Lots of children enjoy going to work with a parent—seeing 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.
“I’ve been backstage at the Grand Ole Opry and the Ryman Auditorium,” said Tyler McCune, a Davis & Elkins junior from Richwood, West Virginia. He can also tell you that Vince Gill is a “really nice guy.”
His touring experiences, though, didn’t necessarily prepare him for college. In fact, for most of high school, McCune planned to go into the military. But then, he says, “It just hit me one day that I should go to college.” 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. “I want to be a voice for the people who don’t have a voice,” 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, “God told me to come back.” And then, it was the outreach and connection he received from the members of Sigma Phi Epsilon. “I had planned on rushing my first semester,” he said, “but I didn’t.” Even though he wasn’t in the fraternity, that did not stop the members from “checking in” and “sending texts like ‘how are you doing?’” That connection brought McCune back to campus, and to join Sig Ep.
“They really help you build your foundation,” he said, “and it’s based on Virtue, Diligence, and Brotherly Love.” McCune said fraternity life “is not what you see on Animal House,” and that you “have to take off the glasses and see the good.” 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 “nothing but amazing experiences.” He mentioned Dr. Bryan Kozik’s first-year seminar, as well as Dr. Sebastian Williams’s English 102 class; “you can tell he knows how to connect on a personal and an academic level.” Then, there’s also Professor Jamie Morgan, his Pre-Law advisor, who keeps McCune “up to date” on the requirements for law school.
Ideally, McCune says, he’ll head off to law school after graduation – somewhere like Georgetown, Vanderbilt, Tulane, or Washington and Lee. That schooling is going to allow him to “mediate for the environment and the economy.” 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’t enough, McCune also works for the Theatre Department’s Scene Shop. “Given my time in the Forest Service,” he said, “it seemed a pretty easy choice with all the tools.” He helps to create, under the guidance of Dr. Dan Engstrom, the scenery for D&E’s theatre shows. McCune said that “Dr. Dan came along and really opened things up.” This semester the shop is building sets for Peter and the Starcatcher.
And, yes, if you’re wondering, McCune does follow a bit in his father’s footsteps and performs himself. He had one of the lead roles in last year’s 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, “Stop thinking and come. If you’re on the fence, come here. You’ll find your place somewhere.”
Tyler McCune has definitely found his.
