In 2022, we are excited to introduce Big Green BFFs, a new recurring series that looks at the friendships forged at Dartmouth. We talk with groups of alumni friends about how Dartmouth brought them together and how they have stayed connected as alumni. Our next story focuses on three men who share common interests and many memories.
Frank Webb ’03, Joe DiMaria ’05, and Zach Vaughan ’05 met singing in the Dartmouth Glee Club. Nearly two decades later, their friendship is still going strong. Here, we focus on three alumni who share about their friendship at Dartmouth and beyond.
How did you three meet?
Joe: Zach and I were in the a cappella group The Chords together, so we met the first year before classes even started. Then we both joined the Glee Club later in the year. Frank was already in the Glee Club, and we all sang in the bass-baritone section.
How was your Glee Club experience? Are there any Glee Club memories that you want to share?
Zach: The Glee Club was pretty central to our friendship. We went on tour every year during spring break. And we all lived in Topliff at one point and walked over to the Hop together for rehearsals.
Frank: The Glee Club would also sing for commencements and reunions, so we’d all stay in Hanover for that period. Most undergraduates were gone for the year, so hanging out on campus in a different atmosphere was fun.
The World Cup was in South Korea during one commencement and reunion season. So we’d get into some social shenanigans together, then huddle up to watch the matches. That’s a fun memory.
Joe: On the topic of sports, we also played some casual and intramural sports together on campus, like basketball and softball. Frank and I also played a decent amount of squash.
Can you fill us in on what you have been doing professionally since graduation?
Zach: I live in the New York area, in Westchester county. I am a securities litigator. My wife and I have two kids.
Joe: I’m in Chicago, where I grew up—I have been back here 14 years now. My wife and I have three boys, ages six and under, who are very active. I work in the trading world.
Frank: I’ve been in the D.C. metro area for 17 years. I am an Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney in Virginia. My wife and I have two kids.
Tell us about how your friendship has evolved since Dartmouth. Are there memorable moments you three have shared during your alumni years?
Frank: So many important moments. I officiated Joe’s wedding, and Joe and I attended Zach’s wedding. And when Zach was admitted to the Supreme Court Bar a couple of years ago, Joe and I were there for that.
And when Zach moved to D.C. for law school, he couch-surfed at my place for a while. I was living here in Arlington, and he was at Georgetown for law school, so he and I continued to hang out during that time, and then Joe would come to visit.
We were at the Dartmouth-Princeton game at Yankee stadium a few years ago.
Joe: That was a lot of fun. We stayed at Zach’s place in Brooklyn.
Frank: We’ve also developed a shared love of cooking—especially grilling and smoking meats.
Joe: When I moved out to the ‘burbs, I got the same smoking rig that Frank already had. He’s been my meat smoking guide. When I visited him in D.C. last summer, he instructed me how to prepare and trim a brisket. So yeah, it’s definitely part of that “Dad-Life” now.
Frank: As for “Dad-Life” hobbies, it was either this or becoming World War Two buffs, and we all chose the right. Between grilling and smoking, the three of us have all tinkered with it, and we like texting each other different methods.
In your own words, what do you think makes Dartmouth friendships long-lasting?
Frank: I think one big reason for us was BlitzMail. Because we would Blitz each other constantly at Dartmouth, we started texting each other constantly. We definitely maintain constant contact.
Zach: When I interview prospective students, I stress that because Dartmouth is in the middle of nowhere, it means there’s nowhere else to hang out like in a city. So we all had fun and made memories of hanging out on campus, which makes for lasting friendships.
Frank: I feel like they’ve been there to talk me through some professional struggles.
If you have a good friendship from college, you can talk through things with people who have perspective.
Do you have an enduring Dartmouth friendship with one or more alums? If so, you could be our next Big Green BFFs! Contact Courtney.L.Hall@Dartmouth.edu to learn more.
