Moving Forward

BY SAL FLAGIELLO,GAMMA RHO ’06, 55TH NATIONAL PRESIDENT

If Kleos editions had a theme, starting to see the light at the end of what seemed to be an endless tunnel was the focus of the last issue. Here we are, about 19 months since the pandemic started, and I can write this message full of excitement and enthusiasm standing at the end of that tunnel staring into bright blue skies as we embark upon one of our greatest semesters ever! The kick-off to this semester was really the Summer Convention and I wanted to share my keynote speech with all of you as it truly does serve as a reminder as to why Alpha Phi Delta is a treasure.

February 29, 2020 … that was the last time, before this weekend, where our Fraternity came together for a large in-person gathering. That means that it has been almost 18 months since we have all had the pleasure of coming together and breaking bread like we are doing here tonight. In my 15 years as a member of Alpha Phi Delta I don’t remember a single two-week span where I didn’t gather with my brothers and their families in some capacity and here I am almost 18 months removed from our last major event. I know I speak for everyone here when I say … I missed this.

The event 18 months ago I spoke about earlier was our National Council meeting at St. John’s University in New York City where I was elected to the position of National President. And then a few weeks later our world changed forever. We all know of the troubles of 2020 and 2021, which affected everyone in this room in some way, but I do not want to stand up here and ramble on about yesterday’s troubles. I want to focus on the positive that came out of the last 18 months, I want to look forward to what is to come, and I want to drive home why there is no organization out there like our treasured Fraternity.

First, let’s talk about the Alpha Phi Delta Foundation. In a year where the economy was suffering, their assets continued to grow. When businesses were forced to shut their doors due to a lack of funds, the Foundation wanted to provide the Fraternity even more support. In all my conversations with Tony Carfang or Doug Sundo and the grant committee it was always “How can we help?” or “Why aren’t you asking for more?” Moreover, that was the sentiment throughout the entire Foundation board. If I asked for $5, they would say here is $10. This year the Foundation provided 64 scholarships as you heard here tonight, supported two major leadership conferences and many other educational seminars and trainings, kept The Kleos going, and supported our brothers during their times of greatest need through APD Cares. I cannot begin to tell you how fortunate we are to have this partnership with brothers on the Foundation who want nothing more than for the Fraternity to flourish. You will not find an organization out there that can boast a relationship like this.

Next, and I think the Foundation would agree, that their success is really driven by our amazing alumni and their families. It is through the donations of these groups that the Foundation can accomplish so much. Putting that aside, I can also tell you one of the things that makes me proudest of Alpha Phi Delta is that our alumni and their families truly embody permanent activity and support. Whenever I personally needed someone to support an undergraduate chapter, step in to fill a vacant position, or just be there to bounce ideas off, our brothers are always up for the challenge. During a year when we all needed support the most, our alumni and their families were there. Again, I challenge you to find me another organization with lifetime members who are committed to the obligation of permanent activity and support.

Finally, I cannot speak enough to the resiliency of our undergraduate brothers. While adapting to going to class over Zoom and learning to be a 21-year-old college student stuck in his house not seeing his friends on any normal basis for months, this brother and hundreds of others like him worked hard and inducted over 303 men between last March and this May. For a social fraternity to somehow welcome any members, let alone 303, when all social activity in the world was impaired is a truly remarkable feat. And today, as the new school year appears on the horizon, I know these undergraduate brothers will take that momentum into the next year and easily double that number. When I am sure that chapters at other fraternities just gave up and are clinging on to their dwindling membership, our brothers rose to the challenge and surpassed all expectations.

In case I have not driven it home yet, I want you all to realize how truly special Alpha Phi Delta is. From the undergraduate brother (who was inducted a few months ago who has no idea that he joined the ONLY fraternity that he can call family for the rest of his life), to some of our more senior members (who have had the ability to experience what I am talking about for so many years— our membership, and by extension our families, form and forge a remarkable body of witnesses to the power of our brotherhood. We did not just survive during the pandemic, we thrived. We will not just have an average year in 2021–22, we will have our greatest year yet. How do I know that? Because I know that our brothers will strive for nothing less than the best. It is obvious that we still have some great challenges ahead of us, but I know that with your help and continued activity and support, we will undoubtedly overcome those challenges and make our mark in history this upcoming year. In a world that sometimes places mountains in our path, Alpha Phi Delta brothers prove themselves the supreme mountain climbers. And we continue to climb and to conquer. Faciamus!

Now, more than ever, we need to come together as brothers and face whatever comes before us as we continue to move forward. Our undergraduates are already starting to report some of our best numbers in years and I challenge all of our alumni reading this to try to meet their level of excitement. Whether you are active in day-to-day fraternal business or you haven’t been active in decades, consider picking up the phone, calling a brother and lending a helping hand to your local alumni club and undergraduate chapter. When Alpha Phi Delta men work together, nothing can stop us. n

On Saturday, April 24, Delta Psi Chapter at Lynn University inducted two new brothers, Jonas Duncan and Casey Simon. The two new brothers are seated in the front in the suit and ties. Jonas is on the left and Casey is on the right. Delta Psi chapter brothers are around them.

Gamma Sigma Chapter (St John’s Univ-SI) inducts its spring pledge class on April 18, 2021. John Baratta, Spencer Russo and Matthew Sarro were administered the oath of brotherhood by Chris Mancusi, PNP, Gamma Sigma Alumni Advisor.

ABOVE: The Delta Rho (SUNY Oneonta) chapter initiates its Spring 2021 pledge class on April 18, 2021. Matthew Carr, Mateo Gonzalez-Nolde, Todd Scaccia and Ryan Tellier were administered the oath of brotherhood by Chris Mancusi, PNP, Upstate NY District Governor.

RIGHT: These brothers enjoyed being part of the undergraduate softball team at the Convention.

Want to show your APD spirit with some APD merchandise?

Shop online at: www.apd.org/spiritrecognition.html

LEFT: The Epsilon Pi (SUNY Cortland) and (ABOVE) Beta Iota (Utica College) chapters have been doing their best to fight on as chapters despite the COVID-19 pandemic. On April 18, 2021, newly appointed Upstate NY District Governor Chris Mancusi, PNP visited with both chapters to discuss goals for the district, goals for both chapters and national news. Epsilon Pi ends the semester with 25 brothers and Beta Iota finishes with 21 men.

ABOVE: The brothers of Epsilon Beta Chapter (La Salle), gathers with their District Governor Fr. James Lentini and National Historian Ronald Smé for a Wednesday, June 30, 2021, Chapter Graduates Dinner at Pizzeria Uno’s in Bensalem, Pa., about 15 minutes north of the University. Undergraduates, now new-Alumni, Matthew Angeline, Vincent Willie and Nicholas Dingler were toasted by their fellow chapter brothers in a show of fraternal gratitude for their years of activity in the chapter. The 7:00 p.m. dinner that night to honor the graduates has become a chapter tradition over the past several years. In the photo, left-side, front to back: National Historian Ronald Smé, Daniel Lips, William Koper, Brandon Melhorn, Nicholas Dingler; right side front to back: Matthew Angeline, John Marino-Pelegrin, Connor Mulgrew, Antonio Teoli, and Vincent Willie.

On Saturday afternoon, June 5, 2021, five brothers from the recently reinvigorated Beta Theta Chapter along with a fellow brother from Gamma Xi Chapter make a visit to the Alpha Phi Delta National Archives in Camden, Del., and research the histories of their respective chapters. The visit was very instructive for them as they made their way through files dating from the 1940s through the 1990s. Pictured here at the National Archives are the visitors from that day (left to right): Patrick Olohan (Beta Theta ’19), Joseph George (Beta Theta ’21), Nathan Tataje (Beta Theta ’21), Alexzander Dudek (Beta Theta ’17), Jonathan Lopez (Gamma Xi ’18), and Robert Schneider (Beta Theta ’19) .

Induction Ceremony, Spring 2021: Beta Beta welcomes three new brothers into the chapter. COVID couldn’t stop the growth of Brotherhood!

(L to R: Kevin Dolan, Lewis Acevedo, Pedro Gutierrez, Aaron Kim, Whit Anderson, Kevin Reyes, Ibrahim Khaleel, Ben Bagbek, Eoghan Nolan, Ian Milligan, Peter Knights)

Brothers of Epsilon Gamma and Epsilon Zeta attend this year’s National Convention! Pictured are L to R; Matt Dixon, Spencer Poole, Zach Dimeglio, Liam Toman, Jeff Zeis, Chris Karpinsky, Zackari Worsoe, Justin Gregory, Jay Cabrera, Alex Gehm, Jason Slote, Darrius Thompson.

RIGHT: Five Beta Beta brothers represent their chapter at our National Convention. Brothers reenacted the oath of brotherhood our founding brothers did long ago; by swearing their brotherhood upon a sword. (Pictured are (L to R) Ben Bagbek, Lewis Acevedo, Aaron Kim, Whit Anderson, Jonathan Deutsch).

The Epsilon Gamma Chapter visits fallen brother Dion Arroyo on the 18th anniversary of his death this fall. The brothers continue to support the scholarship named after him. Pictured (L to R) Chris Karpinsky, Chris Scalone, Jonathan Worsoe, Zackari Worsoe, Jeff Zeis, Jay Cabrera, Matt Dixon, Christian Paladino, Erik Worsoe, Billy Sanacore, Tor Worsoe.

Alpha Phi Delta Sunshine Tour 2022

The Florida District, in conjunction with the Office of Alumni Affairs and the Foundation, would like to welcome you to the return of Sunshine Tour. The Tour runs from Saturday, March 12 to Saturday, March 26, and consists of nine events. Join us for one, two, or even all nine events. We promise a great time. Here are the details:

Saturday, March 12

3:00 Social/ 4:00 Dinner

Tampa Bay Alumni Club (colony)

Portofino Italian Ristorante

5035 34th St S., St. Petersburg, FL

Sunday, March 13

2:00 Italian Sunday Dinner

The Villages Alumni Reunion

Francesco’s Ristorante

16770 US Highway 441, Summerfield, FL

Wednesday, March 16

Bocce Tournament

Naples Alumni Club

Thursday, March 17

Luncheon, Naples Alumni Club

Bayside Seafood Grill & Bar

4270 Gulf Shore Blvd.

North, Naples, FL

Sunday, March 20

2:00 Italian Sunday Dinner

South Florida AC

Gianni’s Italian Restaurant

1601 E. Atlantic Blvd

Pompano Beach

Tuesday, March 22

1:00 Luncheon

St. Augustine Alumni Reunion

Casa Monica Resort

95 Cordova St., St. Augustine

Thursday, March 24

5:00 dinner, Hilton Head, SC

Alumni Reunion, Location: TBA

Contact Mike Young.

Saturday, March 26

Dinner, Metropolitan Atlanta

Alumni Club (colony), Details: TBA

Contact Mike Young.

Please RSVP to Vince Verdile at florida.dg.apd @gmail.com or Mike Young at mikeyoung1@verizon.net

Cultural Heritage Initiative

The Foundation is launching our Cultural Heritage Initiative to expand opportunities for all of our members to visit our archives, study our cultural origins and experience the majesty and splendor that is Alpha Phi Delta. We will soon be announcing a generous grant from one of our brothers to kick off this initiative and will be inviting you to participate.

This new initiative adds to our current four: Scholarship, Leadership, Publications (Kleos), and APD Cares.

Announcing a New Way to Contribute to Our Efforts

A few years back, the Foundation introduced Venmo as a new way to contribute. This new method has been embraced by our brothers with countless contributions coming in using Venmo.

We are happy to announce another new way to contribute: A QR Code. Many establishments, particularly restaurants, have been using this for customers to view a digital menu. Now, you can simply take your phone camera, and move the below code into focus. A web page to Paypal will automatically be opened allowing you to easily donate to our Annual Fund.

Hurricane Ida Strikes Louisiana and Hammers the East Coast—APD Cares is Ready to Help!

We’ve all read the accounts of the devastation that Hurricane Ida has caused this summer. We have a very large population of brothers in the tri-state area of NY, NJ and Connecticut, which were in the hurricane’s direct path. Hopefully all of our brothers and their families are safe. Remember that APD Cares was established to help brothers who experience financial hardships due to national disaster emergencies like this one. If you have been impacted, or you know of a brother who has been impacted, you can go to https://www.apd.org/apd-cares to apply for a grant.

We can only do this with the generosity of our brothers. If you just want to help for this and future disaster relief, please consider donating to the APD Cares program, Brothers helping Brothers, at https://www.apd.org/foundation or email apdcares@apdfoundation.com.

Foundation Announces Three New Directors

The Foundation has added three new Directors to the Board in 2021: Frank Perciavalle, Psi ’78, one of the first recipients of an Alpha Phi Delta Scholarship; Andrew Cozzolino, Beta Beta ’87, who endowed a scholarship in 2021; and Antonio Zumbo, Theta Beta ’90, who has been serving on one of the foundation committees as a volunteer. We are looking forward to fresh, new ideas from these very experienced and qualified men. Look for more information on them in upcoming issues.

For a list of all Directors on the Board and their complete bios, see apd.org/board-of-directors.

COMING SOON! The Foundation is launching our Cultural Heritage Initiative to expand opportunities for all of our members to visit our archives, study our cultural origins and experience the majesty and splendor that is Alpha Phi Delta. More details will come soon!

This page sponsored by Gerald DiLoreto, Beta Theta ’57, Steubenville.