FALL 2019
THE
George A Long Jr., Illinois Eta, 6/6/1939 #586
George A Long III, Indiana Alpha 1413
George A Long, Indiana Beta
#539 Theta,
C. Loy,
#332
Edward
10/19/1208
3/18/1937
Indiana Strawbridge,
Indiana
Robert
Theta, 4/5/1934 #504
Strawbridge,
Indiana
Theta, 4/19/1936
#531
Dallas Ryan
Long, Florida
Gamma,
4/22/2007
#1663
Russell
Strawbridge,
Indiana
Theta,
4/27/1947
#749
Herbert
Granville Moody
Jr. Illinois
Eta,
3/7/1914 #232
IOWA STATE PHI Official Newsletter of the Iowa Gamma Chapter of Phi Delta Theta at Iowa State University
ALUMNUS SPOTLIGHT A POSITIVE MINDSET LEADS TO SUCCESS
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ill Beckman 934 still considers himself an “Ames kid”, having lived there from fifth grade until graduating from Iowa State. In 1972, with his ISU bachelor of architecture degree in hand, he moved to San Francisco, California, passing the licensing exams and practicing as an architect there until 1975. With the start of a nation-wide recession in 1975, Bill decided to pursue another degree and entered the master of business administration program at Stanford University in the fall of 1975, receiving his MBA (with a focus in finance) in 1977. That is where he met his future wife, Connie, was also one of his classmates. After a few years in investment banking in New York City, he returned to San Francisco and entered the field of commercial building real estate development, a blend of his design and finance skills. For the past forty years Bill has enjoyed life as a commercial real estate developer, starting his own firm in 1989. In 1993, Bill, his wife, and two children moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to San Diego. In addition to his work, he has been actively engaged for many years in volunteer endeavors in California, as well as at Iowa State. Among these has been leading the recent Iowa Gamma house renovation for ten years, as well as serving as one of four capital campaign co-chairs who raised over $1.3 million for the renovation. Outside of Phi Delta Theta, what was your favorite on-campus or volunteer organization to be involved with and why? With strong guidance from Phi Delt upperclassmen, I became actively involved in campus activities, including positions on the Homecoming and Greek Week central committees. This proved to be an extraordinary experience in terms of learning and expanding leadership skills that I’ve used throughout my adult life. How did your Phi Delta Theta experience shape who you are today? It smoothed many of my rough edges. It taught me a lot about connecting with others—how to be an active and contributing
Bill Beckman
part of a greater whole. Although I had always been involved in team sports, being a Phikeia brought the concept of “teamwork” to a whole different level. Through interacting with the bright and talented group of pledge brothers I was given, I learned quickly that there is a time to lead and a time to follow (and which was which). If you could provide any piece of advice to undergraduate members, what would it be and why? Be involved with your chapter brothers, contributing your share to enhancing the experience of all of your Phi Delt brothers. Take a turn at the oar. Engage with Phi Delt alumni. When you see them at the house, introduce yourself and make an effort to spend some time with them. Chances are very good they will share some wisdom and great stories with you if you show interest. Since graduating, have you remained in touch with many Phi Delts? If so, what has been like or has there been anything you’ve done together? Like many of my pledge brothers, “life” interfered with staying close to my Phi Delt brothers in the early years after graduation. Continued on page 4
IOWA GAMMA’S NEW HOUSE DIRECTOR
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his school year, Iowa Gamma welcomed Mary Jo Mcully as its new house director. As a child, she grew up in the greater Chicago area and eventually traveled to North Dakota to college. She later moved to Michigan where she started and raised her family. This is Mary Jo’s first experience as a fraternal house director. However, she previously worked in higher education at a community college for fourteen years where she had regular interactions
with young adults, parents, and school administrators. As house director Mary Jo will be assisting the chapter members with day-to-day responsibilities. Already this year she has done a fantastic job supporting the chapter members by looking out for their best interests, being available for conversations, and even cheering on members in intramurals or on-campus events. We look forward to her help and guidance over the coming semesters!
PHILANTHROPIC EVENTS LIVELIKELOU
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his fall, Iowa Gamma had the opportunity to host its second annual “Phi Delt Funnel Cakes” philanthropic event. The event took place on November 13, and the chapter raised $1,648 in the process. All of the money raised by the chapter benefited the LiveLikeLou Foundation, helping to find a cure for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. This neurodegenerative condition attacks motor neurons in an individual’s brain and spinal cord resulting in a progressive loss of voluntary muscle function. Iowa Gamma
is proud to work alongside the LiveLikeLou Foundation to help individuals and families affected by ALS. At Phi Delt Funnel Cakes, participating attendees purchased a $5 ticket to come inside and eat funnel cakes and drink hot chocolate for the night. At the event, an video was broadcasted to raise awareness for ALS and the LiveLikeLou Foundation. In addition, posters and pamphlets were placed throughout the house for visitors to gain more insight into the condition.
MEALS FOR THE HEARTLAND This winter, Iowa Gamma also partnered with the sorority Chi Omega to travel to Des Moines and spend an afternoon volunteering with Meals for the Heartland. This nonprofit organization packages meals for delivery to malnourished people in Iowa, across the United States, and around the world. Both chapters had a
ABOUT US
The Iowa State Phi is published two times per year by the Iowa Gamma Chapter of Phi Delta Theta at Iowa State University for alumni and parents. ©Copyright 2020 Iowa Gamma. All rights reserved. Send news, address updates and photos to: Iowa Gamma Chapter of Phi Delta Theta 2 South Campus Avenue, Oxford, OH 45056
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The Iowa State Phi » Fall 2019
strong member turnout for this volunteer event as they worked toward alleviating life-threatening hunger.
STAY UP-TO-DATE /PhiDeltaThetaISU @ISUphi linkedin.com/groups/95210 iastate.phideltatheta.org CHAPTER ADVISORY BOARD Steve Good, Chairman Thomas Woodruff, Academics Pat Morrison, Alumni Relations Kevin Boeckhoelt, Finance
Jackson Mores, Phikeia Education Logan Driscoll, Recruitment Austin Javellana, Philanthropy and Service Collin Hueser, Strategic Planning CHAPTER OFFICERS Matt Dodge, President Logan Lynch, Vice President Jensen Petros, Treasurer Liam O’Donnell, Warden Mason Kenkel, Secretary
Collin Kubinski, Phikeia Educator Michael Hurst, Scholarship Lambros Karkazis, House Manager Sam Messbarger, Recruitment Chairman Jackson Bridie, Recruitment Co-Chairman Logan Heim, Philanthropy Chairman Trey Comito, Philanthropy Co-Chairman Juan Rubiano, Risk Manager Chairman Noah Mayer, Social Chairman Javier Rodriguez, Social Co-Chairman Nate Stoufer, Public Relations Chairman
Matthew Keyes, IFC Representative Matthew Martin, Alumni Relations Chair Nick Worrall, Senior Liaison Chairman Spencer Heim, Senior Liaison Co-Chairman Andrew Nurse, Awards Chairman HOUSE CORPORATION BOARD Scot Alexander, President Toby Geiger, Treasurer Bob Sperry Jim Unzeitig
Iowa Gamma
UNDERGRADUATE SPOTLIGHT
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enior Nathan Miklo 1945 participated in the 2019 AWFS Fresh Wood student furniture competition, hosted by the Association of Woodworking and Furnishing Suppliers. This past year, Miklo and his partner, Samual Christianson, created an innovative wood chair that they titled, “72.5 Chair.” Their goal was to design a quality chair using the fewest physical parts possible. In doing so, they aimed to cut down on the cost of production, yet still provide a luxury for its users. The finished design consisted of a piece of leather placed between two pieces of Baltic birch plywood that was beant for the back and seat. Creating the chair this way allowed for less materials to be used when constructing the connection between the back of the chair and the seat. This construction allowed for the wood to withstand thousands
of bends without breaking or weakening. In July, Miklo and Christianson traveled to Las Vegas to showcase their chair in the AWFS Fresh Wood competition’s Design for Production–Post Secondary category. The judges were amazed with the pairing’s innovation and were awarded first place for their work. Due to their success, Miklo and Christianson have plans to eventually produce their design for the public and they have already received interest from several companies.
Nathan Miklo and the chair
NEWS IOWA STATE HOMECOMING CELEBRATION This year, Phi Delta Theta was paired with Chi Omega, Alpha Kappa Lambda, and Sigma Tau Gamma for Iowa State’s homecoming celebration. Our four-house pairing had a large attendance at the annual blood drive, Blue Sky 4K run, as well as at all of the homecoming sporting events and activities. After a close championship game, the pairing placed second overall in basketball and received fourth place in Treds (ultimate frisbee, but with a football). For Yell Like Hell, the chapter was selected to participate in the final cuts of the competition where they eventually placed second overall. The chapter had a great experience participating in this year’s homecoming celebration and are proud to now be close friends with the other houses from our pairing. iastate.phideltatheta.org
MEET OUR NEWEST INITIATES AND PHIKEIAS 2019 SPRING INITIATES
Nick Maki 2014, Chatfield, MN Rahul Menta 2015, Normal, IL Kevin Pritt 2016, Chicago, IL Maison Ashton 2017, Mt Pleasant, IA Derek Iwasko 2018, Hastings, MN Carter Newton 2019, Cedar Falls, IA Logan Trisler 2020, Omaha, NE Nathan Carlson 2021 , Downers Grove, IL Braxton Steveson 2022, Johnston, IA Spencer Saunders 2023, Oswego, IL
2019 FALL PHIKEIA CLASS Jacob Allen, Okoboji, IA Addison Angel, Chicago, IL Pranav Anilal, Naperville, IL Mason Barkhaus, Altoona, IA Conor Brainard, Wilmington, DE Nic Bruno, Waukee, IA Will Burken, Cedar Falls, IA Luke Busse, Blaine, MN Kevin Castle, Omaha, NE Collin Clough, Omaha, NE Nate Cornwall, Spirit Lake, IA Justin Cuddy, Mt. Prospect, IL Sam Feldhacker, Omaha, NE Joe Ferraro, Arlington Heights, IL Noah Floden, Altoona, IA Conor Flynn, Omaha, NE Lincoln Gillotti, Altoona, IA Ryan Harald, St. Michael, MN Connor Jensen, Spirit Lake, IA Bryce Kohls, Norwalk, IA Zachary Merritt, Marion, IA Robbie Muniz, Wheaton, IL Ben Newman, Spirit Lake, IA Steven Price, Gardner, IL Nick Romine, Blaine, MN Joseph Rozell, Kansas City, MO Sam Schaphorst, Omaha, NE Garret Vugteveen, Spirit Lake, IA Ben Zellmer, Arlington Heights, IL
REFER A PHI!
Know any young men who would be great Phis? Refer them here: iastate.phideltatheta. org/join/refer-someone/. Then, encourage these young men to visit futurephidelt.org.
The Iowa State Phi » Fall 2019
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Career, marriage, family responsibilities, moving to California, etc. took big chunks of my time. Most (but not all) of the close connections with my Phi Delt brothers were put on the back burner for a bit as other aspects of life intervened. As time passed, I began to realize the importance of rekindling the close friendships with my Phi Delt brothers. About twelve years ago, a Phi Delt reunion in Ames brought me together with a few of my pledge brothers and we decided it was time to have a pledge class reunion. The first one was so much fun that we now have a pledge class reunion every eighteen to twenty-four months. We always include our spouses and typically have between eight and thirteen pledge brothers and an equal number of spouses at each reunion. How do you define success? Real success is certainly not about wealth or material things and it’s not about fame or notable “accomplishments.” At its core level, I believe real success is finding happiness and equanimity in one’s life. In this way, an individual can enjoy success every day. So much of this is a result of a person looking inside oneself and, on a deep emotional level, discovering what he/she is passionate about, then pursuing those passions with focus and energy. So much of happiness and success in life comes from having a positive mindset and projecting positive energy to everyone and everything around you. Good people are drawn to people who project positive energy (and are repelled by people who project negative energy). Bill lives in San Diego, California. He can be contacted at wrb@beckprop.com . Clockwise from top left: participated in the ISU “Denim Day” for a purpose of supporting survivors and educating themselves and others about all forms of sexual violence. Sam Corey 1998, Mason Kenkel, 1995, and Joey Baeza 2009 participated in tableing along with Alpha Delta Pi to raise awareness of the negative impacts of hazing as part of an event benefiting the Max Gruver Foundation. Andrew Nurse 1942, Logan Lynch 1978, Jensen Petros 1994, Trevor Jensen 1913, Jackson Birdie 1999, and Nate Stoufer 2004 went to the Fraternal Awards of Excellence ceremony to represent Phi Delta Theta. We were awarded with a certificate of merit, excellence in social justice, and senior Gary Wynne 1911 was awarded Senior of the Year. An ISU police officer spoke to the chapter about risk management and alcohol abuse prevention. Every semester our Phikeia pick up trash at a local highway as part of their community service during the new member education program.
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