Alpha Iota - Spring 2009

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73 Men Join Pi Kappa Phi With the help of a special recruiting team from the Pi Kappa Phi National Headquarters, Alpha Iota successfully recruited 73 men to join the chapter during the Fall 2008 semester. All 73 members have been pre-initiated into the chapter.

“This is one of the largest associate member classes at Auburn and in Alpha Iota history,” said chapter advisor Steve Gosser ’81. “They are an exceptional group of young men who will provide a solid foundation for Pi Kappa Phi for many years to come.”

Within the 73-men class, there is a great deal of diversity and men from several states have joined the ranks of

Pi Kapp. The men are working hard to uphold the ideals of the fraternity and have already made their mark on campus. The chapter is working hard to be recognized as a fraternity at Auburn that does not participate in hazing, works toward high academic achievement and enjoys a strong brotherhood.

“I believe that all alumni would be proud of where our chapter stands right now. The new class has worked very hard to make our fraternity the best it can be at Auburn and there will be nothing but success for years to come,” commented Archon Taylor Bauerle ’08.

The newsletter for alumni and friends of the Alpha Iota Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi at Auburn University • May 2009

Save the Date The Alpha Iota chapter will host an alumni reception and golf tournament at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail on August 14-15, 2009. The cost for the reception, 18 holes of golf, and a lunch following the tournament (along with prizes, raffles, and more) is $125. If you want to partake in the reception only or if you want to bring an additional guest to the reception the cost is $40. Visit the website at www.auburn.edu/pikappaphi often as event updates are posted.

To RSVP, please contact Danny O’Donnell ’08 at (703) 220-5854 or ddo0001@auburn.edu.

Housing Renovations in the Works After refinancing the mortgage on the chapter house and saving more than $50,000.00, Pi Kappa Phi started preparing the chapter house for major renovations.

This past summer, construction crews completed a full demolition of the interior spaces in the house and removed all damaged and wornout furnishings, walls, lofts, floor treatments and fixtures.

“The house has really been cleared to its bones,” said Alpha Iota Club Treasurer Ralph Foster ’91. “With all the clutter removed and spaces cleared, you can see a lot of potential.”

While the majority of the interior was cleared, the house mother’s suite underwent a limited fix-up to make it habitable for Ed Tracy ’91 to live there while the house was vacant during the fall semester.

“This work is really a prelude to the real renovations,” explained Alpha Iota Club President Ernest Johnson ’77. “Over the next few months, we

The sign in front of the house announces to the Auburn community Pi Kappa Phi’s renovation plans.

will spend several hundred thousand dollars to give our 21-year old chapter house a complete overhaul.”

First up on the schedule is to replace the roofs on the structures and then install a fire-sprinkler system to comply with new University mandates

for fire and life safety. Thanks to Jeff Richards ’76 for his help with this project!

In addition to the roof and required fire protection system, other work continued on page 4

Chapter Officers Archon Taylor Bauerle ’08 Deland, FL Vice Archon Micah Gammon ’08 Montgomery, AL Treasurer Gilchrist Karn ’08 Clanton, AL Secretary Jack Murray ’08 Atlanta, GA Historian Danny O’Donnell ’08 Fairfax, VA Warden Matt Raines ’08 Atlanta, GA Philanthropies Zack Waddell ’08 Atlanta, GA Risk Manager Dennis Davis ’08 Albany, GA Alumni communication and support provided by Omega Financial, Inc. (800) 955-ALUM (2586) www.OmegaAlumniServices.com

(L to R) Brett Ebersole ’08, Hilary Collins, Clint Jarvis ’08, Louis Salomon ’08, and Kelli Eberhardt pictured on the first night of the Bayou party where the popular band 17th Floor performed.

(L to R) Brothers John Mossey ’08, Christian Baughn ’08, Mark Wasilko ’08 before the Bayou party begins.

Alpha Iota Fall G.P.A. Beats All-Fraternity Average Not only did 73 new Pi Kappa Phi members rush, pledge and reinvigorate the chapter at Auburn, but somehow they found the time to have really good grades too! The men of Alpha Iota earned a 2.80 G.P.A. for the fall 2008 semester – blasting through the all-fraternity average of 2.75 and good enough to finish 7th among all fraternities and just 4 onethousandths of a point away from being 6th.

Most pleasing is that the standard of academic achievement is perfectly consistent with Pi Kappa Phi’s – and especially Alpha Iota’s – focus on scholarship. It is this chapter’s resolve to be outstanding at Auburn and recognized for no hazing, academic excellence, and strong brotherhood rooted in service to others rather than self indulgence.

The Alpha Iota Club President Ernest Johnson ’77 (713) 417 - 6666 Ejohnson@pmrg.com Vice President Billy Norrell ’87 (334) 202 - 9640 norrell@alrba.org Secretary Steve Gosser ’81 (334) 559 - 7915 sgosser@globalrisksolutions.com Treasurer Ralph Foster ’91 (334) 844 - 5118 fosters@auburn.edu Directors William King ’54 William Sauser ’69 (Iota)

House Corporation Renegotiates Mortgage and Saves $50,000 The Alpha Iota Club, the alumni house corporation responsible for managing and maintaining the chapter house at Auburn, refinanced the mortgage on the chapter house last summer. The AI Club was able to reach an agreement with the Auburn Foundation to reduce the note balance secured by the house on Lem Morrison Drive by approximately $50,000.00. Pi Kappa Phi Properties – the housing entity of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity – provided the financing to eliminate the fraternity’s debt to the Auburn University Foundation.

“I cannot say ’Thank You’ enough to the Auburn University Foundation for working with us to pay off the old note on the house,” said Ernest Johnson ’77, President of the Alpha Iota Club. “Without the assistance of Pi Kappa Phi Properties, we would not have been able to secure funding for the transaction, so a special word of thanks to them as well. It is a great example of how the leadership at Auburn and the fraternity system can work together.”

Brother to Brother Jimmy Lee Butt ’40 sent the following message: “Following WWII, I felt I needed to go back to school as I had not practiced my profession for 3 1/2 years. I was talked into going for a Masters Degree and then was invited to join the staff as a research engineer.

So I was on the Auburn faculty for the next ten years in the Department of Agricultural Engineering. In 1956, I was among six candidates interviewed for the position of Executive Vice President of the American Society of Agricultural Engineers in St. Joseph, Michigan. I was the candidate they chose, and we moved here that summer. I held that position for over thirty years and retired here. I feel that my Pi Kappa Phi experience was to a very great extent responsible for my successes. My Brothers were of the finest caliber and a most constructive influence on me. They pushed me into campus politics which led to my being President of the Executive Cabinet (Student Body), Class of ’43.

Unfortunately, I have lost contact with them due to the responsibilities of my work, but I will never forget what they meant to me.”

Lt. Col. Charles William Beaird (Ret.) ’43 wrote “I retired as a Lt Col from the US Army. I had about 37 years with the Veterans Administration as an Administrative Assistant to the Chief of Staff. I am now playing a lot of golf and fishing. My wife is an Auburn graduate of September 1948.

We married in Dec. of ’48 in Sheffield, AL. We have three daughters, two sons, four granddaughters and one great granddaughter.”

“Pete” Van Robinson Comfort, Jr. ’48 retired in 1986 after 33 years with Sonat and Southern Natural Gas Co. as the Vice President of Personnel. He has twin daughters (now 48 years of age) who are both Auburn grads. He enjoys Auburn sports and golf (3 times a week). He wrote, “My golf started when I won a set of old golf clubs in a poker game there in the frat house.

My last year at AU (it was API then) we lost every game 0-10. Even Wofford beat us, but in ’48 we beat UAT in Birmingham 14-13.”

Donald Worth David, Jr. ’59 retired on December 21, 2006, after practicing architecture for 43 years. He was Archon at Auburn and married the Rose, Madelon Murfee, in 1961.

Joe Forehand ’67 sent the following message: “I recently retired as Chairman of Accenture, where I spent the last 34 years. I met my wife Gayle at Auburn in 1967. We have twin sons, Chris and Kevin, with a grandchild on the way. I live in Dallas and Santa Fe. My main hobby is golf. When one retires, you have to think of new goals, so I decided to not shave in 2007 until I broke 80 for the first time. It finally happened on February 10th. There are too many Auburn memories to single out one, but life at the Pi Kapp house on College Street was always jumping.

We had some pretty good parties by our standards, and there were always card games, poker on the third deck and bridge in the downstairs card room. We had some pretty good Pi Kapp athletic teams, and we caught part of the Sullivan/Beasley era with some good Auburn football. And the nicknames…B-Cup, Rosebud, Bird, Animal, Ruby John, Buster, and Yank - that only scratches the surface. It was the best of times, and we even did some good things now and then and learned some things along the way.

Send my regards to all.”

William (Mau) McCallum ’71 and his wife, Becki, are living in their retirement home on beautiful Lake Mitchell in Clanton, AL. Ernest Johnson ’77 is the former National President of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity serving in that position from 2004-2006. He is currently the President of the Alpha Iota Club.

He currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Fraternity’s philanthropic project, Push America.

Ernest is a partner with PM Realty Group, a privately held real estate services, investment and development firm based in Houston, Texas. PM Realty Group operates in 50 states, Canada and Dubai and manages, leases and owns over 160 million square feet of commercial real estate.

He and his wife Susanne live in Houston, Texas with their two Chows, Dixie and Pistol.

Nic Pilling ’08 (center) and Blake Morrow ’08 (right) pictured with a friend at the Crawfish Boil. 500 pounds of crawfish and drinks were provided to those who bought tickets to support our Push America philanthropy.

Billy Norrell ’87 began his career with the Alabama Road Builders Association in 1998. He previously served as the Associate Director of Governmental Affairs for Auburn University. He also served as the Senior Legislative Assistant to U.S. Congressman Sonny Callahan (RMobile) and former U.S. Congressman William L. Dickinson (R-Montgomery).

Norrell and his wife, Stephanie, live in Montgomery and have three sons, George, William, and Walton.

Brian P. Matisak ’84 posted the following message on the website: “I work for NASA at the Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) in Huntsville, Alabama. I’ve been here since I graduated from Auburn in the summer of 1989. My current duties reside in the Space Shuttle Reusable Solid Rocket Booster Project Office as the Kennedy Space Center Integration Subsystem Manager here in Huntsville. My wife, Annie, (also a NASA-MSFC employee and an Auburn grad) and I live in Huntsville with our two Jack Russell terriers.

Matthew S. Evans, III ’88 is practicing law in Annapolis, Maryland. He is married to Margaret Rose Evans.

A. Jared Scheeter ’98 lives in Birmingham and works for Hoar Construction as a Project Manager.

Born in Thomaston, GA in 1982, Dustin Thompson ’ 01 lived in Buford, GA for 13 years and spent the last 10 living in Indianapolis, IN. After continued on page 4

Address Service Requested

Pi Kappa Phi #1055 Auburn University P.O. Box 2187 Columbus, GA 31902

Help us keep our alumni records up-to-date! Parents, please forward this newsletter to your son. Edit your member profile online at www.auburn.edu/pikappaphi, Alumni link, or clip this form, place it in a stamped envelope and send to: Pi Kappa Phi #1055, P.O. Box 2187, Columbus, GA 31902.

Name_______________________________________________________________________ Initiation Year________________________________________________________________ Address_____________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ City/State/Zip________________________________________________________________ Phone_ _____________________________________________________________________

AUBURN UNIVERSITY

Housing Renovations – continued from page 1 will include correcting drainage issues on the property, removing and replacing portions of the exterior stucco with brick, installing adequate air conditioning and heat, replacing the windows and doors throughout the facility, renovating the bathrooms, repairing and reconfiguring the interior space that was gutted last summer and making the facility competitive with the local student housing market.

“Housing is still a factor in which fraternity a student chooses to join,” said Foster. “Pi Kappa Phi is no longer just competing with the fraternity down the street. We’re now competing with the brand new apartment complexes that are popping up all over Auburn and offering students a premium living environment.”

The Alpha Iota Club will begin construction on the much-needed improvements this spring and they

will continue through the summer.

The extent of the renovations will depend upon the willingness of alumni to help support and pay for some of them through a capital fundraising campaign.

Alumni will learn more about this project in the weeks ahead and can follow the latest developments by visiting www.auburn.edu/pikappaphi.

Brother to Brother – continued from page 3 graduating from Auburn he moved to Atlanta where he presently works for BBDO Atlanta, an advertising agency for many clients including Cingular Wireless/AT&T, Dell, Georgia Lottery, Capital One, ING, and Georgia Natural Gas. ***

(L to R) Gil Karn ’08, Chad Hamman ’08, Tyler Williams ’08, Micah Gammon ’08, Dennis Davis ’08, Taylor Bauerle ’08, Danny O’Donnell ’08, Jack Murray ’08, Matt Raines ’08, Zack Waddell ’08, and Dexter Jenkins ’08. The original Executive Counsel and some other members of Pi Kappa Phi in front of the new headquarters at Mid-Year.

Did you recently get married? Have a baby? Change jobs? Move? Retire?

Share your news with other alumni by visiting www.auburn.edu/pikappaphi and clicking on the “Alumni” then “Brother to Brother” links. Alumni can use this forum to post news about themselves, tell a favorite old story or comment on issues facing the fraternity.