In 1999, Jack Oest ’74 called his former Phi Gamma Delta brothers ahead of their 25th Reunion, successfully rallying almost all of them to return to campus as a group for the first time in a quarter of a century. As they gathered, the years they spent apart seemed to fall away.
“That 1999 reunion was incendiary, like an explosion in a fireworks factory, we were laughing so hard,” Reed Neuman ’74 said. “We never really took stock of what good friends we were at the time, but those relationships came back to us so naturally.”
When the weekend was over, the group had reached a unanimous conclusion: They had to do it again. And their group, the Lambda Deuteron Fijis, did just that. For 27 consecutive years following that 1999 get-together on The Hill, the group has gathered in destinations across the country. Some years brought them back to Granville, where their friendships first took root. Others took them farther afield.
Oest has remained a driving force behind the tradition, setting dates, finding locations, and making sure everyone responds. He calls himself the group’s “ringmaster.”
“We are forever in his debt for starting this tradition and keeping it going,” Neuman said.
Hal Quinn ’77 agrees. A first-year Denison student when Oest and Neuman were seniors, Quinn describes Oest as an incredible planner with a knack for bringing people together.
But Oest is quick to acknowledge that even the most persistent organizer cannot manufacture the desire to stay connected. “There’s no way I could have done any of this without all these guys feeling the same way I do,” Oest said. “I can jump up and down and do as much as I want, but if that desire isn’t there, then it would never happen.”
For Neuman, the strength of that connection became clear at that 1999 gathering and has only deepened since. The reunions may have started with college stories and collective memories, but their current friendships no longer depend on their shared history.
“We don’t have to talk about the past to have a good time,” he said. Today, they catch up on many topics: their families, careers, travels, children, and grandchildren. The brothers have attended one another’s children’s weddings, celebrated milestones, and supported each other through loss.
“It’s really one of the most important relationships that I have,” Neuman said. “After all these years, we’ve realized that we’re all still our own best friends.”
In June 2026, Oest and Jim Parsons ’74 envisioned an expanded reunion on The Hill. This time, they invited brothers from the Classes of 1971 through 1977, representing the full span of Lambda Deuteron Fijis whose time at Denison overlapped with the Class of 1974. About 25 alums returned to The Hill for golf, tours, reminiscing, and time together on the campus where their friendships began.
Some attendees had not seen one another in decades — 20, 30, or even 50 years. The Class of 1974 quickly became the connective tissue between older and younger members whose years at Denison may not have overlapped.
“It’s almost like picking right back up where you left off,” Quinn said. “You still remember why you were brothers, why you were friends, and you click back together pretty quickly.”
The weekend also offered a chance to see Denison as it is today. The group toured campus and gathered for a conversation with President Adam Weinberg about the university’s future. Quinn said the campus had grown since his student days, but it still felt familiar. More importantly, the conversation with President Weinberg helped the group become reengaged with and excited about Denison.
The experience reflected something that extends well beyond any single organization or era at Denison, showing the lasting power of relationships formed on The Hill. “You’re going to meet people here who you remain friends with for life,” Quinn said.
For Oest, bringing the group back to Denison also created an opportunity to turn their shared affinity into something that could benefit today’s students. A former chair of Denison’s Annual Fund, he understands the importance of flexible support that can be directed where it is needed most across campus. Rather than asking each attendee to choose an individual priority, he encouraged the group to rally around one shared purpose by contributing to the Annual Fund.
“We’re all rowing the same boat,” Oest said. “This is a community effort.”
About 90% of those who attended the Fiji reunion made a gift to Denison, contributing more than $71,000 and more than doubling their initial goal, with additional gifts still expected.
“One of the strongest ways we could show our support for Denison was through giving,” Oest said. “My guys did exactly that. I’m very proud of them, and I think they should be proud of themselves.”
For the Denison staff members who helped bring Oest’s vision for the weekend to life, the strength of those relationships was just as clear from the outside looking in.
“When Jack and Jim told me what they wanted to do — throw a party with a purpose for an organization that meant a great deal to them for a large portion of their lives — I was excited for the Fijis who came to campus,” said Kylee Johnston, associate director of affinity engagement. “The fact that they leveraged their love for each other to generate support for current students is an inspiring full-circle moment.”
More than five decades after they first met at Denison, the brothers’ connection is no longer sustained by nostalgia alone. Their friendships have grown alongside them.
Oest may be the one who keeps choosing the dates and making the calls. But what brings the Denison Fijis back, year after year, is something he could never organize into existence: a lifelong bond.