FALL 2017
BETA ETA
DATA Beta Eta Alumni Chapter Receives National Awards
2017 Alumni Chapter Newsletter of the Year
2017 Excellence in Engagement
PI KAPPA PHI FRATERNITY
FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY BETA ETA ALUMNI CHAPTER
In recognition of the Beta Eta Alumni Chapter's continued commitment to sustained brotherhood, the Pi Kappa Phi National Of ice recently bestowed two national awards on the chapter – the 2017 Alumni Chapter Newsletter of the Year Award, and the 2017 Excellence in Engagement Award. Pi Kappa Phi administers a total of ive alumni chapter awards each year (Alumni Chapter of the Year; Housing Corporation of the Year; Excellence in Engagement; Alumni Event of the Year; and Alumni Chapter Newsletter of the Year). Taking home two of the ive awards in the same year is re lective of the thriving alumni organization that Beta Eta has fostered for decades. The Newsletter of the Year selection process involves voting by a national committee at Pi Kapp headquarters which reviews numerous alumni chapter newsletters from across the country. The national committee praised our chapter's informative alumni engagement, student chapter updates, alumni spotlights, and broad coverage across several generations of Beta Eta alums. According to Pi Kapp's national Director of Alumni Engagement, Andrew Bublitz, “the Beta Eta Data hits every mark and is exactly the type of newsletter I would hope to receive from my alumni chapter.” The Excellence in Engagement Award is given annually to the alumni chapter that best exempli ies “the promotion of lifelong brotherhood through communication, alumni events, sound business practices, and support for the undergraduate chapter.” This year marks the irst time that Beta Eta has received this award. All recipients of the Excellence in Engagement Award are considered as inalists for the Alumni Chapter of the Year Award, although that award went to the University of North Florida (Zeta Zeta) this year. The Beta Eta Alumni Chapter is no stranger to national recognition and has in recent years received the Housing Corporation of the Year Award (2015) and the Alumni Chapter of the Year Award (2012). The frequency of this type of national recognition is exciting for our chapter and it should not diminish the cause to celebrate this well deserved honor.
ALUMNI CHAPTER UPDATE
BETA ETA
DATA Beta Eta Alumni Chapter, Inc. P.O. Box 11244 Tallahassee, FL 32302-3244 www.BetaEta.com fsupikappalumni@yahoo.com The Beta Eta Data is published by the Beta Eta Alumni Chapter, Inc. Please submit questions, comments and corrections to Katie Baker at kbaker@pikapp.org.
NOTES NAMES | The number after each name in this newsletter represents the year of initiation. NEED TO FIND A BROTHER? The BHAC would like you to stay connected with fellow Beta Eta brothers. Email us at fsupikappalumni@yahoo.com to request contact informtion for alumni you would like to contact. PUBLISHING NOTICE | The BETA ETA DATA is typically published one to two times a year by a volunteer team. CHAPTER ETERNAL | The following brothers were reported to the National Fraternity as having passed to the Chapter Eternal since the last publication. Bobby Carlton White '57 Deceased 5/11/17.
Willie Rupert Mock, Jr. '59 Deceased 4/5/17
James Morrow Lloyd '59 Deceased 2/27/17
Our deepest condolences to Craig Filar '11, Beta Eta Chapter Advisor, on the passing of his mother, Joan Ruth Filar. Mrs. Filar passed away in Tallahassee, Florida on July 20, 2017. Ready to join or renew your dues? Dues are only $35 per year and are vital to the success of your alumni chapter. Go to betaeta.com and click Membership. 2 www.BetaEta.com
PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE Dear Brothers, I would like to take a moment and share with you some of my personal re lections on the past, present, and future of our Alumni Chapter. It's been 13 years since our inception, and it seems like an appropriate time to outline our general structure, overall demographics, activities, and value. This exercise is not only of value to me as your leader, but for the betterment of our chapter. It's important that we re-examine our priorities, identify any short comings, and determine our next steps as a leading alumni chapter of Pi Kappa Phi. We have built a model organization that facilitates communication between the student chapter, alumni base, and our 3 boards of oversight: the Alumni Chapter, Housing Corporation, and Student Advisory Committee. The latter two support the student leadership, provide risk management, and maintain our physical assets. Our Housing Corporation Board is one of the strongest in the nation and our Student Advisory Committee is led by the best in the nation. Both have received recognition and awards from Nationals in the past couple of years. As an alumni chapter, our primary goal is to engage the alumni with relevant updates, social activities, and special projects. We also coordinate with the National Of ice which has enhanced their focus towards alumni engagement over the past few years. Overall, it's truly impressive that we have over 20 brothers that currently reside on an active board that engage our students and alumni. Sco Middlebrooks At our inception in 2005, the Beta Eta Alumni Chapter was incorporated as a Florida 501(c)(7) not-for-pro it corporation. We established our by-laws, created a website, put together inancial budgets, and sought out to publish an annual (or biannual) newsletter. We immediately coordinated with the student chapter to establish a strong working relationship after their recolonizing, and our relationship with them continues to strengthen over the years. We hosted social events in select cities, and annual meetings were organized in a rotational manner. We planned a grand banquet for the 60th anniversary of Beta Eta's chartering which also coincided with the re-chartering of the student chapter in 2010. A similar event for the 65th anniversary was held in order to stage a gap for a special 75th anniversary in 2025. Finally, as a way to demonstrate our love for Beta Eta and our beloved “home away from home”, we commenced the irst phase of a brick paver project a few years ago and have been involved in other special projects. Overall, these examples are evidence that we strive to deliver value to the Greater Beta Eta Chapter through activities and communication, and this is something that we will continue to do in the future.
Recently, the BHAC board has gone through some changes with regards to board members. It is amazing to see the commitment of many of our members who have been serving since 2005, but at some point it is good to bring in brothers that provide a new sense of energy, drive, and eagerness to serve. In the last year we have brought on one new board member, Steve Messer '04, who is an up-and-coming lawyer in the Tampa area. He replaced the seat previously held by Tim Atkinson '84. I would like to personally thank Tim, who has been invaluable to our organization, especially during the early years of establishment. Thank you, Tim, for all your hard work and commitment and for exemplifying what it means to be a “brother for life!” Our overall membership since inception shows a good blend of decade participation with clear room for improvement (refer to pie graph). We currently have an active membership of 72 alumni, but at our peak we had 185 members (refer to bar graph). continued next page
PRESIDENTS MESSAGE continued from page 2
The peak revolved around the chapter's re-chartering when an intense need for information was key. However, since our peak we've had a steady decline in active membership. While this is somewhat disconcerting, we remain optimistic and look forward to a new generation of men continuing our mission of being a catalyst in maintaining long-lasting friendships. Our future holds a steady course regarding our mission. We are actively working on projects to enhance the experience of our members, like the creation of a new website, more timely updates on Facebook (like us @betaetaalumni), and creating an electronic collection of composite photos that will be accessible from our website. We are starting to plan more social events to allow for more local, personal interaction (get ready, Tampa brothers). Also, several tailgating events are in the works. Our continued existence and support for these future projects rely heavily on your valued contributions. Our goal is to have 10% participation, or roughly 150 dues paying members each year. Achieving this goal will provide a budget that allows us to continue the outreach and projects that we hope make you proud to be a Beta Eta. I am proud to say that our alumni chapter serves as a model for other Pi Kapp alumni chapters, and this summer we received two awards from the National Of ice: the Alumni Newsletter of the Year Award and the Alumni Chapter Excellence in Engagement award. Without your love for this chapter and the donations you have provided to keep us funded, we would not have achieved these successes and produced such great content. Our dues of $35 a year go a long way toward keeping quality content relevant to Beta Eta lowing. July starts the beginning of our iscal year and therefore dues are ready for renewal now, and both dues and general donations can be made through our main web-site: www.betaeta.com. Note the reoccurring annual option is available if desired. Let's make this year record-breaking!
CHAPTER REPORT
FROM THE ARCHON I am pleased to report that the Beta Eta Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi has had another exciting and productive academic year. After initiating 41 new members in the fall, we welcomed 12 additional new members into our thriving brotherhood this spring, bringing our total membership to 138 men. Academics continue to remain a top priority at Beta Eta. I am proud to announce that our chapter concluded this semester with a 3.187 cumulative GPA, the best GPA among all IFC fraternities. At this year's FSU Greek Awards ceremony, we brought home 7 awards: Chapter Excellence Awards in recruitment, new member education, service, leadership, and academics; the Jon C. Dalton Outstanding Servant Leader Award (Stewart Beshears); and IFC President of the Year (Dana Keller). This is the second year in a row that the IFC President of the Year award was won by a brother of Pi Kappa Phi. Dana was also the Director of Line Dance, Florida State's largest Greek run philanthropy. Under his leadership, the event raised $72,000, which was donated to FSU's College of Business, the Victim Advocate Program, and the Collegiate Veterans Association. Two additional brothers served on the philanthropy's executive board: Jonathan DiPietro as VP of inance and Jack Ray as VP of dancer relations. Jonathan will be serving as a codirector for the event next spring. Philanthropy and community service are also key aspects to our chapter. Brother Doug Essig has kept our brotherhood active in the Tallahassee community by leading us to participate in weekly events with the Special Olympics. Additionally, this past spring we held an elimination style basketball tournament for our annual philanthropy event during formal week that raised over $1,000. Finally, in keeping with the longstanding tradition of Beta Etas who preceded them, four brothers will be participating in Journey of Hope this summer: Clayton Muehlstein, Sam Jaramillo, Matthew George, and Chad Whitehead. As we look ahead to the fall semester, the student chapter is planning an alumni event on the weekend of October 6th-8th. The event will consist of an evening at the house on Friday, followed by a day on the golf course on Saturday and a BBQ that evening. If you are interested in participating or have any questions, please send an email to: historian.pkp.bh.com.
Lastly, I'd like to give a special thanks to those individuals who submitted personal updates for this issue, and for those who are currently volunteering on one of our distinguished boards. Your eorts, big or small, make an impact and keep things alive. I'm proud to be a Pi Kapp, and your president of the alumni chapter. Scott Middlebrooks
God Bless Our Fraternity and Go Noles, Anthony Petagine Archon app14@my.fsu.edu www.BetaEta.com
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Beta Eta:
A Tour de Force he graduated from FSU. After a stint with the Atlanta Braves, Brother Pierce began working for the Ability Experience as the JOH matured as an event. From October 1990 through March 1993, Pierce added a second (southern) route and also recruited and In 1977, Pi Kappa Phi took the unprecedented step by coached the JOH team members for the 1991, 1992 and 1993 trips. founding its own 501(c)(3) nonpro it organization, Push America. Now known as the Ability Experience, Today, the JOH has 3 routes that cover 32 different the purpose of this nonpro it is to instill lifelong service in its members and enhance the quality of life states with 35 members on each team. Each participant has a fundraising minimum to for people with disabilities. participate (riders $5,500; crew $2,500). While the inaugural Cycling was introduced 10 team raised $20,000, the JOH years later with the Journey now raises more than $500,000 of Hope, a cross-country annually. cycling event, followed by Beta Eta was a leader in the Gear Up Florida, a similar JOH's formative years. In the event across the state. Both irst 6 JOH teams, 8 Beta Etas events serve as initiatives to rode or crewed. Since the spread acceptance and chapter's re-founding in 2009, understanding on behalf of Beta Eta has once again been an people with disabilities. active participant with the JOH, with 15 students participating. Bruce Rogers (Chi) rode the Diego Ferradas (front left) and friends In summary, 27 team positions initial cross-country trip by have been illed with Beta Etas in the JOH's 30-year himself in 1987. The following year, 21 students embarked on the irst of icial Journey of Hope (“JOH”). existence. A Beta Eta student, John Pierce '86, was critical to Inspired by the JOH, Gear-Up Florida was created in this journey, handling the logistics for the trip while 1997. This 800-mile journey begins in Miami and traveling with the team as a crew member. John also organized logistics for the 1989 and 1990 trips before traverses the state of Florida before concluding in For the past 31 years, Pi Kappa Phi has raised awareness for people with disabilities through national and regional cycling events. During that time, 32 Beta Etas have participated.
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Chris Mueller '92 participated in both the JOH and GUF. Chris comments, “The most impactful experiences by far were the friendship visits. It was like Christmas day for many of the people we visited. They'd look forward to us visiting the whole year. We'd be tired from cycling 100 miles and pull up and the smiles on their faces and excitement, it's like we were celebrities to them. That level of excitement and enthusiasm is very contagious. By far, the JOH was the best experience I had during the 5 years I was in college. During my interviews, every single interviewer would ask about my trip and wanted to hear all about it. If I could do it over again, I would have done it multiple times. Doing GUF 10 years later partially allowed me to do that, so I'm grateful they opened up the application process to alumni.” 4 www.BetaEta.com
Tallahassee. As with the JOH, Beta Etas have been very involved with this event; 11 different students and alumni have made the trip. We thank these men who have committed themselves to such a worthy cause bene itting others. If you would like to learn more about these cycling opportunities as an alumnus or student, please visit http://www.abilityexperience.org/register/.
John Pierce '86 - JOH(2x) Greg Philo '87 - JOH (2x), GUF Anthony Blankenship '87 - JOH Harry McIntosh '88 - JOH Stephen Prior '89 - JOH Thirty-two Beta Etas Seth Klondar '91 - JOH have participated in the Walker Jackson '91 - JOH JOH and GUF events, some Chris Mueller '92 – JOH, GUF multiple times. Brian Baber '92 - GUF Durwood Thompson '95 - GUF (listed by order of initiation) Patrick Graham '98 - JOH Ryan Barr '99 - JOH Phillip Kelley '09 – GUF (2x) Corey Watt '09 - GUF Brett Tickell '09 - JOH Kevin Cowan '09 – JOH
Corey Watt/Phillip Kelley
Phil Sipiora '10 - JOH Benjamin Sansing '11 - JOH Justin Spears '12 - JOH Diego Ferradas '12 – JOH, GUF Michael Howard '12 - GUF Ryan Dooley '12 - JOH Austin Shepard '12 - JOH Stewart Beshears '14 - JOH Matt George '14 - JOH Trey Dolan '14 - JOH Sam Jaramillo '14 - JOH Andre Batista '14 - JOH Chad Whitehead '15 - JOH, GUF Quincy Grant '15 - GUF Clayton Muehlstein '15 - JOH Chris Garrison '15 - GUF
Message from our Chapter Advisor
The Greek community at Florida State University has never been stronger in some respects, but we are at a time when the guys would benet from strong mentorship more than ever. Brothers, Recent events in Greek communities around the country and on our own campus demonstrate the need for this mentorship. We had a phenomenal year at the Beta Eta chapter. Our So if you want to nd a way to get involved with the student current Archon Anthony Petagine has provided a great chapter, please do not hesitate to contact me or our Archon, overview of the students' accomplishments, but I wanted to especially if you live in the surrounding Tallahassee area or add a few thoughts and perspectives. First, our Council of know you will be coming for a visit in the upcoming year. Advisors (COA) has been an invaluable resource and support system for the chapter, particularly for the The guys have been doing great work, and the amount of Executive Board. We have held meetings once a semester recognition we received at the Greek awards this past year to report, strategize, and collaborate with the student exec. shows just how much they are able to accomplish. We The Council of Advisors for the past year consisted of recruited two amazing classes last year with a great amount myself, alumni brothers Chris Meadows, Jason Pernell, of potential and we continue to grow our presence with Brad Givens, Chris Martin, Sean Diaz, Scott Perdue, and philanthropy in our community and at the national level, and Dillon Warner, and we also welcomed friend of the the brothers keep academics as a priority, all while fraternity Courtney Barry to our ranks. Each of the maintaining the strongest brotherhood on campus. However, advisory board members has been paired with a member of it was tough on all of us to have so much success and the student exec to provide service and support in their recognition, but to not receive IFC Chapter of the Year. student leadership role for the chapter. Second place has red the guys up and will hopefully keep them hungry moving into next year. We will be losing a few members from the COA and have already recruited alumni brother David Bohn to join our Fraternally, ranks. If you are looking for ways to become involved D. Craig Filar directly with the brothers in the student chapter, I would be Chapter Advisor BH1629 happy to speak with you about service of the COA. www.BetaEta.com
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ALUMNI UPDATES Walt ROTHENBACH '59
HOMECOMING 2017
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
Having a heart for public service and for enriching his community, Walt served the Sarasota County Government as supervisor and director of Parks and Recreation from 1963 until 1998. He later became Executive Director of Community Services overseeing Parks and Recreation, Cooperative Extension Services, Library Services, and the History Center. In 2000, Walt became Deputy County Administrator and served in that capacity until retiring in 2003. In honor of his service, the County Commission named a 450 acre park after him (search for Rothenbach Park via Google).
Bob DAVIS '72 Time: 2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Chapter House – 423 West College Ave.
Beta Eta Alumni Annual Reception & Dinner Cocktails: 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. Dinner: 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. Georgio's Fine Food & Spirits 2971 Apalachee Parkway Spouses and Guests welcome RSVP Chuck Cutajar at upchuckfsu@aol.com
Beta Eta House Corporation Annual Meeting Coffee & Refreshments: 8:30 a.m. Annual Meeting: 9:00 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Chapter House – 423 West College Ave. Florida State Seminoles vs. Delaware State Time: TBA Doak Campbell Stadium Beta Eta Tailgate: Buehler House, 1603 Jackson Bluff Rd.
NOTE
Saturday, November 18
Friday, November 17
Homecoming Parade
Homecoming activities will be held the week of November 12 – 18, 2017. Florida State has not yet released its detailed schedule of events. Please continue to check homecoming.fsu.edu for additional details.
After graduating from FSU with a major in accounting, Bob began his career with a irm in Orlando before starting his own irm in 1984 which still exists today. His wife, Bonnie, was an owner of a loor covering distribution company, and both were also inancial planners and security dealers. In 2008, they were fortunate to sell their companies, retire, and become active in volunteer work. Bonnie and Bob are blessed with two daughters. Ashley is a cytotechnologist at Florida Hospital in Orlando, and Lindsey, who received her undergraduate degree and her law degree from FSU, is in-house counsel at Signature Flight Support with U.S. operations based in Orlando. Bob is very involved in the Seminole Boosters, Inc. He joined the Board of Directors in 2015 and was immediately appointed chair of the audit committee after a major theft was discovered. They were able to determine how the theft occurred, recovered all of the money, and instituted new internal controls to prevent such events in the future. Bob received the Godfrey Smith Award after only one year of service, being designated as the “person of the year.” More recently he was elected to the Executive Board and currently serves as Treasurer.
B. Dan BERGER '88 Dan is the President & CEO of the National Association of Federally-Insured Credit Unions. He deals on a daily basis with the White House, Congress and the various regulatory agencies, so it's never a dull moment! His 13-year old daughter, Shelby, is not only academically bright, she's a pretty darn good athlete, competing in gymnastics, tennis and lacrosse. Like most parents, he and his wife, Aimee, attend seemingly non-stop practices, games, and matches. Dan also serves on the board of directors of the FSU Alumni Association and Bone ish & Tarpon Trust, a conservation organization.
Darren BROOKS '89
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Darren is a Management Professor at FSU in the College of Business and the Executive Director for the Center for Human Resource Management. Before settling down in Tallahassee with Marianne, his wife of 23 years, Darren lived in the Carolinas, Orlando, and Jacksonville. They have three children – Thomas (20 yrs.) who is also a Beta Eta, Elizabeth (15 yrs.), and Jack (13 yrs.). Darren is active in the
community coaching youth football, supporting the Tallahassee Ballet, and Trinity Catholic School. Looking back on his Pi Kapp experiences, his fondest memories were attending Pi Kapp College, serving as Warden his senior year, having the honor of alumni initiating his father, and the friendships made that have lasted almost 30 years. The outpouring of support from brothers over the past two years while dealing with his wife's health challenges has given him tremendous strength to persist through some very dif icult times. Darren is always interested in connecting with any brothers. dbrooks@business.fsu.edu
Dean MILLER '92 Dean recently moved from Jacksonville, FL, to Richmond, VA, to take a new position as a Sr. Analyst with the law irm, Hunton & Williams. He resides there with his wife, Elizabeth, and daughter, Olivia. Dean would love to reconnect with any brothers. MillerD@hunton.com
Phil DeYOUNG '93 Phil was presented with the 2017 FAU Distinguished Alumnus Award (Ph.D., '03) representing the Charles E. Schmidt College of Science in a recent ceremony prior to spring commencement. The event brought together alumni to celebrate the accomplishments of their most outstanding peers. Phil was also appointed to the Board of Directors for the College of Science and will assist in promoting, fundraising, and providing scienti ic guidance to the College.
Jeff PUJALS '94 Jeff currently lives in Miami Shores, FL and has been working in the pharmaceutical industry for the past 15 years. He is the District Business Manager for P izer's Cardiology/Internal Medicine portfolio in South Florida. As an active Pi Kapp alumnus, Jeff served as chapter advisor for Theta Delta (FIU) and was the Regional Governor for South Florida. He has also been involved with Rotary International for many years and was a past president of the Miami Downtown/Brickell Rotary Club. When he's not working, he enjoys traveling all over the world.
Jeremy KISSEL '97 Jeremy lives in Chicago with his wife, Adriana, and daughter, Claire. He is the Senior Vice President, Deputy General Counsel,
at a data connectivity company called Global Capacity. He also serves on the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee of the Chicago Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC).
Steve MESSER '03 Steve and his wife, Ashley, recently welcomed their irst child, Everett Messer. Everett was born on July 14, 2017. Steve and Ashley live in Tampa, where Steve works as a civil defense attorney and Ashley works in fundraising and development for the University of South Florida.
Matt CLARK '09 After graduating from medical school at FSU, Matt moved to Nashville, TN, to do his medical residency at Vanderbilt. He recently completed his Residency in Pediatrics and will be staying an extra year as Chief Resident to continue with his Pediatric Hematology/Oncology fellowship. Also, congratulations are in order as Matt got married in Tallahassee last August to his lovely bride, Amy Clark (a fellow Nole).
Charlie GOLENBOCK '09 Charlie recently opened a sports nutrition franchise called Nutrishop near Manhattan Beach, California. He assists his clients with their diet, supplementation programs, and workout regimen. Based on the rapid success of his company, there are plans to expand to more locations in 2018. Aside from business and itness, he loves to travel and meet people from all different cultures and plans to tour Europe this summer.
Matt LOMBARDI '09 Matt and his wife live in Nashville, TN, where he owns a business (http://www.slatewoodclub.com/) that puts on events designed to help men better themselves, build community, and have fun. As he explained, “My experience at Beta Eta in luenced an incredible amount of what I do with the business. While I'm incredibly fortunate to have the experience I had with Pi Kappa Phi, there are many men who never joined an undergraduate fraternity chapter or who maybe just lost touch with that experience. We try to ill in those gaps by creating yearly retreats and monthly gatherings for these men.” Editor's note: I feel a man trip in the making...calling all early 90's Beta Etas.
www.BetaEta.com
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Beta Eta Alumni Chapter P.O. Box 11244 Tallahassee, FL 32302-3244
The mission of the Beta Eta Alumni Chapter is to enhance the lifelong fraternal experience for Beta Eta alumni by maintaining an active alumni group that is dedicated to connecting alumni with each other and to their fraternity by providing timely communication of relevant alumni news and organizing meaningful events. This group shall promote the ideals of the Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity as expressed in our Ritual of Initiation and Supreme Laws and encourage Beta Eta alumni to renew their lifetime pledge to the brotherhood of this fraternity.
REMEMBER
8 YEARS AGO The Founding Fathers who led Beta Eta through re-chartering in 2009.