The Beta Theta Pi - Winter 2016 by Beta Theta Pi

BETA T H E B E TA T H E TA P I M A G A Z I N E

WINTER 2016

HISTORIC TREASURES EXPLORING FOUR BETA GEMS

18 CONTENTS 2 THE BETA THETA PI

I Am a Fraternity Man In the next phase of Beta’s “I Am a Fraternity Man” campaign, meet five young fraternity men with unique, positive stories, as well as six alumni and female supporters who have come to their defense against the media’s negative fraternity stereotypes.

Cover photo: Close-up view of the Tiffany bronze door that leads into the Temple at St. Lawrence University; October 10, 2015 Temple Rededication Ceremony;Tara Freeman, University Photographer. Inside cover photo: HBO Sports Documentary

CONTENTS CONTENTS

FEATURES

With 176 years of treasured Beta history, dig through four of the richest chapter stories from across Beta’s Broad Domain.

Did Orlando outshine Oxford? Decide for yourself by exploring the top eight highlights of Beta’s 176th.

With 100% of chapters reporting for the sixth year in a row, check out what’s happening on Beta’s 134 campuses.

NATIONAL TREASURES

CONVENTION RECAP

CHAPTER REPORTS

DEPARTMENTS Editor’s Letter ......................................... 4

The Promises to Keep ........................ 14

Newsworthy .............................................. 6

You Asked .................................................16

Opening of the Door .............................7

I Am a Fraternity Man .........................18

The Inbox ................................................... 8

Chapter Eternal .....................................52

Alumni News ............................................ 9

Bridge Builder ........................................55

WINTER 2016 | BETA.ORG

As is often the case in life, I overextended myself this fall both personally and professionally. It wasn’t intentional, nor was it out of a sense of duty or guilt. Invitations and opportunities arose that just seemed too fun to pass up.

4 THE BETA THETA PI L. MARTIN COBB, EASTERN KENTUCKY ’96 MARTIN.COBB@BETA.ORG

EDITOR’S LETTER

The weekend of September 19, four Oxford team members flew to Norman, Oklahoma to participate in the rededication of the expanded and renovated chapter house at OU. Wow. On October 10, some 200 Betas and guests celebrated the renovation of the Temple at St. Lawrence University in upstate New York. It was such an honor to join them. The next day our young men at Stevens in New Jersey received me, as we explored together a very unique collection of archives within the chapter house that were hidden right before their very eyes – if that statement even makes sense. These three events and seven of nine weekends traveling on behalf of Beta helped the magazine staff galvanize around the idea that the historical importance of these chapters and the assets they possess deserve to be enjoyed by the Fraternity’s larger membership. In essence, these artifacts actually belong to all Betas. Symbolic of the irreplaceable Beta treasures that exist in every corner across the continent, one can’t help but wonder if our Fraternity is doing enough to protect and preserve them. Food for thought, brothers and friends. Food for thought. Sincerely and yours in ___kai___,

ARCHIVES

ARCHIVES 5

THE BETA THETA PI The oldest continuously-published college fraternity magazine, The Beta Theta Pi was founded on December 15, 1872, by Charles Duy Walker, VMI 1869.

EDITOR L. Martin Cobb, Eastern Kentucky ’96

PUBLICATION SCHEDULE Issue Deadline Winter 2016 October 15 Spring 2016 January 15 Summer 2016 April 15

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Sarah Shepherd

Mail Date December 15 March 15 June 15

SEND PICTURES, STORY CONCEPTS AND ADDRESS CHANGES TO: Beta Theta Pi Foundation & Administrative Office Brennan Hall 5134 Bonham Road PO Box 6277 Oxford, Ohio 45056 800.800.BETA or beta@beta.org

MANAGING EDITOR Michael J. Roupas, Iowa ’10

CONTRIBUTORS Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, TIME; Theodore J. Planje Jr., Westminster ’68 Kyle A. Grand, Wabash ’11 PHOTOGRAPHY Christopher K. Cone, Denison ’80; Michael A. Rodmaker, Cincinnati ’13; Tylere R. Presley, Central Michigan ’12; Tara Freeman, St. Lawrence University

WHO GETS THE MAGAZINE? Upon initiation, each Beta is guaranteed a lifetime subscription to The Beta Theta Pi. That commitment by the Fraternity remains, although for a variety of reasons some no longer wish to receive the hard-copy version. So, who automatically receives the Fraternity’s magazine? All undergraduates and parents, active Beta volunteers, donors to the Beta Foundation, and any alumnus who documents his preference to receive the hard copy with the Administrative Office in Oxford. One can easily do so at 800.800.BETA, beta@beta.org or my.beta.org. HOW DOES ONE GET PUBLISHED? Content submissions for the magazine are always encouraged and certainly welcomed. While space constraints naturally make it difficult for the editorial staff to include every idea presented, a fair evaluation process is exercised in order to publish the greatest variety of chapters, age generations, geographical regions, events, and unique member achievements and stories. Pictures should be submitted in high resolution at beta@beta.org.

The Beta Theta Pi, (USPS 052-000) official magazine of Beta Theta Pi Fraternity, is owned by the Fraternity, edited and published under the direction and control of its Board of Trustees, published winter, spring and summer for a $30 one-time pre-paid subscription. Standard non-profit class postage paid at Oxford, Ohio, and additional points of entry. Canada Post International Publications Mail (Canadian Distribution) Sales Agreement No. 0397474. Copyright Beta Theta Pi Fraternity, 2016. Produced in the USA. WANT INSTANT ACCESS TO A PAST BETA MAGAZINE? Every issue of The Beta Theta Pi since its founding on December 15, 1872, can be accessed in Beta’s online, keyword-searchable digital archive: magazine.beta.org.

WINTER 2016 | BETA.ORG

Designed by architect Harold Gimeno and built in 1928-29 by Earl Tankersley, Oklahoma 1920, the Gamma Phi Chapter house at 800 Chautauqua Avenue in Norman, Oklahoma, has long been one of the Fraternity’s most impressive and admired facilities. With modest landscaping and interior changes incorporated throughout the years, the chapter house today still closely resembles this photo from the 1930s. See pages 24-29 for an expansive feature on this true Beta gem.

NEWSWORTHY

ARE YOU LOST?

NEWSWORTHY

Visit beta.org/lost to see if Beta is missing any contact information for you or your chapter brothers. Don’t miss out on another year’s worth of Fraternity and chapter updates.

177TH IN OKLAHOMA You’re invited to attend Beta’s 177th General Convention in Oklahoma City this August 4-7! To learn more and register, visit beta.org/programs/ general-convention.

BE A BETA LEADER IN 2016-17

To register or learn more about Beta’s award-winning leadership programs, visit beta.org/programs or contact Director of Leadership & Education Mandi Hulme, mandi.hulme@beta.org. JOHN AND NELLIE WOODEN INSTITUTE: WINTER SESSION June 7-10 | Oxford, Ohio MILLER NICHOLS CHAPTER PRESIDENTS LEADERSHIP ACADEMY January 15-17 | Cincinnati, Ohio

6 THE BETA THETA PI

HUGH E. STEPHENSON JR. LEADERSHIP SUMMIT January 15-17 | Cincinnati, Ohio

CHAPTER SUPPORT

A package of best practices, training and tools has been developed for chapters to support internal communication efforts, recruitment and alumni engagement. Visit beta. org/chapterspot to learn more.

LIKE THE DIAMOND

The 2015 Foundation Annual Report features reﬂections from Betas and friends who have experienced the “cutting of education and the polishing of experience.” Visit beta.org/ foundation/annual-report.

INTERFRATERNALLY SPEAKING Delta Tau Delta Alumnus Paul Ryan was elected Speaker of the United States House of Representatives in October. Paul graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in 1992.

Delta Gamma kicked off August with their successful “I Am a Sorority Woman” social media campaign to bring awareness to the positive aspects of sorority membership.

Alpha Phi Alpha was recognized by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation for its service and diligence to memorialize fraternity brother, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

OPENING OF THE DOOR This fall, the Fraternity re/ colonized at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, Texas Tech University in Lubbock, and the University of Texas in Austin. Check out the following fun facts and statistics about the new colonies, and learn more at gobeta.com.

BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA

NEW COLONY

3.24

Representative of LSUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s campus diversity, the Founding Fathers not only come from Louisiana and other states in the U.S., but also Canada and the Middle East. The men are involved with student government, campus orientation and student ambassadors.

NUMBR OF RE/FOUNDING FATHERS ALL-COLONY GPA NUMBER OF CHAPTER ADVISORS NUMBER OF HOUSE CORPORATION MEMBERS

NEWSWORTHY

nn nn nn nn

LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY

FEBRUARY 06

PITTSBURGH INSTALLATION CEREMONY AND CELEBRATION Pittsburgh, Pa. zachschaffer@verizon.net

MARCH 31

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AUSTIN, TEXAS

BETA OMICRON

3.37

Made up of all-state athletes, national debate team members, Eagle Scouts and Beta legacies, the Refounding Fathers are excited to begin their operations this spring by kicking off with the recruitment of their first pledge class.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA 70TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Los Angeles, Calif. ammandel@usc.edu

APRIL 23 23

ST. LOUIS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION HONOR GUEST BANQUET St. Louis, Mo. cjspener@charter.net ARKANSAS INSTALLATION CEREMONY AND CELEBRATION Fayetteville, Ark. kwdunava@uark.edu

AUGUST 4-7 177TH GENERAL CONVENTION Renaissance Convention Center Hotel & Spa Oklahoma City, Okla. dan.fogle@beta.org

TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY LUBBOCK, TEXAS

DELTA MU

3.22

The Refounding Fathers are composed of a variety of majors from engineering to business, and this semester they partnered with the Risk, Intervention, Safety and Education office to raise awareness about responsible alcohol use at Texas Tech.

WINTER 2016 | BETA.ORG

UPCOMING EVENTS

THE INBOX Parent Welcome Video

Visit beta.org/parentwelcome to watch the video message new Beta parents receive from Beta Theta Pi.

PARENTS

THE BETA THETA PI

“I was a bit concerned about alcohol and the rush/ pledge period standards. Glad that alcohol and hazing are not part of the process. The motto of ‘Men of Principle’ is impressive and a high standard to hold each other to. I will look forward to my son continuing to live up to that as he always has, and his new friends demonstrating the same commitment and ability.” — Al Kantra, father of Jason, Colorado Mines ’19

THE INBOX 8

Whenever a young man pledges the Fraternity, he and his parents automatically receive a video greeting from General Secretary David Schmidt, South Florida ’92, welcoming them to the Beta family. Here are a couple of this year’s reactions from new Beta parents to the video message:

“Thank you for the email, I appreciate the personal touch. I also want to thank you for the Men of Principle initiative that was implemented. Candidly, it’s what attracted my son to Beta. It also was very reassuring to my wife and I that our son had made an excellent choice for an organization that was not for college days alone. If I can be of any assistance please let me know. It’s always rewarding to support principled organizations.” — Rod Pacheco, Phi Gamma Delta and father of Lute, Pacific ’18 “Unexpected surprise receiving this email. I think it’s GREAT! I was a bit apprehensive about my son joining a fraternity. All I could think about was the movie ‘Animal House’ until he explained the focus of the Fraternity. As he talked more about it, I had a better understanding and a more comfortable feeling. I’m proud of Christopher and glad he decided to join.” — Minerva Nastasi, mother of Chris, Texas Tech ’19

betathetapi.org/linkedin

facebook.com/betathetapi

FEEDBACK IMPROVES RECRUITMENT In June, David Kennedy, Mississippi ’16, asked the Administrative Office: “Is there a way the General Fraternity could send an email to all alumni and undergraduates to ask for recruitment referrals.” David’s request became a reality within two weeks, resulting in Betas submitting online the names of 87 incoming freshmen and unaffiliated college men, all of which were automatically forwarded to each chapters’ recruitment team to be considered for membership. (Comparatively, 28 men were recommended during the same period in 2014 — and only 13 in 2013!) A big thank you to David and everyone who supported this year’s recruitment efforts. You, too, can join the momentum by referring a young man to Beta at beta.org/recommend.

twitter.com/betathetapi

DID YOU KNOW? This summer, the Beta Theta Pi Foundation awarded $70,000 in 70 tuition-based Merit Scholarships to Betas or their children who were full-time undergraduate or graduate students this school year. Here are a couple of thank you letters their award recipients wrote to the generous scholarship donors: “When I found out I was the recipient of the Edith Cantor Morrison Memorial Scholarship, I was so humbled and truly honored to have been selected. It has been my dream to be an educator for our future leaders since the 8th grade, and being awarded this scholarship will help me accomplish this goal. Thank you so much for your contribution to my future, Brother Lipton.” — Zachary Lepperd, Truman State ’17 “I am extremely grateful to have been granted the John A. Hill Memorial Scholarship. This award will be of great help as I finish my degree this year. Every day, I am proud to call myself a Beta. What this organization is doing across North America continuously renews my faith in the power of the Greek system.” — Andrew McClaskey, Denver ’15

instagram.com/betathetapi

ALUMNI NEWS 9 WINTER 2016 | BETA.ORG

On Saturday, October 3, the Gamma Tau Chapter at USC held an alumni event to recognize the lifelong commitment and service to the chapter by Larry Stone ’54, and Howard Hargrove ’52. The USC Beta house now contains the “J. Lawrence Stone and Howard T. Hargrove Chapter Room.” Hargrove passed away a few years ago, so his son, Mike Hargrove ’76, received the plaque in his father’s memory. Connect with Larry and Mike at larry@stonetapert.com and mdh@hargrovehomes.com.

ALUMNI NEWS

SOUTHERN CAL HONORS BETA GREATS

40 UNDER 40

ALUMNI NEWS 10 THE BETA THETA PI

Securing a Beta alumnus’ recognition as a “Top 40 Under 40” business leader within a metropolitan city of more than 1 million is a pretty fantastic feat, but when TWO Beta brothers (from the same chapter and generation) end up on the podium, the Fraternity can’t help but provide a little extra press. Congrats to (L to R) Lousiville’s Jake McKinney ’01, and Bobby Bailey ’01, for receiving the honors at Louisville Business First’s 400-person banquet on September 24. Congratulate them at jake.mckinney@gmail.com and bobby@lougeek.com.

MEETING MABUS In September, Secretary of the U.S. Navy Ray Mabus, Mississippi ’69, visited Iowa State University to announce the Navy’s newest submarine will be named the “USS Iowa.” Fittingly, Khayree Fitten, Iowa State ’16, was there and made sure to extend him the Beta grip.

CHICAGO HERO RISING STAR With a threeyear growth rate of 3,560 percent and now ranking 92 on Inc. magazine’s “Rising Stars” list of the fastest growing companies in America, digital marketing entrepreneur Rahul Wahi, Eastern Illinois ’08, shares, “[LLT Group] doesn’t outsource anything. This is the country that gave my parents a chance to live their dreams.” To learn more about Rahul, visit llt-group. com/rahul.

In early July, Dr. Daniel Ivankovich, Northwestern ’85, was nominated as one of 13 “CNN Hero” finalists. He and his nonprofit were recognized for treating more than 100,000 uninsured or underinsured patients in some of Chicago’s troubled neighborhoods. Congratulate him at ivankovich@ameritech.net.

HELPING THOSE IN NEED Armando Ocando, Miami ’11, works to help women affected by sex trafficking through the Aruna Project, and his efforts were featured by the Pittsburgh PostGazette in August. The goal of the Aruna Project is to bring attention to the plight of women and girls dealing with life-threatening issues. Visit arunaproject.com to learn more.

A COURAGEOUS ACT

HE’S A HALL A FAMER! During the chapter’s 8th Annual Alumni Hall of Fame Reception in midOctober, Kal Pipo, Case Western Reserve ’86, was inducted by his beloved chapter at in Cleveland in recognition of his continued support of the chapter and its members. Congratulate Kal at kal.pipo@gmail.com.

ALUMNI NEWS 11

NOT ONE TO STAND BY

ONE OF THE SPORT’S BEST In mid-July, St. Xavier High School in Cincinnati won a national title in swimming and diving with Jim Brower, Cincinnati ’87, at the helm. He’s stepping down as head coach, but not after starting a dynasty at St. Xavier. Brower won 21 state titles in 23 years as head coach, as well as four national championships.

In late July, while at work at an Indianapolis news station, Perry Pace, Middle Tennessee State ’94, witnessed a car wreck outside. Pace ran to the car and helped save the man trapped inside. When Pace pulled him out, he was not breathing. Fortunately, paramedics quickly arrived at the scene and were able to revive him. What a heroic move by this Beta brother! Connect with Perry at pace5@sbcglobal.net.

WINTER 2016 | BETA.ORG

Dave Knippers, the fatherin-law of Andrew Schlecht, Oklahoma State ’08, was in need of a kidney. Dave’s kidneys were failing, functioning at less than 15 percent of normal. Doctors said that without a new one, Dave would live out his days on dialysis. He was placed on the transplant list, but the average wait is more than three years. Schlecht decided to see if he was a viable donor, and when he found out he was, the pair entered for surgery together on June 30. Since then, Knippers has recovered and the transplant was a success. “I have a new outlook on life, and I’ll never be able to repay that, but I’ll sure try,” Knippers said. For his courageous and selfless action, give Andrew a shout out at andrew.schlecht@ okstate.edu.

“THE CONVERSATIONS JUST FLOWED” David Littken, Missouri ’85, shared the message below with the Fraternity, and its certainly a heartful read:

ALUMNI NEWS

“I was fortunate to spend time with Michael Baker, North Carolina ’17, today. We have never met before, but he is in Shanghai for an entrepreneurship/Chinese language studies program with the University of North Carolina. It was hard to believe that we had never before met, because the conversations just flowed. Michael is the son of a late fraternity brother of mine, Ted Baker, Missouri ’85. Michael’s father and I were in the same Beta pledge class at Mizzou. Michael’s dad died suddenly 14 years ago when Michael was just seven years old. Michael asked a lot about our days at Mizzou and it was fun telling stories from 1984-88. Our Beta brothers have been watching Michael’s development into a young man for years, and we were honored to learn he pledged Beta at North Carolina. To my fraternity brothers, we have added another fine man to our fraternal bond. And to Ted, as you look down from the Heavens above, please know your son is doing well by you.”

12 THE BETA THETA PI

ONE NETWORK, TWO BETAS

LIKE A ROCK

“IT STILL FITS!”

Look who made back-to-back appearances on MSNBC! Just two of the Fraternity’s finest in award-winning journalist Howard Fineman, Colgate ’70, and former U.S. Senator Richard Lugar, Denison ’54! Thanks for continuing to make your Fraternity and brothers proud, gentleman!

Even in the midst of a terminal diagnosis, Matt Klutka, Bethany ’02, isn’t going down without a fight. Drawing the praise of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Matt’s story is a gift. Do yourself a favor and give it a read at beta.org/klutka. And then, get back out there and dominate — just like Brother Klutka!

Jim “Gabby” Hook, Missouri ’53, may be 85, but this former 1951-52 quarterback of the Missouri Tigers wasn’t fazed by the drive from Florida to Columbia to participate in his chapter’s alumni golf tournament on October 9, which benefited scholarships for the undergraduates. Donning his letter sweater he remarked, “It still fits!” Connect with Jim at jimhook49@gmail.com.

BETA

MILESTONES

Happy anniversary to the chapters below with milestone anniversaries in 2016, and congratulations to 1966 and 1991 Beta initiates who will celebrate their Fraternal 50s and Fraternal 25s!

BALL STATE’S 50TH

IT’S HIS TIME Happen to see the June 22 issue of TIME? Well, the man on the cover is T.J. Fink, St. Lawrence ’06! Fink has been a model/actor in New York City for the last five years.

YEARS FOUNDING

140 11/06/1876 80 10/23/1936 20 05/10/1996 30 10/18/1986 25 11/23/1991 135 10/14/1881 45 11/07/1971 30 11/01/1986 160 09/01/1856 150 05/18/1866 80 12/19/1936 125 10/01/1891 45 11/06/1971 175 11/09/1841 145 12/01/1871 65 01/05/1951 130 05/18/1886 45 11/20/1971 110 11/09/1906 25 01/25/1991 90 12/30/1926 135 05/13/1881 170 07/22/1846 115 12/20/1901 160 02/12/1856 45 11/22/1971 175 08/09/1841 100 03/29/1916 140 03/11/1876

NOT YOUR AVERAGE BONFIRE Brian Grant, Maine ’00, is a master welder who works on nuclear submarines at a naval shipyard. Using his skills, he made a Beta chiminea for fellow Beta Eta Chapter brother John Brier ’88. What a cool (or shall we say, “hot”) item! Connect with Brian at bgnmurphy2@yahoo.com.

13 WINTER 2016 | BETA.ORG

“REAL NICE, CLARK, REEEAL NICE” Former Administrative Office staffers Corey White, Southern Illinois ’04 (left), and J.B. Scherpelz, Miami ’05 (right), were featured by Sports Illustrated for their portrayal of “National Lampoon’s Vacation” character “Cousin Eddie” while attending the Georgia Tech – Clemson PHOTO: RICHARD SHIRO/AP football game.

Boston British Columbia Bryant Cal Poly Carleton Columbia Eastern Kentucky Guelph Illinois College Iowa Lawrence Lehigh Louisville Ohio Richmond SMU Texas Texas at Arlington Toronto UC Santa Barbara UCLA Union Wabash Washington Washington and Lee Weber State Western Reserve Whitman William & Mary

ALUMNI NEWS

The Delta Iota Chapter at Ball State University may currently be inactive, but that didn’t stop 52 brothers from gathering for the chapter’s 50th anniversary. On the Fraternity’s Founding Day, the Delta Iota Betas played in a golf outing in Fort Wayne, Ind., raising $400 for the Beta Leadership Fund.

CHAPTER

CAMPAIGN UPDATE “THE BEST WAY TO FIND YOURSELF IS TO

LOSE YOURSELF IN THE SERVICE OF OTHERS.” — Ghandi

PROMISES TO KEEP 14 THE BETA THETA PI

Loyal annual supporters of the Beta Foundation, (left to right) Hank Hankla, Oklahoma State ’68, Bill Lowry, Kenyon ’56 and Bruce Fein, Colgate ’84, enjoy the Foundation’s annual John Reily Knox Club Reception and Dinner at the 176th General Convention in Orlando.

In the coming months, every Beta will be asked to do his part to help keep the promises we’ve all made to the young men who will lead our Fraternity and society. We hope you will join the hundreds of loyal supporters who have already answered the call.

PROMISE I

PROMISE III

Expand and endow our student needs for participation in award-winning Men of Principle leadership programs.

Build a state-of-the-art learning laboratory and historical preservation center within the Administrative Office in Oxford.

F U N D IN G N EE D : $ 13 .4 MILLION (67.0% )

FU N D IN G N E E D : $2. 9 M I LLI O N ( 14. 5%)

PROMISE II

TO LEARN MORE

Launch a new online training platform for all undergraduates, advisors and Beta volunteers.

Watch The Promises to Keep Campaign video.

F U N D IN G N EE D : $ 3 .7 MILLION (18.5% )

B E TA .OR G/P TK

The Promises to Keep Campaign Progress $16,262,557

$20 Million

in gifts and pledges

Goal

(81.3% as of November 15, 2015)

“Represented symbolically by the diamond in the badge, Beta undergraduates need the cutting of education and the polishing of experience. These, too, are our promises to keep.”

DOTTIE & JIM MARTIN Davidson ’57

TODD WELLS General Fraternity ’10

$250,000

$100,000

$38,000

$30,000

Despite a demanding schedule as Sparton Corporation CEO, Cary finds time to serve as house corp president, Purdue chapter campaign chairman, and now on Beta’s Board of Trustees! Bleeding pink and blue, Cary and his wife Irene have made a generous $250,000 estate provision.

Initiated in 1950, El says Beta’s principles set him up for a successful business career, which remained paramount as his company grew and expanded. El not only gives to the BLF annually, but he and Elaine also recently made a generous $100,000 estate gift to The PTK Campaign.

Former Governor of North Carolina, Jim knows first-hand how important it is to develop young leaders who will run our cities and businesses in the future. Past President of the General Fraternity, Jim is keeping his promise by providing a lump-sum $38,000 gift to advance Men of Principle.

Although not a Beta during his undergraduate days at Kansas State, Todd was a loyal friend of Beta until he was initiated onto the General Fraternity roll in 2010. Facilitating more than 10 Beta leadership programs, Todd made a generous $30,000 cash pledge to create the Todd A. Wells Leadership Fund.

LIZANNE & KEN GRISPIN Rutgers ’70

RENE & RICH TALLEY Oklahoma ’74

LAUREN & BRAD KIESLING Westminster ’01

KEVIN TORNES Colorado MInes ’14

$20,000

$10,000

$7,500

$2,500

Ken was awarded a Beta scholarship in law school and recently commented, “I am honored to give back, as it was the Beta Foundation that gave me the opportunity to pursue my legal career.” Providing a generous cash pledge of $20,000, he said he did so knowing it will be put to good use.

Although the Talleys offered a generous gift to help modernize Oklahoma’s chapter house, they also believe in what the General Fraternity is doing via leadership programming and The PTK Campaign. Their generous $10,000 cash gift is gratefully received as Beta keeps the momentum going.

Family man and PetSmart Director of Government Affairs, Brad continues to thank Beta for his development as a past Oxford staff member. Volunteering on the Board of Trustees, Brad has pledged a multi-year cash gift to immediately impact students attending Beta leadership programs.

After attending a Campaign reception, Kevin approached a Foundation team member and remarked, “I can’t sit here and say the Foundation should do more…but not do my part.” As an engineering senior who still hadn’t secured a job, Kevin stepped up and made a $2,500 pledge over the next five years.

15 WINTER 2016 | BETA.ORG

ELAINE & EL BOURGRAF Cincinnati ’54

PROMISES TO KEEP

IRENE & CARY WOOD Purdue ’89

YOU ASKED 16 THE BETA THETA PI

YOU. ASKED. Beta undergrads recently had a chance to ask General Fraternity President Bob Schnese some hard-hitting questions. Here’s how Bob replied . . .

What is Beta Theta Pi doing to help reduce costs and aid underprivileged students in receiving the same benefits of fraternal life as more privileged students?

What factors go into the General Fraternity’s decision when selecting a location for the General Convention every year?

— Cameron Davies, Lawrence ’16

— Daniel Mascio, John Carroll ’16

That is an ongoing challenge for sure. The operating cost for an international fraternity is significant. A big portion of our cost is tied to the insurance we must provide. If we can reduce risk management claims against Beta, we can reduce premiums. If we act like gentlemen, we will be billed accordingly. We are also asking all Betas to support The Promises to Keep Campaign, as well as the Beta Leadership Fund which help provide nearly 2,000 leadership opportunities to undergraduates annually. Finally, many local alumni associations raise funds to assist their chapters. Your General Fraternity is working hard to keep costs as low as possible while providing our members with exceptional value.

We look for a location that can provide an attractive setting for 600+ Betas and guests to gather. We consider the overall cost to the General Fraternity, resort/hotel accommodations, proximity for attendee travel (i.e. airport nearby), local alumni presence, significant local event or celebration (i.e. 175th), regional rotation (i.e. north, south, east, west), have we been there before? If so, how long ago? And more. Certainly cost is a primary consideration, as the General Fraternity subsidizes a large portion of our conventions. That said, we like to offer exciting destinations, while using our “home” every 5-10 years so undergrads can experience an Oxford convention.

“

YOU ASKED

It is possible to be socially relevant and a man of principle. Social relevance is defined by more than just how one celebrates. A leader is someone who stays true to his principles in all areas of life, including social settings.

”

— Bob Schnese, Wisconsin ’83, in response to Alex Skoglund, Minnesota ’16

Does the General Fraternity really value the quality of men in a chapter over the quantity?

What can fraternities do to address campus-wide racism? It is a major issue and must be stamped out.

— Trenton Kilbey, Georgia Tech ’15

— William Stewart, Furman ’17

— Sam Gerlach, Missouri ’16

If the chapter is truly looking to make positive change(s), the General Fraternity will put additional resources in place to assist it. This may require the removal of a number of its members who are disrupting the change. Disbanding is the result of a chapter, or, a significant number of its members, choosing to play by a different set of rules. Chapters close chapters. The General Fraternity initiates rebuilding processes.

Yes we do, it is our mission “to develop men of principle for a principled life.” And if you recruit for quality, you will improve on quantity. Our all-Beta GPA (3.204), tops in the fraternity world, certainly speaks of our commitment to quality. Our average chapter Size (74.4), which is also tops among fraternities, continues to increase our quantity alongside fraternity peers who are also growing.

I think the answer lies within the question. They should be recruiting men of principle. They should not be recruiting men of race. Fraternities need to focus on their entire campus, not just the same faces in the usual places. It needs to be acceptable for Betas to challenge their own brothers from within the chapter on the matter and show our campuses what this can look like.

WINTER 2016 | BETA.ORG

How can the General Fraternity respond to chapters’ need for change without disbanding them?

What you need to know . . . +

Beta Theta Pi launched the “I Am a Fraternity Man” campaign in March 2015, to bring into focus the majority of young men whose fraternity experiences are positive and nothing like the negative ones portrayed in the media.

follower?

A U.S. Army ROTC student at the University of Arkansas, Kevin Dunavan ’16, aspires to develop his foundation in the army as a military police officer before going to law school to become a JAG officer.

The campaignhas seen an overwhelming positive response from Greeks and non-Greeks alike, including 5,000+ followers on social media and 13,000+ views of IAAFM video messages.

The IAAFM conversation continues today with a batch of new stories about five fraternity men, as well as some positive endorsements from six of their strongest supporters.

The positive conversations about today’s young fraternity men and their contributions to society must continue. Make your voice heard by using #IAmAFraternityMan to join the conversation on social media.

kevin d.

Visit iamafraternityman.org to watch the five video testimonials of the men below, as well as six fraternity alumni and female supporters who have come to their defense.

immature?

Not only is pre-med student Steven Repas ’17, making an impact at The Ohio State University, but he selflessly shares his time and talents in underprivileged countries to create a better life for others.

hector.

steven.

shallow?

IAMAFRAT ER NI T Y M A N .ORG

lazy?

A first generation American, Hector Cuevas ’15, was the first person in his family to graduate high school. Through focus and determination, Hector flourishes as a student leader at Florida International University, where he will soon graduate with honors.

conformist?

Jonah Graff ’17, belongs to a fraternity at the University of Idaho that tackles the hard conversations. From health scares to family issues, there is more to his chapter’s support system than parties and protein.

Since his first day at Cornell University, Kevin Coughlin ’17, has actively engaged with students from other countries. Now president of his fraternity, he ensures that international students have a home away from home in his chapter.

jonah.

kevin c. BE TA .ORG | W IN TE R 2 016 [ 19 ]

“The gentlemen we have met, from 17-year-olds to 70,

have all made a postive impact on our family.” — Kimberly Schmidt, wife of a fraternity alumnus

joe. Ever since Joe Buchanan retired, he has dedicated countless hours of time volunteering for his fraternity. Joe says mentoring young men and watching them develop has been one of the most rewarding experiences of his life.

kimberly. For the last 24 years, Kimberly Schmidt has joyfully lived and breathed fraternity while supporting her husband’s lifelong dedication. An attendee of many fraternity gatherings, Kimberly says she and her kids don’t know a life without it.

emily. A professional in higher education, Emily Cunningham calls fraternity men “the movers and shakers” on campus who often serve as the driving force of proactive discussions about serious campus issues.

[ 20] THE BETA THETA P I | W I NT ER 2 016

Check out “I Am a Fraternity Man” on social media:

Facebook.com/iamafraternityman | Instagram: @iamafraternityman | Twitter: @iaafm

justin. A facilitator of fraternity leadership programs and a human resources professional, Justin Foster believes the fraternity experience gives young men the hard skills necessary to lead a group of their peers.

lori. The wife of a fraternity alumnus, Lori Schnese’s family has been positively impacted by her husband’s membership. Lori believes fraternities provide young men with experiences to develop outside of the classroom.

mike. A fraternity advisor for 19 years and longtime educator and high school principal, Mike Wortman believes that fraternities offer men a positive support system as they transition from high school to college and beyond.

IAMAFRAT ER NI T Y M A N .ORG

BE TA .ORG | W IN TE R 2 016 [ 21 ]

By L. Martin Cobb, Eastern Kentucky â&#x20AC;&#x2122;96, Editor of The Beta Theta Pi

With an organization that is nearly 200-years-old, historical treasures are bound to speak to you from time to time. But what do you do when four of them present themselves within seven months of one another? You share them.

Historic Treasures: Oklahoma

The Beta Theta Pi â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Winter 2016

Our house did not meet the needs of the chapter, and it was not a desirable place to live compared to campus alternatives. The rooms were overcrowded, the dining hall was too small, the building did not have good study spaces. To retain upperclassmen, we needed something better. – Robert Beall, Oklahoma ’80, Campaign Chairman

surprise since the chapter is actually older than the state itself. And then there’s the fact that the first university president was a Beta – and two more followed. A governor, nine regents and six campus buildings bear Betas’ names, echoing the notion that, decade upon decade, OU Betas are fueled by the love of brotherhood and a relentless drive to succeed. That pattern of achievement continued recently as the house corporation and alumni tackled the single largest chapter house campaign in fraternity and sorority history – a re-

THE BETA HOUSE UNIVERSIT Y OF OKL AHOMA

rguably one of the most distinct chapter houses in all of Beta Theta Pi, the 1928 Italian Renaissance-inspired facility at the University of Oklahoma stands as a bold symbol of Beta’s reputation of excellence ever since the chapter’s founding in 1907. Of course, that should come as no

cord previously held by Beta’s wildly successful chapter at the University of Missouri. During the formal dedication on September 19, OU Betas had every reason to celebrate. Having raised more than $10 million to renovate the original 17,000 square-foot facility and construct a 19,000 square-foot addition in

Historic Treasures: Oklahoma

order to increase occupancy (70 to 100) and academic, dining and recreation facilities, the alumni are quick to point out that this project was never about the money. Like the actions of university administrations across the land, including peer Beta house corporations and those of other fraternities central to OU, it had everything to do with 1) safety, 2) academics and 3) brotherhood, which are the guiding tenets of the Gamma Phi Chapter’s house corporation and the General Fraternity’s Cornerstone Housing Program. One can’t help but wonder, however, “What led to the attainment of Gamma Phi’s herculean goal and the vision that inspired it?” The passion of Campaign Chairman Robert Beall ’80, is certainly a big part of it. But Beall is humble enough to remind everyone of the strong sense of team that has always resided within his beloved chapter, as evidenced by the leadership of House Corporation President Zach Allen ’85, Construction Manager Curtis McCarty ’92, Architect Michael Hall ’88 and Project Manager continued on page 27 . . . The Beta Theta Pi – Winter 2016

Want to see more? View an inspiring tour of Beta’s chapter house at the University of Oklahoma at beta.org/ okhousetour. Likewise, learn firsthand the undergraduates’ perspective on the project by watching a brief but insightful roundtable with the young men who call it home: beta.org/ okundergrads.

A Preserving the masculine and warm feel was a priority, as evidenced by the Alumni Room, one of the first living spaces viewed upon entering the chapter house.

B The original dining room held 60. Equipped with a commercial-grade kitchen, the new multi-purpose dining room accommodates 150 and serves as the Initiation Hall, weekly meeting room for the 220-man chapter, rehearsal space for campus performances, etc.

B Historic Treasures: Oklahoma

The Beta Theta Pi â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Winter 2016

Ryan Manning ’07. As shared in virtual unison during their group interview for this feature, “Beta is a team sport at OU, and no one wants to let a brother down.” Likewise, alumni were very clear, “If you want our support, don’t mess with the classic exterior look of the house. Do it right, or don’t do it at all.”

This project represented a unique opportunity to do something truly special – and secure Gamma Phi’s future for the next century. – Zach Allen ’85, House Corporation President

Maybe even more convincing is the 33-percent alumni participation rate in the “Honoring Our Traditions, Providing for the Future” capital campaign which, by all measures according to Pennington & Co., one of the leading fraternity and sorority chapter house fundraising firms in North America, blew past the typical 23-percent participation rate that is the industry norm. Certainly Willis O. Robb, Ohio Wesleyan 1879, had the Gamma Phi Chapter brand of Beta Spirit in mind when he spoke about the “warmer and stronger, just a little tenderer and more enduring fraternity feeling” that is deeply embedded in the genealogy of Beta Theta Pi. Why else would men continue to be so generous and so loyal for so long? continued on page 29 . . .

D&E The entry foyer and terrazzo Beta coat of arms provide instant warmth and wow-factor.

F Some 350 enjoyed the ribbon cutting on Sept. 19, followed by a 700person game-day barbecue. L to R: Risk Mgr. Michael Schluterman, HC Pres. Zach Allen, Campaign Chair Robert Beall, Const. Mgr. Curtis McCarty, Ch. Pres. Aaron Murray, Gen. Sec. David Schmidt and V.P. Luke Moellers

The original dining room was reconfiured into a library that boasts a beautiful museum of 11 themed cases: 1-Beta Theta Pi 2-Gamma Phi 3-Ch. Houses 4-Athletics 5-Military 6-Traditions 7-Scholarship 8-Men of Principle 9-Univ. of Okla. 10-Milestones 11-Beta and the State of Oklahoma

Historic Treasures: Oklahoma

The Beta Theta Pi – Winter 2016

A chapter facility is not what makes us Beta. A chapter facility is not what makes us great. What makes us great are the values we live by and the men we surround ourselves with. – Aaron Murray ’16, Chapter President

G G With sprinklers and punch-code bedroom door locks, security cameras line the property and all public spaces, which can be monitored in the president’s office that adjoins his bedroom.

H The basketball court provides quality recreation, and the covered patio with built-in grills and a fireplace is perfect for game-days and special events.

Historic Treasures: Oklahoma

The Beta Theta Pi – Winter 2016

I A new media/rec room connects the patio with the dining room and features an 80” TV and five flat screens.

K L

The bathrooms are inviting and spacious, yet they foster camaraderie and are cost-effective compared to the maintenance of suite-style living.

K Recognized as the most important “civilizing influence” in the chapter house, the house mother suite is central and beautifully appointed.

Couple their passion along with a cult-like commitment to academics, as evidenced by the chapter ranking number one in grades 67 of the last 133 semesters and top three 107 of them, and it’s hard to imagine a greater calling for a house corporation and alumni body than the mission being executed at 800 Chautauqua Avenue in Norman. If there’s any truth to the old adage that “you’re a product of your environment,” opportunities to grow, develop and mature as a young man reign supreme at Beta’s Gamma Phi Chapter. They always have, and it appears likely they always will. ␣

Historic Treasures: Oklahoma

The Beta Theta Pi – Winter 2016

For comfort and to minimize wear and tear on hallways and doorframes, all bedrooms are furnished with double beds, couches and refrigerators.

M Noted by the undergrads as their favorite amenity, the 85-man study hall (and five sound-proof study rooms) exceed the quality of any on-campus facility.

By L. Martin Cobb, Eastern Kentucky ’96, Editor of The Beta Theta Pi

In 1926, Betas at St. Lawrence University dedicated an iconic Greek Temple for the use of students, the faculty and their beloved Beta Zeta Chapter. Ninety years later, they did it all over again. “May the Beta call that originated at St. Lawrence continue to resonate on the campus, carrying with its echoing sound a reminder of the virtues of the Beta experience so personal to each Beta Zeta.” — Dr. Allen Splete ’60

THE TEMPLE ST. L AWRENCE UNIVERSIT Y

ith the sun blanketing the fall foliage and beautifully manicured campus, on October 10, some 200 Betas and guests gathered to celebrate a $500,000 renovation of the 90-year-old Beta Temple at St. Law-

Historic Treasures: St. Lawrence

rence University in Canton, N.Y. One of only two Beta Temples (the other belonging to the Beta Alpha Chapter at Kenyon College in Gambier, Ohio, 45 minutes northeast of Columbus), it is as inspiring as it is unique, durable as it is symbolic. 30

Built in 1926 thanks to the generosity of the Abbott and Young Beta families in honor of their three deceased Beta sons, the two-story Gothic Temple is an architectural gem. Constructed from the highest grade of materials, including Indiana limestone and Tiffany bronze work, it is positioned on a beautiful elevation that connects via tunnel to the chapter house and faces entrance into the university on Romoda Drive (named for General Secretary Joe Romoda ’33, the only General Secretary to die in office.) Prompted by conversations during an alumni reunion in 2012, the res-

The Beta Theta Pi – Winter 2016

toration included reconditioning of the Carrara-marbled floor and beautiful Tiffany bronze door, lampposts and windows, not to mention asbestos abatement, installation of a new roof, electrical system, heating and air conditioning, and re-pointing of all exterior masonry. Honoring written specifications of donor Owen D. Young 1894, who was also chairman of General Electric and named 1929 TIME Magazine Man of the Year, the Temple has always been open to the campus.

Greek temples were always built on a rise or high hill, so you had to go up to go in. It seems to me that’s the quality of entering the Beta experience.

As Young wrote on February 10, 1926, to William Farmer of Syracuse about the configuration of wording on the dedication tablet, “I regard this building as primarily a college building, and I think that when completed, we should make a deed of gift to the college containing a provision that it should be available for meetings of the Beta chapter, but subject to that, on order of the trustees, it should always be open for the purposes of the college. For example, it should be the meeting place of Phi Beta Kappa; that at commencement time and other functions, the

chapel should be open to the public like any other college building.” Shared by restoration leader Dr. Allen Splete ’60, “Daughter Josephine Young Case and her husband [Colgate President] Everett Case wrote a definitive biography on her father. In it they said, ‘The building [my parents] cared about most, for special reasons, was the smallest building of all: The Beta Theta Pi Temple . . . They built a perfect little Greek temple for the chapter commemorating the Abbott boys and [my brother] John Young. To the Beta house itself . . . [Dad] was friend, advisor and donor over many years.’” Above the Temple’s front door rests a stone coat of arms that includes Beta Zeta’s heraldic device, five lyres. Representing the five Alpha Sigma Chi chapters that merged with Beta on October 9, 1879, Beta Zeta’s Greek motto in the scroll at the bottom is interpreted as, “The bond of the lyres.” On a beautiful little campus in upstate New York, and in a very special little Temple, a love for the brotherhood continues. Like the lyre, it’s something pleasant to the ear and of deep meaning to the heart.

— President Bill Fox, St. Lawrence ’75

Historic Treasures: St. Lawrence

The Beta Theta Pi – Winter 2016

A Tiffany bronze work adorns the Temple at every turn, including the decorative and stately front door.

B Retired Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Allen Splete ’60, educates Chapter President Matt Kinney ’16, and Ritual Chairman Gage Kennie ’17, on his gift to the chapter, one of the remaining shingle panels from the original chapter house.

C Another example of transparency with the academic community, Beta’s Temple has been open for public use since its completion in 1926.

By L. Martin Cobb, Eastern Kentucky ’96, Editor of The Beta Theta Pi

A hidden panel. A wall safe. And fragile 135-year-old documents memorializing one of the most historic transactions in the history of Beta Theta Pi.

HIDDEN GEMS STEVENS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

s the wooden-framed, white faux panel was removed next to the fireplace, the hidden safe was exposed for all its glory. It felt as though I was stepping back in time. The moment of anticipation was surreal. Now in full view, the hidden safe’s vintage black door projected a strong presence. One of confidence but with reverence for the past. Something meant to protect, as though the contents within must certainly be important – likely irreplaceable. But how did I get here? How did a Kentucky farm-boy-turned-editor end up in the living room of the Stevens Beta house in Hoboken, New Jersey? Seated together during the John Reily Knox Club Dinner at this summer’s General Convention, Chapter President Carrick Porter, Stevens ’16, and I began with the typical brotherly pleasantries, but our conversation eventually evolved into a verbal exchange about the replica badge I was wearing of William Raimond Baird,

Historic Treasures: Stevens

Stevens 1878/Columbia 1882, which has become a recently renewed tradition for the Editor of The Beta Theta Pi magazine (see Convention coverage, page 36). “You know, we still have all of Baird’s original documents at our chapter house,” remarked Porter. “You have what?” I countered in a subdued but direct attempt to seek clarification for what I knew I had heard quite clearly. “Yeah, they’re in a hidden wall-safe that very few know about. Only a handful of guys in the chapter even know the combination,” followed Porter. “It’s fascinating – and somewhat humorous – to read how intense Baird was and how he always had these big ideas for the Fraternity and wasn’t afraid to share them during chapter meetings. There’s a general insinuation that sometimes his brothers were more gratuitous and willing to listen than others. Apparently he had the gift of gab.”

The Beta Theta Pi – Winter 2016

“We have to get those protected, Porter. They’re irreplaceable. You do know Baird’s imprint on the Fraternity – and Greek world – was huge, right?” I replied. “Not only was Baird the longest serving Beta Editor, but he’s revered as the ‘Father of Interfraternalism’ and is likely the single most influential fraternity man in the history of the Greek world.” Pressing further, I added, “We need to work together to get those artifacts to Oxford so they can be protected. They’re just a fire or water damage away from being lost forever, and since the Fraternity has been planning a major tribute to Baird anyway, these could become central to the whole effort.” Porter humbly shared, “I know. We’ve talked about it before. We just didn’t know how best to go about it.”

Fast forward to Sunday, October 11, when the door to the safe was likely opened for the first time for non-Stevens Beta eyes. Gathered together in the front parlor with a dozen or so young Beta undergraduates, we began pouring over all of the contents to determine what may be proper to return to Oxford for further inspection. Focusing on the 1870s through early 1920s, the primary years of Alpha Sigma Chi and Baird’s leadership in negotiating the merger of that regional fraternity with Beta – securing the Fraternity’s much-desired “eastern wing” – it was a special moment as men who spanned some 20 years in age explored the hidden gems together like kids in a candy store.

While the documents are still being carefully studied and will become the centerpiece of an important exhibit dedicated to Baird at the Administrative Office in Oxford (once funding has been secured and designs are complete), it is certain that this loan of documents by the Sigma Chapter Housing Association is another great example of the General Fraternity and local alumni working together to ensure historic artifacts are preserved and used to inspire and educate Betas visiting Oxford on the illustrious history of the organization they have joined. Of course, one can’t help but wonder just how many other important relics and documents are sitting in disheveled closets, dusty boxes and file cabinets in chapter houses across the land. If history is any indicator, scores of treasures abound. ␣

THE BAIRD COLLECTION 1. Alpha Sigma Chi chapter meeting minutes from 1879 documenting Baird’s first proposal – and the conversation that ensued – for it to merge with Beta Theta Pi

Greek-wide wood paddle tradition that has long been a gift-exchange symbolizing the bond between big and little brothers

2. Stevens chapter roll book that includes Baird’s personally drafted and extensive biography as Roll No. 10

Thanks to Sigma Chapter Housing Association President Bob Giarratano Jr. ’03, Chapter President Carrick Porter ’16 and Alumni Relations Chairman Joe Lynch ’16, the Baird Collection is on deposit at Beta’s Administrative Office in Oxford on an initial 10-year loan agreement.

3. 1882 Beta Catalogue that includes a handwritten personal testimonial suggesting Baird’s late 1890s role in creating the

It felt as though I was stepping back in time. The moment of anticipation was surreal. — L. Martin Cobb, Eastern Kentucky ’96

Historic Treasures: Stevens

The Beta Theta Pi – Winter 2016

By Theodore Planje, Westminster ’68

Almost 150 years ago, a Beta founder sponsored what has become the oldest Greek chapter in continuous existence west of the Mississippi River.

ALPHA DELTA WESTMINSTER COLLEGE

fter graduating from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, Beta Founder Charles Henry Hardin, Miami 1841, established a law practice in Fulton, Missouri, and began a political career as a prosecuting attorney that would culminate with his election as the governor of Missouri. In the late 1850s, Hardin became a determined advocate of establishing a Beta chapter at Westminster College. Historic Treasures: Westminster

At the General Convention in 1860, Hardin’s request to start a chapter at Westminster won support, but due to the Civil War and its aftermath, a charter wasn’t granted until 1868. In the meantime, the Alpha Beta Chapter was established at the University of Iowa, but experienced a period of closure after its founding. Westminster’s early years were challenging, as two literary societ34

ies at the college were “indulging in intense and bitter rivalry,” said author Charles Frackler Lamkin in “A Great Small College.” Lamkin reported that the members of “the Philologic and Philalethian societies were accused of working against the members of Beta Theta Pi by refusing to elect them to ofﬁce or to permit them to speak in the inter-society contests.” Westminster gradually found its place on campus and in the community. Before the turn of the century, newspapers reported on the chapter’s social events that included dinner, music and games, and the chapter’s “instrumental orchestra” was highly regarded. In 1912, the Rev. Charles Boving, Westminster 1891, became president of the college.

The Beta Theta Pi – Winter 2016

The Alpha Chapter was a virtual pipeline of Beta legacy and dominion to Westminster College, with the big three being Charles Henry Hardin, Dr. William Robertson, and Samuel Laws. — Jim Middleton ’67, House Corporation Board Member

During the chapter’s early years, the men resided in rented houses east of campus, but in the early 1920s, membership rose from 25 to 45. To accommodate the increase in membership, in 1928, a beautiful English Tudor-style chapter house was built in the heart of campus. Throughout the next two decades, the chapter saw many academic and leadership successes on campus. But tragedy struck in October 1946, when arsonists set a fire to the house that nearly destroyed it and injured two of the brothers living inside. Fortunately, the house was saved and reopened the following fall. The chapter experienced further hardship in the 1960s, when a surge of brothers transferred to other universities and depleted the chapter’s membership. The remaining brothers proactively responded by actively recruiting a 36-man pledge class in 1965 which would later become one of its most influential classes ever as its members maintained a lifelong alumni presence in the chapter. With the chapter membership flourishing, Alpha Delta once again excelled on campus with a mix of academic achievement, campus leadership and intramural competitiveness. Alpha Delta maintained a successful and well-rounded membership for the next quarter century, but in 1979, declining enrollment at Westminster College led to one major change: for the first time ever, women were admitted to the all-male school. This transition elevated campus-wide academic and leadership involvement, and over time, there was a decline in interest in Greek life and a growing Historic Treasures: Westminster

international student population. Influenced by the launch of the General Fraternity’s Men of Principle initiative in 1998, Alpha Delta adapted to campus changes and has consistently expanded its recruitment of international students. In this new era, Alpha Delta has had its ups and downs. With a current membership of 31 active members and 17 pledges, efforts are underway to increase membership and consistently fill the new $3.4 million, 16,000-square-foot house dedicated in 2009. Alumni find current trends encouraging. “The chapter is on the rise,” said long-time House Corporation President Kirk Carpenter, Westminster ’65. “The two most recent pledge classes are particularly strong.” The chapter has aligned its risk management policies with General Fraternity expectations, and for the second consecutive year, Betas serve as IFC president and chair of campus intramurals. Additionally, two of Westminster’s eight student ambassadors are Betas, and so are the captains of

the baseball and soccer teams. After Alpha Delta settled into its new chapter house, pledge brothers Rusty Bennett ’67 and Jim Middleton ’67, began to consider how to recognize the chapter’s legacy as the oldest chapter of any fraternity or sorority in continuous existence west of the Mississippi River. Bennett and Middleton led an effort to create an elegant historic marker that was dedicated on April 25, 2015, at a gathering of Betas and guests. Bennett highlighted the distinctive impact of three Miami University graduates on Westminster College and the Alpha Delta Chapter. The College’s founder, Dr. William Robertson, graduated from Miami in 1835. Beta Founder Charles Henry Hardin orchestrated the establishment of Alpha Delta. And Samuel Spahr Laws, Miami 1848, was President of Westminster from 1855-61. Still building on its early Miami connections, Alpha Delta is approaching the 150th anniversary of its establishment and remains committed to sustaining its legacy. ␣

Alpha Delta alumni and undergraduates pose with the chapter’s new historic marker outside the chapter house on April 25, 2015.

The Beta Theta Pi – Winter 2016

othersbeforeself

Convention Recap Beta’s 176th Did Orlando outshine Oxford? You decide. By Mike Roupas, Iowa ’10

Some 700 Betas and friends reunited at the Renaissance Orlando at Seaworld from August 6-9 for Beta’s 176th General Convention. From the wide display of brotherhood and the celebration of newlychartered chapters and award winners, to inspirational speakers who led educational sessions for students, alumni, chapter advisors and house corporation volunteers — the Beta Spirit was once again alive and well. Check out the top eight highlights of Beta’s annual reunion. P g 3 6 | Co n ve n t ion RECA P: B E TA’S 176TH

W I NTER 2 0 1 6

want to watch more footage from the 176tH?

Convention Recap: beta.org/176recap “Others Before Self” Theme: beta.org/176theme 177th Location Teaser: beta.org/177teaser

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

This year’s chapter delegation of Lugar Fellows granted charters to all three petitioning colonies: Eta Mu at Arkansas, Beta Kappa at Ohio, and Eta Nu at Pittsburgh. Additionally, delegates voted to approve new Beta alumni to the Fraternity Board of Trustees (See page 38 for a list of outgoing and incoming General Fraternity Officers.)

INSPIRED TO “BE A DIFFERENCE MAKER”

The 176th welcomed the reinstatement of a decades-long tradition to feature a keynote address by a Beta undergraduate. At Friday’s Awards Luncheon, Steven Repas, Ohio State ’17, delivered a powerful message about his life-changing summer experience in Haiti where he was voluntarily thrown in the midst of a poverty-stricken village. Visit beta.org/repas to watch Steven’s inspiring 13-minute keynote address.

RECOGNIZED FOR JOBS WELL DONE

A variety of awards were presented to this year’s deserving recipients, including 24 Knox Awards and 38 Sisson Awards. (See page 38 for the complete list of award winners.) Additionally, at Saturday night’s Celebration Banquet, the prestigious Oxford Cup was awarded to Geoff Mason, Duke ’63 – the Fraternity’s 80th Oxford Cup honoree, and the first recipient from Duke University. The long-time sports television production executive and winner of 25 Emmys provided convention attendees with inspiring remarks one can listen to at home by visiting beta.org/mason.

4.HONORING A BETA GREAT

At the Welcoming Banquet, a special presentation introduced “Betas of Achievement II,” the fifth and final book authored by Editor Emeritus Erv Johnson, Idaho ’53, in the last 13 years. For his herculean accomplishments and dedication to the Fraternity, current Editor Martin Cobb, Eastern Kentucky ’96, presented a replica of the Baird Badge to Erv (and another to Editor Emeritus Tom Olver, Central Michigan ’98), officially reinstating a long-overlooked request by the Baird family whereby the

TH E B E TA T H ETA PI

badge is to be worn by the current editor of the Beta magazine. Visit beta.org/erv to watch the emotional exchange.

A TIME FOR BROTHERHOOD AND FELLOWSHIP

Whether mingling poolside at the hotel, or participating in the convention excursions to Universal Studios or the Orlando Museum of Modern Art, Betas, Sweethearts and friends enjoyed their time together in Orlando to reconnect and recharge their “kai batteries.”

NEW WAYS TO CULTIVATE THE INTELLECT

Every convention provides an opportunity for attendees to cultivate their intellect, whether through Leadership College for undergraduates, Cornerstone Housing Summit for house corporation volunteers, or the Symposium for Beta alumni and guests. But this year, the programming was special. For the first time ever, all attendees came together for a hands-on simulation activity where participants problem-solved challenges that chapters commonly face. Attendees also experienced Beta’s “Shark Tank” panel where some of Beta’s most successful entrepreneurs discussed how they built their careers by enabling others to succeed (See page 38 for a list of featured panelists.) Rounding out the education-rich programming, the convention concluded with a series of reflective Beta “TED Talks” which can be viewed at beta.org/vimeo.

TRADITIONAL CONVENTION FAVORITES

BETA GREAT INSPIRES CLUB MEMBERS

Betas and guests enjoyed another lineup of convention favorites, including the Convention Countdown which honors men and women with record-breaking convention attendance, the Beta Countdown to honor the “Silver Grays” in attendance, as well as music from the Convention Chorus led by General Fraternity Chorister Brock Johnson, Oklahoma State ’09. After all Betas spent Saturday morning together observing the Model Initiation Ceremony, they rejoined later in the afternoon to sing “Marching Along” while making their way to the Celebration Banquet in the traditional Marching Line.

At each convention, the John Reily Knox Club Recognition Dinner is hosted exclusively for Betas and guests who donate $1,500 or more to the Beta Leadership Fund. This year’s attendees enjoyed mingling with other JRK Club members and listening to an empowering speech from Senator Richard Lugar, Denison ’54, who endorsed the notion that young men of principle are called upon now more than ever to lead the world. Listen to his full 17-minute keynote address at beta.org/lugar.

President Schnese and wife Lori (third and fourth from right) pose with Oxford Cup Honoree Mason (third from left) and his family.

Others b efo r e Sel f | P g 3 7

2015 CONVENTION AWARDS INDIVIDUAL AWARD WINNERS House Director of the Year Victoria Brown, MIT Edward B. Taylor Advisor of the Year Annie Carlson Welch, NC State Outstanding Greek Advisor Award Mia McCurdy, Minnesota Interfraternalism Recognition Award Bill O’Dell, Alpha Chi Rho Fraternity House Corporation Volunteer of the Year Gary Vidmar, Cincinnati ’76 Rookie District Chief of the Year Steven Cruz, Florida International ’12 Regional Chief of the Year Wayne Huddleston, Texas at Arlington ’98 District Chief of the Year Rick Caras, GMI/EMI ’78 Jerry M. Blesch General Secretary Leadership Award Trenton Kilbey, Georgia Tech ’15

CHAPTER AWARDS WINNERS North Dakota Award for Chapter Publications Central Michigan, Florida* Website Excellence Award Central Florida, Cincinnati* H.H. Stephenson Junior Award for Historical Preservation and Research Columbia, Kansas* Charles Henry Hardin Leadership Development Awards Arkansas, Central Florida, Drexel, Florida (Highest Overall Participants: 23 men), Florida International, Florida State, High Point, Kentucky, Kettering B, Ohio, Ohio State, Pittsburgh, Purdue, San Diego, Texas at Arlington, UC Davis, UC Irvine, Utah, Westminster, Wichita State, WPI (Highest Overall Percentage: 50%) John Holt Duncan Service Award, Best Annual Project Johns Hopkins, Columbia* John Holt Duncan Service Award, Best Ongoing Project Oklahoma, Kentucky* Virginia Tech Award for Scholastic Achievement Columbia (Highest Overall GPA: 3.665), Furman (Most Improved GPA: .238 increase), Kentucky, Kettering A, Miami (Fla.), Missouri, Northeastern, Oklahoma State, UCLA, Utah, Virginia, Wittenberg Outstanding Recruitment Award Columbia, Kettering A, Michigan State, TCU, Truman State

New Member Education Award UC San Diego, TCU* Campus Involvement Award Columbia, Kentucky, Kettering B, Minnesota, MIT, Nebraska, Pittsburgh, Southern Illinois, UCLA, Wabash, Wittenberg Outstanding Alumni Relations Award Cornell, San Diego* Advisory Team of the Year Award Ohio Excellence in Risk Management Award Cincinnati, Connecticut, John Carroll, Johns Hopkins, Kentucky, Northeastern, San Diego, TCU, Truman State, Utah Most Improved Chapter Award: Texas at Arlington New Song Competition Award TCU, UC Irvine* Shelby L. Molter Song Competition Award Oklahoma State, Cincinnati*, Pittsburgh* Whitman Choral Cup Lawrence, Kansas* Sons of the Dragon Club Award (100% chapter participation in the Club or 74 or more men joined) Denver, Florida International, High Point, Kentucky (100% Participation for the 6th year and Most Members Joined: 131 members), Kettering A, Minnesota, North Dakota, Pacific, Southern Illinois, Texas A&M (Most Members Joined: 112), Westminster

SISSON AWARD WINNERS The Francis H. Sisson Award is presented to those who maintain high standards and inspire total chapter participation, cooperation and involvement. (Total number received to date listed in parenthesis): Case Western Reserve (11), Centre (8), Cincinnati (16), Colorado Mines (16), Columbia (4), Connecticut (10), Cornell (14), Dayton (2), Denver (2), Eastern Kentucky (7), Florida (13), Georgia (21), Idaho (16), John Carroll (4), Kansas (19), Kansas State (27), Kentucky (4), Kettering A (2), Kettering B (7), Maine (7), Michigan State (6), Minnesota (17), Nebraska (18), North Carolina (6), Oklahoma (14), Pittsburgh (1), Saint Louis (7), San Diego (9), SMU (6), TCU (2), Texas A&M (11), Toronto (13), Truman State (16), UCLA (5), Utah (9), Wabash (12), Washington in St. Louis (15), Wisconsin-Oshkosh (8)

P g 3 8 | Con ve n t ion RECA P: B E TA’S 17 6TH

KNOX AWARD WINNERS The Knox Award is the highest honor a chapter can earn, raising the bar in ritual, leadership, community service, campus involvement and singing. (Total number received to date listed in parenthesis): Case Western Reserve (7), Centre (2), Cincinnati (3), Columbia (1), Cornell (4), Dayton (2), Florida (2), Georgia (7), Idaho (6), Kansas State (9), Kentucky (2), Kettering B (5), Nebraska (13), Oklahoma (6), San Diego (6), SMU (3), TCU (2), Texas A&M (2), Toronto (1), Truman State (10), UCLA (2), Utah (2), Washington in St. Louis (4), Wisconsin-Oshkosh (1)

BOARD TRANSITIONS Outgoing Fraternity Board of Trustees Mike Okenquist, Villanova ’94; Jeff Newton, Miami ’77 Incoming Fraternity Board of Trustees General Fraternity Treasurer Lynn Maddox, Georgia Tech ’64 (three-year term extension); Vice President Ben Swartz, Connecticut ’05 (three-year term extension); Vice President Mike Wortman, Nebraska ’70 Outgoing Foundation Board of Directors Bill Lowry, Kenyon ’56; Vince Mikolay, Bethany ’00; Foundation Treasurer John Stebbins, Emory ’92

BANQUET EMCEES Welcoming Banquet Bill Lowry, Kenyon ’56 Awards Luncheon John Stebbins, Emory ’92 Celebration Banquet Mike Okenquist, Villanova ’94

BETA SHARK TANK PARTICIPANTS Entreprenuer Panelists Dean Akers, Florida ’74 (CEO of Hemwell America; Vincent Mikolay, Bethany ’00 (Partner and CBO at Zuma Ventures); Geoff Mason, Duke ’63 (25-time Emmy-winning sports television producer) Panel Moderator Mike Feinstein, MIT ’82

GOLD LEVEL SPONSOR Billhighway

*Denotes honorable mention.

W I NTER 2 0 1 6

ALABAMA

ΔΘ | Tuscaloosa, Ala. Will Green ’17 wbgreen@crimson.ua.edu

The Delta Theta Chapter recruited 43 new Betas for the fall semester. We have begun working to improve our philanthropic efforts. This includes volunteering with the West Alabama Food Bank and raising money for Feeding America. The Delta Theta Chapter has also increased its campus involvement.

AMERICAN

Colony | Washington, D.C. TJ Osbourne ’16 to0531a@student.american.edu

AUBURN

ΔΖ | Auburn, Ala. Ryan Heslin ’16 rth0012@auburn.edu

Delta Zeta is having a great semester. We started out by bringing on a pledge class of 47, giving us maximum capacity in the house. We held a successful Parents' Weekend and made some great strides in alumni relations, having a very successful game day brunch for the Mississippi State game. We hope to keep improving our overall GPA and mold men of principle!

BRITISH COLUMBIA ΓΟ | Vancouver, B.C. Derek Knight ’16 nepatriot12@live.ca

Gamma Omicron just welcomed the biggest pledge class of all fraternities on campus with 27. We also just congratulated Brother Brian Vickers on his unbelievable score on the MCAT! Athletics are still the heart of our chapter though, and we are off to a strong start this intramural season. We won the interfraternity long boat race and are off to a strong start in basketball and hockey.

CHAPTER REPORTS

We are excited to welcome our five new pledges into our brotherhood, making us 60 undergraduate members strong. From studying abroad to interning in the halls of government and working on Wall Street, our brothers continue to leave their mark across the globe. We started this year volunteering with The Floor Project in Nicaragua and look forward to continuing our service.

CHAPTER REPORTS

39 ARIZONA

The Delta Beta Chapter initiated 20 men from our spring semester new member program and welcomed a 35-man new member class this fall. We are currently planning a fall philanthropy, benefiting the Ronald McDonald House Charity. We are also in the process of planning the second annual _Kai_ Cup golf tournament.

ARKANSAS

HM | Fayetteville, Ark. Kevin Dunavan ’16 kwdunava@uark.edu

The chapter has recently seen a significant membership growth by extending 62 bids to Beta-material underclassman. We've remained active on campus and in the community, which has brought positive feedback from our university Greek Life advisors and Panhellenic partners. Currently, we are in the process of smoothly transitioning executive officers.

ΔΨ | Waco, Texas Luis Molina ’15 Luis_molina@baylor.edu

The Delta Psi Colony has had much success this past year. In the spring semester, we achieved the top GPA in all of the IFC. We created an all-university beach volleyball tournament that many Greek organizations joined and competed against each other in order to raise money toward our philanthropy, Restoration Haven Institute. The event raised more than $2,000!

BETHANY

Ψ | Bethany, W. Va. Dakota Maravelis '16 dmaravelis@bethanywv.edu

Once again, we have won the men's social fraternity academic award. We have actually held the trophy for more semesters than any of us can even remember. Our Board of Trustees moved us to a new recruitment system that makes fall recruitment even earlier. We are excited to gain new members and may even be able to double our house size!

CAL POLY

ΕΔ | San Luis Obispo, Calif. Jeron Hogan ’17 jeronhogan@gmail.com

We just ended our fall recruitment, and we gave out 23 bids with a 100% retention rate so far. We have a great range of guys from all different backgrounds, and it looks like it's going to be a great pledge class for the records! We can't wait to see what these guys have to offer.

CARLETON

ΕΥ | Ottawa, Ont. Austin Auringer ’17 btpeypres@gmail.com

This semester, our chapter executed another awesome recruitment period, ultimately adding 15 new pledges to our roster on top of a current active chapter of 27. We continue to work on revamping our pledge education program, with increased emphasis on elucidating how the seemingly ancient lore and values are relevant to life in today's modern society.

WINTER 2016 | BETA.ORG

ΔΒ | Tucson, Ariz. Kurtis Childs ’17 kchilds@email.arizona.edu

BAYLOR

CASE WESTERN RESERVE

ΛΚ-Β | Cleveland, Ohio Zack Rooker ’17 zrr2@case.edu

We had a successful recruitment this fall. We welcomed 11 new pledges into the chapter as well as a transfer student from the Creighton chapter. The chapter also inducted Kalman Pipo, CWRU '86, into our chapter's Alumni Hall of Fame. The event was attended by a wide range of chapter alumni and advisors to honor Brother Pipo's contributions to the chapter.

CENTRAL FLORIDA

ΖΨ | Orlando, Fla. Ryan Hunihan ’16 rhunihan@knights.ucf.edu

CHAPTER REPORTS

The chapter currently has 80 active brothers with an incoming pledge class of 17 for this fall semester. We had a chapter GPA of 2.97 in the spring and expect that to rise above 3.0 for the fall semester. We are in the process of planning an alumni event for mid-November. In addition, we are currently working on improving our chapter house with a new fence to provide better privacy and security.

CHAPMAN

HΘ | Orange, Calif. Kyl e Mendoza ’16 mendo163@mail.chapman.edu

The Eta Theta Chapter took a 29-man fall pledge class in its second year as an official chapter of Beta Theta Pi. Our recruitment team is proud to say that all 29 bids we extended were accepted! Eta Theta also had its first successful Parent-Alumni weekend during Chapman's Homecoming festivities!

CHARLESTON

HΛ | Charleston, S.C. Austin Brackett ’16 brackettag@g.cofc.edu

This fall, our chapter took on its biggest pledge class in our short history, as well as the second largest class on campus with 23 new members. These new members have galvanized our older members to become re-involved and give our chapter a bright future here at the College of Charleston.

CLEMSON

ΔΝ | Clemson, S.C. Owen Saul ’16 osaul@clemson.edu

This fall, our philanthropy chair Shaquez Thomas was approached by the university to help host an event that partnered with The Collin's Children Home in Seneca, S.C. At the inaugural event, the chapter helped raise over $40,000 for the cause. This event was planned on top of our annual spring philanthropy, Beta Lei, which raised nearly $100,000 for the B+ Foundation.

COLGATE

BΘ | Hamilton, N.Y. Matthew Miller ’16 mmiller1@colgate.edu

Our chapter received 27 new members this year, one of the largest classes in the last 10 years. We are excited to have the new members and have been very active in philanthropic activities. The Beta Theta Chapter of Beta Theta Pi co-hosted a Walk for Wishes event with Kappa Kappa Gamma and raised around $12,000.

40 CENTRAL MICHIGAN THE BETA THETA PI

ΕΓ | Mount Pleasant, Mich. James Sterba ’16 sterb1jd@cmich.edu

With our new Chapter Counselor Tom Olver at the helm, the Epsilon Gamma Chapter is running smoothly. During the upcoming semester, we will host our second annual Chili Cook-Off to benefit the United Way of Isabella County. In November, the chapter celebrated its 30th anniversary. The brothers were excited to host alumni, friends, family members and other members of the Beta community for the event.

CENTRE

Ε | Danville, Ky. Ross Larson ’16 ross.larson@centre.edu

Epsilon has put on many events this semester for potential new members, including a trip to Keeneland, a CigarBQ, and Beta Bowling. Over Family Weekend, Beta and KKG had our annual See-Saw-athon, where we are on a seesaw for 24 hours, benefiting Wilderness Trace. We raised over $6,000. We are loving our new house and make improvements every day.

CINCINNATI

ΒΝ | Cincinnati, Ohio Eric Grote ’16 ericgrote11@gmail.com

Beta Nu is excited to bring home our third Knox Award, as well as our 17th Sisson Award! We recruited 24 new members for the fall semester pledge class that included eight of our 30 Men of Principle Scholarship finalists. To conclude rush week, we celebrated our 175th anniversary as a chapter in the newly renovated Nippert Stadium!

COLORADO MINES ΒΦ | Golden, Colo. Jordan Daubenspeck ’16 jdaubens@mines.edu

The chapter recently completed its fall recruitment period and added a pledge class of 31 potential new members, while having an active chapter size of 66 members. The chapter will hopefully initiate all 31 at the close of the fall semester, which would raise the overall chapter size to 97. This is the largest chapter size in recent Beta Phi history and is a result of successful recruitment efforts over the last 4-5 years.

CELEBRATING THE 175TH In late September, the men of our Beta Nu Chapter at the University of Cincinnati celebrated their 175th Anniversary as Beta's second oldest chapter. The event was a huge success with 94 Beta undergraduates and 260+ alumni returning to celebrate throughout the grand weekend of activities.

DENVER

BE OUR GUEST

AZ | Denver, Colo. Logan Bohlender ’16 president.alphazeta.btp@gmail.com

Kudos are in order for the men of the Beta Delta Chapter at Cornell University in upstate New York. The brothers hosted the University's Board of Trustees and members of their house corporation for breakfast at the chapter house in late October.

COLUMBIA

ΑΑ | New York, N.Y. Alexander Bernsein ’16 ab3445@columbia.edu

CREIGHTON

HI | Omaha, Neb. Salvatore Leone ’16 SalvatoreLeone@creighton.edu

After a successful fall recruitment, our chapter size is now at 52 brothers. Despite our growing size, our current cumulative GPA sits steadily at 3.41, with brothers continuing to strive for excellence in the classroom. We are fortunate to have many brothers in leadership positions across campus, with Betas being the president of Inter-Residence Hall Government, president of IFC and much more.

DEPAUW

Δ | Greencastle, Ind. Luke Hessburg ’16 lukehessburg_2016@depauw.edu

For the sixth semester in a row, the Delta Chapter has claimed the top spot for grades among campus fraternities at DePauw University. Among our chapter there are 30 student athletes, representing nearly every sport on campus and making up approximately 30% of the house. The chapter is excited to improve ourselves even further this semester.

CHAPTER REPORTS

Going into my second and final semester as chapter president, I was extremely excited to return back to campus having won the first ever Knox Award in Alpha Alpha history. Thus far, I have been privileged enough to experience the contagiousness of this success as both active and alumni brothers have really rallied together to push our chapter to new heights.

From jet skiing on the reservoir to a live concert on campus, this fall we had our most successful recruitment yet, fielding a pledge class of 22 outstanding young men! We can't wait for this group to become a part of our brotherhood and look forward to seeing them grow through the new member process.

41 CONNECTICUT

We just recruited a fall pledge class of 10. We held our first alumni career day which was a huge success. We plan on turning it into an annual event. We have a day of service planned to help our local philanthropy, the Willimantic Holy Family Home and Shelter. We will be sending approximately 40 members to help clean out the building so they can help more people in the community.

CORNELL

ΒΔ | Ithaca, N.Y. Kevin Coughlin ’17 kmc332@cornell.edu

We recently recruited five wonderful new members for our fall pledge class, and we also had a very successful Parents' Weekend at our house. Additionally, we obtained an extremely generous $10,000 donation from Beta Delta great Bob Brenner '52, which we will use to furnish new wood ﬂoors in our Great Hall.

HΔ | Dayton, Ohio Colin Wilson ’17 wilsonc9@udayton.edu

This fall, we have an eight-man pledge class and will be hosting our second annual Betapocalypse philanthropy event, which consists of a zombie run through the Dayton campus followed by a cookout with live music from various Dayton students. In addition, the chapter is working hard to maintain our status as the fraternity with the highest GPA on campus.

DENISON

AH | Granville, Ohio Steven Hix ’16 hix_s1@denison.edu

Our chapter added a phenomenal group of men to our ranks this fall, just in time for them to enjoy our newly renovated chapter space. As men of principle, they look forward to helping us maintain our No. 1 GPA ranking on campus and move forward with an ambitious slate of philanthropic, scholastic, social and brotherly pursuits.

DREXEL

Colony | Philadelphia, Pa. Christopher Mateo ’17 Christopheramateo@gmail.com

The summer was no vacation for Drexel Betas (we have class year round). The brothers earned the best term GPA of all fraternities with a 3.65 average! In addition, on October 10, we hosted a new philanthropy event, the Beta Bacon Bash LP. Proceeds went to families who have been diagnosed with cancer.

EAST CAROLINA

ΕΑ | Greenville, N.C. Matthew Havelis ’17 havelism13@students.ecu.edu

After a strong recruitment effort and rush, the Epsilon Alpha Chapter has added 18 new members that we hope to initiate at the end of this fall semester, bringing our total chapter size to 49. We look forward to future events like our alumni football tailgate and our annual haunted house at the local Boys and Girls Club.

WINTER 2016 | BETA.ORG

ΖΧ | Storrs, Conn. Trevor Coley ’15 trevor.coley@uconn.edu

DAYTON

EASTERN KENTUCKY

ΔΞ | Richmond, Ky. Andrew Jones ’18 andrew_jones234@mymail.eku.edu

Delti Xi started out strong this fall with a great pledge class of 29 quality guys. We worked to instill Beta's five core values and initiated 24 in Oxford on Nov. 14, along with four alumni: Bob Robinson, Frank Bargo, Michael Amerine and Josh Hancock. We raised $1,500 at Beta football, and the money went to support childhood cancer research. With 56 brothers, the best is ahead and we're working hard to get there!

EASTERN WASHINGTON ΕΩ | Cheney, Wash. Brendan Hargrave ’17 Bhargrave@eagles.ewu.edu

CHAPTER REPORTS

The Epsilon Omega Chapter had one of its most successful recruitment classes this year, pledging in 21 young men. The chapter has also been working closely with Dick Phenneger, Washington '58, on his philanthropy, The Orange Heart Fund, which collects scrap metal donations for those with deformities inherited from exposure to agent orange.

FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL

ΗΓ | Miami, Fla. Hector Cuevas ’15 fiubeta.president@gmail.com

The Eta Gamma Chapter at Florida International University welcomed a pledge class of 23 men after a successful fall recruitment. After welcoming a large fall pledge class, the chapter size increased to 88 men. The men continue to get involved on campus in different student organizations that include Order of Omega, Panther Camp and Peer Advising.

FLORIDA STATE ΔΛ | Tallahassee, Fla. Cristian Agudelo ’17 Caa13b@my.fsu.edu

The chapter has been in high spirits this semester, as we recruited a 46-man pledge class and participated in our first Eye of Wooglin Ceremony. We're currently gearing up to host our annual Fall Flag Football philanthropy and our first Parents' Weekend event towards the end of October.

GEORGE WASHINGTON ΖΝ | Washington, D.C. Sean Raymond ’17 sraymond1@gwu.edu

Zeta Nu is proud to welcome 18 exceptional men into our fall pledge class and to be recognized for having the top GPA of any fraternity on campus. We continue to capitalize on our location in the heart of D.C. by hosting events with Beta Greats such as Senators Richard Lugar and John Warner, Rep. Joe Heck, Sec. of the Navy Ray Mabus, and FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. Stay in touch with us via social media.

GEORGIA

ΕΕ | Athens, Ga. Kegan Baird ’16 kbaird19@uga.edu

This year, we recruited a strong 29 members, seven of which were legacies. This semester, we've really focused on increasing our philanthropic efforts. We cook dinner at a women's shelter every Tuesday, host monthly percentage nights, collect/create dog toys for a local animal shelter and many more. We are also heavily involved in Heroes, Relay for Life, and Miracle.

42 EMORY THE BETA THETA PI

ΓΥ | Atlanta, Ga. Griffin Sears ’16 gsears@emory.edu

The Gamma Upsilon Chapter is off to a very successful start to the fall semester. Thanks to an organized effort from the entire chapter, we are pleased to say that this semester we recruited one of the largest pledge classes out of any fraternity at Emory. Additionally, we are focusing on continuing to build an outstanding alumni relations program.

FLORIDA

ΓΞ | Gainesville, Fla. Scott Strauss ’16 sstrauss22@gmail.com

After winning our first ever Knox Award, the chapter came into the fall more motivated than ever. After a successful recruitment where the chapter gained 36 men of principle, Gamma Xi is excited to welcome them into our brotherhood. The chapter is continuing it's dedication to service, partnering with Alpha Delta Pi sorority for our semi-annual service project benefiting the Boys and Girls Club.

FURMAN

ΖΛ | Greenville, S. C. William Stewart ’17 william.stewart@furman.edu

After receiving awards for most improved chapter GPA from both Furman University and the General Fraternity, we are continuing to extend our values and academic excellence with young men across campus this recruitment season. As the chapter keeps getting bigger and better, we are continuing our hunt for a bigger and better house.

GEORGIA TECH

ΓΗ | Atlanta, Ga. Trenton Kilbey ’16 trenton.kilbey@gtbeta.org

This year, after three years of reconstruction, the Gamma Eta Chapter has returned to good standing. The chapter has started an alumni mentorship program and will be celebrating its 100th anniversary next year. The brothers are proud of the progress of the chapter and are looking forward to what lies ahead.

FORMAL FUN Florida State closed rush a night early because the 47 men they had already pledged clearly met their goals. They're a very philanthropic group, but who can blame them for wanting to have a little fun in the midst of so much success? Looks like their semi-formal in late October in Destin was quite the affair.

HOMECOMING CHAMPS The Alpha Beta Chapter at the University of Iowa had quite the fall. Joining together with the ladies of Pi Beta Phi and the men of Delta Tau Delta, the trio were crowned homecoming champions!

HIGH POINT

Colony | High Point, N.C. Liam Barger ’16 bargel12@highpoint.edu

Π | Bloomington, Ind. Dylan Rochon ’17 dyrochon@gmail.com

The Pi Chapter had a strong start to the school year. We just finished a successful recruitment and signed a new pledge class of 40. In addition, a new philanthropy, Trike to Fight Cancer, started this year by Mike Sullivan, had a great turnout and resulted in a donation of over $11,000 toward cancer research. We hope to see this event continue to grow in the coming years.

JOHN CARROLL

ΗΕ | University Heights, Ohio Daniel Mascio ’16 dmascio16@jcu.edu

Eta Epsilon has started off the year strong by almost doubling its chapter size with a 16-man pledge class. We also finished last semester with the highest GPA among fraternities, almost 1600 hours of service and raised $1,300 for our philanthropy! The chapter looks forward to a semester focused on increasing alumni involvement and entering a period of sustainable membership growth.

CHAPTER REPORTS

It has been a successful semester since the return to school. We of the High Point Colony of Beta Theta Pi just recently completed a successful Greek Week with our partners, the ladies of Alpha Gama Delta sorority. We also welcomed our largest pledge class in fall rush we have ever had.

INDIANA

43 IDAHO

Since recruitment, we have gained 27 new members and a reinvigorated alumni response. Members and new members are being inspired to participate in intramurals, philanthropies and social events. In the executive board's opinion, we have not plateaued but are continuing on an upward slope. It is inspiring to see the men of Beta Theta Pi succeed in such a way.

ILLINOIS

ΣΡ | Champaign, Ill. Raim Izhar ’16 raim.izhar@gmail.com

We had a very successful fall recruitment, and have grown our chapter to over 120 men! Our biggest alumni event on homecoming weekend was a success, and we continue to see more Sigma Rho alumni getting involved. We have had a great relationship with our House Director, Mike Murphy '79, and he has become a valuable resource for our chapter.

ΑΒ | Iowa City, Iowa Grant Laverty ’17 grant-laverty@uiowa.edu

As the first fraternity chapter established west of the Mississippi in 1866, the Alpha Beta Chapter is looking forward to our 150th anniversary in 2016! In addition, AB secured 20 incredible new members during fall recruitment, which is almost half of the current membership! Lastly, after a competitive two weeks of volunteering, dancing and community involvement, we were crowned homecoming champions.

IOWA STATE

ΤΣ | Ames, Iowa Dean VanEvery ’16 deanvanevery@gmail.com

This fall, we were fortunate enough to host an alumni event which welcomed more than 75 brothers who've gone before us. This event included a golf outing for the alumni and a breakfast at the chapter facility for brothers old and new. This event has helped to reignite the interest of the alumni.

JOHNS HOPKINS ΑΧ | Baltimore, Md. John Plush ’16 jplush1@jhu.edu

The Alpha Chi Chapter has been productive this semester, organizing an all-school tailgate to celebrate the beginning of the fall athletic season and to promote the Greek community on campus. Additionally, we were fortunate to have Senator Richard Lugar come to our campus on October 23 to be the keynote speaker for our Men of Principle Scholarship dinner.

KANSAS

ΑΝ | Lawrence, Kan. Blake Rose ’16 blakerose@ku.edu

Alpha Nu continues to excel in the classroom, on campus, in intramurals and in the community. Our new member class consists of 24 outstanding young men. We have 94 total members. We are determined to win grades among all fraternities and our new member class aims to win new member GPA as well. Our most recent philanthropy raised over $3,000 for Boys Hope of Kansas City.

WINTER 2016 | BETA.ORG

ΓΓ | Moscow, Idaho Isaac Shaw ’17 shaw2378@vandals.uidaho.edu

IOWA

FOUR OF THE LAST FIVE Congratulations to Will Hudson ’17, who was recently elected student body president at John Carroll University in Cleveland. His election as president marks the fourth Beta taking the oath of office at JCU in the last five years!

KANSAS STATE

ΓΕ | Manhattan, Kan. Matt Ayres ’16 mbayres@ksu.edu

CHAPTER REPORTS

This semester, Gamma Epsilon has been educating 27 new pledges in the values and history of Beta Theta Pi. The chapter was pleased last semester in achieving a 3.33 GPA and winning its 11th consecutive intramural championship. Gamma Epsilon has enjoyed participating in the 100th iteration of Kansas State Homecoming and looks forward to another 100.

KETTERING A

ΔΗ | Flint, Mich. Kevin Katz ’18 katz0368@kettering.edu

Our strategies from the last recruitment term paid off with another large pledge class coming in. In addition to keeping this trend, we plan to improve brotherhood events in this next term. In philanthropy, we managed to raise $482 selling lap beads at Relay for Life. We look forward to a large pledge class this winter term and hope for many more to come.

LAWRENCE

ΓΠ | Appleton, Wis. Cameron Davies ’16, james.c.davies@lawrence.edu

This summer at General Convention, Gamma Pi reclaimed the Whitman Choral Cup for the second straight year. Over the past 16 years, our chapter has won the Cup 13 times. Additionally, we received the Lawrence University Fraternity Scholarship Cup, which is awarded annually to the campus fraternity with the highest cumulative GPA.

LOUISVILLE

ΔΠ | Louisville, Ky. Reid Haefner ’16 crhaef01@louisville.edu

This semester, we are proud to have a pledge class of 33 strong young men to add to our chapter that boasted the second highest fraternity GPA on campus last semester. We are also on pace to raise the most money we have ever raised for our philanthropy event coming up in late October.

44 KENTUCKY THE BETA THETA PI

EO | Lexington, Ky. Cole Tipton ’17 coletipton@uky.edu

UK Beta brought in a superb 33-man pledge class pushing our chapter to 150 members. In addition, our fall philanthropy Bring It On sold out the venue seven days before the show with a record 1,600+ in attendance, raising over $15,000 for charity. Finally, our chapter welcomed back Betas of old and new as we celebrated our 25th anniversary during UK's homecoming weekend.

KENYON

ΒΑ | Gambier, Ohio John O'Brien ’17 obrienj@kenyon.edu

Beta Alpha remains the largest Greek organization on campus. Our members have continued their weekly volunteer efforts at local elementary schools, assisting with physical education classes. We also raised over $500 for New Directions, a local women's shelter. Special thanks to Noah Gurzenski '17, Lewis Smoot '18, and Lee Greismer '18, for their efforts in this event.

KETTERING B

ΔΗ | Flint, Mich. Chase Reames ’17 ream8301@kettering.edu

The beginning of October marked the start of classes at Kettering and the start of our fall recruitment. We hope to have many of our new peers come out to see if the three bright stars are theirs! Our chapter also plans to help decorate the city with lights for the holiday season.

KNOX

Ξ | Galesburg, Ill. Ian Horne ’16 ishorne@knox.edu

Our chapter is working on raising money for a large renovation project. Furthermore, we are working on transitioning to a more involved fraternity on campus with the intent of hosting more on campus social and philanthropy events. While we have quite a few now, we hope to have substantially more after this overhaul.

LOYOLA MARYMOUNT ΗΑ | Los Angeles, Calif. Casey Sweeney ’16 jsweene7@lion.lmu.edu

The Eta Alpha Chapter is starting the school year off well, with a strong fall recruitment of 12 new men, as well as venturing into new philanthropic opportunities with other organizations on campus. The chapter's main philanthropic partner, People Being Just, is doing well and getting LMU Betas involved on and off campus.

MAINE

BH | Orono, Maine Lucas Ashbaugh ’15 lucasashbaugh@gmail.com

Our chapter has maintained a competitive GPA as the third highest out of all of Greek life and above the all men's average on campus. Our annual Sleepout event topped $10,000 for the local Rape Response Services, and our new "Kan Jam Classic" raised $1,000 for the local Community Center.

MARYLAND

ΔΩ | College Park, Md. Connor Morrison ’16 president@mdbeta.org

The Delta Omega Chapter moved back into its old house on the University of Maryland's Fraternity Row, which can house up to 30 brothers. The chapter is gaining 13 new men of principle from fall recruitment and is looking forward to holding the largest philanthropy event to date in honor of brother Lowell Ensel, who tragically passed away last spring. The proceeds will go towards testicular cancer research.

MIAMI (Fla.)

HB | Coral Gables, Fla. John Miya ’16 jackmac7894@gmail.com

ΓΨ | East Lansing, Mich. Joe Rusek ’16 rusekjos@msu.edu

Gamma Psi added 16 new men this fall term to bring total membership up to 65. The Betas were No. 1 in grades last semester and look to take home Michigan State's President's Cup for highest fraternal GPA for the third time in four years. Gamma Psi continues to excel athletically, as it locked down the number one seed for the IM Soccer playoffs.

MINNESOTA

ΒΠ | Minneapolis, Minn. Alex Skoglund ’16 alex.skoglund@gmail.com

The Beta Pi Chapter started the fall semester off strong with a pledge class of 24, bringing our total chapter size to well over 60. Our Back-toBeta: Battle of the Bands philanthropy event was a success, raising over $500 for the American Cancer Society. Our upcoming semester events include brotherhood weekend, formal, our Light the Row philanthropy event and many more.

MISSOURI

ZΦ | Columbia, Mo. Sam Gerlach ’16 samuel.gerlach@missouribeta.com

The Zeta Phi Chapter of Beta Theta Pi had another successful year of recruitment, signing a pledge class of 40. The chapter hosted the annual alumni golf tournament in October with great participation. A dedication was held at the chapter house to honor Paul Miltenberger. Flag poles and a plaque were installed in his honor. We look forward to another great year here at 520 S. College.

MISSOURI-KANSAS CITY ΕΛ | Kansas City, Mo. Josh Gollub ’16 josh.gollub@yahoo.com

For this upcoming semester, we incorporated scholarship teams based upon the 8 Founding Fathers of Beta Theta Pi. The event was set up like a professional draft and gets the potential members closer to the active members of our house. This also allows us to be more personally involved with all members' GPAs throughout the year. We hope that this tradition will stay for years to come.

CHAPTER REPORTS

The Eta Beta Chapter continued to grow this semester, with a pledge class of 11. For the first time in about five years, we have a chapter counselor and a district chief, almost rounding out our leadership team. In addition, the Eta Beta Chapter maintains one of the top three GPAs on campus.

MICHIGAN STATE

45 MICHIGAN

We've been working with alumni to increase engagement between the alumni and the chapter. Rather than having alumni over only for university-centered alumni events, one of our alumni offered to host our bid night dinner to demonstrate that commitment to the chapter after graduation does exist.

BB | Oxford, Miss. Jack Walecki ’16 waleckijack@gmail.com

We started off this semester strong with pledging 61 men with an average overall GPA of a 3.23. We are continuing to become more involved on campus and changing campus culture for the better. This fall, we will be teaming up with Kappa Kappa Gamma for a co-ed Bible study, as well as hosting our annual police department barbecue.

UNDER THE SEA You have to love the creativity shown here by some of the undergraduates of the Eta Alpha Chpater at Loyola Marymount University. These men spent time in Roatan, Honduras this summer. Guess there's no limit to the depths of one's Beta Spirit, right?

MIT

BY | Boston, Mass. Marshall Kraft ’17 mhcraft@mit.edu

We recruited 10 quality men to raise our current chapter size to 27! We have 14 brothers living in the house, an all-time high for our colony. This semester, we have an overnight brotherhood camping retreat planned along with two mixers, one of which is a joint event with the nearby Northeastern Beta chapter. As we continue to grow and meet more of our goals we look forward to regaining our charter.

NC STATE

Colony | Raleigh, N.C. Zachary Verbos '17 zfverbos@ncsu.edu

The colony's GPA for spring 2015 was a 3.29, the highest of all IFC fraternities and third of all organizations within the Fraternity and Sorority Life Department. The colony is improving relations with a variety of organizations and becoming involved in the community by volunteering at events like NC State's ShackA-Thon, benefiting Habitat for Humanity and Cycle for Life.

WINTER 2016 | BETA.ORG

Λ | Ann Arbor, Mich. Mitch Joa ’16 mitchjoa@umich.edu

MISSISSIPPI

NEBRASKA

AT | Lincoln, Neb. Alex Kindopp ’16 alex.kindopp@huskers.unl.edu

We had a successful academic spring achieving a 3.337 GPA as a house ,which was good for third place among the 27 IFC chapters. We also were successful this summer, winning our 13th Knox Award and rushing 37 quality new members. This is the most men we have taken on in over four years. If all are initiated, we will have the largest house on campus.

NORTH CAROLINA

H | Chapel Hill, N.C. Michael Olson ’17 mrolson@live.unc.edu

CHAPTER REPORTS

The Eta Chapter was busy in August as 31 brothers moved into the house and began classes. We recruited 18 pledges for the fall semester, bringing our chapter total to 81. We look forward to the beautiful fall weather in Chapel Hill and our annual Parents' Weekend.

NORTHWESTERN

P | Evanston, Ill. Drake Sieber ’17 drakesieber2017@u.northwestern.edu

The Northwestern Rho Chapter is on it's way to another all around successful term. We are finalizing efforts to move into our renovated chapter house in January, which should take place the same week as recruitment! We are also proud to be a part of bringing the Dropping the Puck on Cancer charity hockey event to Northwestern!

NOVA SOUTHEASTERN

ZM | Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. Michael DeSimone ’19 md1873@nova.edu

The Zeta Mu Chapter at Nova Southeastern University is on the rise and making HUGE progress on campus. The chapter has increased its size by recruiting an excellent pledge class and will have close to 40 brothers after initiation. Zeta Mu has also landed a fundraiser with Centerplate of the Miami Dolphins. This fundraiser will raise the most money EVER by a Greek organization at NSU.

OHIO STATE

ΘΔ | Columbus, Ohio Derek Plautz ’17 plautz.1@osu.edu

We are on the way to applying for our charter. We’ve just had a successful philanthropy event which raised $800. Finally, the colony won Ohio State’s Greek Week. It’s been a great year for Theta Delta!

OKLAHOMA

ΓΦ | Norman, Okla. Aaron Murray ’16 aaron.murray@ou.edu

This fall, we successfully signed 63 guys, putting our chapter membership at just over 220 active members. We placed first in grades this past spring as well and were awarded the President's Award for academics for the last school year. We also reopened our chapter facility after a year long renovation, which doubled the size of our house.

46 NORTH DAKOTA

THE BETA THETA PI

ΓΚ | Grand Forks, N. D. Maxwell Hyberger ’16 maxwell.hyberger@my.und.edu

During the first few weeks of school, we were able to finish up a new addition in our house. Our members and alumni put many hours into it, and we were happy to see it completed. We also had a successful rush week, where we added 15 new pledges into our house.

NORTHEASTERN

ΗΖ | Boston, Mass. Phillip Van Pelt ’18 vanpelt.p@husky.neu.edu

The Eta Zeta Chapter had a great summer, with brothers going abroad and others coming back from their experiences. Recruitment this fall brought us 13 great young men to join our brotherhood. The chapter also regained the top spot for highest GPA on campus within the fraternity and sorority community. Philanthropy events are in the works to better support Camp Sunshine.

OHIO

BK | Athens, Ohio Garrett Anderson ’16 ga596111@ohio.edu

Over the summer at the 176th General Convention, Beta Kappa received its charter. For this fall semester, 38 men accepted their bids, making Beta the second largest fraternity on campus. Also, the installation ceremony for our charter was on November 21st, and it was great to welcome back so many alumni.

BACK IN THE HOUSE After a nine-year absence, the Delta Omega Chapter at the University of Maryland moved back into its original chapter house. And as you can see, they've already returned a "Beta ﬂavor" to No. 6 on Fraternity Row.

OKLAHOMA STATE

ΓΛ | Stillwater, Okla. Joshua Deibert ’16 joshua.deibert@okstate.edu

Gamma Lambda is achieving success in all categories. In the spring, our chapter brought home numerous awards including first in overall grades, intramural sports and the spring show competition. This fall, we look to build upon the success of the previous semester. We welcomed 39 men into our fall pledge class. The chapter will be competing in America's Greatest Homecoming with Alpha Xi Delta.

OREGON

LENDING A HELPING PAW

BP | Eugene, Ore. Jack Chalabian ’17 jackchalabian@yahoo.com

The Quinnipiac Colony gets creative with its community service. The group's dog "Jack" is no ordinary pup. He is a therapy dog, and the men take him to local hospitals and nursing homes to visit patients and brighten their day.

We ended up with a pledge class of 30-40 and that gives us the largest membership of Beta Rho in 30+ years! Looking ahead, we are working on some major renovations for our chapter house, which hasn't been updated since 1999. Stay tuned for updates!

PACIFIC

HK | Stockton, Calif. Jordan Carmona ’16 j_carmona1@u.pacific.edu

HN | Pittsburgh, Pa. Zachary Schaffer ’15 zachschaffer@verizon.net

This semester, we have a pledge class of seven men. After two years of hard work, we received our charter and are proud to be the Eta Nu Chapter of Beta Theta Pi. Last spring semester, we came in first for academics in the entire tri-council, with a 3.490 GPA. We have held the No. 1 GPA in the tri-council every semester we've been on campus. We are currently working on planning our installation ceremony.

QUINNIPIAC

Colony | Hamden, Conn. Eric Grecco ’16 eric.grecco@quinnipiac.edu

We have made personal growth the main focus in our fraternity. Without personal growth, how can we expect the fraternity to grow as a whole? We lifted our expectations of each member and have seen a impact in everything we do. We don't call ourselves the typical fraternity because we are all individuals that want to help each other to be the best we can.

CHAPTER REPORTS

Our chapter has just completed recruitment and is now moving into the new member education process. Our Eta pledge class consists of seven outstanding gentlemen, and the chapter is looking forward to welcoming them into our brotherhood. We also successfully completed our first round of serenades for the semester, and we are now preparing for homecoming at our university.

PITTSBURGH

47 PENN STATE

The Alpha Upsilon Chapter started the intramural season off with a first place finish out of 42 fraternities in the annual IM golf tournament. The four brothers that participated were Tom Cugliotta, Brendan Young, Luc Rockwell and Steve Murta. We're looking forward to another great year in intramural sports!

PENNSYLVANIA

Φ | Philadelphia, Pa. Benison Waung ’17 benisonwaung@gmail.com

Our upcoming annual Homecoming Alumni event will be celebrating the 135th anniversary of the Phi Chapter. Alumni from around the area, including their family and guests, will commemorate this milestone of our chapter's history by coming back and visiting the house for a brunch followed by our homecoming football game.

ΔΕ | Tacoma, Wash. Scott Greenfield ’16 sgreenfield3@gmail.com

The Delta Epsilon Colony claimed the highest GPA among UPS fraternities this past semester with a 3.15. We are committed to developing our roles as student advocates for sexual assault awareness. We plan to accomplish this through active programming involving the Sexual Assault Center for Pierce County and participating as a chapter in a bystander awareness training program this semester.

PURDUE

BM | West Lafayette, Ind. Griffin Hoover ’18 hoover26@purdue.edu

The colony has a 30-man pledge class and a 3.23 cumulative GPA. Recently, the house went through a $4MM renovation and has been reopened. The rededication ceremony was during homecoming and a large crowd came back to campus for the event. We have a goal of 15+ community service hours per brother (10 hours minimum).

SAINT LOUIS

ZT | Saint Louis, Mo. Michael Reed ’16 mreed26@slu.edu

The Zeta Tau Chapter has just taken on 29 new pledges to add to our 93 active members. Over the September 25th-27th weekend, we hosted our first alumni/parents weekend golf outing at Forest Park, where we had a great golf tournament followed by a brunch where brothers and their families sat and enjoyed a meal together.

SAN DIEGO

ΖΩ | San Diego, Calif. Jordan Lemoine ’16 jordanlemoine@sandiego.edu

The brothers of the Zeta Omega Chapter have continued to foster brotherhood through our semester tradition of playing broomball, which is essentially ice hockey without ice skates. We also successfully held our annual philanthropy Almost Famous, a school-wide talent show in which we partner with Gamma Phi Beta to raise money for Rady Children's Hospital.

WINTER 2016 | BETA.ORG

AY | State College, Pa. Jason Beiriger ’16 jason.beiriger@gmail.com

PUGET SOUND

HISTORIC GEMS On Sunday, October 11, the men at Stevens in Hoboken, N.J., consummated a long-term loan of the original documents of Alpha Sigma Chi and William Raimond Baird’s inﬂuence in negotiating that fraternity’s merger with Beta Theta Pi. See extended feature on page 32.

SAN JOSE STATE ΖΗ | San Jose, Calif. Previn Wong ’17 previn.wong@sjsu.edu

CHAPTER REPORTS

We have doubled our chapter size! We won Best in IFC last semester and hosted the inaugural Bay Area Networking Social for undergrads and alumni to attend. We're very excited for the rest of the semester to get to know our new members more and connect with other people at our diverse school!

SOUTH CAROLINA

Y | Columbia, S.C. Andrew Scheppegrell ’16 scbetapresident@gmail.com

The Upsilon Chapter currently has 31 new members going through the education process on their way to initiation, and continues to strive forward in the capital campaign for a new chapter house. Brothers volunteered in great number during the large scale ﬂooding of Columbia, handing out supplies and clearing debris.

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS ZO | Carbondale, Ill. Brent Bloemer ’16 bbloemer15472@siu.edu

The Zeta Omicron Chapter at Southern Illinois University is currently searching for a new chapter counselor. Our current chapter counselor accepted a position at ASU. She has been our counselor for 13 years which is almost as long as we have been chartered. We wish her good luck at her new university.

ST. LAWRENCE ΒZ | Canton, N.Y. Matthew Kinney '16 mnkinn12@stlawu.edu

The Beta Zeta Chapter has successfully moved into our historic house at 25 College Street. The move helped us recruit a 17-man pledge class. Additionally, we held a dedication of the Abbott-Young Memorial Temple on October 10. Nearly 100 alumni made the pilgrimage to celebrate the restoration. Our involvement on campus has also been noteworthy, having revamped our philanthropy footprint.

48 SEWANEE THE BETA THETA PI

ΓX | Sewanee, Tenn. Fletcher North ’17 northjf0@sewanee.edu

This semester we've made significant improvements to the house, most importantly a new set of doors. In addition, we've drastically improved the brothers' respect for the house and are continuing to improve general participation in the fraternity as a whole. We have also maintained our position as the second highest GPA on campus.

SMU

ΓΩ | Dallas, Texas Nick Foster ’16 nfoster@smu.edu

During SMU's Homecoming this fall (which took place on the school's 100th anniversary), Gamma Omega had its largest alumni banquet since rechartering in 2011. We had almost 100 alums in attendance! We hope to continue to improve our relations with Gamma Omega alumni and with Beta alumni as a whole.

SOUTH DAKOTA

ΓΑ | Vermillion, S.D. Jacob Munger ’16 jacob.munger@coyotes.usd.edu

We have had an excellent fall recruitment, securing a pledge class of 30. We were No. 1 in grades this past spring semester, and we are excited to take a part in a new philanthropy event, creating a Halloween trail for over 300 individuals at Clay County Park. Proud to be a Beta!

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ΓΤ | Los Angeles, Calif. Ari Mandell ’17 ammandel@usc.edu

The Gamma Tau Chapter is doing phenomenal! We are back on our feet with a large pledge class of 28. We have a lot of events planned for the semester, most importantly our philanthropy, Movember, in support of men's health. We also have revamped our alumni relations and just had a large alumni event where more than 40 Gamma Tau alumni attended!

STEVENS

Σ | Hoboken, N.J. Carrick Porter ’17 carrickoconnorporter@gmail.com

Fall rush began with slip and slide, cigars and croquet events. Our new membership development program has been rolled out with Title IX and LGBTQ awareness training sessions. We have a re-energized and reorganized advisor team that has revitalized alumni/active involvement. Homecoming house tours were a big success.

TCU

HH | Fort Worth, Texas Hunter Pallasch ’17 h.pallasch@tcu.eu

The Eta Eta Chapter kicked off the fall with a fantastic recruitment period, welcoming a class of 31 men. During parent's weekend we had our annual philanthropy event, Giving HeART, and raised $12,000 for Cook Children's Hospital. This tripled the amount from the previous year. Additionally, we are excited to announce, in 2018, we will move into the brand new Greek Worth Hills Village, built by the university.

TENNESSEE

ΔΚ | Knoxville, Tenn. Jared Long ’16 jlong50@vols.utk.edu

We secured 18 pledges this fall (one of the larger classes in Delta Kappa history), which moved our chapter to around 50 members. We tailgated with University of Florida's Betas, held a Delta Kappa alumni tailgate and organized a ﬂag football game, education night, and percentage night to raise money and awareness against sexual assault.

TEXAS A&M

EH | College Station, Texas Kyle Thomas ’16 kylejthomas12@yahoo.com

TEXAS AT ARLINGTON ΔP | Arlington, Texas Tyler Burch ’16 burch94@ymail.com

After recruiting a 21-man pledge class this fall, my chapter has brought our numbers up to a 50-man chapter. This chapter has exceeded anything we could have hoped two years ago when we only had 12 men. With an exec board that's poised to make great change in this chapter, next year Delta Rho will be a force to be reckoned with at Texas at Arlington.

TORONTO

ΘΖ | Toronto, Ont. Marek Hanrahan ’17 marek.hanrahan1158@gmail.com

The Theta Zeta Chapter is proud to report it received its first ever John Reily Knox Award at convention in Orlando. Furthermore, once the school year was underway, the Toronto brothers won Greek Week (a competition amongst all Toronto fraternities and sororities) for the fourth year in a row.

TEXAS A&M-CC

TRUMAN STATE

The Zeta Rho Chapter has grown by 18 over this fall formal recruitment period, bringing our total chapter size up to 29. These new men of principle almost tripled the current size of the chapter and show great promise in the future growth and well being of our chapter.

We had a very successful fall recruitment, adding 14 new pledges. With rush finished, we are moving onto our packed semester of events. In September, we celebrated our chapter's 20th anniversary. The Zeta Xi Chapter had more than 110 Betas, Beta Sweethearts and Friends of Beta in attendance.

Colony | Davis, Calif. Alfonso Wong '16 juawong@ucdavis.edu

Having only really started as a colony towards the end of last winter, these last two quarters have been really difficult for all the brothers. We are still trying to find our identity and how we fit into Greek life at Davis. Although its still early, we have all been getting much closer as brothers, and the executive board has been working really hard to make this year the start of something truly great.

UC IRVINE

ΔΣ | Irvine, Calif. Bryant Martin Fiesta ’16 bfiesta@uci.edu

Brothers of the Delta Sigma Chapter are excited to see many of our brothers graduate and secure great opportunities post-graduation. One of them is now pursuing his career in London for Deloitte, and another is working in Washington, D.C., on behalf of the Human Rights Campaign.

CHAPTER REPORTS

Our chapter has continued to grow after another successful fall rush. We look forward to tailgating with alumni and parents at every home Aggie football game. We had a great chapter trip to Dallas for the Southwest Classic, as well as Dad's Weekend and our annual philanthropy in November. In addition, we have an active social schedule throughout the semester with our Panhellenic chapters.

UC DAVIS

NOT ON ROCKY TOP The Delta Kappa Chapter at Tennessee is doing its part to stand up against sexual violence. By launching a social media campaign, #NotOnRockyTop, and hosting the "Beta Bowl" philanthropy event benefiting a local sexual assault center, the men are showing what it means to be men of principle.

ZΞ | Kirksville, Mo. Kenneth Bohannan ’16 kwb8343@truman.edu

ΖΓ | La Jolla, Calif. Christopher Paiva ’15 chrispaiva25@yahoo.com

We created our constitution, got 19 new members and are preparing to charter at next year's convention. We also won the best pledge education award this year at convention as a colony. I am excited to see where my colony goes once I graduate. We are having our first philanthropy event next year, supporting the Challenged Athletes Foundation.

UCLA

ΓΝ | Los Angeles, Calif. Tyler Pensa ’16 ty.pensa@gmail.com

We had over 400 men come through our house during recruitment and ended with a class of 30 new members. We are looking forward to becoming brothers with all of them. Additionally, we recently volunteered for a weekend at Pacific Lodge Youth Services where we played sports with underprivileged youth.

WINTER 2016 | BETA.ORG

ZP | Corpus Christi, Texas Justin Brown ’17 browndeejustin@yahoo.com

UC SAN DIEGO

UTAH

VILLANOVA'S BETA ROSE

ΓB | Salt Lake City, Utah Kevin Shields ’15 kevinshields6@gmail.com

For Zeta Epsilon's Beta Rose philanthropy, Villanova sororities perform skits to support United Cerebral Palsy of Philadelphia. This year, the event raised nearly $3,000!

The Gamma Beta Chapter has enjoyed continued success in academics, recruitment and philanthropy. The chapter posted the highest GPA of any fraternity or sorority on campus for the 8th consecutive semester, with a 3.40. We also recruited 33 men for our fall pledge class. Finally, we have continued our work with the Utah Rape Recovery Center.

VANDERBILT

ΒΛ | Nashville, Tenn. Theo Richardson-Omamo ’17 trichardsonomamo@thacher.org

CHAPTER REPORTS

Beta Lambda is busy gearing up for the fall! Over the coming weeks, the chapter will be hosting various events to thank our alumni for their generous gifts in building the new house. The chapter cannot express the gratitude we feel as the house continues to come together. We hope as many alumni as possible will have the opportunity to come back to Nashville and see the new house.

VIRGINIA TECH

AΦ | Blacksburg, Va. Jim Lenskold ’16 Jamestl@vt.edu

This semester, the Alpha Phi Chapter has decided to refocus our fundraising efforts to support the Craig Hospital Foundation located in Denver, Colo. This institution is a leader in spinal injury research and rehabilitation. Chapter brother Harrison Pearson inspired the brothers to support this great cause because of the role Craig had in aiding his father's recovery from a spine injury.

WASHINGTON & JEFFERSON Γ | Washington, Pa. Kevin Dunigan ’16 dunigankj@washjeff.edu

The Gamma Chapter has been hard at work this year. We accumulated the second highest GPA of all fraternities on campus and won Delta Gamma's Anchor Splash again. Our philanthropy, the Beta Swim Marathon, raised close to $2,000 for the American Cancer Society. We are looking to establish stronger alumni relations this year, as well as raise more money for charity.

50 VILLANOVA THE BETA THETA PI

ΖΕ | Villanova, Pa. Alfred Corradi ’17 acorradi@villanova.edu

The Zeta Epsilon Chapter at Villanova had a very eventful semester. We had a successful recruitment process that saw the chapter hand out eight bids. The chapter held its annual philanthropy event, Beta Rose. Once again Beta Rose was a huge success, and we are already looking forward to next year's event. (see more above).

VIRGINIA

O | Charlottesville, Va. Tyler Warnock ’16 wtw5dh@virginia.edu

The Omicron Chapter is continuing as a leader in the Greek community at UVA. This past spring, we initiated the entire pledge class of 22 new members. In addition, the Omicron Chapter had the highest fraternity GPA at the University. This fall, we will be hosting our philanthropy, the Southern Sampler, with Chi Omega, benefiting the Make a Wish Foundation.

WABASH

T | Crawfordsville, Ind. Ryan Gross ’17 rngross17@wabash.edu

The Tau Chapter continues to successfully recruit men of principle with a 22-man pledge class for the fall semester, which is the largest pledge class on campus, bringing the total active brotherhood to 75 (also largest on campus). Tau's Homecoming tailgate drew 130+ alumni back thanks to the efforts of Cal Black '66 and Jimmy Suess '17. We added a $20,000 laundry room this past summer.

WASHINGTON

BΩ | Seattle, Wash. Alexander Wu ’18 alexwu25@live.com

We recruited a pledge class of 32, including several valedictorians and Division 1 athletes. Our spring GPA was a 3.6, the highest in the UW Greek System. Our chapter house currently has 64 live-in members and approximately 36 upperclassmen living out nearby. We recently had a "Tradition of Greatness" banquet celebrating Beta alums. It was organized by local alumni and more than 200 attended.

WASHINGTON AND LEE AP | Lexington, Va. John McBride ’16 mcbridej16@mail.wlu.edu

The 52 members of Alpha Rho have enjoyed an exciting and productive start to the year. Seven of our members play on the varsity men's soccer team and contribute significantly to the team's success. Senior brother Miller Merchant was honored as Homecoming King and the ODAC Rugby Player of the Year. Currently, the chapter is making the necessary preparations for a strong winter recruitment.

WASHINGTON IN ST. LOUIS AI | St. Louis, Mo. Peter Eivaz ’16 peter.eivaz@wustl.edu

This semester, we gave out nine bids and successfully recruited a nine-man fall pledge class. Two of the neophytes are study abroad students and will be with us for a year. We also enjoyed helping out with the taping of a video to honor Ferd Del Pizzo. Special thanks to Martin Cobb and Mike Rodmaker for reaching out!

WASHINGTON STATE ΓΘ | Pullman, Wash. Ryan Kirkpatrick ’16 ryan-kirk@comcast.net

We have brought in a pledge class of 37, the highest in our history. Our overall chapter size is now up to 80 (picture below). Gamma Theta is ramping up for a renovation for our centennial in 2020. We came in with a GPA of 3.13 last semester improving from a 3.07 and are looking to continue to increase this number.

WESTMINSTER

ΑΔ | Fulton, Mo. Carson Butts ’16 CButts.16@westminster-mo.edu

ΓΣ | Salem, Ore. Herschel Mapes '16 hmapes@willamette.edu

As a newly reestablished colony, we have worked very quickly and with lots of deliberation rebuilding the reputation that Beta once held on Willamette's campus. With the incredible support from our alumni and the drive and focus of our new members, we have started on a path towards this goal. We are excited to continue with this effort and eager to see what the future holds.

WILLIAM & MARY ZY | Williamsburg, Va. Jacob Ramey ’16 jmramey@email.wm.edu

The men of Zeta Upsilon have greatly enjoyed their fall semester thus far. Fall rush saw the addition of 13 young men into our pledge process, all of whom are eager and interested in joining our number. However this fall also marked a somber note for the William and Mary Betas as they came together to commemorate the one year anniversary of the passing of a dear friend and brother.

WISCONSIN-OSHKOSH ZZ | Oshkosh, Wis. Sam Maier ’16 maiers55@uwosh.edu

The Zeta Zeta Chapter has been working on organizing its second annual Miss UWO Pageant, in order to raise awareness for domestic abuse, with all proceeds going to the Christine Ann Domestic Abuse Shelter here in Oshkosh. We have also been preparing to host a large alumni/active pig roast event for this year's homecoming.

WITTENBERG

ΑΓ | Springfield, Ohio David Barth ’16 barthd@wittenberg.edu

We received our largest informal class in the past five years and look to expand our chapter size to 60 members by 2017. We continue to lead our campus with a GPA of 3.28. We are in the early process of a capital campaign to re-model our house, so we are pushing for greater alumni involvement to make this possible.

CHAPTER REPORTS

The Alpha Delta Chapter has been doing a great job holding members accountable. Although it is important to recruit men of principle, it is also important to ensure that the active members are upholding the values of Beta Theta Pi. We have used Kai board and other accountability programs to make sure that all members are striving to better themselves in every way possible.

WILLAMETTE

51 WHITMAN

With rush coming to a close, I want to commend my brothers on the strong effort that Gamma Zeta invested in recruiting an amazing pledge class. Among the new pledges, I would like to welcome Jules Choquart into the pledge class of 2019. Hailing from Saint-Germain-enLaye in France, Jules represents the chapter's value of attracting a diverse group of brothers of different nationalities.

AΠ | Madison, Wis. Alexander Lessila ’17 lessila@wisc.edu

The Alpha Pi Chapter continues to grow at an exponential rate, with our last three pledge classes being larger than the previous five years combined. We have recruited men who are interested in being involved on campus and are looking to give back to the community that has given us so much. We look forward to participating in our multiple brotherhood and philanthropy events.

WICHITA STATE

ΔΓ | Wichita, Kan. Michael Schultz ’17 mike.schultz12@gmail.com

The Delta Gamma Chapter has an outstanding pledge class of 17 upcoming leaders at Wichita State, bringing our overall chapter size to 67. We recently have had some renovations done to the chapter house including the front porch, refinished ﬂoors and a fresh coat of paint in the front room. Our chapter is off to a strong start in intramural sports this semester too. Washington State

WPI

Colony | Worcester, Mass. Michael McConnell ’17 msmcconnell@wpi.edu

The WPI Colony had a rough start to the year as we learned only a few weeks before that our former president would not be returning to the school. Due to the late notice, we encountered many unexpected difficulties as the year began. However, I am proud to say things are going great. The colony had a fantastic fall retreat, and is gearing up for recruitment.

WINTER 2016 | BETA.ORG

ΓΖ | Walla Walla, Wash. Alex Vesselle ’17 vesselag@whitman.edu

WISCONSIN

IN LOVING MEMORY

CHAPTER ETERNAL Flags indicate those who have served in the United States or Canadian armed forces.

CHAPTER ETERNAL 52

Forever remembering these men and the love they had for Beta Theta Pi and their fellow brothers, notices of their passing were reported to the Administrative Office between May 6, 2015 and November 10, 2015. For assistance locating an obituary, or to report a brother’s death, please contact Phyllis Bowie at 800.800.BETA or phyllis.bowie@beta.org. Asking loved ones to donate your Beta badge and important Beta artifacts to the Fraternity’s archives and museum in Oxford is always welcomed and appreciated.

Alabama Jimmy G. Harp Jr. ’87, July 22 Clifton H. Nolen ’95, June 13 James D. Page Jr. ’80, Nov. 4

Colorado College Donald W. Clamp ’49, June 20, 2014 Grant S. Lyddon ’72, Nov. 2, 2014 Eugene S. Passmore ’50, May 5 C

Amherst David M. Hildreth ’39, May 19

Columbia John S. Strauch ’65, May 20 John Wellington ’57, Sept. 29

Beloit Horace B. Ferguson ’37, Feb. 1 Bethany Eric M. Antila DDS ’50, July 25 John U. Davis ’56, Nov. 4, 2014 Roy W. Heckel Jr. ’47, Aug. 3

THE BETA THETA PI

Bowdoin Stephen G. Howard ’82, Aug. 25, 2014 Brown Samuel B. Flora Jr. ’60, March 10, 2014 Cal State, Chico Anthony K. Smayda ’90, July 29 Case Homer A. Humiston ’42, June 1 Centre William H. Breeze ’45, June 26 C William J. Rogers ’84, Aug. 5 Cincinnati E J. Brendamour ’49, Oct. 2 C R. R. Broxon ’56, July 30 Richard W. Ostrander ’49, June 3, 2014 Kenneth O. Shrewsbury Jr. ’47, Oct. 7 C Colgate Morgan E. Dawson ’46, Aug. 2 C Peter H. Hetzel ’58, June 22 C William C. Kerchof ’49, Sept. 17 C Donald M. Stone ’58, May 2 C Colorado Donald F. Gardner ’51, July 21 C John S. Kearney ’52, Oct. 28 C Richard T. MacCracken ’49, Sept. 5, 2014

Dartmouth Ronald D. Fraser ’57, Feb. 3, 2014 Philip E. Penberthy ’44, June 23 C Davidson W. R. Cunningham ’51, Oct. 27 C Denison Lewis B. Cauffman Jr. ’72, Dec. 5, 2013 Rex H. Elliott ’84, Aug. 12 E. B. Hauser ’63, June 8 Cliff M. Lytle Jr. ’54, Oct. 9, 2014

Florida Newton M. Ellison ’50, Nov. 8 Ralph G. Grassfield Jr. ’44, Sept. 30 C Robert G. Hansen ’02, Feb. 9, 2014 R. B. Hopkins ’84, July 9 David W. Luke ’74, Aug. 4 Albert D. Quentel ’56, Aug. 6 Georgia Tech John P. Labouisse III ’64, July 14 C Edward T. Rempe III ’59, Oct. 19 James H. Sapp ’63, May 25 GMI-EMI Ernest J. Nagy ’55, April 30 C Hanover Robert L. Myers ’53, Sept. 19 C David E. Railsback ’64, July 26

DePauw William G. Kinkade ’60, June 9 C

Idaho Thomas G. Boyd ’50, July 27 Herbert J. Carlson ’61, June 3 Normand W. Green ’51, May 8 James W. Kelly ’65, May 11 C Bruce J. McCowan ’61, Aug. 14 George V. Smith ’69, June 25

Dickinson John J. Devenney Jr. ’71, June 1 Richard G. Sher ’70, Feb. 9 Robert G. Welch ’69, May 3

Illinois Walter W. Faster ’55, July 26 Donald C. Miller ’42, March 19 Richard G. Schultz ’51, Aug. 8

Duke Joseph A. McClain III ’53, May 3 C John A. Reed Jr. ’54, Feb. 1 Thomas E. Turner ’63, Sept. 8 Robert E. Weaver ’58, Aug. 19

Indiana Richard T. Fox Ph.D. ’57, Sept. 4 Edwin P. Hawes ’48, Sept. 25 C George F. Heighway Jr. ’53, Aug. 22 C Michael E. Lanter ’06, May 16 Robert E. Sherwood ’75, May 23

Denver John M. Hasstedt ’47, Nov. 10, 2014 Joseph G. Wagner ’43, Oct. 26 C

Eastern Kentucky William J. Simington ’80, Sept. 14 Emory Glen A. Alsobrook ’62, May 14 Benjamin R. Ung ’12, Oct. 11

Iowa Robert B. Wells ’42, June 4 C John H. Wesenberg ’51, April 25, 2014 Iowa State Bob K. Peterson ’53, Aug. 15 C

The Foundation is often asked how one can memorialize a dearly departed Beta, while also supporting the goals of the Fraternity. Memorial gifts can be made online at beta.org/gift or by phone at 800.800.BETA. In lieu of flowers, consider naming the Beta Leadership Fund in your own obituary: beta.org/gift.

Johns Hopkins Thomas M. McLoughlin ’58, Jan. 11 Kansas Maxcy D. Chase Jr. ’45, Sept. 18 C James E. Floyd ’52, Jan. 1, 2014 F. K. Henrichs ’65, July 6 Jack S. Nessly ’39, Aug. 1 Charles W. Oswald ’51, Dec. 30, 2014 William B. Pendleton ’43, May 15 C Arthur W. Robinson MD ’42, May 12 C Robert L. Timmons ’46, Aug. 4 C Kansas State H. James Bartels ’43, Aug. 28 Aimison Jonnard ’38, Sept. 24 William H. Richards ’48, Oct. 27 William T. Walker ’53, Aug. 28, 2014 Kenyon Charles D. Williams III ’49, July 6 C

Lawrence Robert I. Campbell ’46, May 15 C Lehigh John D. Cummings ’50, Sept. 21 C Ralph H. Leard ’67, May 5 C Harold T. Machette ’55, March 7 Llewellyn R. Williams ’58, Feb. 20

Miami John D. Backe ’54, Oct. 22 C Howard N. Thiele Jr. ’52, July 27 C Herbert B. Wiepking ’41, May 7 C Michigan Robert A. Berner ’57, Jan. 10 James N. DeBoer ’50, July 5 John D. Feledy ’59, Jan. 7

Missouri John A. Bloess ’50, July 1 C Cyrus W. Dean ’50, July 7 C William J. Fenner Sr. ’47, May 1 C Orris M. Hauck ’54, May 27 C MIT Donald T. Axon ’44, Jan. 15 Richard A. Markey Jr. ’41, Feb. 21 Richard L. Mathews ’50, Nov. 25, 2014 Raymond S. Poor ’31, June 6, 2014 John A. Vliet ’70, Dec. 29, 2014 Nebraska Theodore E. Dewey ’61, Oct. 14 Donald D. Geis ’60, April 20 Eugene S. Merchant DDS ’45, Oct. 6 C Harlan H. Wiederspan ’54, Sept. 22 North Carolina William G. Shelton ’49, May 28 C Thatcher L. Townsend Jr. ’54, June 7 C Northwestern Fred H. Pearson ’54, Sept. 16 Arthur R. Seder ’42, July 14 C J. B. Young ’49, Oct. 12 C

Ohio State James G. McClure DDS ’50, July 7 C Walter W. Reckless ’59, Oct. 4

Iowa ’51

Former General Secretary Jack Wesenberg passed away on April 25 at the age of 87. An Iowa native and dedicated volunteer of the Fraternity, Jack was a senior vice president of the Tulsa Regional Chamber. Preceded in death by his wife, Alice, he is survived by three children, one sister, six grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Oklahoma State Herschal H. Crow Jr. ’57, July 22 Donald M. Frank ’43, May 26 C Monte W. Kemp ’42, July 15 C Roger E. Walters ’65, Oct. 24 C James B. Waterfield ’56, July 28 Oregon John M. Gray ’66, April 15 C John C. Pyle ’53, June 4 C Richard D. Weigel ’62, May 6 Oregon State Leland U. Fortner ’51, Oct. 5 John J. Maloney ’71, June 25

Ohio James W. Elliott ’57, April 25 J. E. Evans ’66, Oct. 16 C Byron J. Kelly ’56, Oct. 4, 2014C

JOHN H. (JACK) WESENBERG

Oklahoma Robert L. Barr III ’61, July 16 Robert L. Bartheld ’54, June 15 C Thomas L. Brown ’70, May 6 Patrick R. Carver ’14, Aug. 29 Louis E. Harlan ’50, Sept. 27 Paul C. Houk ’56, Aug. 29 Daniel S. Kubik ’59, May 3, 2013 Frank W. Murphy Jr. ’66, Nov. 28, 2013 Ronald G. Naramore ’69, June 20 Thurston D. Nicklas ’64, May 18 James L. Robinson ’55, July 16 C Donald R. Sanders ’71, Jan. 16, 2014 Donald R. Stehr ’71, Oct. 21 C Jay D. Swanson ’56, April 29, 2013 Paul L. Szafranski ’76, March 15 Robert D. Webber ’58, Sept. 5

Penn State Glenn A. Culbertson ’56, Oct. 11 John S. Musser II ’50, July 2 C Pennsylvania Francis G. Vitetta ’55, Oct. 15 Edward A. Wiler ’49, July 1

JOHN D. BACKE Miami ’54

CBS Chief Executive and Oxford Cup Honoree John Backe died of heart failure on October 22 at the age of 83. Recognized as the man who led CBS to reclaim its top prime-time TV ranking in the 1970s, Backe later went on to operate his own digital brand marketing firm, The Backe Group.

53 WINTER 2016 | BETA.ORG

Maine Sherwood D. Moody ’60, Sept. 23 C

Minnesota John S. Dean ’48, Aug. 8, 2014C Samuel M. Dean ’46, Feb. 22 Patrick R. Fallon ’68, Nov. 10 Rix H. DeLambert ’49, May 31 C Bert L. Hall ’83, Sept. 22 J. S. Ledy ’46, June 30 C Dale Merrick Jr. ’49, May 21 Wilbur B. Rogers ’51, March 30 C

Ohio Wesleyan Henry L. Cramer ’62, Oct. 16 Paul B. Kisseberth ’54, May 8 C Norman F. Slenker ’51, June 26 Stanley K. Van Buren ’52, Aug. 27 C Michael M. Wallace ’81, Sept. 15

CHAPTER ETERNAL

Knox George Drysdale ’52, Oct. 14, 2014C Robert J. Feldman ’47, Sept. 28, 2013 Thomas E. Heuerman ’54, Oct. 8 Paul T. Sizemore ’57, April 26 C

Michigan State James M. Granger ’54, Sept. 7 C Louis E. Legg Jr. ’50, Aug. 4 C

Puget Sound Christopher W. Collins ’69, June 10 David R. Strecker ’78, May 15 Purdue James E. Crump ’53, Oct. 12 Robert J. Doeppers ’50, Dec. 20, 2014 John T. Fox ’93, May 10 Charles A. Gillespie ’45, Oct. 19 C Eddie A. Hanna ’76, April 8 Francis T. Meakim ’44, Oct. 11, 2013 John K. Merrell ’50, June 30 C David E. Nash ’67, Oct. 7 Hugh M. Newsom ’55, July 30 C Richard D. Nicholson ’66, April 24 Philip L. Raywood ’54, Dec. 4, 2013 M. P. Scofield ’62, July 5 Richard P. Scott ’64, June 21, 2013 George R. Thomas ’59, May 4 CHAPTER ETERNAL 54

Rutgers Joseph A. Banas Jr. ’41, Aug. 15, 2014 Hermann Bonasch ’52, July 6 David A. Whinfrey ’50, April 12 C Sewanee David B. P’Pool Jr. ’55, Oct. 5 C SMU John E. Petree ’70, June 15 Edward G. Wallace Jr. ’58, Oct. 19 South Dakota William J. Berguin ’52, June 22 John V. Conway Jr. ’56, Sept. 9 James A. Hansen ’62, May 2

THE BETA THETA PI

Southern California John E. Cottier III ’74, Oct. 15 Richard L. Jones ’53, Jan. 1, 2014 Gabor Nagy ’61, Dec. 4, 2014 John M. Treanor ’57, July 29 Stanford Robert A. Armstrong ’54, Oct. 22 C Philip G. Shean ’43, June 9 Stevens Robert E. Decker ’59, Jan. 8, 2014

Syracuse Raymond George ’53, Sept. 14 C Jack W. Milton ’51, May 28 Thomas J. Moore Jr. ’50, May 9 C Texas Stonewall J. Fisher III ’64, Oct. 6 C Charles S. Parker ’58, July 26 Reece A. West ’51, Jan. 30, 2014

Washington in St. Louis Charles G. Tarbell Jr. ’49, Oct. 17 Charles C. Wolf ’60, June 7 C Washington State Jack W. Bannister ’56, Aug. 27 C Dominic E. Frucci ’64, Oct. 16

Toronto Edgar A. Johnston ’58, July 7 Herbert H. Todgham Jr. ’45, May 18

West Virginia David R. Beavers ’48, May 5 C Paul C. Hoblitzell Jr. ’38, Sept. 14 C George R. McGuire ’55, Sept. 15 C William E. Smith ’50, Sept. 5

Tulane Maurice J. Picheloup IV ’71, July 16

Western Ontario Peter H. Foreht ’68, Sept. 1

UCLA Thomas E. Charbonneau ’59, May 19 Richard W. Daily ’47, Aug. 5 C Bernard J. Johnson ’48, July 10 C Frederick A. McNeill ’74, Nov. 3

Western Reserve Donald A. Filmer ’49, Oct. 13 Carl J. Vinci ’70, June 5 Robert L. Whitacre DDS ’55, Aug. 2

Union David A. Johnson ’63, May 15 C Utah Jack N. Birk ’47, Aug. 22 Richard O. Carstensen ’64, May 21, 2014 Thomas B. Felts ’50, Sept. 13 Carl T. Woolsey MD ’40, May 5 Vanderbilt Antoni M. Diehl MD ’46, Sept. 22 C Thomas P. McNeill MD ’57, Feb. 8 Barrett B. Sutton ’48, Oct. 11 C Marion F. Thomas Jr. ’50, July 5 C Virginia William L. Johnson ’52, Sept. 1

Washington Robert C. Corbett ’45, June 20 C Edward W. Taylor ’52, May 21 C Robert A. Trager ’46, June 3 C Robert O. White ’60, April 21 Washington and Lee E. B. Wells II ’63, Jan. 1

South Dakota ’56

Former General Fraternity Vice President John Conway died on September 9 at the age of 82. Retiring in 1998 after a 37-year career as an educator, John was a lifelong volunteer of Beta Theta Pi. John’s Beta ties are deep, as his father, brother, son, grandson and nephew are all Betas.

Wichita State Blaine E. Welton ’69, March 3, 2014 Willamette Frank A. Moore ’56, Sept. 26 C Williams John B. Hoffman MD ’40, June 11 C Wisconsin E. B. Brewster ’36, June 25 Leif F. Gundersen ’61, Oct. 27 C David C. Tausche ’41, March 18

Wabash Edward P. Grogg ’56, Oct. 14 William A. Wildhack ’60, Oct. 7

JOHN V. CONWAY JR.

Westminster Edward A. Beckemeier ’50, Jan. 4 C Nick T. Cave II ’68, Sept. 8 C Theodore J. Honig ’45, Jan. 5 C James A. Lewis ’80, May 15 Leon P. Stone ’33, Nov. 26, 2014 Thomas A. Weil ’67, July 10 C

Wittenberg E. R. Hawken Jr. ’51, Sept. 3 Gary W. Sitler ’78, June 26 Yale William Y. Boyd II ’50, Dec. 31, 2014 James H. Cloud ’52, Aug. 30 B. T. McElroy ’45, Aug. 16 C

FREDERICK A. MCNEILL UCLA ’74

Former Vikings linebacker Fred McNeill passed away on November 3 at the age of 63 from complications of ALS. A first-round draft pick out of UCLA in 1974, Fred played all 12 of his NFL seasons with the Minnesota Vikings including two Super Bowls (1975 and 1977), before graduating from William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minn.

JOHN HERMAN, OREGON ’60 I was proud to be initiated into the Beta Rho Chapter at the University of Oregon in early 1957, and the Fraternity has been important to me ever since. I have maintained a lifelong friendship with my pledge brothers. We have a reunion every five years and recently celebrated our 55-year anniversary since graduation. While in the chapter, together we learned the principles of Beta Theta Pi and how to apply them to our own lives. We matured with the help of these guidelines. It’s because of my time in Beta Rho and the growth I experienced there that I strive to give back to the Fraternity as much as I can. First, I became a member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors and have enjoyed working with the staff in Oxford to fund the opportunities that make young undergraduates better men. Finally, and equally as important, I was pleased to include the Fraternity in my estate planning, so future Betas can grow and excel. Our undergraduates can’t become men of principle on their own, so I encourage you to join me in this endeavor.

“

I encourage you to join me in this endeavor.

”

John Herman, Oregon ’60, graduated with a degree in business administration. He currently serves on Beta’s Foundation Board of Directors and the Beta Rho Chapter’s house corporation board. Herman resides in Portland, Ore.

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DEVELOPING MEN OF PRINCIPLE FOR A PRINCIPLED LIFE