• mySigEp
  • Shop
  • Giving Opportunities

Sigma Phi Epsilon

Building Balanced Men

  • About SigEp
    • Mission Statement
    • Our Chapters
    • Who We Are
      • National Fraternity
        • National Board of Directors
        • Committees and Task Forces
        • District Governors
      • Educational Foundation
      • SigEp National Housing
      • Headquarters Staff
      • Chapter Support
    • Strategic Plan
    • History & Facts
    • Prominent Alumni
    • Get Involved
    • Job Opportunities
    • Contact Us
  • The SigEp Experience
    • Balanced Man Program
    • SigEp Learning Communities
    • National Programs
      • Springboard: A Series to Launch You Into SigEp Leadership
      • National Transition Retreat
      • Carlson Leadership Academies
      • Ruck Leadership Institute
      • Tragos Quest to Greece
      • Career Coaching
      • Life After College
      • Grand Chapter Conclave
      • Live Your Oath
      • Volunteer Training and Resources
    • Service-learning
    • Membership Perks
      • Alumni
        • PCI Oral History Publication
      • Undergraduates
    • Awards
      • 2020-2021 Award Recipients
      • 2021 Conclave Award Recipients
  • Foundation
    • Give
    • Giving Options
      • Annual Fund
      • Board of Governors
      • Founders Day of Giving
      • Stock, Mutual Fund Gifts
      • Matching Gifts
      • Legacy Society
      • IRA Gifts
      • Donor Advised Fund Gifts
    • Grants & Scholarship Funds
      • Balanced Man Scholarships
      • Tuition Scholarships
      • Chapter Investment Funds (CIFs)
      • Restricted Fund Policies
  • Resources
    • Chapter Officers
    • Volunteers
      • Alumni Communication Program
      • Volunteer Training and Resources
    • Parents
    • SigEp National Housing
    • Recruitment
      • Vice President of Recruitment
      • Mentor for Recruitment
      • Substance-free Facilities
    • Substance-free Facilities
    • Member Safety
    • Officer Elections & Transitions
    • Standards & Bylaws
    • Off Script, On Purpose
    • Marketing & Branding
    • Social Media
  • Journal
    • Features
    • Fraternity News
    • Red Door Notes
    • Our Very Own Balanced Men
    • Chapter News
    • Alumni & Volunteer News
    • Educational Foundation
    • Commentary
    • In Memoriam
    • Press Releases
  • Search
  • Give
  • /
  • Volunteer
  • /
  • Join
  • /
  • Learn More
  • About SigEp
    • Mission Statement
    • Our Chapters
    • Who We Are
      • National Fraternity
        • National Board of Directors
        • Committees and Task Forces
        • District Governors
      • Educational Foundation
      • SigEp National Housing
      • Headquarters Staff
      • Chapter Support
    • Strategic Plan
    • History & Facts
    • Prominent Alumni
    • Get Involved
    • Job Opportunities
    • Contact Us
  • The SigEp Experience
    • Balanced Man Program
    • SigEp Learning Communities
    • National Programs
      • Springboard: A Series to Launch You Into SigEp Leadership
      • National Transition Retreat
      • Carlson Leadership Academies
      • Ruck Leadership Institute
      • Tragos Quest to Greece
      • Career Coaching
      • Life After College
      • Grand Chapter Conclave
      • Live Your Oath
      • Volunteer Training and Resources
    • Service-learning
    • Membership Perks
      • Alumni
        • PCI Oral History Publication
      • Undergraduates
    • Awards
      • 2020-2021 Award Recipients
      • 2021 Conclave Award Recipients
  • Foundation
    • Give
    • Giving Options
      • Annual Fund
      • Board of Governors
      • Founders Day of Giving
      • Stock, Mutual Fund Gifts
      • Matching Gifts
      • Legacy Society
      • IRA Gifts
      • Donor Advised Fund Gifts
    • Grants & Scholarship Funds
      • Balanced Man Scholarships
      • Tuition Scholarships
      • Chapter Investment Funds (CIFs)
      • Restricted Fund Policies
  • Resources
    • Chapter Officers
    • Volunteers
      • Alumni Communication Program
      • Volunteer Training and Resources
    • Parents
    • SigEp National Housing
    • Recruitment
      • Vice President of Recruitment
      • Mentor for Recruitment
      • Substance-free Facilities
    • Substance-free Facilities
    • Member Safety
    • Officer Elections & Transitions
    • Standards & Bylaws
    • Off Script, On Purpose
    • Marketing & Branding
    • Social Media
  • Journal
    • Features
    • Fraternity News
    • Red Door Notes
    • Our Very Own Balanced Men
    • Chapter News
    • Alumni & Volunteer News
    • Educational Foundation
    • Commentary
    • In Memoriam
    • Press Releases
  • Search
  • mySigEp
  • Shop
  • Giving Opportunities
Home / Fall 2019 Print Edition / For Billy Boles, relationships are key to personal and career success

December 20, 2019

For Billy Boles, relationships are key to personal and career success

Categories: Fall 2019 Print Edition, Features

By Tyya N. Turner

Editor’s Note: The Sigma Phi Epsilon Citation is bestowed upon alumni who have achieved extraordinary success and stature in their chosen professions. Since the award was first presented in 1965, only 256 have received the honor. Among them are world leaders, titans of industry and commerce, renowned authors and artists, civil servants and military heroes, award-winning actors and all-star athletes.

Here, we share the story of one of the five brothers honored with this award at the 56th Grand Chapter Conclave in Houston.

Retired United States Air Force four-star General Billy Boles, North Carolina State ’61, attributes his success to his ability to connect and develop strong relationships with others — a skill he learned in Sigma Phi Epsilon at North Carolina State University.

Over the course of his 35-year military career, Boles rose steadily through the ranks, eventually becoming the Air Force’s head personnel officer. Along the way, he earned numerous awards and decorations, including the Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster, the Legion of Merit with oak leaf cluster and the Bronze Star Medal.

Despite — or maybe because of — his humble origins, Boles remains modest about all he’s achieved. He’s never forgotten the people who helped him along the way and frequently mentions them when speaking of his accomplishments. His family were sharecroppers, so they had little in the material sense. But Boles’ close-knit family gave him everything he needed.

Boles chats with a couple of undergraduate brothers at the 2019 Conclave.

As a teenager, he planned to work for one of the two big companies in his small town after high school. But he’d made an impression on people throughout the community, and some believed he should pursue a different path. His agriculture teacher, who was also his mentor, encouraged Boles to think about college and helped him get into North Carolina State. And the man who owned the land that Boles’ family farmed provided financial assistance whenever he ran low on funds.

Although he hadn’t planned to leave home, Boles quickly adjusted to college life. He joined SigEp and served as house manager. He met his brothers for lunch at the chapter house most days, again creating connections that would have a lasting impact on his life. He recalled, “The SigEps were more than willing to help you with classes and other life lessons. You were teaching others, and you were learning from others through daily interactions with them.”

Serving in the ROTC also played a major part in his development during college. After graduating, Boles became an active duty member of the Air Force. He started out assisting with student records, but was soon given more responsibility. Boles became an instructor in the Air Force’s personnel school, training airmen at bases in the U.S. and Vietnam. Within a few years, he landed his first big assignment, working with the commander of the military personnel center at Randolph Air Force Base.

Due to his ability to work well with people and bring out the best in them, more promotions followed. His rise through the ranks culminated in being named commander of the Air Education and Training Command — the 70,000-person organization responsible for recruiting, educating and training Air Force personnel. In this role, he served as the senior personnel officer for the entire Air Force, an organization of more than 700,000 people at the time.

In 1997, Boles retired from the military. But he continued to work, first as an executive at a health care company and later for a tech firm. And although he had officially concluded his military service, he remained involved in the Air Force, mentoring prospective squadron support commanders. In 2011, the Air University Foundation dedicated the auditorium in its professional development center to Boles in recognition of his decades educating and mentoring Air Force personnel.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Welcome to the SigEp Journal Online

SigEp’s online source for Fraternity news, feature stories and how-to articles for you and your chapter.

Features

Fraternity News

Red Door Notes

Our Very Own Balanced Men

Chapter News

Alumni & Volunteer News

Conclave Chronicle

Training in 10

Educational Foundation

Commentary

In Memoriam

Press Releases

Want to make a submission?

Have a story to tell? Please submit news today!

To have a brother or volunteer recognized in SigEp's In Memoriam section, please submit an obituary.

Recent Posts

  • Fraternity remembers the life of Citation recipient Arthur Peterson
  • SigEp Citation recipient Kent “Oz” Nelson remembered
  • SigEp volunteers and staff recognized for excellence in fraternity advising
  • The National Undergraduate Advisory Council, a new way to get involved
  • From Big Brother to Manager

Questions?

For questions regarding the SigEp Journal Online, please contact our Marketing & Communications Team.

For questions regarding the SigEp Journal, please contact Journal Editor Tyya Turner.

Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity

310 South Arthur Ashe Boulevard
Richmond, VA 23220
(804) 353-1901

Contact our staff.

About SigEp

  • Mission Statement
  • Who We Are
  • Our Chapters
  • Chapter Support

The SigEp Experience

  • Awards
  • History & Facts
  • Programs

Resources

  • Chapter Officers
  • Volunteers
  • Help Documentation