The Unsavory Truth: Stories from Frederick Crow ’51, Vietnam War POW and American Hero

Today I shook the hand of my alma mater’s most decorated alum.

Was it Bill Nye ’77? Bill Maher ’78? Maybe Keith Olbermann ’79?

Well it couldn’t have been any of these celebrities, because they’ve never filled a room with less than 10 people delivering a keynote address.

So it had to have been a veteran.

If you’re still lost on who it might have been, allow me to share you a brief history lesson our education system never provided you with.

This afternoon, the brothers of Pi Kappa Alpha – Beta Theta Chapter – hosted Cornell Alum, and Pi Kappa Alpha brother, retired US Air Force Colonel Frederick Crow ’51 to speak at an open-to-the public event in honor of Veteran’s Day, and to pay tribute to an American hero who once spent time here on the hill.

The event included a three-person panel, made up of Colonel Crow’s son Jeff Crow, Cornell alum and Pi Kappa Alpha brother Logan Cheek, as well as current Cornell Junior and Pi Kappa Alpha brother Benjamin Krapels ’17. The panel directed discussion to focus on Colonel Crow’s early life, experience at Cornell, and military heroism.

Growing up on a Naval Base at a little place called Pearl Harbor, Frederick Crow

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