To have a great love in your life is a gift beyond measure. To have many great loves is something rarer still. Retired U.S. Navy Captain Paul R. Alwine '62 is one such fortunate man. First and foremost is his wife and fellow Trojan, Binnie, whom he met 62 years ago at a Phi Delta Gamma, aka FIJI, exchange at USC—which is another of his great loves, along with his family, the U.S. Navy, traveling and our country.
The son of a U.S. Air Force bomber pilot, Paul was born in upstate New York and mostly grew up in Maine. When he was a teenager, his family moved briefly to California. To say it was a bit of a culture shock for the New Englander is an understatement, but he quickly acclimated and decided that he wanted to go to college in the Golden State. He wrote to USC, UCLA, Stanford and Cal and received "mundane" replies from all except USC, which sent him a "wonderful brochure," full of engaging information and photos about Southern California, campus activities, academic life and more. USC's top-ranked engineering school was another plus for the East Coast transplant, as well as a Naval ROTC scholarship.
In contrast, Binnie is a Los Angeles native who was raised in Brentwood. After graduating from University High School, she enrolled at USC to study education and pledged Delta Gamma, just like her older sister, Judy. Suffice to say, it was a "life lesson" for Binnie.
"USC opened a whole new world to me, and being a part of the Greek system really enriched my life," she explains. "Because of this experience, I've stayed connected to USC one way or another since then."
By the time they met at the FIJI exchange, Paul had switched majors to pursue a degree in industrial management. Due to a hearing loss in one ear, he was unable to qualify for flight training to become a U.S. Navy aviator. After he and Binnie married in the spring of 1962, he graduated, was commissioned as a Navy officer, and began his 30-year military career.
While Paul was on active duty, Binnie joined him abroad, staying in the Philippines during his deployment to the western Pacific at the beginning of the Vietnam War. In 1965, Paul was assigned to the Naval Air Station at Point Mugu, California, where he got involved with early business computing for the Navy. After his discharge in 1966, Paul pursued a career in the computer industry, while also staying in the Navy Reserve.
A lifelong animal lover, Binnie found her "dream job," working as the administrative assistant for the zoological director at Lion Country Safari in Irvine. She also joined USC's Trojan Guild of Orange County and threw herself into volunteering for USC.
"I served as both the guild's recording secretary and treasurer for many years, and am still an active member," Binnie says.
In addition to building his business career, Paul continued to serve his country as a reserve officer. When he retired from the Navy as a captain in 1992, he had received numerous service medals and commendations, including the Defense Meritorious Service and Joint Service Commendation medals. Devoted to his alma mater, he served as the president of the USC Naval ROTC Alumni League for many years, and on the Half Century Trojans Board of Directors.
Although he and Binnie love to travel the world—they've been to Africa on safari 14 times and have visited more than 100 countries—USC holds a special place in their hearts.
"USC completely changed my life," Paul says. "Meeting Binnie, of course, but also the friendships I made and leadership skills I developed, in the Naval ROTC and as president of my fraternity."
The couple has included USC in their estate plans, making a life pledge to endow the CAPT Paul Alwine Memorial Scholarship and the Binnie Alwine Endowed Scholarship Fund.
For Binnie, the fund enables the Trojan Guild of Orange County to continue its proud tradition of awarding scholarships to deserving students from the OC, "so they can be enriched as I was."
Paul shares his wife's commitment to giving back.
"We want to make it easier for future students to take advantage of all the opportunities and experiences we enjoyed at USC."