Cross & Crescent a Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity publication
INSIDE:
Caterpillar’s Top Exec CEO/Chairman Jim Owens steers successful company Pharmacy President, Chapter Adviser Tim Tucker is a community pharmacist and 1988 Order of Merit recipient
True Brother Initiative Unveiled Edwin Markham: Fraternity Poet August 2007 . XCIV . Issue 8
Cross & Crescent a Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity publication Features Chapter News 3 Chapter and Alumni News Fraternity News 6 True Brother Initiative Unveiled Fraternity News 8 2007 Stead Leadership Seminar Awards History 10 Edwin Markham: Fraternity Poet
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Caterpillar’s Top Exec In 2006, under the leadership of CEO and Chairman Jim Owens, Caterpillar had more than $41.5 billion in sales and revenue and ranked No. 55 on the Fortune 500 list. The company is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, and industrial gas turbines. By Tad Lichtenauer
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Pharmacy President, Chapter Adviser Tim Tucker, a community pharmacist, was elected as the 2008 president of the 60,000-member American Pharmacists Association. A 1998 Order of Merit recipient, he also has served as Union University chapter adviser for the past 20 years. By Tad Lichtenauer
Credits
Contributions
Publisher: Bill Farkas Editor: Jason Pearce Assistant Editor: Chris Barrick Assistant Editor: Tad Lichtenauer Illustrator: Jeff Reisdorfer Podcast Voice: Fuzz Martin Photographer: Walt Moser Assignment Editor: Jon Williamson Historian: Mike Raymond Contributing Editors: Jono Hren Aaron Jones George Spasyk
Content for consideration should be submitted by the fiftenth of the month. Lambda Chi Alpha 8741 Founders Rd Indianapolis, IN 46268-1338 (317) 872-8000 editor@lambdachi.org www.lambdachi.org www.crossandcrescent.com
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Cross & Crescent AUGUST 2007
CHAPTER NEWS
Chapter News Chapter news, alumni news, and reports of death Cal Poly-San Louis Obispo (Phi-Sigma)
Cincinnati (Gamma-Gamma)
PenAgain founder Colin Roche (1995) was a guest on CNBC’s “The Big Idea with Donny Deutsch.” Launched in 2002 by Roche and Bobby Ronsse (1995), the PenAgain is now available at Wal-Mart, OfficeDepot, Staples, Walgreens, CVS/pharmacy, FedEx Kinko’s, Publix, Army and Air Force Exchange Service, and Fred Meyer. Roche and Ronsse were featured in the September 2006 Cross & Crescent.
Norl A. Hamilton (1933) died June 14, 2007. In 1976, he retired as plant manager of the Volunteer Army Ammunition Plant located just outside Chattanooga, Tennessee. Hamilton also served in numerous volunteer professional positions including president of Chattanooga Manufacturing Association and chairman of the United Way campaign. A U.S. Army veteran, Hamilton last served in the Pentagon during World War II, and retired from the U.S. Army Reserve as a lieutenant colonel.
Cal State-Northridge (Beta-Rho)
East Tennessee State (Iota-Omicron)
Chapter members earned a 2.75 GPA for the spring 2007 semester, better than the all-IFC, all-men’s, and all-campus averages.
Ramsey J. Harb Jr. (1958) died July 7, 2007. He was the retired owner of Harb’s Carpet and Oriental Rugs in Knoxville, Tennessee, and spent his time volunteering in the community.
Approximately 20 chapter alumni and family members attended a Lancaster JetHawks minor league baseball game on June 2, 2007, at the Clear Channel Stadium in Lancaster, California. Alumni members included Scott Press (1976), Mike Press (2006), Sam Rosenberg (1976), Ricky Trevino (2006), Cesar Ayllon (2006), and Rick Childs (1980).
Eastern Illinois (Phi-Alpha)
More than 250 alumni, undergraduates, and guests attended the chapter’s 30th anniversary event held on April 28, 2007, at the Worthington Inn in Charleston, Illinois. Notable attendees and speakers included outgoing Eastern Illinois University President Lou Hencken, Chapter Adviser Steve Rich, former Fraternity staff member and chapter President Marty Smith, event organizer Craig Parmele (1997), university Greek Adviser Bob Dudolski, and Mike Mahoney (1986), who created a special video commemorating the chapter’s 30-year history.
California-Los Angeles (Epsilon-Sigma)
Cobi Jones (1993) played in the Sierra Mist MLS All-Star Game held on July 19, 2007, at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colorado. A member of the Los Angeles Galaxy, and a 12-year veteran of the league, Jones will retire at the end of this season.
Elon (Delta-Pi)
Jim Schlossnagle (1992), head baseball coach for Texas Christian University, was named Coach of the Year for the 2007 NIC All-Fraternity All-American Baseball Team.
California-Santa Barbara (Zeta-Eta)
Benjamin Bratt (1984) was cast to star in A&E’s new miniseries based on Michael Crichton’s first novel, “Andromeda Strain.” The series is currently in production and Bratt plays the lead role of epidemiologist Jeremy Stone.
Georgia State (Delta-Epsilon)
As part of VH1’s new line-up of original programming, Lance Krall (1993) will star in “Free Radio,” a half-hour improvised comedy depicting a behind-the-scenes look at a struggling Los Angeles, California, radio station and its dysfunctional staff. Krall was featured in the October 2006 Cross & Crescent.
Central Florida (Beta-Eta)
Pizzeria Valdiano President Joe Ligouri (2002) announced that the company will begin offering franchises in Florida and the Southeast. The restaurant has been named “Best Pizza in Orlando” by readers of the Orlando Sentinel for four consecutive years.
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Cross & Crescent
August 2007
CHAPTER NEWS
High Point (Iota-Phi)
North Texas (Iota-Zeta)
Former Fraternity staff member Daniel Miller (1998) was named as anchor for WISH-TV’s new 24-Hour News 8’s Weekend Daybreak in Indianapolis, Indiana. He joined the TV station in June 2005, as a general assignment reporter.
Kenny Goss (1979) has renamed Goss Gallery the Goss-Michael Collection . The Dallas, Texas-based art gallery consists solely of 20th and 21st century art by both established and emerging British artists. The gallery and collection is part of the GossMichael Foundation, which is a non profit organization established to inspire young artists through scholarships and other charitable programs. Goss was featured in the January 2007 Cross & Crescent.
Iowa State (Alpha-Tau)
Lambda Chi Alpha Educational Foundation Chairman and Northern Trust Executive Vice President Gregg D. Behrens (1974) was appointed to the position of head of Asia Pacific for Northern Trust’s corporate and institutional services business unit. He will be located in Singapore, Thailand, and will be responsible for all of the company’s businesses and operations in Asia, including Australia, Bangalore, China, Hong Kong, Japan, New Zealand, and Singapore.
Oklahoma (Gamma-Rho)
McClain Bank CEO and Board Chairman Don Sherman (1957) received his 50-year pin from the Oklahoma Banker’s Association. He has spent his entire career at McClain Bank, based in Purcell, Oklahoma, beginning as a bank teller. Sherman serves on the Lambda Chi Alpha Educational Foundation Board.
Kettering-B (Lambda-Epsilon (B))
Jason Braman (2005), founder of real SERVICE, helped organize and sponsor the second annual 2007 Relay for Life held on June 1–2, 2007, at Kettering University in Flint, Michigan. The event attracted more than 200 students for the overnight walk and raised more than $25,000.
Oklahoma State (Alpha-Eta)
Chester Gould’s (1921) daughter, Jean Gould O’Connell, has authored a new book, “Chester Gould, a Daughter’s Biography of the Creator of Dick Tracy,” which tells the story of her father’s life from her perspective.
Massachusetts (Gamma)
David A. Kretschmar (1962) died May 27, 2007.
Purdue (Psi)
Landon Pund (2007) was named IFC Greek Scholar of the Year, Michael Barbier (2007) was named IFC Chapter President of the Year, and Sam Utley (2009) was elected to the IFC Executive Board as vice president of administration.
Massachusetts Inst of Tech (Lambda)
A new book by Robert Tavernor, “Smoot’s Ear: The Measure of Humanity,” will be published on August 28, 2007. The book explores the history of measurement, which is highlighted by the 1958 incident where freshman Oliver R. Smoot Jr. (1962) was selected by the Lambda Chi Alpha chapter members to be the living measure of Harvard Bridge.
Rhode Island (Eta)
Chapter members earned a 2.78 GPA for the spring 2007 semester, better than the all-men’s, all-fraternity, and all-university averages.
Shepherd (Phi-Iota)
Miami-OH (Zeta-Upsilon)
A documentary created and produced by Chris Raines (2007), chapter President Kyle Raines (2009), and Anthony Muraca (2009), won first place at the West Virginia International Film Festival in the Division 3 category open to students at state colleges and universities. The film, entitled “Tremor,” is about a captain of a local paintball team who has Parkinson’s disease.
Michael R. Allan (1978) died June 20, 2007. He was employed as a salesman for more than 25 years at Center Automotive in Akron, Ohio.
New York City Metro Area Alumni Association Approximately two dozen alumni attended the New York City Metro Alumni Association pub night on July 12, 2007, at Failte Pub, an Irish bar located in Manhattan. The event was organized by Chris Corrigan (High Point 2003) and hosted by Denis Keane (Villanova 1986).
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Cross & Crescent
August 2007
CHAPTER NEWS
Slippery Rock (Lambda-Xi)
Wake Forest (Theta-Tau)
Serving his 26th year, Butler County Sheriff Dennis C. Rickard (1971) was elected to the executive committee of the National Sheriffs’ Association. In addition, he is the current secretarytreasurer of the Pennsylvania Sheriffs’ Association and serves on the Research Advisory Committee of the International Association of the Chiefs of Police.
Blake Brandes (2006), known as DJ Decryption, has released his second album, “Soulfire.” The album is available on CD Baby and iTunes. Perdue Chairman Jim Perdue (1973) and his family-owned Perdue Farms, the nation’s third largest poultry producer, was recently honored by the State of Georgia as its “2007 Large Manufacturer of the Year.” The award recognizes the growth and success of Perdue’s operations in Perry, Georgia, and was presented as part of the state’s Manufacturers Appreciation Week.
John P. Phillips (1969) died July 7, 2007. He retired as an environmental engineer for Exxon Mobil Corp. after 25 years. John Wesley Sinichak (1969) died June 18, 2007. A certified public accountant, he was a member of the American Institute of CPA’s, the Pennsylvania Institute of CPA’s, and the National Society of Public Accountants.
South Florida (Lambda-Mu)
William & Mary (Epsilon-Alpha)
In recognition of its 80th anniversary, chapter members established a Lambda Chi Alpha Hall of Honor to recognize alumni who have distinguished themselves in their respective careers and community service work. The first honorees include Gilbert L. Granger (1957), former Williamsburg, Pennsylvania, mayor; A. Marshall Acuff (1961), a financial analyst and former William & Mary rector and board of visitors member; Alvin P. Anderson, an attorney and a current William & Mary board of visitors member; and Jeffrey Trammell (1972), also a current William & Mary board of visitors member and former varsity basketball team captain.
Dan Rodimer (2000) is currently touring as a member of the World Wrestling Entertainment under the name Dan Rodman.
South Dakota (Alpha-Gamma)
University of South Dakota President Jim Abbott (1970) donated one of his kidneys to Bruce King, the school’s assistant vice president of academic affairs and chief diversity officer, who had suffered from end-stage renal failure since May 2005. Abbott was featured in the April 2007 Cross & Crescent.
William Jewel (Epsilon-Nu)
Christopher Carr (2008) was one of 30 students named to attend the Public Policy and International Affairs Junior Summer Institute at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Carr also serves as president of the UNITY student organization, which facilitates communication among diverse campus groups, and he also is a member of the Student Senate Diversity Committee.
Tennessee-Chattanooga (Zeta-Phi)
Alvin L. Smith (1964) died July 2, 2007. He was co-founder of Aston Mills & Trim Works in Dalton, Georgia.
Tennessee-Knoxville (Epsilon-Omicron)
George T. Reaves (1950) died July 15, 2007. A U.S. Navy veteran, he joined Collins and Aikman in 1955, and retired as vice president of traffic and transportation in 1993.
Texas Christian (Iota-Pi)
Arthur L. McLain (1967) died July 18, 2007.
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Cross & Crescent
August 2007
FRATERNITY NEWS
True Brother Initiative Unveiled New training program offers members enhanced resources and teachings for lifelong leadership development Seven Core Values
At the 2007 Stead Leadership Seminar, Lambda Chi Alpha unveiled the True Brother initiative. True Brother is a conceptual framework organizing the formal education and experiential learning of associate members and initiated brothers throughout their entire undergraduate experience, and paves the way to a meaningful, lifelong experience as an alumnus. This initiative is the medium through which all members adopt the personal identity of a true brother. True Brother is the holistic means by which Lambda Chi Alpha accomplishes its organizational mission and realizes its strategic vision.
The backbone of True Brother is its Seven Core Values. The acronym LDRSHIP is used to represent the values of loyalty, duty, respect, service and stewardship, honor, integrity, and personal courage. Loyalty: Bear true faith and allegiance to Lambda Chi Alpha, your chapter, and your brothers. Duty: Fulfill all your obligations from associate member and ritual oaths.
True Brother represents a fundamental shift in the way we view our undergraduate chapters. Instead of focusing on organizational structure (as represented by the Standards for Chapter Excellence program), True Brother is a strategicallyaligned system that focuses on individual member development.
Respect: Treat people as they should be treated. Service & Stewardship: Put the welfare of Lambda Chi Alpha, your chapter, and your brothers before your own. Know that as a brother you hold something of value in trust for others.
Lambda Chi Alpha has always been a leader in the Greek community, best represented by the abolishment of hazing and pledges in 1972. At the 2005 Leadership Seminar, the Grand High Zeta continued this leadership by authorizing committees to look at and assess the needs of our chapters.
Honor: Live all our values and be an honorable man. Integrity: Do what is right all of the time -- walk the walk.
A group of dedicated alumni, including Drew Hunter (Denver 1980), Dr. Elgan L. Baker Jr. (DePauw 1971), Wayne Gossard (Southern Methodist 1973), and Mike Smith (Denver 1976) took the lead in developing an enhanced experience for undergraduates.
Personal Courage: Demonstrate the courage of your convictions. LDRSHIP is who we as a Fraternity are, what we know, and what we are expected to do. It’s our character, our competence, and how we take action as leaders that define the True Brothers of Lambda Chi Alpha.
New efforts to assess the development and education of undergraduates began with specific attention to a member’s firstyear experience and evolved into the idea of learning and growth beyond initiation. From this process, True Brother was born.
Outer Circle New members of Lambda Chi Alpha are recruited and then immediately welcomed as potential brothers in the bond through the Fraternity’s exoteric Associate Member Ceremony.
During the development of the True Brother initiative, the Fraternity critically evaluated its two previous leadership training programs: Lead by Example and Precept (LEAP) and Impact Leadership.
To maintain consistency and encourage values-based recruitment, the Fraternity created the Cole Recruitment Institute -- a full day’s training experience provided to chapters at international Lambda Chi Alpha events.
The True Brother initiative offers members the best material from these two previous programs, which has been supplemented and redeveloped to interconnect with the Seven Core Values and overall True Brother identity.
After experiencing the Associate Member Ceremony, new members are exposed to the Calling to Brotherhood -- Lambda Chi Alpha’s associate member education program and training curriculum.
True Brother is a journey through the Fraternity association to alumni by introducing the inner circle, outer circle, and lifelong mastery circle. www.crossandcrescent.com
By John Holloway (High Point 1993)
Cross & Crescent
August 2007
Over the course of the eight weeks, associates learn about Lambda Chi Alpha, its history, organization, and governing bodies. The associates are trained to become leaders of their chapter, campus, and country. As important, associates are taught how to develop brotherhood.
FRATERNITY NEWS Faithful Steward: A brother who is a faithful steward understands that Lambda Chi Alpha is a precious gift that is given to him and that it is his duty to be a good steward of its welfare all of his life. Servant Leader: The servant leader is committed to selfimprovement, lifelong learning, and personal growth, and he always strives to provide for the legitimate needs of people. He also understands that being a servant leader means investing personally in the development of others by actively teaching, mentoring, and role modeling the way of the True Brother.
During associate member orientation, new members learn the Seven Core Values, which form the foundation of Lambda Chi Alpha’s approach to brotherhood. Over the ensuing weeks, the Seven Core Values are examined, one per week, and defined as to how each core value relates to real situations in Lambda Chi Alpha.
Leader of Character: Lambda Chi Alpha expects a member to be a leader of character. The leader of character leads from a base of values. He not only has the technical competence to do things the right way, but his character gives him the courage to do right things.
The last step before initiation is the associate member’s exposure to our exoteric mysteries -- the True Brother’s approach to preinitiation. Because understanding the pre-initiation is a crucial component of the undergraduate experience, the Fraternity now offers 20 approved pre-initiation events and activities.
Lifetime Brother: The True Brother understands that the solemn oaths freely undertaken during our rituals obligate him to commitments beyond graduation from college. The lifetime brother seeks ways to continue to serve because he sees real value in his fraternal experiences and wants others to have the opportunity to share those same experiences.
Inner Circle The inner circle is the stage in Lambda Chi Alpha where brotherhood development takes root and answers the question: “How do I translate what I learned while in the outer circle and best use my talents and skills to help build my leadership and programmatic skills?”
Lifelong Mastery Circle The lifelong mastery circle is simply a way to convey there is life in Lambda Chi Alpha after graduation. It recognizes that those brothers who truly grasp our ideals and teachings have much more to offer the Fraternity and the larger society as men of character. The goal of the undergraduate experience is to master the experience and then live our principles and ideals.
Historically, this is the area where most chapters drop the ball by not continuing to develop our members after initiation.
The lifelong mastery circle actually begins before graduation and helps our graduating seniors’ transition into productive alumni. Service back to the Fraternity is also something that should be striven for and can be tracked.
During this important stage, knowledge about the Fraternity and rituals is translated and turned into action and skill building for our members. Thus, we create better chapters for Lambda Chi Alpha by increasing the capacity of our undergraduate brothers to work productively at the chapter and community level.
Examples of service include serving as a chapter adviser or housing corporation member, being a local alumni volunteer, donating financially, or serving on the Fraternity staff or an international board.
The initiated brother’s journey of True Brother is divided into four levels, with each level focusing on a set of developmental outcomes that contribute to the construction and adoption of the True Brother identity.
Initiative in Summary The True Brother journey is designed to support the successful development of young men, understanding the significant developmental tasks of this period of life, maximizing the positive influence of peers and mentors, and moving our brothers towards an increased capacity for self-reflection and self-awareness, empathy, altruism, and intimacy.
Each level focuses on a developmental pathway -- faithful stewardship, servant leadership, leadership of character, and lifetime brotherhood -- from which brothers can choose a range of participative experiences that suit their learning and development styles.
This program sets up goals of leadership, stewardship, learning and service, and explicates a range of core values associated with being a true brother, which when pursued, leads toward a better tomorrow for Lambda Chi Alpha.
Reflective exercises associated with each developmental level ensure that brothers do not miss the meaning of their experiences.
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Cross & Crescent
August 2007
FRATERNITY NEWS
2007 Stead Leadership Seminar Awards More than 50 chapters receive awards The 2007 Stead Leadership Project was held July 25–29, 2007, at the University of Memphis in Memphis, Tennessee. More than 50 chapters and members were recognized for their accomplishments. Grand High Alpha Award Recognizes chapters that have maintained a superior level of operations for at least three consecutive years. A chapter may earn the award only once every three years. • • •
Arkansas Florida Southern Kansas State
Dirghalli Scholastic Programming Award Recognizes chapters that have developed an outstanding program resulting in superior academic achievement of its members. • • •
Florida Southern Michigan State Southern Methodist
Academic Achievement Award Awarded to chapters with a grade point average that was first on a campus, or second or third on larger campuses with a greater number of fraternities. • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Arkansas State Eastern Illinois Florida Southern Georgetown Gettysburg Marietta Ohio Rensselaer San Diego State Simpson Sewanee-South Southern Methodist West Chester Wittenberg
By John Holloway (High Point 1993)
Alumni Affairs Award Recognizes outstanding alumni programming within the chapter, including alumni organization, events and activities, mentoring, and fund-raising efforts. • • •
Arkansas Kansas State Rose-Hulman
Alumni Publications Award Awarded to chapters with outstanding alumni newsletters. At least two must be published and submitted to Headquarters during the academic year. • • •
Wake Forest Alabama Florida
Website Award Recognizes chapters with outstanding advances in the use of computer technology, layout, content management, computer graphics, and website design. • Wisconsin Whitewater Alumni Association Tozier Brown Public Affairs Awards Recognizes chapters with the most outstanding programs of community service and philanthropic activities. The award is divided into two categories, Public Affairs Programs and Most Outstanding Public Affairs Project. Public Affairs Program • Drury • Rose-Hulman • Southeast Missouri State
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Cross & Crescent
Public Affairs Project • Arkansas • Rose-Hulman • Tulsa North American Food Drive Award Awarded to chapters that collect and verify more than 8,500 pounds of food. The top 10 chapters received special recognition. • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Akron Bowling Green Butler Central Florida Colorado State Denison Florida Southern Georgia Tech Kettering-B Maine Michigan State Mississippi State Northern Colorado Pennsylvania Southeast Missouri State Spring Hill Union-TN William Jewell Worcester Polytechnic Inst
Campus Involvement Award Awarded to chapters with extensive involvement in extracurricular activities. • • • • • • • • • • •
Central Florida Cornell Denison Drury Eastern Illinois Florida Southern Georgetown Gettysburg Hanover High Point Kansas State
August 2007
FRATERNITY NEWS • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Lehigh Massachusetts Inst of Tech Miami-OH Missouri-Rolla New Mexico State Northeastern Simpson Sewanee-South Southeast Missouri State Southeastern Oklahoma Southern Methodist St. Joseph’s Union-TN Vanderbilt Washington William Jewell Worcester Polytechnic Inst
Joseph T. Charles Mentor Leadership Program Award Granted to chapters that have the most participation in this program.
Alumni Participation • Arkansas Warren A. Cole Recruitment Program Award Recognizes chapters that have developed and implemented well organized and effective recruitment programs. Arkansas Southeast Missouri State Southern Methodist
Membership Recruitment Award Awarded to chapters with outstanding success in recruitment, by substantially increasing their numbers and/or dramatically improving their initiation ratio of associate members. • • • • • • • • •
Auburn Bucknell California-Riverside Cal State-Northridge Denison Denver East Carolina Florida Southern Hanover
Illinois State Iowa Kansas State Michigan Northeastern State Texas-Austin Wabash Washington
Joseph Frasca, Flad Recipient Joseph Frasca (Butler 2007) was honored with the Cyril F. “Duke” Flad Outstanding Undergraduate Award, the highest honor bestowed upon an undergraduate.
Bruce Hunter McIntosh Award Recognizes chapters that effectively use the Standards for Chapter Excellence program to continuously improve their fraternal experience. • •
Arkansas Simpson
Lewis A. Plourd Fraternity Education Award Presented to chapters whose outstanding Fraternity Education Program includes the entire membership, involves alumni, and incorporates a highly effective Big Brother program.
Undergraduate Participation • Northwestern
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Arkansas Michigan State Southern Methodist
Phoenix Award Presented to a chapter that has made unusually positive strides in overall chapter operations for at least three consecutive years, taking into consideration improved membership size, depth of programming, and risk-free operations. • •
Alabama High Point
Cyril F. “Duke” Flad Outstanding Undergraduate Award This award was created in 1970 to honor Duke Flad, who served as the Fraternity’s second chief executive from 1942 to 1968. One outstanding undergraduate from among all student members is selected annually to receive this award. •
Joseph Frasca (Butler 2007)
He graduated in 2007 from Butler University with a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry, with minors in biological science and Spanish. As an undergraduate, Frasca was selected to numerous honorary organizations, including Mortar Board Honor Society, the Order of Omega Greek Honor Society, Phi Eta Sigma, Alpha Lambda Delta, the National Society of Collegiate Scholars, and the Phi Sigma Iota Foreign Language Honor Society. He also was selected for several scholastic honors, including Butler University’s Top 10 Outstanding Male Students Award, Greek Man of the Year, the Council on Presidential Affairs Member of the Year, the StudentAthlete Honor Roll, and the Dean’s List. Frasca volunteered at the St. Vincent’s Hospital Emergency Room, the Wheeler Soup Kitchen, and the Boys and Girls Club of Indianapolis, and he also helped raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Serving as chapter fraternity educator, vice president, and president, he strived to improve his chapter by incorporating the ideals of Lambda Chi Alpha into all aspects of Fraternity life.
Order of Achievement Established in 1958, this award recognizes alumni for outstanding achievement in their professional careers. Recipients are elected to receive the award in General Assembly years, but may receive it at another appropriate event. • Dale Carlsen (Cal State-Sacramento 1984) Fraternity Adviser of the Year May be awarded annually to a fraternity or Greek adviser who has rendered exemplary service to the Greek system on a particular campus or on a number of campuses. • Terence Parker (Memphis 1977), Greek adviser at Texas State-San Marcos
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Cross & Crescent
August 2007
HISTORY
Edwin Markham: Fraternity Poet Prolific poet, Theta Kappa Nu member, and successful lecturer for more than 40 years. By Mike Raymond (Miami-OH 1967) He drew a circle that shut me out — Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout. But love and I had the wit to win: We drew a circle that took him in!
The Poet Markham’s career as a poet was launched on January 15, 1899, when the San Francisco Examiner published his most famous poem, The Man With The Hoe. The poem was an immediate hit with the public and spread through the country and then across the world.
- Edwin Markham
By the end of 1899, his first collection of poetry, The Man with the Hoe and Other Poems, appeared and quickly sold out its first printing.
This short poem is one of my favorites. In a few simple words it expresses the irresistible ability of love to bring people together despite their differences. I have read this poem many times in the past. But, until recently, I didn’t know the name of the man who wrote it.
Two years later another collection, Lincoln and Other Poems, was a popular best seller. This collection contained the poem, Lincoln, the Man of the People, that impressed famed writer Jack London so much that he declared, “If its author had made no other bid for fame, this one bid would suffice.” This poem was so popular that Markham was asked to read it at the 1922 dedication ceremony of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
As I also discovered, we can call this man a brother.
In 1900, Edwin Markham and his third wife, Anna, moved to the East Coast where Staten Island, New York, would become their home for the rest of their lives.
The Early Years Edwin Markham (Rollins College 1924) was born 155 years ago near the Willamette River in Oregon City, Oregon Territory in 1852. Markham spent most of his early years in various places in California. He worked as a ranch hand, cowboy, and farmer until about 1868.
The Celebrity Because of the great popularity and financial success of his poetry, Markham led a busy life on the lecture and poetry reading circuit. His audiences were as likely to be labor and radical political groups as they were to be the “upper crust” of American society. His emphasis on political themes and social commentary distinguished his poetry from the work of most other poets of his day. His call for social justice and better treatment of the working class had receptive audiences in union halls, college auditoriums, and the drawing rooms of the literary elite.
As with most frontier children, he had a limited formal education that was supplemented with reading and discussing books. At age 16, he entered California College in Vacaville, California. Eventually, Markam transferred to San Jose State Normal School, which he graduated from in 1872. After graduation, he held various teaching positions in San Luis Obispo County, Christian College in Santa Rosa, and Eldorado County. At age 27, he became the Eldorado County superintendent of schools. While living in Placerville, California, Markham became a member of its Masonic Lodge.
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Markham wrote four more collections of poetry during his lifetime. He wrote The Shoes of Happiness and Other Poems in 1915, The Gates of Paradise and Other Poems in 1920, and New Poems: Eighty Poems at Eighty in 1932. He also wrote Children in Bondage, dealing with the abuses of child labor, and California the Wonderful, a book about the state’s historical past. Both of these best-selling books were written in 1914. 10
Cross & Crescent
August 2007
The Fraternity Man A few years ago I purchased a copy of The Man With The Hoe that was hand signed by Markham. Much to my surprise and delight the inscription read:
HISTORY After dinner, he even found time before his formal lecture to talk to the chapter’s pledges. What wasn’t mentioned in either of these articles is the fact that Markham enjoyed a beer or two before his lectures. One of reasons that he liked to visit his Theta Kappa Nu brothers is that they made sure that his thirst was always quenched.
To the Grand Chapter of Theta Kappa Nu, with the fraternal greetings of the author: August, 1928 Edwin Markham, 1928
The March 1937 Theta News reported that Markham had received an award of $5,000 from the Academy of American Poets. Markham had founded this organization in 1910. This award was in recognition of his distinguished service to the field of poetry. The award was approved by a committee composed of prominent people like Eugene O’Neill, Mrs. Calvin (Grace) Coolidge, and Mrs. James (Betsy) Roosevelt. He was 84 years of age at the time he received this honor. Conclusion Markham was a prolific poet and successful lecturer for more than 40 years. During his lifetime, he maintained a vast correspondence with such well know people as Ambrose Bierce, Jack London, Amy Lowell, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and Carl Sandberg.
Later I discovered that Markham was a charter member of the Theta Kappa Nu chapter at Rollins College. Obviously, he was initiated as an associate member of Theta Kappa Nu. After all, Markham was 72-years-old at the time of his initiation.
Markham suffered a stroke in 1936. He never fully recovered and eventually died in 1940, at his home in Staten Island, New York.
Once a Theta Nu, he often visited chapter houses while on his extended lecture and poetry tours of the country. His visits were frequently covered in the Theta News magazine.
He left his collection of over 15,000 books, unpublished manuscripts, documents, and personal letters to the Edwin Markham Archives of the Herrmann Library at Wagner College in New York City, New York.
In 1933, Theta News documented two of his visits. One visit was to The Theta Kappa Nu California Alpha chapter in late 1933, where Markham attended a University Club dinner in Pasadena, California, organized by the chapter. It was noted that “...Markham once again displayed his keen interest in the members of the Fraternity and their activities.”
As a postscript, The Ballad of the Gallows Bird, written in 1896, was published for the first time by the Antioch Press in 1960.
Earlier in 1933, “America’s uncrowned poet laureate” visited the Theta Kappa Nu New York Beta (Alfred) chapter to read and comment on his poetry to the faculty and students of the college.
The crest and crowning of all good — Life’s final star, is Brotherhood Edwin Markham
According to Theta News “...Brother Markham arrived at the house about five o’clock in the afternoon giving the fellows the opportunity of having an informal and interesting chat with him preceding dinner. The conversation, for the most part, dealt with the history of Theta Kappa Nu, with the various chapters that Brother Markham had visited in his travels, and his many and interesting experiences during his eventful life.”
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Cross & Crescent
August 2007
FEATURE
Caterpillar’s Top Exec In 2006, under the leadership of CEO and Chairman Jim Owens, Caterpillar had more than $41.5 billion in sales and revenue and ranked No. 55 on the Fortune 500 list.
By Tad Lichtenauer (Butler 1987)
In 2006, under the leadership of CEO and Chairman James W. Owens (North Carolina State 1968), Caterpillar Inc. had more than $41.5 billion in sales and revenue and was ranked No. 55 on the Fortune 500 list.
February 1, 2004.
The 2006 results reflected more than an $11 billion, or 28 percent, increase in sales and revenue from 2005.
“I was just very fortunate to be in the right place, and to have a lot of opportunities to do very interesting work and to continue to learn about the company and the global economy and this business, and to get promoted along the way,” Owens says.
“I think it’s a terrific opportunity to play quarterback for one of the world’s great companies,” he says. The company has a long tradition of promoting and developing leaders from within its ranks. Senior management strives to put employees into different circumstances, in different parts of the world, with different business units, different functions, to test an individual’s capabilities and leadership skills.
Small Town Roots Owens grew up in Elizabeth City, North Carolina, a small town near the Atlantic Ocean.
Headquartered in Peoria, Illinois, Caterpillar is the world’s leading manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, and industrial gas turbines.
When it came time to consider his college options, Owens says in North Carolina there were really only four: North Carolina State University, University of North Carolina, Duke University, and Wake Forest University. Because of its reputation for math and science, Owens chose North Carolina State. Even though he wasn’t pressured to attend college, Owens became the first in his family to do so.
From Within In 1972, Owens joined Caterpillar as a corporate economist. During the past 35 years, he has advanced through the company serving in various global management positions.
He wound up staying at North Carolina State for eight years — earning three degrees, getting married, and becoming a father. “Caterpillar found me,” is how Owens says he first learned about the company while finishing his doctoral degree in economics.
After expanding his leadership skills in different Caterpillar office locations, Owens returned to the company headquarters in 1993, and was appointed vice president and chief financial officer with administrative responsibility for the Corporate Services Division.
At the time, Caterpillar’s chief economist had been involved with the university’s Statistics Institute and the dean of the economics department.
In 1995, he was then named a group president and member of Caterpillar’s executive office. In the next eight years as a group president, Owens was at various times responsible for 13 of the company’s 25 divisions. In December 2003, the Caterpillar board of directors named Owens vice chairman and appointed him chairman and CEO effective
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FEATURE The Caterpillar executive selected Owens out of a catalog of graduate students because of his combined interest in economics and business.
Effective globalization also encompasses the need for a thoughtful immigration policy, which our political system seems to be fighting.
Even though Owens already had multiple good job offers on the East Coast, he agreed to meet with Caterpillar and eventually visited the headquarters, making his first trip to the Midwest.
“I believe more people have been lifted out of poverty by globalization and opening markets than by the sum of all the charities by a factor of many,” he says. As a testament to Caterpillar’s support of globalization, about half of the company’s products made in the United States are exported. Those exports accounted for $10.5 billion in 2006.
“I was attracted to the company because I was very impressed with the way they used professional economists to do macro-economic outlooks and econometric modeling right down to the scheduling of large capital equipment in a plant,” he says.
Terrific Insights When Owens enrolled at North Carolina State, he knew several high school friends who had already joined Lambda Chi Alpha.
As a way to best leverage his graduate education, and because Caterpillar paid better, Owens took the job.
He says that his freshman year was a bit overwhelming, but the Fraternity helped him maintain his grades and overall gave him a “spectacular experience.”
“At the time I assumed I’d be here for three or four years, learn a lot about my profession, and would move back to the East Coast again,” he says.
During his sophomore year, Owens was elected social chairman, a position he held for three years. “I knew every band in the Southeast,” he says. He also was on the executive committee and says the Fraternity experiences gave him terrific insights, advantages, and lifelong relationships.
Free Trade Champion One of Owens’ other passions, in addition to his work with the United Way and other charitable organizations, is championing the cause for increased global trade.
In the middle of his undergraduate years, Owens got married and had a son, quickly shifting his priorities.
“Nationally, my big interest quite frankly is trade and globalization,” he says. “I feel very strongly about it as a professional economist, as an American, and certainly as a chairman of a major company that participates in a global economy.”
The chapter benefited from his priority shift as he even had made a more significant impact on the overall chapter GPA.
He says the United States has to win and compete in the world market in order to continue to be a great country in 2050. With only five percent of the world’s population, U.S. companies will not be able to compete in the long term by encouraging protectionist policies.
He still stays in touch with a number of brothers and sees many of them every year at an annual North Carolina State alumni football event hosted by John Kanipe (North Carolina State 1963). Company Steward Owens is currently 61 years old, and the company has mandatory retirement at age 65. He won’t say when his last day will be, but he knows that his job as company steward isn’t over just yet.
“There’s tremendous apprehension among the public, fed by and flamed by the politicians for short-term votes, which I think is a bit of a tragedy,” he says. “I think the business leadership in our country has got to speak out more forcefully and articulately about the benefits of trade, the win-win aspect of trade.”
“I inherited a very good company and I hope to leave an even better company,” he says. “I recognize that essentially I’m the steward of the shareholders interest, and of the men and women who built this company, over the years for the five to seven years that I serve as chairman.”
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FEATURE
Pharmacy President, Chapter Adviser Tim Tucker, a community pharmacist, was elected as the 2008 president of the 60,000-member American Pharmacists Association. By Tad Lichtenauer (Butler 1987) Timothy L. Tucker lives to serve and help others.
“Our customers are our family and we treat them as our family,” he says. “We spend hours and hours and hours talking to patients.”
“This is what makes me tick,” he says. “This is what makes me get up in the morning. This is just what I do.”
Industry Spokesperson Tucker was elected 2008 president of the 60,000member APhA, and will serve as president-elect until he officially becomes president in March 2008.
Whether it’s little league association president, city councilman, Fraternity chapter adviser, college professor, charity organizer, community pharmacist, or as the newly elected American Pharmacists Association president, Tucker (Union-TN 1986) defines himself as a public servant.
In his role, he will be the spokesperson for American pharmacy, traveling around the world and speaking to a wide variety of audiences. “Any opportunity I have to promote our profession in any venue, whether it be regulators, whether it be the public - any venue that they’ll let me speak, or to be seen, or to be heard — that’s where I’ll be for the next three years.” Tucker says he won his election based on the philosophies of being very patient- and family-oriented.
“You know I have a servant’s heart,” he says. “People ask why I give so much. I guarantee you that I get much more in return than I’ve given.”
“I think probably my biggest message is while change is inevitable, it’s got to be change that is manageable,” he says. “The changes that are occurring are happening so fast...it’s not one thing like it’s been in the past where we could deal with one obstacle and get over it.” Tucker decided early on in his pharmacy career, if he wanted to have an impact on how the changes to health care were implemented, he needed to get involved.
Community Pharmacy Owner Upon graduating from the University of Tennessee with a Doctor of Pharmacy degree in 1988, Tucker joined the family-owned City Drug Co. in Huntingdon, Tennessee, which his dad started in 1965.
“In today’s ever-changing health care environment, every day is a little different and we face new challenges and new opportunities,” he says. “It’s neat to be on the side that I am where most of the opportunities that we face I’ve been at that table making those decision, or helping make those decisions.”
Upon his father’s retirement, Tucker and his brother became the two principals in the business. A rare commodity in today’s world, the success and survival of independent pharmacies is one of Tucker’s passions.
In addition to being APhA president and board of trustees member, Tucker also has served as president and speaker of the house of the Tennessee Pharmacists Association, and president of the Tennessee Board of Pharmacy.
“It’s very important to us that our customers are taken care of,” he says. “My dad taught all of my family early on that if we would take care of people then people would take care of us. And that has definitely proven to be very, very, very true.”
He also has testified before the U.S. House of Representatives Government Reform Committee on implementing Medicare Part D, and before the U.S. Senate Finance Committee regarding community pharmacy contract negotiations.
City Drug is open 363 days a year and Tucker is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
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FEATURE Unbelievable Experience, Unbelievable Men Tucker lives approximately 30 minutes from Jackson, Tennessee, where Union University is located. He chose the school for his undergraduate work because he liked the atmosphere and campus life. He joined Lambda Chi Alpha his freshmen year, convincing his parents the Fraternity was unlike any other. St. Louis-Pharmacy Chapter Success
“It was a group of men that would let me be a part of them and to become a better man,” he says. “It was a group of men that cared about me if I was struggling, they wanted to struggle with me. If I was happy, they wanted to celebrate with me.”
Founded in 1864, the St. Louis College of Pharmacy is the oldest college of pharmacy west of the Mississippi River. In the fall of 2004, Lambda Chi Alpha became the first general social fraternity to open a chapter at the college.
As Tucker finished his undergraduate work and began his pharmacy studies at the University of Memphis, he continued to stay in touch the Union chapter members.
With support from area Fraternity alumni and the college’s administration, Headquarters staff members recruited 20 students and the colony was on its way to success.
When he moved back home in 1987, the chapter adviser at the time asked him to take over his role. Tucker jumped at the chance to have a continuing opportunity to be a part of the chapter’s progression.
The St. Louis-Pharmacy chapter is comprised strictly of students who are in a challenging six-year Doctorate of Pharmacy degree program. Since the beginning, chapter members have consistently remained very active in the local community, including volunteering at Barnes Jewish Hospital.
“Absolutely the most unbelievable experience of my life,” he says. “To watch great young men come in as freshman but to be very, very immature, and to watch them over four years become unbelievable men who have a huge impact on society.”
In addition, chapter members have been recognized for overall campus involvement, and were crowned the 2007 indoor soccer, outdoor soccer, and basketball champions. They also earned first place in the 2007 Homecoming competition.
Over the years, many undergraduates and alumni have asked him what motivates him to remain chapter adviser with all his other commitments.
The success of this unique chapter is another great example of how Lambda Chi Alpha prides itself on being one of the fraternity world’s most progressive organization.
“I can never give back to them what they’ve given to me,” Tucker says. “Over the 20 years, I cannot express to you the number of young men that have essentially become my children.”
Next Political Office Twenty years ago, Tucker told his classmates that he wanted to be the APhA president some day and they all laughed at him. They don’t laugh at him anymore.
Like his pharmacy customers, Tucker says he is there for the undergraduate members 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
After his APhA presidency is done, he says there has been some discussion in Tennessee about possibly having him make a bid for governor.
“It amazes me to watch what Lambda Chi can do for young men,” he says. “We are definitely not perfect but we try to live ritual. We stumble every day, we make mistakes, and we have to ask for forgiveness.”
“Another goal that I have that I’m not sure is as realistic as the other goals...is to be the governor of Tennessee,” he says.
In 1998, Tucker was recognized for his efforts by being awarded the Order of Merit at the General Assembly held in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Unlike the APhA presidency, there is one other person who may hold the final vote about whether he runs for governor.
“It was a very humbling experience because at the time I was in my early 30s, and most of the other men being recognized were in their 40s, and 50s, and 60s,” he says. “To think that I was even partially worthy of recognition for something like that, compared to the other individuals that were being recognized, was a little overwhelming.”
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“My wife tells me if I run for governor, it will be with my next wife,” Tucker says.
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