Letter from the Editor

By: PSM Jonathan Pierce (Vanderbilt, 1986)

Losing Jim Fleischer last fall is among the hardest things I have personally had to deal with in my life. I didn’t just lose a friend, a Brother and a sounding board, I lost a part of myself. When putting this issue of The Lion together, I couldn’t think of a proper way to memorialize our Brother and CEO, so I asked some people who were close to Jim – including his beautiful wife, Alison, and Jim and Ali’s three children – to give me some words. Rather than summarize and paraphrase, I think it’s more “real” — more cathartic — to hear from Jim’s family, friends, Brothers and staff, the impact that he had on our lives and our fraternity.

Jim’s memory will live on forever.

And, it will, of course, live on at this year’s International Convention. There could be no more fitting tribute to a man who loved our fraternity and being with his Brothers, than to attend #AEPi109.

For Jim. For AEPi.

I hope to see you in Florida to celebrate Jim and all of the great things our fraternity is doing.

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