PI LAMBDA PHI

I recently received the following story from John Coffey and wanted to share. I hope you enjoy!

I was a senior, Archon and Pledge Master the year Mike Piller pledged.  But even during the short time we had together, it was clear that he would go on to do great things.  When he was a pledge, his claim to fame was that his mother had written a song in the 50's called “Mr. Football” (obviously creativity runs in the family.) Michael came to my wedding in Gastonia and I remember catching up with him when my wife and I returned to 107 Fraternity Court for football weekends.  Later on during an internship, he worked with my wife in the news department at one of the Charlotte TV stations.  While there, she taught him how to drive a straight-drive, as he had just purchased a used Jaguar XKE (a really hot car in the late 60’s) that he was unable to drive. Unfortunately as so often happens, we get busy with families, careers and other obligations and begin to lose contact with our brothers who were so much a part of our Carolina experience.  How exciting it was to be watching TV in the 90’s and see Michael on the screen excitedly talking about a new series he and others were creating. Always the science-fiction buff, I had watched  “The Next Generation” for years but never really looked at the credits and noted his name.  My daughter and I watched “Voyager” regularly.  I was truly saddened by his premature death in 2005.  How neat that his son is continuing the legacy with the ABC series "Greek" and that Michael “lives on” in the new house.