THE ALUMNI NEWSLETTER OF PI KAPPA PHI AT IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY
FALL 2012
THE ALMICRON
frank parrish named mr. pi kappa phi
In June 2011, Frank Parrish (AO 390) was awarded the distinguished Mr. Pi Kappa Phi award, the fraternity’s highest honor to be bestowed upon a member. Brother Parrish is the 45th Mr. Pi Kappa Phi recipient and fourth from Alpha Omicron. To celebrate Brother Parrish’s award, the Almicron sat down with Brother Parrish for an alumni spotlight. and let’s do that.” It was kind of one of those things that evolved and from not saying no. We served a greater fraternity within the fraternity. It was something I just kind of did, and I enjoyed it. Having received this award, what does it mean to you? A: It certainly means a lot. It’s recognition by your peers. It has to do with having a good time with it. I was kind of surprised by the award in many ways. It’s just kind of recognition of the service. It’s not given freely, and it’s certainly a very cherished award. I never thought about it too much. It also came on my 50th year of initiation. What meant most to me was that Kelly Bergstrom also received the award. That’s really unique having two from the same pledge class, let alone the same chapter. I bet that won’t happen again for some time. What is your intitiation number and undergraduate degree? A: #390, I was initiated in 1961. I had an industrial administration degree, which was a pre-cursor to the College of Business. As an undergraduate, what drew you to join Pi Kappa Phi? A; I thought I was pledging Pi Psi. I was a naïve kid from the sand hills of Nebraska, and I didn’t know the difference between Psi and Phi. My friend from high school was pledging Pi Psi, but Tom Tucker got me into pledging at Pi Kappa Phi. But we had a great pledge class with Kelly Bergstrom and Larry Stella. It was a tough time, and we were down on numbers, but we had a great pledge class so I kinda hung around and stayed because of the friendships. What positions did you hold as a collegiate member? A: Well I was archon for two terms. Back then you were on the board for six months, so I spent a year as archon. I was house manager one time and served as the IFC rush chairman for one year. There were also some lower level committees and central stuff that gave me something to do. Also, I think I was the first summer rush chairman that we employed to recruit during the summer. I traded that for room and board. You’ve held numerous positions at various levels of the fraternity. What drove you to continue your service to the fraternity? A: I served as field staff [leadership consultant] right after graduation. It was a traveling secretary as we called it then. That was at the very beginning of Durward Owen’s tenure. Those were times of bonding that occurred from being under fire. As a fraternity we were very mediocre, the average chapter size was about 15 to 20. But Durward kept calling me with “Let’s do this,
As a Mr. Pi Kappa Phi you are certainly in good company with the three past winners from Alpha Omicron. Are there any outstanding mentors or role models who helped guide you along the way? A: Probably not, other than Durward Owen and in some ways Kelley. He and I have always been very close. We’ve always been very good fraternity brothers that could rely on each other. I always looked up to Wayne Moore. I found it very useful to know him at the university and as we were building the new chapter house. People like Wayne Moore were critical to the fraternity and to me. What do you consider your best reward from your years with Pi Kappa Phi? A: The associations through the friendships. The contacts with the greater fraternity and other chapters, and within our chapter itself. What is the best leadership advice you have received? A: The best advice I received was during my doctorate. It was a management course. We were doing a case study and one student was asked for a recommendation by the professor. He hesitated and tried to find an answer. The professor said, “God damn it, man. When will you learn that a second-rate decision implemented immediately is better than a first-rate decision implemented later?” That always stuck with me. You don’t always have to make the best decision, but implement it well. The Almicron would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Brother Parrish on receiving this award and thank him for his service to Alpha Omicron and Pi Kappa Phi.
PI KAPPA PHI
ALPHA OMICRON
THE ALMICRON publisher
The Almicron of Alpha Omicron is published by Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity Headquarters through the alumni newsletter program. Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity P.O. Box 240526 | Charlotte, NC 28224 (800) 929-1904 | www.pikapp.org
contacts
AOBCII PRESIDENT Bob Lane boblane@sbcglobal.net | (713) 819-7667 CHAPTER ADVISOR Tim Hoskins tim.hoskins.a@gmail.com | (641) 932-7780 ARCHON Bret Renz bmrenz@iastate.edu | (319) 504-8039 HISTORIAN Kyle Stednitz stednitz@iastate.edu | (630) 335-7507
events
HOMECOMING ALUMNI TAILGATE :: ISU vs. Baylor: October 27, 2012 :: Tailgate begins 3 hours prior to kick-off :: Tent #20 - located in the lots north of the stadium between Center Drive and S. 4th Street :: Cost is $12 per person :: RSVP to Kyle Stednitz at stednitz@iastate.edu visit alpha omicron’s website at:
www.stuorg.iastate.edu/pikappaphi/
letter from the archon
BY BRET RENZ (AO 1205)
As you all can imagine, the fall 2011and spring 2012 semesters made for another exciting year at Alpha Omicron. It all started with Homecoming, as we were paired with Chi Omega Sorority and Alpha Kappa Lambda Fraternity. The highlight was our 3rd place finish in Lawn Display with the theme Avatar, despite only starting to participate in the event two years prior. Yell Like Hell also did an exceptional job by moving on to second cuts and having the opportunity to be painted and perform on central campus. We plan on exceeding last year’s placing this year with our new pairing Delta Zeta Sorority and Delta Upsilon Fraternity. Please join us for Homecoming on October 26 and 27 versus the Baylor Bears. As always our varieties skit, Not So New to the Zoo, didn’t disappoint. Our pairing with Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority and Phi Delta Theta Fraternity managed to be nominated for seven of the 13 awards! We won five of them including: Best Male Vocalist, Best Cameo, Best One-Liner, Best Choreography, and Best Costumes. Unfortunately we fell short of making the finals but are very excited to improve this in the coming school year. Kappa Delta Sorority, Phi Beta Chi Sorority and Alpha Kappa Lambda Fraternity were our Greek Week pairing. We almost made finals yet again, placing 6th in Lip Sync. The Greek Community as a whole raised more than $93,000 for Special Olympics Iowa through Polar Bear Plunge. We are excited to see where this year takes us. We are entering the fall semester with high hopes that we can pull off our spectacular idea for Lawn Display. We don’t want to spoil it, so you will have to come and watch us perform. The undergraduate chapter would like to thank our dedicated volunteers for all that they do to support our chapter. We are really excited about the remodeling project that the AOBCII financed this summer in the second floor hallways and sleeping rooms. I hope you will come back and see the great work that has been done.
in memoriam Over the past year, two of Alpha Omicron’s most distinguished members passed on to the Chapter Eternal. Brother Eldred Harman (AO 136) passed on Friday, September 30, 2011at the age 90. Harman was initiated on October 11, 1940, and began his more than 70 years of service to Alpha Omicron and Pi Kappa Phi. Not only did Harman serve as a member of the Alpha Omicron Building Corporation and AOBCII, he also served on the Board of Trustees for the Pi Kappa Phi Foundation. Eldred and his wife, Donna, have given generously to many different organizations including the Alpha Omicron Chapter, the Pi Kappa Phi Foundation and to Iowa State University. Through the Harman’s generosity a scholarship was established to benefit students studying Animal Science. The Pi Kappa Phi National Headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina houses the Eldred J. Harman Museum displaying our fraternity’s proud history. In honor of his volunteer service, philanthropic support and career success, Harman was named Mr. Pi Kappa Phi in 1998.
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Brother Wayne Moore (AO 131) passed to Chapter Eternal on Sunday, January 29, 2012 at the age of 92. He was initiated on October 22, 1939. Moore was highly active in Pi Kappa Phi, serving the fraternity as a Chapter Advisor, National Secretary and a Trustee of the Pi Kappa Phi Foundation. Moore also dedicated time to our chapter as Treasurer and Secretary of AOBCII and as the Alpha Omicron Alumni Association’s treasurer. For his services to the chapter and the national fraternity, Wayne Moore was designated Mr. Pi Kappa Phi in 1994. Brothers Harman and Moore were both instrumental in the reorganization of Alpha Omicron in the 1980s and spearheaded the capital campaign for the current chapter house. Through their gifts, service, and guidance to the fraternity, Harman and Moore established Alpha Omicron as it stands today. Their memory serves as an inspiration to our fraternity and reaffirms Pi Kappa Phi as a lifelong brotherhood.
gear up florida 2012
alumni updates
On May 10, 2012, two Alpha Omicron brothers started their travel to Miami, Fla. Dan Donahue (AO 1212) and Kevin Varley (AO 1210) arrived at Florida International University and met the rest of their Gear Up Florida team during an opening ceremony hosted by Theta Delta (Florida International) chapter brothers. The following morning the team began their 840-mile cycling trek from Miami to Tallahassee. Over the course of the trip, the team had the opportunity to meet many amazing people and focused on people’s abilities over disabilities. After 13 days of riding through 12 cities, the team climbed their way to the top of the hill in Tallahassee and proudly reached the steps of the Florida State Capitol. This year’s Gear Up Florida team was able to raise more than $96,000 dollars to help support people with disabilities. The team volunteered their time with these organizations through picnics, sporting events and dances. Thousands of people were impacted by Gear Up Florida as the team raised awareness on behalf of people with disabilities. Cycling across Florida for Push America was a completely life changing experience and one that Brothers Donahue and Varley will remember forever.
Ralph Ruedy (ao 402) Since retirement from the foreign
build america 2012 Brothers Axel Holm (AO 1148) and Ryan Foerstel (AO 1149) made Alpha Omicron history as the first brothers from our chapter to participate in Build America. Axel and Ryan are both two-time Pi Alphas after completing the Journey of Hope’s TransAmerica route in 2011. Build America is a six-week team event, which traverses the country promoting accessible recreation for people with disabilities. From the construction of accessible amenities at camps to wilderness adventures with athletes with disabilities, the Build America team is dedicated to proving true human ability. Build America is one of several leadership development opportunities for members of Pi Kappa Phi through Push America. This year marks the 35th anniversary of Push America, which coordinates programs such as Build America, the Journey of Hope, Gear Up Florida, Give-A-Push Weekends and Push Camps. Congratulations Brothers Holm and Foerstel for making AO history!
service, my wife and I moved into an old house in Staunton in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley—about 3 hours and a million miles from the D.C. Beltway. I continue to do some work as a retiree at the Department of State, so I spend about one week a month in Washington. Jeremy Galvin (AO 825) Jenn and I have lived in Ames now for
nine years. We have three kids – Annie (9), Lillie (4) and Ben (1). I work at the Iowa State University Foundation as an Assistant Vice President for Development. I remain active with the Alpha Omicron chapter helping out as I can. Stop and visit the next time you are back to Iowa State. Troy Carmann (AO 829) The Carmann family still resides in a
small, dry suburb south of Denver, Colo. My wife, Minda, two boys, Grant (5) and Weston (2), and I keep busy with many of the ordinary pursuits like camping, tee-ball and hanging out in the sky chairs on the back porch. Occasionally we find 65 million-year-old leaf fossils in our sandbox like we did earlier this year. In a similar sense, I’ve completed 15 years of work at ICON Engineering, a good old American small business focused in civil engineering, and it looks like I have another three decades to go before I can put down the pencil and calculator. Then I hope to get a nice retirement job driving the county street sweeper ahead of the Journey of Hope teams each summer. Matt Thornburg (AO 849) Hello Brothers! I have been living in San
Francisco since graduation in 1997. I married my college girlfriend Whitney in 2004, and we have a nearly 2-year-old son named Bear. I work at Electronic Arts in the IT strategy department and Whitney is teaching fashion design to college sophomores. I always enjoy seeing old friends during your conferences, conventions or vacations in San Francisco. Let me know if you need any travel advice while visiting or would like to get together for coffee/wine/beer. Kevin Sutherland (AO 880) I’ve been in Sacramento, Calif., since
graduating in 2001. I have two kids now - Ethan and Ella, ages 4 and 2 respectively. I’ve been working for Accenture and am part of a team that will be located in Des Moines assuming we get the final approval from the State of Iowa/Federal government for our project. If everything goes as planned, I’ll be back in Iowa by September 1. I’m looking forward to catching back up with the house activities. Brad Deets (AO 934) Brad and his wife, Amber, are the proud
parents of a new son, Sawyer, who was born on March 20. He was welcomed home by his older brother and sister, Maxwell and Hannah. Additionally in May, Brad was appointed the interim city administrator for the City of Waukee, Iowa, in addition to his other responsibilities as the development director for the city. He will remain in the new role until a new City Administrator is found, which is expected to take until the end of 2012.
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Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity P.O. Box 240526 Charlotte, NC 28224
THE ALMICRON PI KAPPA PHI
ALPHA OMICRON
GRIFFIN McCARTHY MEMORIAL FUND Griffin McCarthy was initiated into Alpha Omicron in Gifts to the fund can be made in several ways: 1986 and served as an integral member of our chapter. In 1) By Phone: Call the Pi Kappa Phi Foundation directly difficult times, Griff was an important link and great friend at (800) 929-1904. Tell the staff you would like to make a for his fraternity brothers. Sadly, in 2008 Griff passed on to gift to the McCarthy Memorial Fund for Alpha Omicron the Chapter Eternal at a young age. and you can pay with a credit card over the phone. To preserve and honor Griff ’s memory, a group of 2) Monthly Installments: If you would prefer to pay brothers formed the Griffin McCarthy Memorial Fund in your pledge in monthly installments, you can set up a early 2011. Created as a vehicle to support undergraduates recurring monthly gift in memory of Griff. Monthly of Alpha Omicron, the fund provides for annual educational installments can be charged to a credit card or debit card scholarships given by the AOBCII. Additionally, the Fund or can be drafted directly from your checking account if offers grants to the Iowa State University Greek Affairs Office you prefer. Please contact the Pi Kappa Phi Foundation at to promote mental health awareness, leadership and alcohol (800) 929-1906 to set up a recurring gift. and substance abuse education. 3) Online: You can make your gift to the Pi Kappa Phi Fundraising for the Griffin McCarthy Memorial Fund Foundation through a secure website at: stems from personal donations as well as numerous events https://secure.pikapp.org/donate/founcif/alpha_omicron/sponsor.cfm throughout the year. The 2nd Annual Griffin McCarthy 4) By Mail: Send checks to: Pi Kappa Phi Foundation, Memorial Golf Outing raised $1,000 this past June and plans P.O. Box 240526, Charlotte, N.C. 28224 are in the making for a fall Iowa State tailgating event. Within Checks should be made payable to the Pi Kappa Phi its first year the Fund raised nearly $35,000, with a majority Foundation with the phrase “AO CIF/McCarthy” in the of the funds given in the first six months. memo line of the check. All gifts made to the Griffin McCarthy Memorial Fund are 100 percent tax deductible and will be recorded as ‘In Memory of Griffin McCarthy.’
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