With sadness, the Fraternity shares the passing of Brother Lamar Roach Sr., Lamar ’60. Roach spent decades as a key volunteer in several roles at Texas Eta and his home chapter of Texas Epsilon, including treasurer and chapter counselor. 

Roach was also a dedicated supporter of the national Fraternity as a member of the Board of Governors donor circle. During the Campaign for the Heart in the early 1990s, he established the Roach Family Endowment under the management of the SigEp Educational Foundation to provide scholarships in honor of alumni who made significant contributions to the Fraternity. The endowment supports scholarships at several chapters in Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Michigan and Mississippi.

In 2001, Roach was recognized for his service with the Fraternity’s highest volunteer honor, the Order of the Golden Heart, celebrating his more than 30 years of service to SigEp. Roach was so beloved that when his Order of the Golden Heart medallion was lost in 2017 during Hurricane Harvey, fellow award recipient John Tyler, Texas-Austin ’63, worked with Roach’s family to surprise him with a replacement.

Some of those who knew him best remembered Roach’s impact as a brother and friend:

“Lamar was truly a gentleman, and he expected the brothers in southeast Texas to carry themselves accordingly. Lamar’s passing is a reminder that each of us must carry forward the ideal of the SigEp gentleman.” — Gary Griffith, Texas-Austin ’70

“Lamar was a dedicated lifelong brother committed to excellence at Texas Epsilon. He made sure the value of his chapter experience was felt by every man who would take a few moments to listen. When health issues prevented his traveling to leadership events, he still made sure that his chapter was well represented and they understood how important these events were to chapter success. In good times and bad, his commitment to SigEp never waned. His presence will be missed, but his impact will endure.” — Steve Shanklin, Murray State ’70

“Lamar had a lifetime love affair with SigEp. Very few have offered so much to a fraternity chapter for so long, and his Golden Heart award was his most treasured possession.” — Tom Allardyce, Lamar ’70

We will continue to cherish Brother Roach’s memory and all that he gave SigEp.