THE ALUMNI NEWSLETTER OF PI KAPPA PHI AT THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA
WINTER 2010
SIGMA SPEAKS
Leadership Consultant Justin Angotti, Theta Eta (American); Sigma Campaign Chairman, Bob Berry ‘71; Past National President Phil Tappy, Lambda (Georgia); and Sigma Historian Hays Pickens.
Student members Chris Buki, Tim Gainous, Ricky Kopec and Alex Hnizdor wait for rushees to arrive.
sigma signs 32; tappy keynotes recruitment banquet Sigma students and alumni were out in force helping the chapter throughout fall recruitment at the University of South Carolina. The result: 32 outstanding young men were signed and later formally pledged, giving Sigma a top five recruiting class for the fall. According to Archon Erich Straughn, a junior from Charlotte, North Carolina, “The chapter really came together for this important rush. With Sigma’s centennial anniversary set for next spring, there was a lot of excitement and enthusiasm in the chapter. We used that to our advantage as we spoke to rushees about Pi Kappa Phi.” Straughn and company had been preparing all summer for what was to be a critical recruitment effort for Sigma. The chapter’s fall numbers had not been keeping pace with their inter-fraternal peers, but thanks to Straughn, the recruitment committee and executive committee members, they assertively redirected a trend line that had grown flatter over the last several semesters. As rush week went on, students were feeling a sense of momentum on their side.
Potential new members arrive early for the banquet at the chapter house.
“The chapter stayed focused, and as the days progressed, we could feel this growing sense of momentum and belief that this could be a bell-weather class,” said Historian Hays Pickens. The chapter held a variety of afternoon events that helped to buttress the formal activities the IFC had structured each evening. Chapter members were assigned rushees to follow up with each day and to remind them about the upcoming events. On the last evening of recruitment, Past National President Phil Tappy, Lambda (Georgia), who lives in Charlotte, keynoted the banquet which was held at the chapter house. Tappy, recalling his time as an associate member of Pi Kappa Phi at the University of Georgia, shared the lessons he learned from the many meaningful experiences that have kept him connected to the fraternity since 1961, and challenged the rushees in the room not to fall for an ‘easy sales pitch’, but to look for a fraternity with substance and true brotherhood. Of the 40 or so rushees in the room, 32 found Sigma to be a chapter with real substance.
Sigma alumni Fred Quinn ‘38 and Jim Quinn ‘79.
alumnus spotlight: pete manos ‘72 PI KAPPA PHI
SIGMA
SIGMA SPEAKS publisher
Sigma Speaks is published by Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity Headquarters on behalf of the Sigma Housing Corporation. Please submit questions, comments and correction to Tom Atwood at tatwood@pikapp.org. Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity P.O. Box 240526 Charlotte, NC 28224 (800) 929-1904 www.pikapp.org
NOTES
NAMES The number after each name in this newsletter represents the year of initiation. RECONNECT WITH A BROTHER If you would like to reconnect with a chapter brother and need their information, please contact Pi Kappa Phi National Office at (800) 929-1904. ALUMNI UPDATES The following members were reported as having passed to the Chapter Eternal since January 1, 2009. May their memory be ever-green among us. Samuel Brooker Cartledge Jr. ‘33 Charles Harrell Chiles ‘51 Michael Gregory Fallow ‘72 Harry Edwards Hutchinson Jr. ‘58 James Grady Leach III ‘84 Donald William Schmidt,‘44 Robert Palmer Wilcox ‘57
Recently, Sigma Speaks spoke with alumnus and campaign contributor Pete Manos ‘72 to catch up on lost time and to see how, with 37 years hindsight, he views his Sigma Pi Kapp experience. Many things were happening the year you When you look back at your time as a student joined Pi Kappa Phi—Mark Spitz won seven member of Sigma, what lessons did you learn gold medals, The Godfather was released, the having been a part of a successful chapter? I learned how to interact with people; how to U.S. was in the middle of the Vietnam War. respect others even when you passionately disagree What was it like on campus at that time? with them. Giving Exciting and rebellious. guidance and receiving We were a part of what guidance, even when you we believed to be the antithink you know it all and establishment generation, giving of yourself because protesting and streaking, you can, not because you enjoying free love, yet still are obligated to; giving as grounded by the values a friend and as a brother. instilled in us at an early That is what keeps you age, like responsibility and humble and what makes respect. The University for true happiness. That is was renovating the main Pete Manos (right) and Scott Stephen (left) pose with former NBA star John Salley (center) at a what makes you a Pi Kapp. library and this was having a pretty dramatic effect on recent engagement. the Fraternity Horseshoe area. Green St. was still Tell us a little bit about your family. My beautiful wife, Linnie, is the best thing open and the school was pretty much confined to happen to me. She is smart and genuine and to an area of about eight square blocks. has always been an exceptional mother. I would How did you get introduced to Pi Kappa Phi? truly be lost without her love and support over the I rushed it with my best friends from high years, and I look forward to many more years with school. I had been in a fraternity in high school, so her. My son, Peter, The Citadel Class of ‘08, is I was familiar with the Greek system. I visited the preparing for a career with either the U.S. Marshall Pi Kapp house last and was surprised to find that, Service or he FBI. I am extremely proud of him as unlike the other houses, the Pi Kapp house was I am certain I would not have made it through The made up of an astounding variety of individuals, Citadel experience. My daughter, Ayers, is a senior hippies, brainiacs, stuff shirts, jocks, hellions, at Francis Marion University studying broadcast and philosophers. Not your typical cookie cutter journalism and has a very promising future as a group of guys; and to top it off, three of the guys meteorologist. I am sure my sweetheart would be I had been with in my high school fraternity were just as happy chasing tornados! I have been very blessed with such an incredible family. active members. It was fantastic!
“The Pi Kapp house was made up of an astounding variety of individuals, hippies, brainiacs, stuff shirts, jocks, hellions and philosophers. Not your typical cookie cutter group of guys.”
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What was your best memory being a part of Sigma Chapter? The brotherhood itself was the greatest memory. It seemed as though we did everything together, eating, road-trips, sports, cramming for exams in the lounge, partying. Heck, we even had our own bar in the fraternity house! How’s that for a shocker? We visited each other’s families, and they became our families. It never ended. Those were the greatest days and the greatest guys!
For the student members who will read this issue of Sigma Speaks, what advice to you have for them? Savor every moment. Learn from your brothers as the time will come, sooner than you think, when you will not see them as often as you once did. It’s just a part of life. These are forever your brothers, forever your friends. Relish these years, for they are indeed the greatest.
alumni updates Ken Forti ‘65 After 45-plus years of service with the Kensington Volunteer Fire Department, Ken retired on December 31, 2009. Since 2004, Ken has also served as a regional governor for Pi Kappa Phi, providing volunteer leadership four chapters in the Capitol Region. His first granddaughter just celebrated her first birthday. Ken and his wife, Jackie, live in Kensington, Md. kforti7174@msn.com Rodney Brace ‘67 Rodney recently retired after a 35-year career in banking, finishing with JP Morgan Chase. Retirement didn’t last long, however, as he’s now the CEO the Federal Property Registration Corp. His biggest accomplishment, though, was shooting par on 17 at the TPC Sawgrass (stadium) Course. rbrace@gmail.com Ron Farkas ‘67 Ron enjoyed planning Sigma’s annual “The Felix” golf outing, which was held on Friday, October 22, 2009, for alumni and undergraduates. Ron is currently the Divisional Manager for PortionPac Chemical of Chicago, Ill., and can be reached at (803) 261-1469. RFarkas171@aol.com Jim Emens ‘73 Jim and family are in Columbia, S.C., where Jim is with Southern Medical Solution and his wife, Donna, works with Bank of America. They have two children, both graduates of USC. Jim and his son work together while his daughter is presently enrolled as a graduate student at USC. jemens@aol.com Tom Rohrer ‘76 Tom and his wife, Robbie, recently celebrated their 20th anniversary. They have two daughters. Hannah is a senior in high school, and Griffin is in seventh grade. Robbie continues in her career in banking and Tom is in the eighth year of his second career as a high school business education teacher at Carolina High School and Academy in Greenville, S.C. trohrer@greenville.k12.sc.us Chuck Wright ’77 Chuck presently lives in Raleigh, N.C., and owns a shopping center maintenance and property management company with clients across North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. Chuck started the company in 1992. He also writes for a number of prominent
conservative publications under the pen name of C. Edmund Wright. In addition to that, he ghost-writes and researches for a nationally prominent media figure. His middle daughter, Ryan, just entered App State as a freshman. chuck@wrightgrouponline.com Adam Bourne ‘00 Adam is completing his first year as a city councilman in Chickasaw, Ala., and was recently elected to the Mobile Co. Republican Executive Committee. He married to Jenny Parker. adamlbourne@gmail.com Chris Glasser ‘00 Earlier this year, Chris married Jennifer Lambert. Together, they live in Charlotte, N.C., where Chris is a regional accountant for Compass Group. cglasser11@hotmail.com Brian Gander ‘02 Brian graduated from USC in 2005 with a B.S. in chemistry. He’s now a fourth-year medical student at the University of Louisville where he expects to specialize in surgery. bgander88@gmail.com Nate Mark ‘02 Nate recently accepted a position as an associate attorney with Holcombe Bomar, PA in Spartanburg, S.C., where his focus is in the area of civil litigation. nathaniel.mark@gmail.com CJ Beckert ‘04 CJ lives in Charleston, S.C., where he’s half-way finished with his MBA. Still working for SPAWAR, he’s looking to connect with fellow Sigma alums through Facebook. cj.beckert@gmail.com Adam Leonard ‘04 For the last 2 ½ years, Adam has been working as an underwriter for the Colony Insurance Company and just recently bought a home in Richmond, Va. fubar2007@aol.com Ryan Padgett ‘04 Ryan is living in North Charleston, S.C., where he is the assistant director of hotel operations for Fennell Holdings. He remains very active in the Greek Orthodox Church of Holy Trinity where he’s the co-director of the GOYA basketball operations and co-director of athletics for AHEPA—the church’s international Greek-American advocacy organization. rpadgett@fennellholdings.com
sigma’s centennial celebration MARCH 19 - 21, 2010 | COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA
Join us for a weekend of activities and events to celebrate 100 years of brotherhood in Pi Kappa Phi at the University of South Carolina. For more information or to register, visit: www.pikapp.org/anniversaries/sigma.
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Pi Kappa Phi Fraternity P.O. Box 240526 Charlotte, NC 28224
SIGMA SPEAKS
SIGMA
Circa 1962 The Sigma executive council meets before a chapter meeting. Pictured (left to right) are: George Murrell ‘60 (historian), Robert Burkett ‘61 (secretary), W. Douglas Gray ‘60 (archon), Donald M. Bryant ‘57 (treasurer), Fred Smith ‘60 (warden), and James Whatley ‘59 (chaplain).
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