Gary says that after he decided to pledge Kappa Sigma he didn’t have to make the decision to move from his dorm into the house because the brothers made that decision for him. They came over to the dorm and moved his stuff into the chapter house. This begins one of the many stories about his life and his friends at Kappa Sigma that he tells so well. He has a million of them.
While he was an undergraduate at Gamma-Rho he was grand master and held many other leadership positions through the years. The many good friends that he made at Gamma-Rho could be listed, but inevitably, someone would be left out and their feelings hurt which would make Gary also feel badly. Brother Foster continues to makes new friends but he never discards old friends.
Gary’s brother Rod and his sister Charlotte are all Arizona graduates. Rod followed in Gary’s footsteps and was initiated into Gamma-Rho in 1969. Charlotte is an Alpha Phi.
Gary and his wife Glenda have three children: Brian, Stacy, and Joanna. All, like their parents, are graduates from the U of A.
After receiving a degree in agriculture, Gary and Glenda retuned to Brawley, CA. His father, Howard, could hardly wait for him to go work and help him with the family business. Gary, Rod, and their father worked hard at building many successful enterprises around the cattle business.
To this day, Brothers Gary and Rod Foster are carrying on quite successfully in the business, in a manner that would make Howard and Blanch Foster proud of them.
In Brawley, Gary is proud of his membership in the Elks, Stockman’s Club, and many other organizations. Brother Foster has served many years on the board of the Stockman’s Club, including holding the position of president.
In 2005, Gary was inducted into the prestigious Imperial County Football Hall of Fame, a testimony to his athletic ability.
Gary’s love for Kappa Sigma was once again shown when he and three other Gamma-Rho brothers, Mike Cagalj ’58, Don Harris ’59, and Tom Keating ’62 asked him to join them in purchasing an apartment complex on Park Avenue in Tucson to give the brothers of Gamma-Rho a home. This complex, lovingly referred to by the brothers who lived there as El Cap (short for El Capitan) held the chapter together until we moved into the present, beautiful chapter house on First Street.
Gary, a 1989 inductee into the Gamma-Rho Hall of Fame, has been a significant contributor to the new house both as a donor and as someone who has helped us recently when it came to refinancing the house. Two years ago he was asked to help guarantee the Gamma-Rho house loan. Gary, along with the usual suspects, Don Harris ’59 and Tom Keating ’62, and now Carl Russell ’59, have all stepped up and made a tremendous commitment.
While he was an undergraduate Kappa Sigma he built himself some memories that he will never forget. If you wish to test this, just ask him, and one of the greatest story tellers you have ever heard will share them with you. Maybe this year at Homecoming he can build himself some new memories.