of Books in previous Section) for distribution to the Brotherhood. Who would have ever guessed that it would require this much money... Duffer Did!                                                                                                                                                                                        

• It took Duffer and the Team over 3 1/2 years from Brother George Yax's Idea, to completion of all phases of this Incredibly Comprehensive and Content Driven Project. I kinda felt like Brad Pitt when I started, and when I finished I looked like Brad's Grandpa. Who would  have ever guessed it would take this much time... Duffer Didn't!

• As you may know, the Project was headed up by Brother Larry 'Duffer' Dunham. Duffer swears he was too 'imbibed' that fateful night at the 2014 Reunion to realize, "He Was Volunteered" to be the Project's Historian, and Jack of all trades... Duffer said the next morning, "I guess sometimes you just have to take one for the team." Duffer Did!

• And, without the greatly appreciated help of a great many Dons and ATO's, far too numerous to mention, we would never have made it to the April 2017 finish line, in time for the Reunion Presentation and Unveiling... what a Happy Moment that was for all.

• The work covered so many facets needed to pull this project off, including over 6 Months of Planning and Meetings, Extensive Research, Reviewing and Scouring of the Internet and SHSU's Archives, Editorial Concept & Writing, Creative Design & Layouts, Photography & Photo Gathering, Photo Scanning, Learning the in's and out's of the very complicated Adobe inDesign Software, Numerous Illustrations, and a whole lot of patience of which Ole Duffer seemed to be constantly in short supply. 

• Then began the over 3 Years of coordinating all of the thousands of items into a workable plan, timeline and budget. And to think we started with a Blank Page, No Usable ATO Files or Scrapbooks, as they were destroyed in "The Fire" at the Chapter House... and except for some very organized Dons Files, there was Nothing else... "This is one of those, I'm glad I did it, but I would never do it again adventures." 

• And for good measure, a lot of us did a Heck of a lot of Begging, Pleading, Threatening, and a whole lot Butt  Kissing of our Brothers, so they would furnish the over 10,000 photos, pieces of Memorabilia, and over Five Hundred Stories... about this time I started to feel we might actually pull this off.

• A great deal of very hard production work began in earnest in early 2015, Including the preparation of hundreds of Computer Production Files, Constant Editing of the Files, Constant Adding of Items to the Files, More Editing, More Adding, More of Everything... Writing Print Specifications & Securing Print Bids, Selecting a Printer, Checking Print Proofs, More Editing & More Adding, and then Press Supervision as it finally went to Press. 

• It goes without saying, we all owe A very Special Thank You to Lori Proctor, who heads up the Print Department at SHSU... "Lori and her Team did a Fantastic Job... Many Thanks Lori... You are the Greatest."

• It is doubtful that these books will ever be printed again, so I encourage you to do yourself a really big favor and get one of the few remaining Sets of Books before they are gone forever. 

• "I say with Great Pride, Humility and Admiration, these Books are a Magnificent Tribute to hundreds of Dons and ATO's... The ATO National Fraternity, Our Zeta Mu Brotherhood, Our Beloved Sam Houston State University, the Dons and the Man Who Made This All Possible, Dons Founder, Charlie Hodges. For without Charlie's Vision and Persistence, ATO Zeta Mu may never have happened... and a Special Thanks to those Three ATO's who had the 'Wine Flavored Get Together on George's Patio', George Yax, Roy 'Bird' Harper, and Our Spiritual Advisor, Joe Smith. And, to all who participated in this Great Adventure, many Heartfelt Thanks, and Never Forget the Honor and Privilege we as Zeta Mu Actives and Alumni have when we say... I Am An ATO. "  

      Larry 'Duffer' Dunham • Project Historian • ATO Zeta Mu W.K.A. 1961