WESTIN PEACHTREE PLAZA
ATLANTA, GEORGIA ~ AUGUST 6, 2022
TOGETHER WE RISE CELEBRATION BANQUET 183RD GENERAL CONVENTION
MASTER OF CEREMONIES
John H. Stebbins, Emory ’92
General Fraternity House Corporation President
FRATERNITY AND FOUNDATION HIGHLIGHTS
S. Wayne Kay, Virginia Tech ’73
General Secretary
Michael G. Feinstein, MIT ’82
Foundation Board Chairman
CHAPTER ETERNAL DINNER
CONVENTION CHORUS
SINGING AWARDS
Brock G. Johnson, Oklahoma State ’09
General Fraternity Chorister
OUTGOING BOARD RECOGNITION
John H. Stebbins, Emory ’92
General Fraternity House Corporation President
BETA COUNTDOWN
FRANCIS WAYLAND SHEPARDSON AWARD
Thomas D. Cassady, Cincinnati ’76
General Fraternity President
S. Wayne Kay, Virginia Tech ’73
General Secretary
Presented to
William E. (Bill) Lowry Jr., Kenyon ’56
JOHN REILY KNOX AWARD
S. Wayne Kay, Virginia Tech ’73
General Secretary
Led by Brock G. Johnson, Oklahoma State ’09
General Fraternity Chorister
THE SHEPARDSON AWARD
The Francis Wayland Shepardson Award, created in 2001 to recognize exemplary devotion and dedication to the General Fraternity, its objects and obligations, is named in memory of Francis W. Shepardson, Denison 1882/ Brown 1883, distinguished former President and General Secretary. The Fraternity has always counted on loyal volunteers throughout the years, and their consistent support of the foundation of Beta Theta Pi has proven to be priceless. Each honoree is presented with an attractive full-lead crystal cup, featuring the Fraternity’s coat of arms etched into the upper section. The cup is engraved with the award inscription and recipient’s name, chapter and class year.
“IRISH BLESSING” AND “BETA DOXOLOGY” Beta Four
WILLIAM
E. (BILL) LOWRY JR. Kenyon ’56
The finer details of an individual’s initiation – while often remembered as a milestone by the brother and his close friends – often fade through the passing of the years from the consciousness of the larger Fraternity. Not so in the case of William E. (Bill) Lowry Jr., Kenyon ’56.
Leaving his boyhood home on the south side of Chicago, Lowry traveled east to Gambier, Ohio, to begin his college career. In the fall of 1952, the standard quarters for freshmen at the all-male Kenyon were Quonset huts that had served as temporary housing for the VA program. Lowry was a halfback on the football team and made fast friends.
Several players on the team, who were members of Beta Theta Pi, had extended a social membership to Lowry, but he had not been invited to join the Fraternity. “There was kind of a grassroots movement in the chapter to get Bill to be a full-fledged member of the Fraternity,” recalled Franklin H. Gingerich ‘56. It wasn’t long before the chapter announced its intention to pledge Lowry.
While the Fraternity’s constitution or laws imposed no restrictions with regard to race, color or creed upon those considered for membership, the initiation of a Black student had simply not – to the knowledge of Fraternity officers – been done prior to the spring of 1954.
The chapter received numerous calls from alumni about the matter. Some alumni approved. Others did not. James A. Hughes Jr. ’55, recalls speaking with then-General Secretary Seth R. Brooks, St. Lawrence 1922, who suggested the chapter delay the initiation until it could consult with alumni and Fraternity officers. “We weren’t trying to make a statement,” Hughes said. “There was absolutely no reason not to initiate him. For us, it was just a natural thing to do.”
Lowry was initiated into the Beta Alpha Chapter on April 27, 1954, just three weeks before the United States Supreme Court announced its historic decision on Brown v. Board of Education. A 25- year-old Martin Luther King Jr. was working on his dissertation in systematic theology at Boston University, Rosa Parks was still conforming to Montgomery’s segregationist busing policies and Kenyon College had graduated its first two Black students just two years earlier.
Sixty-eight years later, Lowry’s college days are but a few moments in what has been a remarkable life. He harbors no bitterness about the circumstances resulting from his initiation, and even muses, “I am ‘the Kenyon affair.’”
In 1988, former Kenyan College President and Vice President of Inland Steel William G. Caples III ’32, and former First National Bank of Chicago President Richard L. Thomas ’53, invited Lowry to serve on the board of trustees of Kenyon College – a position he held for more than two decades.
During that tenure, Lowry made it his personal mission to make both Kenyon’s student body and its faculty more diverse. He has filled a similar role in his service to Beta Theta Pi.
A General Convention veteran and former Convention vice president, Lowry served on the Foundation Board of Directors from 2011-2015 as chairman of the nominating committee. In June 2020, General Secretary Wayne Kay, Virginia Tech ’73, announced the creation of a new, Board-level Commission on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Charged with analyzing all aspects of the Fraternity, this historic announcement included the appointment of Lowry as commission chairman.
When asked to once again play a role in driving the Fraternity to do something so bold, Lowry remarked: “Sixty-six years ago, a group of young men at Kenyon College also did something pretty bold. This is the right thing to do, and it is certainly the right time. I will do whatever my beloved Beta Theta Pi asks of me.”
FRANCIS
SHEPARDSON AWARD RECIPIENTS
2001
Meid Compton*, Indiana ’49
Richard R. (Misty) Shoop*, Denison ’40
H.H. Stephenson Jr.*, Miami ’39
2002
Burton W. Folsom*, Nebraska ’49
Paul P. Van Riper*, DePauw ’38
2003
Robert L. Cottrell*, Miami ’54
2004
Jerry M. Blesch, Centre ’60
2005
Thomas D. Cassady, Cincinnati ’76
Richard G. Lugar*, Denison ’54
Shelby L. Molter*, Miami ’54
2006
L.E. (Erv) Johnson, Idaho ’53
Owen S. Williams*, Toronto ’50
William W. Berry Jr.*, Vanderbilt ’68
Frederick F. Brower, Miami ’50
2007
Ferdinand Del Pizzo Jr., Washington in St. Louis ’58
2008
James S. Wachs*, Cincinnati ’55
2009
Donald G. DiPaolo, Michigan ’78
2011
William F. Hahn*, Lehigh ’49
John K. (Jack) Easton*, Wesleyan ’58
2012
Peter W.C. Barnhart, Miami ’66
James J. (Tiger) Ellis*, Missouri ’55
2014
Ronald P. Helman, Miami ’55
2016
Lloyd L. Kirk, Kansas ’55
2017
David W. Wright, Ohio State ’67
2018
Douglas G. Houser, Willamette ’57
2019
Robert (Bob) T. Grand, Wabash ’78
2020
Joseph B. Buchanan*, Washington State ’53
2021
W.H. (Bert) Bates, Missouri ’49
2022
William E. (Bill) Lowry Jr., Kenyon ’56
* Deceased
WAYLAND SHEPARDSON
DENISON ’82/BROWN ’83
MISSION
To develop men of principle for a principled life.
VISION
Every member will live Beta Theta Pi’s values.
CORE VALUES
To build lasting bonds of friendship and brotherhood, Beta calls for:
MUTUAL ASSISTANCE
Betas believe men are mutually obligated to help others in the honorable labors and aspirations of life.
INTELLECTUAL GROWTH
Betas are devoted to continually cultivating their minds, including high standards of academic achievement.
TRUST
Betas develop absolute faith and confidence in one another by being true to themselves and others.
RESPONSIBLE CONDUCT
Betas choose to act responsibly, weighing the consequences of their actions on themselves and those around them.
INTEGRITY
Betas preserve their character by doing what is morally right and demanding the same from their brothers.
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
STRATEGIC INITIATIVES
1. Member Education and Safety
2. Creating a Diverse and Inclusive Brotherhood
3. Fraternity Growth
4. Volunteer Recruitment and Training
5. Alumni Engagement
6. Safe and Competitive Homes
BROTHERHOOD PERSONAL GROWTH HOME
