In the early 1960s, a local fraternity at Tennessee Wesleyan College (now “University”) in Athens became part of Sigma Phi Epsilon. Although the chapter has been inactive since the late 1990s, the brotherly bond has endured for the men of Tennessee Delta.

Around 2015, a few brothers decided to meet up for lunch to reconnect. Who could have imagined this get-together would turn into a weekly SigEp “lunch bunch” that’s still going strong today?

Like clockwork, a group text goes out to around 25 brothers on Tuesdays announcing the location for the next lunch. Every Thursday, anywhere from 10 to 20 brothers are likely to show up at the designated spot — typically a mom-and-pop restaurant midway between Athens and Knoxville so no one has to travel too far.

Representing a wide range of professions, most members of the group are now retired. The core group includes former carpeting executives, a naval aviator, banking and insurance executives, educators, an IRS investigator, coaches, entrepreneurs, doctors, a pharmacist, a Secret Service agent, a judge and a past chairman of the Tennessee Valley Authority. Occasionally, they’re joined by brothers who’ve moved away but plan visits to the area around the lunch so they can partake in the fun.

The only agenda is enjoying each other’s company as stories and lies are humorously told, retold and mixed with new elements. One recurring story is that of the missing campus bell. Removed in spring 1971 in the middle of the night from the library bell tower as a prank by four brothers with only the aid of ropes, the 400-pound bell remained missing for five years. It was eventually returned and displayed in various locations around campus, but didn’t find its way back to the cupola until the spring of 2023.

A plaque is now in place acknowledging the SigEp alumni who funded the project to place the bell back atop the library and add electronic controls. Previously, the bell was rung manually for  class changes. It now rings daily at noon and at graduations and other special events.

Some of the most loyal and engaged TWU alumni are SigEps. Many other special projects at the university have been funded by Tennessee Delta brothers, who to this day, are likely to form a circle and break into a rendition of a SigEp song at TWU alumni events.