My Flyer Story: Mother knows best

I still have my freshman orientation folder, student handbook and freshman cap, which says something about the impact Dayton had on me. Freshman orientation was scary but exciting; suddenly, I was thrust into a living situation with 40 guys from all around the country on the same floor in Stuart Hall, three hours from home.

As the first in my family to go to college, I didn’t have anybody who could prepare me for what this new chapter would bring. I made some great friends freshman year, but I was still homesick, so I decided to transfer out of UD. I spent the year working and taking classes back in my hometown. My mom was the saddest when I left Dayton — part of methinks going to college was something she would have wanted for herself but never got the chance to pursue. She saw what a great opportunity I had at UD, so she was determined to make my time back home unpleasant just to get me to return. It worked.

I transferred back to Dayton during my junior year and was welcomed with open arms. It wasn’t too difficult to reintegrate into the campus community, and I found ways to connect familiar pieces of home life to my Dayton life.

I had a great group of guys I became close with from my floor in Stuart Hall — those hikes to and from class provided the perfect bonding experience — and we moved into a house on Evanston. The house environment created a sense of normalcy that felt more familiar than the freshman dorm. We teased and fought over chores like family, and we came together every weeknight for dinner as housemates.

My best friend, Don Holder ’71, and I went to church every Sunday at Holy Angels to be surrounded by comforting families and continue growing in our Catholic identity. Keeping true to those Catholic roots during my time at UD shaped my continued involvement in the Church throughout my life.

"I’m proud to be a Dayton Flyer, and there’s a special kind of connection between other alumni you meet in every corner of the country — a knowing secret at just how special a place we all attended, no matter the decade."

I joined the University Activities Organization International board, bringing speakers to campus. My first taste of civic involvement came through a volunteer program with the local government in Dayton, where citizens called in with problems or concerns. I answered the phone and directed them to the right office. I also worked third shift at Miami Valley Hospital on the labor and delivery floor, where I met many new parents on the happiest day of their lives. This civil and community involvement pushed me to stay active in service wherever I lived.

When I graduated, I remember early ’70s music drifting from the radio as I drove away from campus. Decades later, when we moved my daughter out of her UD house on Woodland Avenue after her graduation in 2007, another house down the street had the same chill ’70s rock blasting from the porch.

I’m proud to be a Dayton Flyer, and there’s a special kind of connection between other alumni you meet in every corner of the country — a knowing secret at just how special a place we all attended, no matter the decade.

Most importantly, I always remember that no matter how far you are from home, what stage of life you’re in, how much money you make or how important you are, your mother always knows best.

Photograph courtesy Thomas Seesan ’71

A version of this article appears in print in the Spring 2026 University of Dayton Magazine, Page 46. EXPLORE THE ISSUE — MORE ONLINE