ALUMNI OFFICERS Alumni President Stephen J. DiOrio ’78
Alpha Mu Chapter Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity
Alumni Treasurer John Miller ’78 Secretary Stephen R. DiOrio ’05
BOARD MEMBERS Richard Parks ’78 Thomas Robinson ’78 Steven Earhart ’81
HOMECOMING September 28 through October 5, 2019
Homecoming Week at Penn State will be September 28 through October 5, 2019. The annual Homecoming Parade will be held on Friday, Oct. 4 starting on the Penn State campus and continuing through downtown State College. Homecoming Week activities will wrap up with our Nittany Lions taking on the Purdue Boilermakers at Beaver Stadium on Oct. 5. We hope to see you all there!
Alpha Musings
The Pennsylvania State University www.alphamupikap.org
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State College, Pa.
Spring 2019
THON 2019
As any Penn State student or graduate will tell you, THON is a once-ina-lifetime experience, and this year our Brothers had the pleasure of participating for the first time as members of a fraternity. Throughout the weekend, our philanthropy chair and his THON committee were blown away by the dedication that the Brothers had in staying through the wee hours of the night. When other organizations began to thinout during these difficult hours it seemed as though Pi Kapp was just gaining energy. Needless to say, the weekend was a fun cap to our fundraising efforts. Come THON weekend, our total amounted to about $12,500, a number which we are proud of given our various other responsibilities this past fall, yet one that we hope to build upon as we look to pair with another organization for next year’s THON.
CHAPTER ETERNAL Remembering Brother Lt. Col. William Simon III ’59 Brother Bill Pantle ’58 shares his devotion and love for his fellow brother: “On Friday March 1, I had the privilege and honor to attend the funeral of Lt. Col. William (Bill) Simon, USAF at Arlington National Cemetery. At the site, there was the caisson drawn by six dapple grey horses and a full honor guard: a group from the USAF band, a formation of 21 Airmen with rifles, and the USAF color guard. The band played the Air Force Hymn while Bill’s ashes were placed in a casket on the caisson which was then covered with the flag. Upon arrival at the site Bill’s ashes were removed from the casket and placed on a small pedestal. The chaplain gave an excellent eulogy, www.facebook.com/alphamupikap
then another Air Force hymn by the band, taps, ceremonial flag folding, and presentation. Taps and a 21 gun salute – a beautiful tribute. The following “prayer” is what I remember of the remarks I made at the end of the celebration of Bill’s life: A Navigator’s Prayer May Your Takeoff be Smooth The Air Calm Your Skies Clear Your Celestial Shots Exact Your Fixes Accurate — Pinpoint May You Have Favorable Tailwinds Your ETA be on Time — to the Second Your Landing Smooth Sign Your Log - Your Mission is Complete Godspeed Navigator ... 1
SPRING UPDATE Recruitment
Thomas Jandora, Historian
At the core of a chapter’s success, is the ability to recruit gentleman of the highest standard to carry on its legacy for generations to come. Throughout this year's recruitment process our Rush Committee and chapter as a whole did not solely focused on filling a quota, but rather wanted to remain a relative exclusivity in only allowing entrance to new members who they saw fit to move our chapter in the right direction. One pleasant surprise that the Brotherhood received was the turnout on our Zone Day, in which we saw many more potential new members seeking tours of the chapter house and looking to meet the brothers than we had seen in the fall. At the end of the week a group of these men were invited to the chapter house for a bid dinner which we had catered. It was an enjoyable night in
which Brothers regaled the potential new members with funny stories from our time in the chapter so far, and both sides had the opportunity to engage one more time before final cuts were made. Early that following week, we proudly welcomed ten new members into our Brotherhood, a group of men committed to taking the bonds of our Brotherhood to the next level, and positively influence our chapter as we move towards chartering and beyond. The quality of our new members was second to none, as we targeted men with solid GPA’s, engaging personalities, an interest in philanthropy, and who would treat women with the utmost respect. With this new class forming the foundation for our future, our chapter is optimistic that we shall hit the ground running when we charter in the fall semester.
Bike-A-Thon On Monday, March 20th, the brothers of Pi Kapp participated in a 24-hour bike-a-thon to raise money for The Ability Experience. We gathered in the HUB student center and set up a stationary bike upon which Brothers would take turns riding from 9am Monday to 9am Tuesday. It was a wildly successful event, as the total donations amounted to $1,422, in addition to giving the chapter more recognition on campus as a new chapter. The event was a lot of fun and one we look forward to holding again in the future.
CHAPTER UPDATE Spring 2019 Recap and Fall 2019 Re-Charter As we close out the 2019 Spring Semester at Penn State and head into the Summer months, we can look back on the things Alpha Mu has accomplished in the last 5 months with great pride and enthusiasm for what is coming next. There are a lot of things for the current undergraduates as well as the alumni to look forward to as we take the next step towards a new era for the Chapter. The current Chapter is wrapping up a relatively successful year after our return to campus. The undergraduates raised $12,500 for THON as well as a few other local community philanthropic events. Next year, we hope to continue these efforts and grow our capacity to help the community as a whole as well as build our reputation up as a competitive and respected Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi at Penn State! We also look forward to the formal re-chartering in the fall (watch for a formal date) as we will have 22 young men moving into the House. Refinancing of the Chapter House mortgage is being completed with anticipated satisfaction of our loan with Pi Kappa Phi Properties.
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Approximately $25,000 in furnishings is being purchased for the 22 bedrooms that will be occupied in the House. Each member tenant will be provided with a bed, box spring and mattress, a desk, a chair and a dresser.
www.alphamupikap.org
Spring 2019
409 CLUB HONOR ROLL Thank You! Congratulations to the following brothers who have already shown their support for Pi Kapp this year! Please join them by making your contribution today! Alexander Parry, 1948.......... $500 H. White, 1950................... $409 Richard Seidel, 1952............ $409 John Muench, 1953............. $500 Richard Gibson, 1954.......... $909 Axel Swanson, 1954............. $409 William Exley, 1955............. $409 George Fasic, 1956............... $500 Harry Holm, 1957............ $1,000 Richard McKnight, 1957..... $409 Donald Woodrow, 1957....... $500 Herbert Heffner, 1958......... $409 David Ferraro, 1959............. $409 Charles Skopic, 1959........... $410 Thomas Burns, 1966........ $1,000 Robert Healy, 1967.............. $500 James Hugar, 1968............... $425
John Turchek, 1968............. $409 Donald Holman, 1969......... $500 Edward Korecky, 1969......... $409 J. Wojciechowski, 1969..... $1,000 Ernest Hause, 1970.............. $409 Al Olah, 1970...................... $409 William Sirocky, 1970.......... $150 Richard Fidler, 1971............ $500 Michael Trull, 1971.............. $159 Donald Eboch, 1972............ $409 Guy Kanak, 1973................. $409 Todd Kelly, 1973................. $500 Ronald Trull, 1973............... $409 Ted Kraybill, 1975............ $1,000 D. Wilson, 1975.................. $409 Michael Brezina, 1976...... $1,000 Gregg Patterson, 1976.......... $500
Jonathan Solan, 1976........... $409 Jeffrey Wilhour, 1976........ $1,000 Harry Barfoot, 1977......... $1,000 George Trent, 1977.............. $410 Douglas Wilson, 1977......... $409 John Worrell, 1977.............. $500 Eugene Crossland, 1978....... $500 Theodore Dinardo, 1978..... $500 Stephen DiOrio, 1978...... $1,000 Stephen Ferguson, 1978.... $1,000 John Miller, 1978................. $500 Michael Myers, 1978........... $500 Richard Parks, 1978.......... $1,023 Ralf Sherry, 1978.............. $2,000 Robert Simon, 1978............. $500 Bruce Berwager, 1979.......... $409 Richard Bonner, 1979.......... $409
Frederick Kisner, 1979......... $500 Walter Rakowich, 1979..... $2,000 Thomas Robinson, 1979... $1,000 Allen Snyder, 1979............ $1,000 Mark Berger, 1980............... $500 Curtis Butler, 1980.............. $500 James Krauss, 1980.............. $409 Steven Earhart, 1981......... $1,000 David Kyle, 1981................. $409 Stephen Letendre, 1981....... $409 Ken Weirman, 1981.......... $1,000 Scott Horner, 1982.............. $409 Gerry Yantis, 1982............... $500 Bruce Foster, 1983............... $409 James Lawless, 1983............. $409 Paul Lerro, 1983.................. $500 Paul Rudoy, 1983................. $409
Guy Williams, 1983............. $500 Floyd Carl, 1985.................. $409 Philip Sechler, 1985............. $409 Robert Senko, 1985............. $409 Andrew Walsky, 1985.......... $409 Scott Jandora, 1986............. $409 Thomas Mullen, 1986......... $409 Thomas Noll, 1986................ $50 Timothy Clark, 1987........... $409 Bruce Rudoy, 1987.............. $818 Michael Wells, 1987............. $409 Timothy Matson, 1989........ $409 Kevin Donlon, 1990............ $500 David Mandler, 1997........... $409 Matthew Curtin, 1998......... $500 Stephen DiOrio, 2005......... $500
409 CLUB UPDATE – A CALL TO ACTION Help Us Make the 2018-19 Giving Year Strong GOAL: $35,000
Fundraising momentum is being created through membership in the 409 Club. Support from alumni is 100% CRITICAL to the financial viability 90% of the Chapter and the needed 80% maintenance of the House and 70% property. All contributions to our 60% 409 Club go towards helping to pay 50% for the action items mentioned above 40% for the re-chartering of the Chapter 30% House this fall. 20% 10% Our ultimate goal for the 409 Club is $35,000. We want to thank those who have already donated to this effort! You can make your donations and check out the Honor Roll above or by visiting www. alphamupikap.org and clicking on the “Donate” button at the top of the page OR to go right to the 409 Club form, type this url into your browser: https://tinyurl.com/yxfoqmga Donations can also be made through our toll-free Donation Hotline at 1-800-975-6699, or by sending a check made payable to Pi Kappa Phi—Alpha Mu Chapter to:
Pi Kappa Phi Penn State University Alumni Relations Processing Center P.O. Box 7007 Albert Lea, MN 56007-8007
Our college days came and went, but the real Alpha Mu experience never ends. If you cherish those lasting friendships, if you appreciate the values that shaped your life, make your annual gift to the 409 Club Today! Alpha Musings
“I contribute to the Annual Fund because I want to keep the Alpha Mu chapter strong so future brothers can enjoy the best years of their life as I did.”
“I look back on the years I spent at Pi Kap as the best years of my life. That’s why I support the Annual Fund.” 409 Club Donation Totals
$35,000 $28,000 $21,000
$32,992.50
$14,000 $7,000
$15,085.00
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2017-18
2018-19 409 Club Donors
60 48 36 24
54 32
12 0
2017-18
2018-19
To Get Current News, Share Memories, See the Honor Roll, AND TO DONATE! Visit Our Website: alphamupikap.org
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REMEMBER WHEN? So Who Remembers the 1967 Pi Kapp/Kapp Sig Gator Bowl Bus Trip to Jacksonville? Here’s a description of the 1967 Gator Bowl bus trip as John Kieser, ’70 remembers it more than 51 years later: “The 1967 Penn State football season was Joe’s second season as head coach. The football team was 7-2-1, and had just kicked @** by beating Pitt by a score of 42 – 6. In those days Pitt was the major competitor. We all had “S*** on Pitt” shirts. Shortly after the Pitt game, State was invited to the Gator Bowl, in Jacksonville, FL, to play Florida State. The game was scheduled for December 30, 1967. The brothers at Pi Kapp had a great idea — why don’t we rent a bus and go to the game. I hired a bus, filled it with Pi Kapps and Kappa Sigs, and off we went. On the way to the game, as we drove by Hickey’s Beer Distributor in State College, someone suggested we turn around and buy a half keg of beer for the trip. We did, put the keg on ice, and tapped the keg on the back row of the bus (bathroom next to the keg). The next brilliant suggestion was, “How about a card game?” We had several card games going for the entire trip. What a great trip: ✔ Going to Joe Paterno’s first bowl game in Florida ✔ Kicking @** over Pitt a month earlier ✔ In a bus, don’t have to worry about driving
“It doesn’t get any better than good times with fraternity brothers.” —John Kieser ‘70
✔ Tapped ✔ Playing cards ✔ Riding for 24 hours with fraternity brothers and good friends. In those days, Pi Kappa Phi and Kappa Sig were very close and we spent a lot of time at each other’s fraternity houses. The game against Florida State ended up as a tie (17- 17). Is there a better way to travel? I don’t think so. I must admit, over the years the details of the trip are a bit hazy, but it doesn’t get any better than good times with fraternity brothers.”
Can anyone out there help John out with some more details? Visit our fraternity website at www.alphamupikap.org and click the Alumni Updates drop-down menu to submit your update. If you want to (re-)connect with John via email and swap stories, he is living in Summit, NJ, and can be reached at johnfkieser@gmail.com.
Don’t miss out on your opportunity to see old friends. Reconnect using the online directory at www.alphamupikap.org.
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www.alphamupikap.org
Spring 2019