BETA ETA
DATA
SUMMER 2015
PI KAPPA PHI FRATERNITY • FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY BETA ETA CHAPTER ALUMNI NEWSLETTER
Alumni Meet in Tampa; Loy Named “Mr. Beta Eta” Elections were held and Brad Middleton ’09 was elected to serve a three year term on the BHAC board. Jim Scarboro ’82 and Tim Atkinson ’84 were each re-elected to serve a new three year term. Following the business meeting and reception on the hotel veranda, a dinner party was held at nearby Jackson’s Bistro. Alumni and guests enjoyed a wonderful meal and booming cannon fire from Tampa’s very own pirate ship, The José Gasparilla. Paul Nichols ’64 celebrated his 70th birthday at the event and was very pleased to share the experience with his Beta Eta brothers, including his son and BHAC Treasurer, Lee Nichols ’87. Pictured from left to right: Tom Atwood, Nil Loy, Mike Loy and Scott Middlebrooks Overall, the weekend was well The Beta Eta Alumni Chapter held its Annual Meeting attended by alumni and provided on Saturday, March 7th, 2015 at the Marriott Waterside a great weekend of brotherhood. Hotel & Marina in Tampa. During the weekend, past BHAC President and longtime The event was a great opportunity for alumni and Beta Eta leader Michael S. Loy ’91 was named Mr. Beta guests to reconnect with each other and hear about the Eta (see Page 7 for Loy’s Resolution) . This award is accomplishments of the greater Beta Eta Chapter. Reports presented to a Beta Eta alumnus who best represents the were given from each of the Beta Eta organizations (the ideals of the fraternity and who has exhibited considerable, BHAC, Housing Corp., Board of Alumni Advisors and sustained, and meritorius service on behalf of the chapter. student chapter) followed by discussion regarding BHAC On behalf of the BHAC Board of Directors, President membership & recruitment, future social events and Scott Middlebrooks ’93 presented a proclamation to Loy financial status. Pi Kappa Phi Foundation Executive commemorating his dedication and many contributions to Director and Beta Eta alumnus Tom Atwood ’92 provided the Beta Eta chapter. an overview of the national fraternity’s newly approved Brother Loy joins Jeff Wahlen ’81 and Chuck Cutajar strategic plan and also discussed current issues facing all ’62 as the only other alumni who have received this Greek fraternal organizations. honorific title.
CHAPTER REPORT
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 Jim Scarboro at jscar2893@gmail.com.
NOTES NAMES: The number after each
name in this newsletter represents the year of initiation.
NEED TO FIND A BROTHER: The BHAC would like to help you stay connected with fellow Beta Eta brothers. Email us at fsupikappalumni@yahoo.com to request contact information for alumni you would like to contact.
NEXT ISSUE BETA ETA ALUMNI WORKING FOR THE COMMON GOOD BETA ETA HOUSE CORPORATION RECOGNIZED AS THE FRATERNITY’S BEST IN THE NATION NEW FRATERNITY MOVES INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD
FROM THE ARCHON The student chapter had a busy and productive spring semester. It had a number of brothers participating in various Pi Kappa Phi events and activities which have continued into the summer. Here are the highlights: • The student chapter had 158 brothers and an Associate Member class of 17 men, bringing our total membership to 175 men. Based on the latest information from the Office of Greek Life, this ranks us the 5th largest of 22 fraternities on FSU’s campus. • The Chapter performed well academically. For spring 2015, Beta Eta had a GPA of 3.054 and ranked 6th of 22 fraternities on FSU’s campus. The Associate Member class had a spring GPA of 3.134 for the same period and this class ranked 2nd among other fraternity pledge classes. • We had two veterans as alumni initiates with the spring class. Richard Ryan Taylor is a decorated Marine with 3 tours in Afghanistan. Richard is the former President of the Collegiate Veterans Association. James William Parker is a decorated Army sniper who trained with Chris Kyle (of American Sniper fame) and completed numerous tours in Iraq from 2001 – 2008. James currently works at the FSU Veterans Center where he does event planning and public relations. Both Richard and James are currently pursuing degrees at FSU. • At the Greek awards, Beta Eta won the Academic Excellence and the Greek Relations awards. • Brothers Ryan Dooley, Chaplain, and Phil Sippiora will participate in the Journey of Hope this summer. 100 Pi Kapps will traverse the U.S. by bicycle along three routes and meet in Washington D.C. to raise funds and awareness for people with disabilities. Details at www.abilityexperience.org • Chapter member Adrian Romero,who served as the 2014 IFC President, was inducted into the FSU Greek Hall of Fame. He also received the 2015 Greg Singleton “Man of the Year” award from the Southeastern Interfraternity Conference. The Southeastern Interfraternity Conference is the regional “trade association” of IFC’s in the South. There are four such associations across the U.S. The Greg Singleton Man of the Year award recognizes an undergraduate fraternity man in the Southeast who is a role model to his peers and consistently illustrates what it means to live with integrity and by the values of his fraternity. Adrian graduated this spring with a degree in Risk Management/Insurance. • Beta Eta will send two brothers, Stew Breshears and Luke Klutz, to Pi Kapp College for Emerging Leaders in summer 2015. This six-day leadership development experience is held in Columbia, South Carolina and targets rising sophomores and juniors with leadership potential. David Bohn, Archon dbb12c@my.fsu.edu
WWW.BETAETA.COM —2—
HOUSE CORPORATION REPORT
Aggressive Agenda Drives BHHC
ALUMNI UPDATES
Chris Anderson (President), Chris New (Treasurer) and Matt Wilson (Director) recently attended a daylong Greek Housing seminar in Atlanta, GA at the Georgia Tech campus. Topics included property management, insurance & risk management, capital campaigns, budgeting & financial management, tax issues and equipment replacement. The sessions, facilitated by a range of experts, gave the attendees some valuable insights into managing a fraternity property. Chris, Chris and Matt also took a few minutes after the sessions to tour the Iota Chapter house.
Breece MCCRAY ’50 Founding member Breece McCray (BH #8) lives in the New Smyrna Beach area. He misses the good years at FSU and spending time with chapter brothers. He would enjoy hearing from fellow charter members and others from the early days of the chapter. bam04130@yahoo.com
Our ongoing agenda includes the following: • House Improvement Day for alumni and student members is scheduled for August 15, 2015. We have had great alumni and student turnout for prior work days and hope to continue this trend. Please mark your calendars for this wonderful brotherhood event. More details to follow. • Continue to build our reserve account (currently at $120,000) and reduce the mortgage debt, which has been reduced by $75,000 in the last 2 years. The current mortgage is $325,000. We want to be in a position of having the financial flexibility and strength to ensure the sustainability of the chapter house for the long term. • We will look at aligning our terms for 2016-2017 student leases to bill a semester at a time (instead of monthly). This will improve cash flow and collections. Apparently, most Greek housing entities do this, and it will be similar to university billing for housing. • Maintain an engaged Board of Directors with the right skill sets to lead the Beta Eta House Corporation. • Develop a long-term strategic plan. Once established, we can determine how we will manage the house and the company finances. There is a lot of ongoing and planned development on College Avenue. While our current house location is ideal, the facility is showing its age. With the narrow lot we occupy and the code restrictions, we have limited options. Once we decide where we want to go, we can decide if maintaining the current structure, renovation, demolition & rebuilding, or moving should be undertaken. • We are looking at testing a weekly meal served before chapter meeting. If it is successful, we hope to expand it to a daily meal plan. • Creating a long-term vision will help us prioritize immediate repair and maintenance issues so the house can better support the growth of the student chapter. We are getting to a point where infrastructure repairs are starting to become a regular occurrence (plumbing leaks, HVAC replacement, etc.). We want to position the facility so it is an asset in recruitment, not a hindrance, and a chapter house we can all be proud. The chapter is growing and thriving; the house should support that momentum. The Beta Eta House Corporation continues to work with the chapter in providing competitive housing in a chapter house that promotes our brotherhood. Let us know if you are able to help the house corporation with time, expertise, or of course, financial support. Chris New, Treasurer cdnew@bellsouth.net
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Paul SPAULDING ’57 Paul is retired and living in Traverse City, Michigan. He would love to reconnect with any of the “old troops” from his time at FSU. (231) 922-0604. phaythe@charter.net Don STEINER ’67 Don and wife, Aggie (Smith), a former Beta Eta Little Sister (Alpha Chi Omega) have moved from Atlanta, Georgia to The Villages, Florida. Later this year the Steiners will celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary. n1nole@bellsouth.net Reinhard MABRY ’87 Reinhard is President & CEO of Alphapointe, a nonprofit located in Kansas City, MO. Reinhard lives in Overland Park, KS, with his wife and two teenage sons. The photo below was taken at Sporting Park, home of the 2013 Major League Soccer champions, Sporting KC. rmabry@alphapointe.org
Paver Project Enhances Chapter House Curb Appeal The Beta Eta Alumni Chapter, in partnership with the House Corporation and student chapter, recently installed decorative pavers on the walkway approaching the front door and to the side deck. The joint effort was not only meant to raise additional funds for the BHAC, but to also cultivate a greater sense of ownership among student members who were also permitted to purchase the commemorative bricks. A side benefit to the project was the aesthetic improvement to the most visible part of the house: the approach from College Ave. The project paid for itself and is large enough in scope to provide for additional “brick sales” in future years similar to the ongoing paver project by the FSU Alumni Association in front of the Westcott Building. Commemorative bricks were purchased by the BHAC to recognize the founders of the fraternity as well as those local organizations (the BHAC, House Corporation and Council
of Advisors for the student chapter) who work as a team to safeguard the Beta Eta experience for alumni and students. Also, a riddle was embedded in the project with a reinforcing message about “fraternity.” The key to the riddle is found on a brick that is placed in an inconspicuous place. Locate that brick and it will unlock the secret message found on several other bricks. About the Fraternity’s “Starshield Logo…” Officially adopted in 1998, the Starshield logo actually dates back to the 1920’s when it was used as an “alumnus recognition badge.” It was a lapel pin given to alumni who had distinguished themselves through their service to Pi Kappa Phi. The Beta Eta Alumni Chapter wishes to thank the following brothers who supported this project.
BETA ETA PAVER PROJECT SUPPORTERS Kevin Abell Chris Anderson Marshall Atkinson Tim Atkinson Tom Atwood Brian Baber Sean Barth B. Dan Berger Charles Bodine William Branch Kevin Brandewie Gabi Carrera Don Chao Stephen Cook Connor Coppola Rick Corbett Brad Cottrill Peter Cude Chuck Cutajar Parker Davis Rob Davison Phil DeYoung Reg Dickey
Jack Digney Jonathan Dipietro Fred Diulus Chris Downs Jared Dubosar Jeff Eacker John Eaton Erik Eingorn Gilbert Fernandez Jamie Fritz Dean Ganzhorn Michael Gaudio Patrick Heaton Mack Houston Benjamin Hurley Bart Hurley Walker Jackson Ray Jones Frank Kaney Zachary Katz Alex Kearney Dana Keller Phillip Kelley
Vernon Khail Jason Klein Jeff Korb Marc Leonard Beau Lombardi Steven Louchheim Michael Loy Chuck MacMillin Howard “Buz” McCall Harry McIntosh David Michael Scott Middlebrooks Mark Mills Gordon Mize Chris Mueller Chris New James B. Newman James “Jay” Newman Lee Nichols Paul Nichols Michael O’Dair Cody Pacic Christian Paone
Dave Pavesic Conrad Predki Jeff Pujals Adrian Romero Ken Rouse Chris Ryle Frank M. Ryll, Jr. Jim Scarboro Darren Scott Kenneth Siegel Daniel Serio Dean Sharabi Shaun Sharabi Ryan Short John Stanford Jonathan Stevens Dave Stoddard Ryan Taylor Travis Tyre III Eric Wahlen Scott Webster John Weinberger
Please notify Jim Scarboro if your name was accidentally omitted. jscar2893@gmail.com —4—
ALUMNI UPDATES Jason KLEIN ’91 On May 7, 2015, Jason and Rebecca Klein celebrated 20 years of marriage. They actually met at a Pi Kappa Phi function back in 1993 during Spring Rush. They live in Miami and have two kids, Shelby 16 and Danton 13. Jason has his own CPA accounting practice as well as his own music production and record label. He is a voting member of the Grammys and lately has had several albums and songs chart in Billboard Magazine and play around the world. Jason also volunteers time with the Alpha Chi Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi at the University of Miami. Jason@JasonHKleinCPA.com
Darren SCOTT ’91 2015 will be a year of anniversaries for Darren. In May, he celebrated 21 years with employer Wallace Welch & Willingham and in June will celebrate 16 years of marriage with wife, Jennifer. He enjoys spending time with his two sons, Ryan (14) and Max (10). dscott@w3ins.com
Dan THOMPSON ’91 Recently promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, Dan holds doctorate degrees in Educational Leadership and Philosophy. He is currently the Senior Chaplain at Joint Base Charleston. Dan and family reside in Charleston, South Carolina. dwthompson_2000@netzero.net Jim NIGRO ’93 Jim lives in Newmarket, New Hampshire where he does mortgage banking. He is married to Tiffany and has a 10 year old son , Nicholas, who is a tremendous drummer. Jim loves outdoor activities like boating, but also has a passion for cooking and reconnecting with old friends. He’s a big Boston Bruins fan and still enjoys getting on the ice which was his sport of choice in college. james.nigro@rmsmortgage.com
Kevin BRANDEWIE ’09 Kevin graduated from FSU in the Fall of 2012 and after eight years of dating, recently tied the knot with Claire Gray on March 21st. bam04130@yahoo.com
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Phillip KELLEY ’09 Phillip Kelley graduates from Florida Coastal School of Law this May and is taking the July 2015 Florida Bar Exam. He currently lives in Jacksonville, but will relocate to wherever he is hired. Phillip has interned with the Public Defender’s Office for a year and plans to stay in the public sector in some capacity. He is interviewing with both the State Attorney’s Office and the Public Defender’s Office and hopes to begin working as soon as he takes the Bar exam. phillip.glynn.kelley@gmail.com Brad MIDDLETON ’09 Brad Middleton and wife, Carrie, welcomed into the world the newest Seminole Pi Kapp on Thursday, May 19th. Charles Beaumont “Beau” Middleton has already accepted his bid and will be joining the chapter’s Fall 2033 pledge class. Brad, Carrie and Beau live in Charlotte where Brad is currently on National Fraternity staff along with fellow Beta Etas James Maloney and Tom Atwood. Brad is the Director of Housing Services for Pi Kappa Phi Properties. bmiddleton@pkapp.org
Celebrated Beta Eta Musician Passes to Chapter Eternal
Brother Paul Perry ’55, who was a founding member and Executive Director of Music in the Mountains for 28 years passed away earlier this winter. Critically acclaimed pianist, conductor and former chapter Archon Paul Perry ’55 passed to the Chapter Eternal on February 12, 2015. He was 78 years old. Brother Perry excelled in musical studies at an early age and went on to a lifelong career in classical music. In between his time at Florida State and Rollins College, where he would earn a Masters Degree in music theory, Perry worked for the National Fraternity as a Field Secretary (Leadership Consultant) and was the first graduate hired by then Executive Director Durward Owen, who had assumed leadership of the fraternity in the summer of 1959. Perry served on the national staff for a brief period of time before leaving to pursue other interests. During Perry’s musical journey, he studied and worked under some of the leading musicians of his time, including pianist/composer Carlisle Floyd; conductors Wiley Housewright, Robert Shaw, Robert Page, and Arthur Fiedler; and professor/voice coach Ross Rosazza. He performed extensively all over the country before settling in the Nevada City, California area where he was the founder and artistic director of Music in the Mountains. Throughout his remarkable musical career, Perry wore many hats. He was assistant chorus master for the Orlando Opera, staff pianist for the Blossom Festival School of the Cleveland
Symphony in 1975, and later that year moved west to join the staff at San Francisco Opera, leading its Brown Bag Opera series among other duties. He also served on the board of the California Arts Council. Perry was named Man of the Year by the Nevada City Chamber of Commerce in 2007 and named Executive Director Emeritus of Music in the Mountains by its board of directors upon retirement in 2008. Perry is remembered fondly by many friends, musical colleagues and chapter brothers alike. Brother Dick Lukas ’54 remembered Perry this way, “I remember Paul as a generous guy who went out of his way to help a fraternity brother. In those days, few of us owned cars. Paul had one and routinely provided transportation to brothers like me who lived in south Florida to travel home for holidays and to return to school. He was a gifted pianist and choral director, leading us to a first place finish in the Campus Sing competition. Anyone who could take a bunch of monotones and transform them into a winning choral group speaks volumes about his achievement! I fondly remember, even today, the fun all of us had during rehearsals. After I heard him play one of Bach’s pieces, I fell in love with classical music, an interest I have had to this day.”
HOMECOMING 2015 SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Friday, November 13, 2015 Beta Eta Alumni Annual Reception & Dinner Cocktails: 6:00 – 7:00 p.m. Dinner: 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. Georgio’s Fine Food & Spirits, 2971 Apalachee Pkwy. Spouses & Guests welcome Saturday, November 14, 2015 Florida State Seminoles vs. N.C. State Wolfpack Time: TBA Doak Campbell Stadium Beta Eta Tailgate: Buehler House, 1603 Jackson Bluff Rd. Sunday, November 15, 2015 Beta Eta House Corporation Annual Meeting (NEW - DATE/TIME) Coffee & Refreshments: 8:30 a.m. Business Meeting: 9:15 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Chapter House – 423 West College Ave. Note: Homecoming activities will be held the week of November 8-14, 2015. Florida State has not yet released its detailed schedule of events. Please continue to check homecoming.fsu.edu for additional details.
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RESOLUTION presented to
MICHAEL S. LOY MR. BETA ETA 2015 WHEREAS, the Beta Eta Alumni Chapter, Inc. of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity has established the Mr. Beta Eta Award as its highest honor; and WHEREAS, Michael Scott Loy was initiated into Beta Eta Chapter on November 23, 1991, as the chapter’s 922nd initiate; and WHEREAS, throughout his undergraduate career he involved himself not only in the affairs of Beta Eta, having served as Warden and Archon, but also worked to advance the reputation of Pi Kappa Phi at Florida State University through his involvement with numerous campus organizations; and, WHEREAS, in recognition of such accomplishments, he was recognized as Pi Kappa Phi’s Student of the Year in 1994, receiving the fraternity’s highest award bestowed upon a student member; and WHEREAS, upon graduation he left Tallahassee, Florida for Charlotte, North Carolina to join the fraternity staff as Mark E. Timmes’, Alpha Epsilon (Florida) very first hire, bringing class, panache and a champion’s way of thinking to this Gator-led fraternity; and WHEREAS, in January 2005 he helped coordinate and co-lead an organizing retreat with 10 other Beta Eta alumni which would eventually give birth to the Beta Eta Alumni Chapter – Pi Kappa Phi’s most decorated chapter-based alumni group which has not only served as a model and standard-bearer for the fraternity, but has, more importantly, reconnected hundreds of Beta Eta alumni back to their fraternity and to each other; and WHEREAS, for nearly twenty-four years, since that fateful evening when Beta Eta Chapter initiated this young man who came to us from Tampa, FL., Beta Eta Chapter has had few allies stronger, few volunteers more capable, and few brothers more devoted than the man we call, “Myrna”; now be it therefore RESOLVED, that the Board of Directors of the Beta Eta Alumni Chapter, Inc. does hereby declare Brother Michael Scott Loy to be the recipient of the Mr. Beta Eta Award this 7th Day of March 2015.
Scott C. Middlebrooks, President Beta Eta Alumni Chapter, Inc.
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—8— Newly hired Field Secretary (Leadership Consultant) Paul Perry is introduced to students and alumni at the very first Pi Kapp College in 1959. It was at this same conference where Durward Owen, Xi (Roanoke) was also introduced as Pi Kappa Phi’s new Executive Secretary, replacing Brother Greg Elam, Beta (Presbyterian) who had served in the role for just 18 months.
56 YEARS AGO REMEMBER
BETA ETA ALUMNI CHAPTER, INC. 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 their fraternity by providing timely communcation of relevant alumni news and organizing meaningful events. This group shall promote the ideals of Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity as expressed in our Ritual of Inititation and Supreme Laws and encourage Beta Eta alumni to renew their lifetime pledge to the brotherhood of this fraternity.