Mu News – October 2021
Alumni Spotlight: John Hearn
- Why did you join Sigma Nu?
- John Hearn started coming to the Sigma Nu house for UGA football games at a young age. His dad, George J. Hearn, III (Mu #1048; Chapter Eternal 2014), and his brother, George J. Hearn IV (Kappa #707 and Mu #1845), are Sigma Nus, and John grew up soaking in the atmosphere during Fall football Saturdays in Athens. After a Jekyll Island rush party hosted by Active Brother and now Dr. Will Parrish (Mu #1926), Brother Hearn knew Mu Chapter was where he belonged.
- What was your favorite memory while you were in college?
- Brother Hearn fondly remembers the Mud Bowl during Alamo Scout, spontaneously arising after the front yard was dug up and turned into a mud pit. The brothers played mud ball against each other while the bands continued to play and the crowd cheered. Brother Hearn stated, “I recall small lacerations from broken glass being well tolerated.”
- What were you involved in as a student?
- Mr. Hearn was involved within the fraternity as Mu Chapter’s 2000th Initiate, serving as Commander in 1990, and participating in the Interfraternity Council with membership in The Greek Horsemen. Brother Hearn recalled serving as Commander provided true leadership development experience, including how to efficiently work with different people and their different ideas.
- What was your nickname and how did you get it?
- Brother Hearn said many brothers had nicknames and rattled off too many to write in this article. For himself, he said not much stuck (that could be printed), but he was sometimes referred to as Hearndawg.
- What did you learn from your experiences in Sigma Nu that you still use today?
- Through his many leadership positions within the chapter and on campus, Mr. Hearn credits the development of his leadership skills and business skills to involvement in Sigma Nu. He discovered that nothing can be achieved without consensus, and he learned the importance of seeking out unheard opinions.
- Explain how you came to represent Mu Chapter as the Regent of Sigma Nu nationally, and what it meant to you to be elected to such an honorable position?
- Mr. Hearn came to realize the importance of headquarters back in 2005 when Sigma Nu sent representatives down to help revitalize Mu Chapter. The work he witnessed by the men from headquarters changed his perspective of the importance of the National Fraternity. He said, “Mu Chapter would not exist without a strong National Fraternity.” When he was approached to run for office on a national level, he quickly accepted. It means so much to him that Mu chapter continued to be a powerful, positive chapter during his time in national leadership, and he was honored to represent these characteristics at a national level.
- Tell us about your family.
- Mr. Hearn has three children with his loving wife of 25 years, Amy. His two daughters Darden and Christian both attend UGA. Darden will graduate in the Spring of 2022 with a degree in Journalism and Public Relations and a minor in Political Science, and Christian is currently a Junior planning on attending nursing school in conjunction with graduation. His youngest, Will, is a Junior in high school and hopes to attend UGA like his sisters and father. They currently live in East Cobb, GA, with their three king cavalier spaniels, Bentley, Millie, and Oakley.
- Tell us about your career since you’ve graduated.
- Brother Hearn reflected on being connected to his first job out of college through fellow Mu Chapter alumnus, Tom Greene (Mu 1964). He began his career at Unum, an insurance company in Atlanta, GA. He worked with them for ten years, including a stint out West in Scottsdale, Arizona, then San Diego, CA, and then returning to Atlanta in 2005. Interestingly, shortly after returning to Atlanta in 2005, he, Michael Barry (Mu #2071), and several other alumni became involved in revitalizing Mu Chapter’s presence on campus, first with “The Barn” on Meigs Street, and later through the development of a new house on River Road. In 2009, Hearn purchased equity in the Benefit Company, an employee benefits consulting firm based in Atlanta. He would eventually purchase the rest of the company in 2018, and he has since brought in a partner, Mu alumnus Nick Hendricks (Mu #2298). Sigma Nu has clearly impacted his career journey, a testament to the strength of our brotherhood and the strength of Mu chapter.
- Tell us about your professional and social affiliations as well as any public service you perform.
- Outside of his work in Sigma Nu, John Hearn serves as an Usher at his church and as a member of the Finance Committee. He is Committee Chairman of Troop 955 in the Boy Scouts of America. Mr. Hearn recently completed a six-year term serving on the Board of Directors for United Benefit Advisors in Chicago, with three of those years as its’ Treasurer. He also serves as a Board member of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce, and is a seven-year member of Vistage, a CEO leadership group.
- Do you keep up with any other brothers from college, or are there any brothers you are looking to contact?
- There are dozens of Alumni that he continues to keep in contact with. One of his favorite parts about the relationships he has built is seeing the sons and daughters of his friends and contemporaries succeed at the University of Georgia, and within Sigma Nu.
- What are your hobbies and what do you like to do for fun?
- Brother Hearn said, “if you are running out of room, I’ll be brief: God, Dawgs Football, Work, and Politics.”
Initiation:
Candidate Class of 2021 –
Kevin Jonathan Bahr / Dunwoody, GA / 2896
Jackson McClain Barger / Savannah, GA / 2867
John Harrison Barger / Savannah, GA / 2872
John Selby Bowling / Alpharetta, GA / 2866
Joe Hearn Bynum / Atlanta, GA / 2888
Kyle Aaron Cain / Alamo, CA / 2860
Daniel Edward Diefenbach / Atlanta, GA / 2898
Jon Michael Domescik / Atlanta, GA / 2878
Joshua Everett Elliott / St. Simons Island, GA / 2868
Luke Alexander Ferrara / Atlanta, GA / 2865
Jason Julian Floyd / Cordele, GA / 2864
Brooks Thomas Glover / Savannah, GA / 2889
Richard Joseph Grayson / Savannah, GA / 2891
Owen Thomas Gulledge / Advance, NC / 2879
John Dominican Hawkins / Austin, TX / 2873
William Andrew Herman / Atlanta, GA / 2875
Samuel Joseph Hobbs / Atlanta, GA / 2881
Jacob Galloway Kennon / Americus, GA / 2880
Huntley Fenn King / Atlanta, GA / 2899
Sean Patrick Langan / Macon, GA / 2876
Hunter Thomas Lanier / Savannah, GA / 2882
John David Lawson / Kennesaw, GA / 2893
Addison Hartman Long / Peachtree City, GA / 2883
Aidan Cole Madoff / Austin, TX / 2861
Payton Hill McKemie / Peachtree Corners, GA / 2863
Jacob Haskell Morgan / Arlington, VA / 2877
Dimitri Alexander Nakis / Tallahassee, FL / 2870
Charles Edward Peeler / Albany, GA / 2869
Clayton Hamilton Reimers / Austin, TX / 2887
Anders Steven Roth / Atlanta, GA / 2894
Kyler Robert Roy / Brunswick, GA / 2871
Nicolas Andrew Sapp / Hawkinsville, GA / 2874
Kyle McLain Seramur / Dunwoody, GA / 2890
Briggs Ryder Settlemier / Piedmont, CA / 2897
John David St. Pe / Lafayette, LA / 2862
Anders James Stevenson / Macon, GA / 2886
Aidan James Washnock / Valdosta, GA / 2884
Joseph Alexander Waters / Macon, GA / 2885
Phillip Jennings Wilder / Valdosta, GA / 2895
Oktoberfest:
On October 23rd, Mu chapter hosted our annual date night trip to Helen, Georgia, for Oktoberfest. While we were unfortunately forced to take a hiatus last year due to COVID, the brothers were eager to descend on the German themed town wearing the traditional lederhosen costume yet again. As the town welcomed us with open arms, the local festhalle where the event took place began to look as lively as a UGA football game. Although brothers struggled to learn German there was no shortage of cheers for the Dawgs and Braves who went on to win over the Dodgers to go on to the World Series. The brothers enjoyed giant pretzels, bratwurst and hotdogs, as well as a German themed band. Helen won’t soon forget the group of UGA students who filled their streets for a night and brothers will hold onto these memories for years to come.
ESP Fall Festival:
On Sunday October 24th, brothers participated in the annual Extra Special People (ESP) Fall Festival event. ESP is a local organization which specializes in providing transformative and learning experiences to those with neurological disabilities. Over the last 5 years, Mu Chapter has worked hand-in-hand with ESP through donations, volunteer efforts, and more. This year, 12 brothers made the trek out to Camp Hooray to man the “Pie in the Face” booth at the event. The afternoon was filled with laughs, candy, and quite a bit of stickiness as the boys inevitably ended up covered in whipped cream. Everyone had an awesome time at the event as it served as a reminder that we can be a part of something more important, and provided a nice break from our daily routine. In the future, Mu chapter will continue to forge a stronger relationship with ESP and set our sights on more service opportunities.
How ‘bout them Dawgs:
This fall has been full of exciting game day festivities and victorious outcomes for the Georgia Bulldawgs. On October 2nd, brothers gathered at the Chateau to indulge in a pig roast before an early noon game against Arkansas. This was a great start to one of the biggest game days of the year, as brothers and alumni enjoyed this new tradition before the top 10 matchup. After the tailgate, the Bulldawgs roasted the pigs in a 37-0 victory over Arkansas in convincing fashion.
Following this week, the Dawgs and brothers of Mu Chapter travelled to Auburn for the Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry game on October 9th. UGA was represented well this weekend, as many brothers and alumni made the trip to cheer on the Bulldogs. Prior to game time, brothers enjoyed tailgating at the Sigma Nu house in Auburn (Beta Theta Chapter), where they were able to get a glimpse of the community there and get to know brothers at that chapter. Later that night, brothers held a joint band party with the Beta Theta Chapter following the game, which was a great success after another huge win. Yet again, the Dawgs won by a large margin against their deep rivals in a 34-10 win over Auburn. For fall break, everyone made their way down to St. Simon’s Island for the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail party preceded by the Georgia Florida game. On Friday, October 29th, the brothers dressed up in their most festive Halloween costumes and hit the beach with the rest of their peers. On Saturday, the men road tripped to Jacksonville to watch the Dawgs get their revenge on those dreaded Florida Gators. With another victory in the books and another great weekend of Georgia Football, we are all looking forward to seeing the Dawgs play in the SEC Championship in Atlanta.