'Brotherhood is for life': Monmouth ZBT chapter bands together to help '87 alum
Monmouth, Ill. (04/01/2026) — "He ain't heavy, he's my brother." - The Hollies, 1969
The couch, as it turns out, WAS heavy. But their brother was not.
That was a takeaway March 28 for the men of Monmouth College's Zeta Beta Tau fraternity as they came together to help Doug Liniger '87 move his parents from their longtime home in Monmouth to an assisted living facility in Galesburg.
"We always help a brother who needs help," said ZBT chapter president Collin Heslin '27 of Nashville, Tennessee. "I talked with Mark Tupper ('94), and he put me in touch with Doug. Doug and I have talked about this for a couple weeks. We're glad to help."
About a dozen active ZBT members turned out on the bright Saturday morning, some with bags carrying a McDonald's breakfast, and got right to work after a few words from Liniger, who introduced his parents, Anne and Darrel, a Navy veteran who was a retail meat cutter for several decades, roughly half of the time for the Kroger chain. The fraternity brothers (and one little sister) introduced themselves, and then the students got right to work, carrying boxes, lamps, furniture and other items from the Linigers' home at 306 South A St. - where they've lived since Feb. 19, 1966 - to a moving truck parked on the street, which they later helped unload in Galesburg. The Linigers have been in the house a long time, but they've been married even longer, as they'll celebrate their 66th wedding anniversary in July.
"This group has really gone above and beyond," said Liniger, who is an environmental geologist for the Illinois Department of Transportation. "These are good guys. You hear about the stereotypical Animal House fraternity members. These are not those guys."
Saturday wasn't the first time that Liniger's fraternity brothers stepped up for him. Last year, he experienced a health setback, and a group of ZBT brothers from his era at Monmouth "gave up their Saturday on Mother's Day weekend" to drive to Liniger's home in Springfield and help with yardwork and other chores.
"They dropped everything to come help me," said Liniger of a group that included Tupper, Mike Bashem '85, Jeff Bakker '90 and Sam Morris '87. "The friends I've made through ZBT are the friends I've kept my entire life. I can't say that about many of the other people I've met along the way."
Also last year in conjunction with his health issue, around two dozen active members of Monmouth's Delta Lambda chapter signed a note to Liniger, who has been a longtime supporter of the fraternity he pledged four decades ago. It read, in part, "If there is anything we can do for you, please do not hesitate to let us know. Brotherhood is for life, and we are here for you, just as you have always been there for us."
Saturday was a cashing in of that pledge of support, and Liniger - who returned to campus last Homecoming to see the chapter receive a prestigious award from the North American Interfraternity Conference - was deeply thankful.
"I was there to see them be recognized as one of the top five chapters of all fraternities in the U.S., not just ZBT chapters," he said. "This type of stuff right here is why they got award."
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HELP A BROTHER OUT: Nearly a dozen members of Monmouth's Zeta Beta Tau chapter turned out March 28 to help Doug Liniger '87 (back row, far right) move his parents from the house they've lived in at 306 South A Street for the past 60 years.
MANY HANDS MAKE LIGHT WORK: Except for the couch. Again, the coach WAS heavy.