Cross & Crescent a Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity publication
INSIDE:
Salute to Dick Rubottom A Giving Man
U.S. Lacrosse Exec
D’Alvia Wants to “Bring It Home”
Flying Man
Bill Auld, Flying Director
Successful “Call to Lead” Campaign May 2007 . XCIV . Issue 5
Cross & Crescent a Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity publication Features Chapter News 3 Chapter and Alumni News Fraternity News 6 Successful “Call to Lead” Campaign History 8 Pledge/Associate Member Pin Evolution (Part I)
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Salute to Dick Rubottom Retired and living in Texas, Rubottom served as the Fraternity’s seventh traveling secretary. In addition to a successful career in the foreign service and as a college administrator, he served on the Grand High Zeta, Educational Foundation, and is an Order of Achievment recipient. By Tad Lichtenauer
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U.S. Lacrosse Exec At this month’s 2007 ILF World Indoor Lacrosse Championship in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Graham D’Alvia hopes the U.S. Indoor Lacrosse team will “Bring It Home.” With the U.S. team beaten by Canada in the 2006 outdoor championship finals, the U.S. indoor team has extra motivation. By Tad Lichtenauer
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Credits
Flying Man Whether Bill Auld is jumping out of airplanes or flying performers across stages, he knows there is no margin for error. As a flying director for Hall Associates Flying Effects, he recently made his Broadway debut with “Lookingglass Alice.” By Tad Lichtenauer 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 May2007
CHAPTER NEWS
Chapter News Chapter news, alumni news, and reports of death Bowling Green State (Phi-Mu)
Tony Dunn (1981) won the IFC Outstanding Alumni Support Award.
On April 19, 2007, more than 100 students and faculty members attended a memorial service to commemorate the one-year anniversary of former chapter President Thomas D. Hayn’s (2006) death. He was killed in a car accident by a drunk driver in his hometown of Parma, Ohio.
Florida International (Pi-Phi)
The chapter won the 2006 Greek Awards for Academic Achievement, Most Outstanding IFC Conduct, Most Outstanding New Member Program, Most Improved Chapter, and the FIU Southern Challenge, a competition consisting of mechanical bull riding, tug of war, speed ball, sumo wrestling, and spirit competition.
Cal State-Northridge (Beta-Rho)
Alumni and chapter members gathered at the Canoga Park Bowling Alley on March 3, 2007, for bowling and brotherhood. Alumni in attendance included Cesar Ayllon (2006), Rick Childs (1978), Tom Lawrence (Northwestern 1959), Dustin Mirochnick (2004), Mike Press (2006), Sam Renbarger, Spencer Schmerling (1991), and Ricky Trevino (2006).
George Washington (Delta-Xi)
The chapter hosted its annual Watermelon Fest with a goal of donating 1,000 pounds of canned goods and at least $300 to the Capital Area Food Bank.
Georgetown (Kappa-Omega)
Remy Okonkwo (2010) died March 31, 2007. He was a member of the school’s junior varsity basketball team.
Central Florida (Beta-Eta)
Daniel Montplaisir (1990) was named vice president for institutional advancement at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. He previously served as the director of alumni relations and development for Crummer Graduate School of Business at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida. Montplaisir served on the Fraternity staff from 1992 to 1997, both as an ELC and as director of development and vice president for advancement for the Educational Foundation.
Great Plains Conclave
Great Plains ConclaveIowa State chapter members hosted the Great Plains Conclave. With 40 brothers from seven chapters participating, the event included Impact 1 & 2 along with programming workshops from the Iowa State IFC. Alumni coaches included Jeff Emrich (Iowa 1980), Bo Gebbie (Evansville 2002), Ken Schultz (Iowa State 1964), and ELC David Orr (Arkansas 2006).
Coe (Zelta-Alpha)
Dr. Gerardo Santiago (1982), a pediatric dental specialist, was named the 2007 N Good Hearted Man by the N Media Group for his volunteer efforts to provide dental services to underserved children. Santiago has a private practice for children’s dentistry in Naples, Florida.
Illinois State (Beta-Omicron)
During the fall 2006 semester, the chapter helped contribute to raising $23,000 and more than 1,034 volunteer services hours performed by the Greek organizations on campus.
Florida (Epsilon-Mu)
More than 30 alumni attended a chapter Founding Fathers Reunion on March 24, 2007. An informal gathering was held at the chapter house, followed by a dinner and reception later that evening.
The chapter won the IFC award for Most Improved Chapter, Outstanding Collaboration, and Outstanding Community Services for the work with the city children’s recreation center. Former chapter President Brian Towers (2006) received the IFC Chapter President of the Year and IFC Greek Man of the Year awards. www.crossandcrescent.com
Cross & Crescent
May 2007
CHAPTER NEWS
Kansas (Zeta-Iota)
Oklahoma City (Theta-Delta)
B.H. “Pete” Fairchild (1963), the Lorraine Sherley Professor of Literature at Texas Christian University and Kansas’ greatest living poet, was honored by the university at a reception and poetry reading on April 13, 2007. A number of alumni and undergraduates attended the event.
Chapter members won both the Homecoming competition and Spring Sing.
Oklahoma State (Alpha-Eta)
Louisiana-Lafayette (Iota-Omega)
As a part of WBF Productions, Blake Follis (2007) co-manages fraternity and sorority concerts by entertainer and recording artist DJ $crilla.
Josh Michaels, Andy Merrett, and Jason Boyd were elected SGA senators for the College of Business. Jamey Arnette, a current SGA senator for the College of Liberal Arts, was elected as vice president.
Oregon (Zeta-Omicron)
The chapter earned a 3.0 GPA for the winter 2007 semester, higher than the all-men’s average.
Michigan (Sigma)
The chapter received an honorable mention for the 2007 Outstanding Student Organization Award.
Pittsburg State (Lambda-Chi)
Murray State (Lambda-Eta)
On April 14, 2007, chapter members participated in the annual Big Event, a volunteer program designed to do good deeds in the community.
Cody J. Brahm (2004) died March 15, 2007.
Nebraska-Omaha (Iota-Delta)
Purdue (Psi)
Kenneth C. Borcher (1953) died March 20, 2007. He was a chapter founding father.
David W. Rankin (1941) died December 8, 2006. A World War II veteran where he served as a fighter pilot, he was Purdue University’s head track and field coach from 1946 to 1981. He earned All-American honors in football in 1939 and 1940, and was a member of the “Sports Illustrated” Silver Anniversary Football All-American team in 1965. In 1993, Purdue’s track and field facility was named in his honor.
North Texas (Iota-Zeta)
The chapter won numerous awards at the 2007 Greek Awards banquet, including Best Overall Fall Chapter GPA, 1st place in Intramurals, and Chapter of the Year for the second consecutive year.
Rhode Island (Eta)
In support of the North American Food Drive, chapter members collected nearly 700 cans during its first Bowling for Soup philanthropy project.
Gary Point (2008) joined the Society of Success, a society designed to encourage leadership among college students. He also tied for second place in the under 2000 section of the 2007 Foxwoods Open Chess Tournament and won a $900 prize.
Pat Van Burkleo (1980), executive director for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Baton Rouge, Louisiana, received the John W. Barton Sr. Excellence in Nonprofit Management Award from the Baton Rouge Area Foundation during their annual meeting. Van Burkleo served as an ELC from 1983 to 1985.
Rose-Hulman (Theta-Kappa)
Northeastern State (Delta-Beta)
Alfred R. Schmidt (1948) died January 2, 2007. A World War II veteran, he spent 46 years as a distinguished professor of mathematics at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and retired in 1995. University officials named the Alfred R. Schmidt Freshman Mathematics Competition in his honor. A Fraternity chapter adviser for 21 years, Schmidt was awarded the Order of Merit in 1964.
The chapter participated in the Big Event, a community clean-up sponsored by the university. The chapter also held its first All Sorority Fight Night, a self defense class taught by Danny Demoss (1998). The chapter was crowned 2007 Greek Week champions.
Northwestern (Alpha-Iota)
San Antonio Alumni Association
William O. Farber (1932) died March 24, 2007. A World War II veteran, Farber was the chairman of the Department of Political Science at the University of South Dakota for 38 years.
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Chapter members from St. Mary’s University, University of Texas-San Antonio, and the University of Incarnate Word, along with alumni members from the San Antonio Alumni Association, gathered together for the inaugural White Rose
Cross & Crescent
May 2007
Gala at Incarnate Word. San Antonio City Councilman Christopher “Chip” Haass (Texas Christian 2000) and Grand High Phi Hon. Terry Means (Southern Methodist 1971) gave inspirational speeches, followed by the simultaneous installation of new chapter officers from the three chapters.
CHAPTER NEWS
Spring Hill (Delta-Delta)
The chapter was named best Greek organization at the annual Student Life Recognition Reception. Chapter Adviser Rev. Michael Williams was named best student organization adviser.
Simpson (Theta-Lambda)
Members implemented a new study program that helped the chapter earn above a 3.0 GPA for the fall 2007 semester, higher than all other fraternities on campus.
Colby Melvin (2010), who is currently freshman class president, won the Freshman Leadership Cup and was elected SGA sophomore senator.
Wayne S. Chinn (1969) died March 27, 2007. He was a vice president investment banker for Continental Bank and Chase Manhattan Bank.
The chapter sponsored a food drive and donated 475 pounds of food for the Mary Abbie Berg Center to benefit local seniors in need.
Southern California (Zeta-Delta)
St. Joseph’s (Phi-Lambda)
The chapter won three awards at the 2007 Greek Awards.
During spring break, Michael Williams, Patrick Kilcullen, Nate Morris, and Andrew McNamara participated in the St. Joseph’s University Appalachian Experience, a community service program that sends students to the Appalachian region to repair houses, schools, and community centers.
The IFC Parents Council gave the chapter an award for cleanest women’s washroom. The chapter won the Overall Improvement Award and the Dean Joan Schaefer Scholarship Programming Award from the Office of Greek Life.
Tennessee-Chattanooga (Zeta-Phi)
Bill Staley was elected SGA president and Clint Daniel SGA treasurer for 2007.
Southeast Missouri State (Delta-Phi)
Chapter members donated $140 and won six awards in the annual Crazy Bowl Tournament for the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Awards won included: 1st Best Costume, 3rd Best Costume, Best Series, Highest Strikes, Highest Spares, and Best Involvement from a Group.
Truman State (Phi-Psi)
The chapter held its 2007 Scott Sifferd Memorial Fishing Tournament on April 21, 2007. Scott Sifferd (1998) was killed while helping a motorist, and money raised was donated to the Lambda Chi Alpha Educational Foundation and the Conservation Federation of Missouri.
The chapter also raised $270 for the Big Brothers Big Sisters during its annual Car Wash For Kids with the women of Delta Delta Delta sorority.
Virginia Tech (Sigma-Lambda)
George Gasser (2008) was elected SGA president and Joe Gholson (2009) was elected vice president.
All chapter members were reported safe after the campus shootings on April 16, 2007. One brother’s girlfriend was injured and is currently recovering. Many chapter presidents throughout the country extended their thoughts and prayers through emails and phone calls to the chapter.
Southeastern Oklahoma (Pi-Sigma)
Clifford Cox and Dane Cunningham (2008) were selected for the 2006–2007 Oklahoma All-Collegiate Choir. At the spring concert on March 31, 2007, Cox sang a solo of “Loch Lomond” to end the performance.
Southern Indiana (Phi-Xi)
Wabash (Alpha-Kappa)
The chapter held its annual, three-day teeter-totter-a-thon at a local Grandy’s restaurant. Proceeds raised went to William Pfingston, a young boy who was seriously hurt during a 2005 tornado.
The chapter earned a 3.17 GPA for the fall 2007 semester, placing third among all fraternities.
Western Carolina (Beta-Zeta)
Kevin R. Vasquez (1978) was elected chairman of the board for the Butler Animal Health Supply. He also serves as the company’s president and CEO.
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Cross & Crescent
May 2007
FRATERNITY NEWS
Successful “Call to Lead” Campaign Fraternity’s first major fund-raising campaign generates nearly $6.7 million. At the 2004 General Assembly, Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity launched the “Call to Lead” campaign, the first major fund-raising campaign in our Fraternity’s history. Our stated goal was to raise $6.5 million.
goals for the campaign, I have experienced firsthand the lifelong bond that abides in Lambda Chi Alpha. With the help of a relatively small number of our brothers, many of whom have made sacrificial contributions that go “above and beyond,” I am pleased to announce that we have exceeded our $6.5 million goal by nearly $200,000, and that we have now successfully closed the “Call to Lead” campaign.
These monies were to be used to fund leadership development programs, provide scholarships, fund alumni and chapter adviser training programs, and provide funds for individual chapters as designated by the donors.
We could not have achieved these results without the efforts of a number of people, both Fraternity Staff and alumni.
I was honored to be asked to chair this important campaign, with the support of a campaign cabinet comprised of some of our Fraternity’s most dedicated and hard-working brothers.
Going Above and Beyond I wish to recognize Educational Foundation President and CEO Mark Bauer (California State-Fullerton 1979), as well as his assistants, former Director of Development Rob Walker (Western Ontario 1999), Executive Assistant Teresa Carlson, and Director of Annual Giving Amy Posavac, for their tireless work behind the scenes. They have been a joy to work with.
I would be less than honest if I did not tell you we had significant misgivings about our prospects for success at the campaign’s start. Lambda Chi Alpha has not done a good job over the years keeping in contact with our alumni members and offering them opportunities to stay involved with our Fraternity.
Pat Ryan (Kentucky 1962), a principal of Skystone Ryan and our campaign adviser, provided outstanding service and guidance, and we offer him our sincere thanks as well.
We wondered whether we should take some time to improve communications with our alumni before undertaking this campaign. In addition, we were facing financial challenges as an organization when this campaign began. We were concerned that the campaign would be misperceived simply as a device to generate cash flow to meet current obligations.
Also, since his arrival as our new executive vice president in July 2005, Bill Farkas (Butler 1988) has played an invaluable role in focusing us on the future and giving our entire organization a positive feeling about where we are going. Our success in the campaign owes much to Farkas and his positive vision.
In the campaign’s early stages, we also were in the midst of significant leadership changes in the General Fraternity. These changes were already putting pressure on Fraternity staff, a number of our alumni volunteers, and created some uncertainty as to future policy direction.
But the real thanks must go to the selfless volunteers who have given this campaign so much of their time and talent. I wish to recognize former Educational Foundation Chairman Jerre Stead (Coe 1965) and current Chairman Gregg Behrens (Iowa State 1974) for their inspiring leadership and extraordinarily generous donations to the campaign.
Tremendous Alumni Response Despite teh challenges we elected to proceed, and the results have been a true testament to a heartfelt commitment to this Fraternity on the part of our alumni.
The rest of the campaign cabinet also deserves recognition for their efforts and contributions in making this campaign a success, including past Grand High Alpha Ted Grossnickle (Wabash 1973),
As I have traveled the country meeting with our brothers and discussing the current state of our Fraternity and our
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By Lynn Chipperfield (Drury 1973)
Cross & Crescent
May 2007
FRATERNITY NEWS
Lambda Chi Alpha Properties Chairman Larry Mansfield (Mansfield 1983), and 2006 Order of Merit recipient Ron Neville (Drury 1969).
The monies raised will be used to strengthen chapter leadership training, provide recruitment scholarships, and give our alumni the opportunity to continue their involvement and realize the benefits of membership.
And lastly, I want to acknowledge the many brothers who responded to this campaign with donations that exemplified the best in Lambda Chi Alpha’s high ideals.
All of these are important practical results of our success.
Our Fraternity has already recognized two of these brothers for the magnitude of their contributions. At the 2006 General Assembly, we announced that our leadership seminars for the next 20 years will be named The Jerre L. and Mary Joy Stead Leadership Seminar.
More Than Just Money We have found that the success of this campaign goes well beyond mere financial issues. Approximately 700 personal visits with alumni were made in the course of this campaign, giving us the opportunity to bring them up to date on the great things happening in our Fraternity.
At the January 2007 Winter Brotherhood Retreat in New Braunfels, Texas, the Grand High Zeta voted that the Fraternity will host the Ronald A. Neville Alumni Adviser’s College at general assemblies and leadership seminars for the next 10 years as well.
As we have reached out to our alumni across the country we have seen a re-engagement with Lambda Chi Alpha that will produce significant benefits for years to come. We have seen an outpouring of commitment that will inspire our members —undergraduate and alumni alike — to see firsthand a tangible demonstration of our values and ideals.
We will offer appropriate appreciation to all of our members who have contributed so selflessly to this campaign by way of recognition at the upcoming 2007 Leadership Seminar in Memphis, Tennessee, and by way of a plaque at Headquarters.
We started this campaign with the belief that Lambda Chi Alpha has always been a leader in the Greek world and with the determination that we would honor that legacy with a successful fund-raising drive.
Leaders Answer the Call Since this has been designated the “Call to Lead” campaign, you may be wondering how broadly the rest of your Fraternity’s current and former leadership have participated.
In the end, we have proven — as much to ourselves as to the rest of our peers — that we were right.
In this regard, consider the following: current and former Grand High Zeta members gave $530,000; current and former Fraternity staff members gave $550,000; Order of Merit recipients gave $940,000; Order of Achievement recipients gave $1.6 million; and, current and former Foundation board members gave $3.1 million.
Lambda Chi Alpha is and will continue to be a leader in the Greek world, proving once again that we are an organization of lofty goals and great achievement. All of us have every right to be proud of our Fraternity. Jack Mason (Pennsylvania 1913) recognized that we are an organization of high ideals, but he cautioned that those ideals are mere platitudes unless we turn our ideals into action.
In total, we have received more than 1,000 individual gifts, with 16 of those gifts being $100,000 or more. Without question, your Fraternity’s current and former leadership has stepped forward to answer the call. In fact, these contributions to the campaign raised the assets of the Lambda Chi Alpha Educational Foundation to more than $5 million.
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Sincere thanks to all of our brothers who have responded to Mason’s vision, and who have so resoundingly answered this “Call to Lead.” Graph Illustration by Jeff Jeff Reisdorfer. All Rights Reserved.
Cross & Crescent
May 2007
HISTORY
Pledge/Associate Member Pin Evolution (Part I) A look at our early pledge/associate pin designs and the key roles played by notable brothers and chapters. “A man who has agreed to join a college fraternity is usually known as a pledge. This term is used in Lambda Chi Alpha, but pledges of this Fraternity are specifically known among members as pledges, or aspirants; that is, those who aspire.”
By Jono Hren (Florida Tech 1975)
wide. “These ribbons we place one over the other so that the edges of each just shows and run them through the pledged man’s buttonhole and tie them on the back of the coat lapel,” Cole wrote. Recognizing the urgency of a real pledge pin, Cole immediately set upon designing one, making sketches — including one of his law fraternity Gamma Eta Gamma — on the back of the very same letter he had received from Johnson. In November 1912, referring to the installation of the chapter at Brown University, Cole noted, “We had sixteen charter members and have pledge ribbons upon seven men in college.” Ribbons were indeed used.
So it is written in early editions of the Paedagogus. Since 1972, the term “associate member” has replaced the word “pledge” along with most of its earlier connotations. For the purposes of this article on the emblems of an aspirant, I shall use the terminology in effect during the time period being discussed. Although not every member owns an official badge, virtually all of the more than 250,000 initiates of Lambda Chi Alpha (except chapter founders and honoraries) have proudly worn either a pledge button or an associate member pin.
Lambda Chi Alpha’s first pledge pin was triangular in outline with the three Greek letters within the points. It is not known which letter was at the top, for no examples are known to exist, but a dozen pins were made in Providence, Rhode Island, and sent to the Massachusetts chapter, which may have been the only chapter to have used that particular design. In December 1912, a radically new form was already under consideration.
Thus, its significance is relevant to each one of us. Initially Made with Ribbons While today’s associate member pins are most often pinned on a shirt, college men in the first half of the 20th century commonly wore jackets and ties to social and sporting events, as well as to class.
Mason’s Influence John E. Mason (Pennsylvania 1913), creator of much of our insignia, was responsible for the pledge pin that would predominate for the next quarter century. Oddly enough, it was not intended to be a pledge button, but as an alumni pin for those who didn’t want the expense of paying for a badge.
All pledge pins, therefore, were made with a threaded post and were affixed to the left coat lapel through a buttonhole and secured by a brass disc screwed onto the back.
He submitted two sketches to Cole - the second was later used as the friendship pin. Mason’s graceful geometric arch encompassed the Fraternity’s letters within the classic lines suggestive of a Gothic window. Cole quickly approved it.
When Rollin Johnson (Massachusetts) inquired in September 1912, about getting a supply of pledge pins for the newly installed chapter at Massachusetts Agricultural College (now the University of Massachusetts), the response from Warren A. Cole (Boston 1912) was not what he had expected.
In January 1913, with the chapter at Penn State University clamoring for the 35-cent triangular pins they’d heard about, Cole advised them they were discontinued and placed an order for the new pins.
Cole instructed him to use strips of royal purple, gold, and olive green ribbons, each about three inches long and a quarter inch
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On March 3, 1913, six of the first 12 pins were sent to the men of Penn State at a cost of 75 cents each.
Cross & Crescent
May 2007
HISTORY
Early Jewelers It is quite possible the Thomae Company of Attleboro, Massachusetts, was the first to produce these pins. Examples bearing the Thomae Co. name exist, but are shorter and fatter-looking (3/8”) than Mason’s original sketch and later versions of the pin.
Early Jeweler Still Shines One of the Lambda Chi pledge pin jewelers was the Thomae Company of Attleboro, Massachusetts. In 1920, the company’s name was changed to Charles Thomae & Son, Inc., and today it is still in business. Started by Charles G. Thomae and his son Charles Thomae, the company made sterling silver novelties and toiletware, enameled novelties and toiletware, silver and gold stripe novelties and gold and silver medals.
In 1920, the company’s name was changed to Charles Thomae & Son, Inc., hence the pins bearing the earlier name would have been made between 1913 and 1920.
Today, the third generation of Thomaes, Charles F. Thomae, is in charge and the firm now sells through retail stores, which imprint many of Thomae’s products with their own names.
Although a depiction of Mason’s taller, thinner design appeared in the January 1915, Purple, Green and Gold magazine, the proportions of the Thomae pin were published as a graphic in Baird’s Manual of American College Fraternities from 1920 through 1933. Some were printed upside down.
A few of the company’s other noteworthy achievements since its beginnings, include making:
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A sterling silver telephone and hand set cover in 1943, for Mary Pickford, the most famous actress of the silent films and a founder of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
The Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, jewelers Hoover and Smith are also thought to have made early versions, perhaps at the request of the chapter at the University of Pennsylvania.
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20,000 sterling silver Boatswain’s whistles for the U.S. Navy in the 1970s.
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18,000 silver money clips adorned with Susan B. Anthony dollar coins in 1982, one of the largest orders in the company’s history.
It is believed that when the L.G. Balfour Company, also of Attleboro, Massachusetts, became the Fraternity’s official jeweler in 1920, they took over the production of the pledge pin. The Balfour pins, measuring 7/16” in height, more closely resembled Mason’s original design, but may also have been made in several different versions.
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A full-size silver replica of the Quaker Oats cereal box to commemorate the retirement of that company’s chairman in 1982.
in the design, yet it bears plenty of hidden significance, and enough secret symbolism to delight the most ardent yearner for the mystical.” Today’s associate member pin was formed by combining the badge of Theta Kappa Nu and the above-mentioned Lambda Chi pledge pin — an easy, straightforward task. Or was it? The answer may surprise you.
Theta Kappa Nu Impact By the merger between Lambda Chi Alpha and Theta Kappa Nu in 1939, the pledge pin — still being made by Balfour — had served the Fraternity for more than 26 years, even though it was actually the third insignia worn by aspirants since our founding.
We will take a look at the further evolution of the emblem of an aspirant next month in Part II.
In the January 1915, Purple, Green and Gold, Louis F. Robbins (Brown 1912) praised the venerable pin, even though it was relatively new. ”Very often the pledge pin seems to have been slighted by fraternity designers, but we do not feel that this is the case with our own. It is considered one of our best designed emblems. It has individuality in the Gothic quality of its pattern, and is entirely original in conception. The fraternity letters are clearly discernible
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Cross & Crescent
May 2007
FEATURE
Salute to Dick Rubottom Rubottom served as the Fraternity’s seventh traveling secretary, and has continued his service to the Fraternity his whole life. By Tad Lichtenauer (Butler 1987) Retired and living in texas, R. Richard Rubottom (Southern Methodist 1929) served as the Fraternity’s seventh full-time traveling secretary (educational leadership consultant) from 1933 to 1935.
they gave us our grades, and we had to figure out our averages. I was the honor graduate by two tenths of a point. That’s the way I got to SMU — it was a wonderful place for me to go.”
Hired by Clair L. Pepperd (Oregon State 1927) in 1933, Rubottom succeeded Reuben C. Youngquist (Washington State 1928) who had decided to leave the Fraternity staff to pursue his law degree.
While at SMU, a few brothers invited Rubottom to go to the Lambda Chi house, where he met several more brothers, including All-American football player Logan Ford (Southern Methodist 1924) and Jack Hogan (Southern Methodist 1931). Not surprisingly, the brothers liked Rubottom and asked him to join the Fraternity.
Rubottom says that the job as traveling secretary meant a great deal to him. He loved to travel, loved Lambda Chi, and could not believe he was able to put the two together.
“With only the $50 that my mother had given me and my job, I wasn’t about to take on the obligation of a fraternity,” Rubottom says of how he felt at the time. But after further consideration, he decided that if he was going to stay at SMU, he wanted to join a fraternity. Once he joined Lambda Chi, he quickly became a leader and eventually held many offices, including pledge captain, treasurer, vice president, and president.
“I’ve always thought it was probably the best job I ever had,” Rubottom says. “And I’ve been kicking myself now for about 75 years for retiring too soon. It was a wonderful, wonderful job.”
Rubottom also was sophomore class president, sports editor, associate editor, and eventually editor of the SMU newspaper.
As a traveling secretary, Rubottom says he enjoyed his relationship with Bruce McIntosh (DePauw 1916), the Fraternity’s first fulltime, salaried administrative secretary and chief executive. “Bruce was definitely one of a kind,” Rubottom says. “He was always serious, hard working. He had a sense of humor but he didn’t wear it right out in front all of the time. He was a man whom I respected a great deal and looked up to.”
Serving His Country After working as a traveling secretary, a businessman, and spending four years as assistant dean of student life at the University of Texas, Rubottom worried about the possibility of World War II.
Rubottom began as a traveling secretary prior to the Theta Kappa Nu merger in 1939, so there were fewer chapters to visit but the job still required a great deal of travel.
“I was concerned about World War II long before we got into the war,” he says. “So I began a correspondence with the Navy department about a commission. I eventually got a reserve commission, as lieutenant junior grade, in the fall of 1941. And I was called to active duty immediately.”
“Mostly by train, bus if necessary,” Rubottom says. “I never minded to travel. I liked to travel. I enjoyed meeting new people and dealing with new problems.” Scholarship and Lambda Chi In 1928, when Rubottom graduated from high school in Brownwood, Texas, he didn’t have a father and his mother ran a boarding house. Even though they were poor, Rubottom excelled as a student.
Rubottom was put in charge of recruiting and training in New Orleans, Louisiana. He believes his SMU master’s degree in government helped him receive the rank of lieutenant junior grade instead of ensign. After additional assignments in Mexico and Paraguay, he left the U.S. Navy in 1946, at the rank of commander.
“I can remember being called into the office of the principal with three other fellas,” he says. “They gave us a piece of chalk,
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Cross & Crescent
May 2007
FEATURE “And that’s when I applied for the foreign service at the end of World War II,” Rubottom says. “And having that rank, and having had two jobs, one in Mexico and one in South America in the Navy, I was one of the first 10 foreign service officers recruited at the end of World War II.”
Current Foreign Service Alum Another Lambda Chi currently in foreign service is U.S. Ambassador to New Zealand and Somoa William McCormick (Boston 1964). In addition to serving as U.S. ambassador, McCormick also is the chairman emeritus of McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurants.
For the next 17 years, from 1947 to 1964, Rubottom worked for the U.S. Department of State.
In 1973, McCormick & Schmick’s began when McCormick purchased Jake’s Famous Crawfish Restaurant located in Portland, Oregon, and within the year had partnered with Doug Schmick.
After assignments in Colombia, Mexico, and Spain, Rubottom was named deputy assistant secretary of state for inter-American affairs in 1956, and assistant secretary the following year.
Today, there are 56 McCormick & Schmick’s distributed among 24 states. The company went public in July 2004 and is traded on the NASDAQ. Each year, the restaurant chain provides more than 17,000 complimentary meals to veterans visiting any McCormick & Schmick’s on Veterans Day. McCormick was awarded the Secretary’s Award by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for his contributions to, and recognition of, the nation’s veterans.
After stints as U.S. ambassador in Argentina for a year and two years at the Naval War College, Rubottom returned to SMU in 1964.
McCormick’s philanthropy and passion for the arts recently afforded him the opportunity to serve on the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities, whose honorary chairman is First Lady of the United States Laura Bush.
“I had a good career,” he says of his foreign service. “Little bit like resigning from a fraternity. I think I resigned from the foreign service a little bit too early, too.”
Alpha warm, the asset will continue to increase in value.” For his outstanding career in government service and higher education, Rubottom received the Fraternity’s Order of Achievement at the 1998 General Assembly.
Rubottom served as SMU’s vice president of life (19641967), administration (1967-1970), and planning (19701971) before leaving to become president of the University of the Americas in Puebla, Mexico, from 1971 to 1973.
Rubottom also served the Boy Scouts of America as an international adviser and delegate to four World Scout Conferences. He is a recipient of numerous scouting honors, including the Silver Buffalo, Silver Beaver, Order of the Condor, and Youth of Americas Award.
Gratification from Giving Rubottom served on the Fraternity’s Grand High Zeta from 1968 to 1976, and was a member of the board of directors of the Educational Foundation from 1977 to 1996, serving as president, vice president, and secretary.
“It is obvious that I have sought out as much constructive influence on my life as I could have, thereby avoiding negative influences,” he says.
Of his service to Lambda Chi, he said in 2000: “My interest and willingness to serve is repayment to the Fraternity for the major influence that Lambda Chi Alpha had on my life. The older one gets, the more you realize, that you become a better person, the more you give.
Past Predicts the Future In 1933, the Cross & Crescent printed an article about Rubottom’s hiring as the traveling secretary and the article poignantly foreshadowed his future career and his giving nature. “In Rubottom, the Fraternity has a man who is well-qualified from experience, character, and personality to fill his place in the administrative set-up,” the article states. “Coming highly recommended from his own school and chapter, this six-foot, blond, affable Texan has the qualities of character and ability that will win him a place in the hearts of the thousands of brothers he will meet in his travels for the Fraternity.”
“The real gratification in life is from what you give — not what you receive. The only way to keep the Fraternity alive is to continue giving. If you keep the relationship with Lambda Chi www.crossandcrescent.com
All Photos: © Copyright Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity. All Rights Reserved.
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Cross & Crescent
May 2007
FEATURE
U.S. Lacrosse Exec At this month’s 2007 ILF World Indoor Lacrosse Championship, Graham D’Alvia hopes the U.S. Indoor Lacrosse team will “Bring It Home.” By Tad Lichtenauer (Butler 1987) “Bring it Home” is the motto for this year’s men’s U.S. Indoor Lacrosse team, which plays in the 2007 ILF World Indoor Lacrosse Championship, May 14–20, 2007, in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
“Because of all my past playing and people I’ve met, assembling the management team was easier than we thought,” he says. “Finding the right coach and coaches, which is integral, was not easy but came together fairly simple.”
For the last several months, team President and General Manager Graham R. D’Alvia (Susquehanna 1990) has been busy hiring staff and coaches, and holding team tryouts.
History and Canada’s Dominance Traditionally, indoor lacrosse, also called box lacrosse, is generally played in summer on an ice hockey rink from which the ice has been removed. The playing area is called the box, in contrast to the unenclosed playing field of outdoor lacrosse.
“There’s a satisfaction in assembling the elite team that we’ve assembled,” he says. “It’s been great.”
Indoor lacrosse was invented in the 1930s, as a way to promote business for ice hockey arenas, and it became a popular version of the sport in Canada, Eastern Europe, and the United States.
About 100 participants attended four separate tryouts and when they finalized the roster, 30 of the 33 were professional players from Major League Lacrosse and the National Lacrosse League.
The first World Indoor Lacrosse Championships were held in 2003, and Canada defeated the Iroquois Nation in the final by a score of 21 to 4.
The U.S. team is one of eight teams participating in this year’s event, which occurs every four years. The other teams are Australia, Canada, Czech Republic, England, Ireland, Iroquois Nationals, and Scotland.
Historically, the United States plays better in outdoor lacrosse games and Canada typically dominates indoor. But at the 2006 outdoor championship, the Canadians beat the United States in the finals 15-10.
D’Alvia explains that when you play outdoor lacrosse it does not mean you will be a great indoor player.
“Canada beat the U.S. for the first time in 25 years,” D’Alvia says. “That was a big todo. To knock the big boy off the block.”
“It’s a different game,” he says. “Tighter quarters, more stick handling. You have to be a different breed to play indoor. So not all outdoor players play indoor, but a lot of indoor players do play the outdoor game.” Making the Pitch
So at this year’s world indoor championship, D’Alvia and the U.S. team are looking for their own upset.
In July 2006, at the outdoor World Lacrosse Championship in London, Ontario, D’Alvia played in a senior game and networked with many of the players and coaches. He and another lacrosse veteran, Kevin Finneran, decided to pitch a proposal to the U.S. Lacrosse governing organization about managing the men’s U.S. Indoor Lacrosse team.
Lacrosse in His Blood D’Alvia has been involved with lacrosse his whole life. He played lacrosse in high school in Westchester, New York, and he started a men’s club team and a women’s Division III team at Susquehanna University.
Needing the additional staffing resources, the U.S. Lacrosse organization agreed and D’Alvia and Finneran began the process of putting together the organization.
www.crossandcrescent.com
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Cross & Crescent
May 2007
FEATURE After college, he played lacrosse at various levels, mostly at the club level. In addition to his lacrosse duties, D’Alvia also owns Kradal Inc., a consulting company that sells medical software and is based in Charlotte, North Carolina. “I kind of dabbled in the professional league but didn’t really travel with the team because of my job, I was traveling too much,” he says. “I dabbled in the club level and played all around the world.” D’Alvia’s travels playing lacrosse took him to places like Japan, New Zealand, Prague, and Australia.
Lacrosse Hall of Famer
“I’ve been all over the place,” he says about his lacrosse opportunities. Sport’s Growing Popularity
As a lacrosse midfielder at Washington College, Charles B. Clark, Sr., (Washington College 1934) twice received All-Maryland honors. He also earned letters in lacrosse and football and served as Lambda Chi Alpha chapter president.
D’Alvia chuckles when asked whether a professional can earn a living today just playing lacrosse.
While studying for his doctorate, he played on the University of North Carolina Club team from 1938 to 1940, receiving All-Dixie honors in 1940.
“Back in the day, we got paid about $100 a game,” he says. “So it wasn’t very profitable. But now it is becoming profitable and it’s right at the cusp for the guys to be able to play lacrosse full-time.”
After serving in the U.S. Marines during World War II, Clark returned to Washington as chairman of the Department of History and Political Science.
However, most of the players still have other fulltime jobs and teams typically practice on Wednesday nights and play games on the weekends.
In 1948, students pleaded with Clark to help re-establish Washington’s lacrosse team. With little financial support, the hard-drilling Clark volunteered to be head coach and compiled a 75-22 record from 1947 to 1956. In 1954, his team was division co-champion and was ranked No. 5 nationally. Four of Clark’s players later became hall of famers.
“I would say in the next 5 to 10 years it will be a full-time, professional job where players can come out of college and play lacrosse for their career,” D’Alvia says.
Absent from coaching for 22 years, Clark was asked to resurrect a lacrosse team at Salisbury State University. He compiled a 44-19 record from 1978 to 1982, and reached the Division III semifinals three times.
Thanks to an increase in youth lacrosse programs, more children today are growing up playing the sport. In addition, more countries around the world are starting to organize professional teams and leagues.
In 1982, he was inducted into Washington’s Athletic Hall of Fame, received the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association Outstanding Service Award, and the Hero’s Gelston Award for contribution to lacrosse. In 1988, Clark was inducted in the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
Lambda Chi Experience Like college students sometimes do, D’Alvia initially struggled with his choice of colleges. In the end, Lambda Chi made the difference.
One of those is Japan, who will be attending the indoor championship but are not playing in this year’s event.
“I can honestly say that if I wasn’t a part of Lambda Chi Alpha I probably would have made the mistake of transferring out early just because it was so tiny in the middle of Pennsylvania,” he says. “The friends that you meet and that I created freshman, sophomore year…there was no going anywhere else.”
“There’s a large contingency from Japan, even though Japan’s not in it, they want to be in it, but they couldn’t be in this one,” he says. “They definitely will be in the next one. It’s growing in leaps and bounds in Japan.”
The chapter encountered a few challenges in the days when D’Alvia was an active member but he says the brothers remained very close and the experiences made them stronger individuals and better team players.
Plans are in place for the 2011 championship to include as many as 14 teams, up from eight this year.
“I attribute a lot to Lambda Chi of my success with Kradal Inc. and with lacrosse.” Photo Credits in Order of Apperance © Copyright Courtesy U.S. Indoor Lacrosse. All Rights Reserved. © Copyright Courtesy U.S. Indoor Lacrosse All Rights Reserved. © R. Grabowski / Grabowskiphoto.com All Rights Reserved. © Copyright Courtesy Washington College. All Rights Reserved.
www.crossandcrescent.com
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Cross & Crescent
May 2007
FEATURE
Flying Man Whether Bill Auld is jumping out of airplanes or flying performers across stages, he knows there is no margin for error. Only about 200 people in the world can do what Bill Auld (Bowling Green State 1994) does for a living. “I don’t think I have healthy enough respect for most heights,” he says. “I never did as a kid and my hobby was jumping off of things.”
By Tad Lichtenauer (Butler 1987)
For example, he recently did the rigging for a circus show called “Rites and Rituals” by Circus Nexus. The parameters involved rigging four aerial acts, having to change venues frequently, and being able to set up and take down in a matter of hours.
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The producer of the show is a choreographer so the show involves classic ballet combined with circus acts, similiar to “Cirque du Soleil.” “That’s one of the things that they worried about,” he says regarding being compared to Cirque du Soleil. “Are we too close? Are we doing something that somebody else is doing? How are we going to establish our own identity? So when we pitched ideas and we talked about it with them, about what they needed, that was part of the guidelines they set down for us.”
Before Auld became a flying director for Hall Associates Flying Effects based in Chicago, Illinois, he also jumped out of airplanes for three years with the Airborne Corps as a member of the U.S. Army.
Not surprisingly, Auld says Cirque du Soleil is at the pinnacle of his business. Currently, Cirque produces about 11 different shows around the world.
Auld says his work doing performance rigging doesn’t seem like work. “I basically travel the world and play with fun stuff.”
“One of the things they do very, very well is they manage their brand identity, their artistic identity,” he says. “So when you go it’s different…but all of them are the same. It’s that same prism you reflect the view through. And when you go in you expect a certain level of spectacle, certain level of quality.”
Broadway Debut In February 2007, Auld made his professional Broadway debut as the technical director and the one in charge of rigging the circus gear for the production of “Lookingglass Alice” at the New Victory Theater.
In addition to working with Circus Nexus, Auld also has worked in the National Theater of Paris, which is the French equivalent of the Kennedy Center. He has toured England and traveled throughout Korea with the Korean-language version of “Peter Pan.”
“Truthfully, it was very fun to do,” he says. “Sort of the odd reality of it is that it’s very much similar to every other show you’ve ever done. You’re just doing it in a different location.” There are only three national companies in the United States that do performer rigging. Hall Associates Flying Effects does aerial and wire work effects, primarily for live entertainment, some film work, industrial work, and the circus. About half the work Auld does is for classic shows like “The Wizard of Oz,” “Peter Pan,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “Angels in America,” and various religious shows.
Auld’s most notable performers he has worked with include musical groups Incubus and Rascal Flatts, other circus acts like The Flying Wallendas, and actor/entertainers ill Cosby and David Schwimmer.
Most of the work Auld does is domestic with much of it in the Midwest. For shows like “Beauty and the Beast,” his company has standard, stock rigging that doesn’t require any new design work. Customized Rigging The other half of Auld’s time is spent rigging newly designed and customized performances.
www.crossandcrescent.com
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Cross & Crescent
May 2007
FEATURE “What I’m in the business of is the science of making art,” he says. “Some people are very right brain (artistic)…and some are left brain (concrete absolute). I actually play pretty fast and loose right down the middle.”
Another Bowling Green Performer Brian McCartney (Bowling Green State 1992) played an important role in recruiting Bill Auld (Bowling Green State 1994) to join Lambda Chi and the two have remained good friends ever since.
With the market saturation of video games and movies loaded with special effects, Auld says audiences today expect to see a lot of movement and action in live productions.
While at school, they performed in the Bowling Green State University’s Men’s Chorus, participated in several theatrical productions, and worked together at The Huron Playhouse, a summer stock theater in Huron, Ohio.
“People today are a little more savvy,” Auld says. “After the ‘Matrix’ came out, everybody is more savvy as to what special affects can be. Their tolerance for forgiving is not as high in audiences today. They are a little more media aware.”
After graduation, McCartney moved to Chicago, Illinois, to pursue an acting career, which has landed him in more than 30 productions in the past 12 years. Most recently, he finished a seven-month run of “Leaving Iowa” at the Royal George Theatre, where he played 13 different characters, including a onehanded pig farmer, an Amish quilt salesman, a “challenged” grocery store employee, and an overeager Civil War re-enactor.
He says we are living in the modern age of flying and performance rigging that began in the 1980s, when it started to mirror what was being done in the movies.
Of his performance, a critic with the Chicago Sun Times wrote, “Finally there is Brian McCartney, a great barrel of a man who plays every other character the family meets along the way, and does so with sleight-of-hand costume changes and a sense of absolute glee that are infectious.”
Attention to Detail Auld says there are some unique comparisons between performance rigging and jumping out of airplanes.
McCartney also has performed the roles of Mr. Fezziwig and The Ghost of Christmas Present for the past three Christmas seasons in Provision Theatre’s adaptation of “A Christmas Carol.”
“One of the things that being in the Airborne Corps did that is very similar… is the reason I like to do rigging in entertainment is…you have to get everything right, every time,” he says. “There is no room for error. There’s no room for anything other than perfection. And that’s what I like about it.”
His recent focus involves keeping busy with several on-camera projects, as well as doing commercials and film.
When they design performance rigging, there is an industry standard for protocols that says a cable will generally break at 1,000 pounds. So they use a five to one ratio for load bearing, and when they are flying people they increase it to eight to one for minimum breakage. “Most first-time flyers are very nervous about it,” he says. “That’s part of the safety we design into the system” he says about the extra support.
A lot of times in his industry, Auld says people get into arguments and he has seen them argue for days over what color blue to use or which shoes an actor needs to wear.
Lambda Chi Brotherhood In addition to obtaining his undergraduate degree from Bowling Green State University, Auld also earned a master’s degree there. He later received a second master’s degree in technical theater from Northern Illinois University, one of the few schools in the country to offer a performance rigging program.
With his particular discipline, there’s no arguing. The laws of physic dictate what will happen. “I have to be perfect,” he says. “That actually stems from the Airborne and the military. There was an adage in the Airborne that you ‘tie your shoes correctly or somebody dies.’”
Auld says that in addition to the Airborne Corps, Lambda Chi was the experience that shaped him to become who he is today.
The adage conveys that when you pull your rip cord you don’t actually have the chance to wonder if you packed your parachute properly.
His friends recruited him to join Lambda Chi and he says the individual interactions he had with his brothers were his most memorable events.
“You can get into these horrible disagreements over a matter of opinions,” he says. “The job I do is really straight forward. I have to be perfect every time or somebody’s life is in danger. So those stakes are what I like to play for.” Every week somewhere in the world someone is coming up with new performance rigging ideas, and Auld and his coworkers are eager to build it and try it out themselves in their shop. www.crossandcrescent.com
“What I knew at the time, and what I appreciate now, was that I wasn’t joining the Fraternity for quantitative benefits,” he says. “I wasn’t joining it for anything empirical. I was joining it for something a little more spiritual than that, a little more ethereal.” Photo Credits in Order of Apperance © Copyright Bill Auld, All Rights Reserved. © Copyright Bill Auld, All Rights Reserved. © Copyright Bill Auld, All Rights Reserved.
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May 2007