By Jacquie Stephens

For as long as I have known my husband, Eddie Stephens, it was clear that his affiliation with Delta Sigma Pi was important in his life. Delta Sigma Pi is not just a fraternity to Eddie; it is an extension of family and proves that by bringing his boys and me to Fraternity events.

When Eddie first mentioned receiving the Silver Helmet, I reached out to Deltasig friends to learn about the honor. I learned that it is awarded to alumni with 25 years of membership and record of support and service to the Fraternity. Capturing Eddie's fraternal accomplishments and achievements in one award was a little daunting, when you consider:

• In 1994, he was the Collegian of the Year for his chapter at Miami-Florida.
• He served as District Director after graduation and was later elected a Regional Vice President.
• As West Palm Beach Alumni Chapter president, Eddie helped raise almost $10,000 for Muscular Dystrophy, Adopt-a-Families and the Delta Sigma Pi Leadership Foundation. In 2004, the chapter was recognized as Most Outstanding Alumni Chapter and for Outstanding Service in the Southern Province!
• Eddie also served as President and Chairman of the Leadership Foundation and on the Foundation's scholarship selection committee.
• Eddie helped collaborate with the Fraternity and Foundation Boards to raise money to rent the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum for a private event during the 2009 Grand Chapter Congress in Washington, D.C.

Eddie's professional accomplishments start with the respect he holds in the Palm Beach County family law community to serving the Family Law Section of the Florida Bar Association. He believes that his success is attributable to the leadership skills he learned from the Fraternity.

With a passion for photography, Eddie has photographed hundreds of dogs over the years for Big Dog Ranch Rescue and Redemption Rescue, in hopes of getting those dogs adopted. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Leadership Palm Beach and assists with the organization's eleventh grade youth leadership program. He also dedicates his time to the Boy Scouts of America with his kids.

The Silver Helmet award is important to Eddie, so I wanted to give him something unique. During the 2013 GCC in Seattle, Eddie joked that he expected a stormtrooper helmet as his award. If you've ever heard one of Eddie's inspirational speeches, you know how important Star Wars is to him. (And if you haven't heard him speak, be sure to register for the 2017 Grand Chapter Congress in New Orleans where Eddie will kick-off the week of events with his keynote talking about being an extraordinary leader!) I worked with one of Eddie's good friends and favorite artists, Scott White, to create a silver stormtrooper helmet that could be presented along with his Delta Sigma Pi Silver Helmet.

Special thanks to Brothers Barrett Carter and Mitch Simmons who helped orchestrate a special evening of brotherhood and celebration for such a special person. Eddie's appreciation of that evening is going to be one of his top ten memories, of that I have no doubt.

The experience was so meaningful that Eddie and I decided that our family would make the commitment to reach the $100,000 cumulative donor level within Delta Sigma Pi within our lives. As someone who is not a brother and has been welcomed into the community, it was moving to celebrate Eddie's 25th anniversary with Delta Sigma Pi. The sense of brotherhood was palpable, with all of the goodness the word represents. I have come to understand how strong the bonds of brotherhood are which made being able to fulfill Eddie's dream Silver Helmet dinner that much sweeter (just like him).


Eddie Stephens (in his "silver helmet") along with brothers and friends.