Lots of children enjoy going to work with a parent鈥攕eeing what it is that they do for a living. When your father is a singer and tours with the Oak Ridge Boys, Willie Nelson, and Dolly Parton, work takes on a whole different meaning.
鈥淚鈥檝e been backstage at the Grand Ole Opry and the Ryman Auditorium,鈥 said Tyler McCune, a Davis & Elkins junior from Richwood, West Virginia. He can also tell you that Vince Gill is a 鈥渞eally nice guy.鈥
His touring experiences, though, didn鈥檛 necessarily prepare him for college. In fact, for most of high school, McCune planned to go into the military. But then, he says, 鈥淚t just hit me one day that I should go to college.鈥 Already a senior, he rapidly applied to, and was accepted at, several schools, including Florida State and Vanderbilt. There was one school, though, he was drawn to: D&E.
Coming from a logging and mining town that has gone through some difficult times, McCune is interested in Environmental Policy and Law. 鈥淚 want to be a voice for the people who don鈥檛 have a voice,鈥 he said. That desire had him taking courses in outdoor recreation his first semester, and meeting his advisor, Dr. Mark Douglas.
However, the transition to school was difficult, and McCune actually left after his first semester and went to work for the Forest Service.
What brought him back?
According to McCune, it was two things. First, 鈥淕od told me to come back.鈥 And then, it was the outreach and connection he received from the members of Sigma Phi Epsilon. 鈥淚 had planned on rushing my first semester,鈥 he said, 鈥渂ut I didn鈥檛.鈥 Even though he wasn鈥檛 in the fraternity, that did not stop the members from 鈥渃hecking in鈥 and 鈥渟ending texts like 鈥榟ow are you doing?鈥欌 That connection brought McCune back to campus, and to join Sig Ep.
鈥淭hey really help you build your foundation,鈥 he said, 鈥渁nd it鈥檚 based on Virtue, Diligence, and Brotherly Love.鈥 McCune said fraternity life 鈥渋s not what you see on Animal House,鈥 and that you 鈥渉ave to take off the glasses and see the good.鈥 He emphasized that three of the vice-presidents of the fraternity are focused on academics.
With his academics, McCune is pursuing his goal of working with environmental law through his Outdoor Recreation Management major and a Pre-Law minor. He credits the faculty at D&E for creating 鈥渘othing but amazing experiences.鈥 He mentioned Dr. Bryan Kozik鈥檚 first-year seminar, as well as Dr. Sebastian Williams鈥檚 English 102 class; 鈥測ou can tell he knows how to connect on a personal and an academic level.鈥 Then, there鈥檚 also Professor Jamie Morgan, his Pre-Law advisor, who keeps McCune 鈥渦p to date鈥 on the requirements for law school.
Ideally, McCune says, he鈥檒l head off to law school after graduation 鈥 somewhere like Georgetown, Vanderbilt, Tulane, or Washington and Lee. That schooling is going to allow him to 鈥渕ediate for the environment and the economy.鈥 McCune has seen his own community lose a lot of their natural resources without necessarily gaining much in return. He wants to change that.
As if academics, fraternity life, and planning for a future law degree weren鈥檛 enough, McCune also works for the Theatre Department鈥檚 Scene Shop. 鈥淕iven my time in the Forest Service,鈥 he said, 鈥渋t seemed a pretty easy choice with all the tools.鈥 He helps to create, under the guidance of Dr. Dan Engstrom, the scenery for D&E鈥檚 theatre shows. McCune said that 鈥淒r. Dan came along and really opened things up.鈥 This semester the shop is building sets for Peter and the Starcatcher.
And, yes, if you鈥檙e wondering, McCune does follow a bit in his father鈥檚 footsteps and performs himself. He had one of the lead roles in last year鈥檚 production of Legally Blonde, and he performed individually at the spring 2025 1904 Gala event for D&E donors. He also still plays a little baritone saxophone.
All in all, it seems that McCune is becoming the balanced man that Sigma Phi Epsilon aims for. As for anyone thinking about coming to D&E, McCune says, 鈥淪top thinking and come. If you鈥檙e on the fence, come here. You鈥檒l find your place somewhere.鈥
Tyler McCune has definitely found his.
