Past National President Jay McCann Enters Chapter Eternal

On May 13, 2012, Foundation Trustee and Past National President Jay McCann, Spring Hill '74, entered Chapter Eternal. He was 56 years old.

The quintessential Phi Tau, McCann was devoted to his Fraternity. He served the organization in almost every capacity: National President, Foundation trustee, National Councilor, Domain Director, chapter volunteer and committee member.

As many of his Phi Tau brothers attested, McCann wasn’t looking for notoriety, he simply wanted to move his beloved Fraternity forward.

“Jay was never one to just serve, he led by example,” said National President Greg Heilmeier, Bethany ’86. “He won the Stennis Award as a Domain Director and the Key Award for outstanding contributions to a chapter other than his own. He was very active while in various roles on the National Council and was a generous contributor to our Foundation, both monetarily and through being an active trustee. In fact, he was serving his Fraternity just last weekend at the Foundation Board of Trustee meeting in Louisville, Ky.”

Perhaps what he loved most about Phi Kappa Tau was his “second chapter,” a term he used to describe the bond all members can have with brothers from chapters other than their own—essentially a second chapter at the national level.

“His major focus was always on getting more alumni involved in the Fraternity, and he loved to travel and meet members—for whom he had an incredible memory for faces and names,” said Past National President Charlie Ball, Miami ’82. “His happiest moments as president were those on the road at charterings, Conventions, Regional Conferences and the like. He loved to present an inspirational talk that he called the ‘Leadership Toolkit’ that was always well received by alumni and undergraduates alike.”

Click here to read McCann's full obituary.