The Temple Journal of Phi Kappa Theta - Spring 2012

SPRING 2012 VOLUME 95 NUMBER 1

www.phikaps.org

A Call to Serve Brother Nelson Aquino Changing Lives in the Places that Need it Most

PRESIDENT’S NOTE Putting Our Mission Into Action Dear Brothers, Most people that know me, know that I have been an avid investor since I was a teenager. I find the idea of trying to maximize your returns by allocating your capital in the right places both challenging and fulfilling. I know most of the population doesn’t share my enthusiasm for investing and see it as a game that they would rather not play. The concept is simple, but execution is tough. Small changes today produce big rewards down the road, but many people don’t have the patience or discipline to execute wisely.

The same is true for human “Kapital”. As a board, we are trusted with making investment choices on behalf of our members and investors (i.e. donors). Over the past couple of years, Phi Kappa Theta has purposefully shifted its investment of time and resources toward the active development of our brothers. I believe that investing everything we can in the development of men at this age can have dramatic compounding results over the long term. Although still early, this direction is already yielding high returns.

I hear many pundits today that are bearish on humanity, but I’m bullish on Phi Kappa Theta’s future.

Yours in the Bonds of Phi Kappa Theta,

Nathan Rues, (Missouri S&T, ‘02) National President

Spring 2012 Volume 95, Number 1 MANAGING EDITOR Keith D. Harshbarger (IUPUI, ‘06) COPY EDITOR Gregory E. Stein (CCNY, ‘70) CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Darrin Anderson (Northern Illinois Univ., ‘94) Matthew Butts (Univ. of Nebraska–Lincoln, ‘12) Stephen S. Lee (Lewis, ‘10) Andrew J. McGowan (CCNY, ‘62) Gene C. Ney (Slippery Rock, ‘90) Gregory E. Stein (CCNY, ‘70) BOARD OF TRUSTEES President Nathan G. Rues (Missouri S&T, ‘02) Vice President Mark C. Anthony (Georgia Tech, ‘90) Treasurer Rick Maggiore (Univ. of Georgia, ‘68) Secretary Lenny S. Chan (Slippery Rock, ‘95) Trustees Larry F. Dorocke (Purdue University, ‘68) Joshua J. Gisi (Univ. of Kansas, ‘96) Father Owen J. Mullen (Univ. of San Diego, ‘A) Joe E. Przybyla (Lewis, ‘01) UGAC Chairman Andrew Carter Black (Univ. of Georgia, ‘13) UGAC Vice Chairman Isaiah Adona (Washington State, ‘12) EXECUTIVE OFFICES 9640 Commerce Drive, Suite 420 Carmel, IN 46032 317.872.9934 FAX: 317.879.1889 executiveoffices@phikaps.org www.phikaps.org EXECUTIVE OFFICES STAFF Executive Vice President Robert W. Riggs (RPI, ‘02) Director of Operations Sarah A. Everhart (Indiana Wesleyan University, ‘05) Associate Executive Director of Education and Development Anita L. Kerlin (Bowling Green State University, ‘03)

THE TEMPLE is published twice a year as an educational journal for Phi Kappa Theta brothers, family and friends.

The submission deadline is September 1. Brothers and friends are encouraged to provide clippings, releases or notices about themselves or any aspect of Phi Kappa Theta for consideration. All submissions become property of Phi Kappa Theta Fraternity. Pictures cannot be returned. Letters to the Editor will be printed at the discretion of the editor.

Copyright © 2012

02

SPRING 2012

Director of Communications and Marketing Keith D. Harshbarger (IUPUI, ‘06) Accounting Clerk Bill T. Ryan (Indiana University, ‘79) FOUNDATION STAFF Assistant Director of Development Allyson L. Clarkson (Centre College, ‘01)

Contents SPRING 2012

On the cover: Brother Nelson Aquino holding his patient after surgery in Grozny, Chechnya.

In This Issue 08 Leadership Institute 2012 Ad 09 Serving Military Families Brother Devin Holmes creates organization to help veterans on the home front

12 Expansion Update 13 Cardinal Wuerl Honored

Brother Wuerl Honored with Award in his name

15 News From You 16 Regional Conference Recap 18 Leading Change Brother Isaiah Adona discusses his confidence to plan and act upon personal and career goals

20 Volunteer Profile 21 Mike Jaroch Gives a Gift That Lasts 23 Chapter Eternal 24 Spotlight of an Alumni Volunteer 25 Phi Kaps Care

PAGE

05 Charity Starts a World Away A Master in the FieldNelson Aquino volunteering abroad

26 The Adventures of Henry Alumnus loses son and leans on Phi Kap Background Image: Brother Devin Holmes at his pinning ceremony.

SPRING 2012

03

Calling All Writers Interested in writing for the Temple magazine?

Phi Kappa Theta is constantly looking for talented writers to write Temple stories and articles for the Fraternity’s National Magazine!

Writers might also be asked to write for phikaps.org. Degrees in the writing field are preferred, but writers will be selected based on quality of submitted examples. If you are interested, please submit your information and samples of your work to temple@phikaps. org.

www.phikaps.org

Find us; friend us; follow us!

+ Visit the National Website - www.phikaps.org + LIKE us on Facebook.com - Search “Phi Kappa Theta, Inc” + Subscribe to the PKT Twitter - twitter.com/phikappatheta + Watch our YouTube Channel - youtube.com PhiKappaTheta1959

+ Find past Temples and other PKT documents on Issuu issuu.com/templemagazine + Re-Pin PK Thomas on Pinterest - Pinterest.com/ pkthomas1889/ To receive the Kappa Quarterly please send your email address to executiveoffices@phikaps.org

+ Join Phi Kappa Theta’s Professional Network on LinkedIN - phikaps.org/Linkedin

th M d-4

Roa

rive

gan

ichi

9 West

Commerce D

Nor

eet r t S 7th

21

West 96th Street

Interstate 465

The Executive Office Has a New Address The road that the Executive Offices of Phi Kappa Theta is located on has recently been restructured to include roundabouts and a connection to through streets. This progress has brought a new address to the street the National Offices is located on. This new street is now named Commerce Drive, formerly North Augusta Drive.

By mid 2012 the North Augusta address will no longer be active.

NEW ADDRESS - 9640 Commerce Drive, Suite 420 Carmel, IN 46032

04

SPRING 2012

Charity Starts a World Away Nelson Aquino’s Volunteer Work Changes Lives in the Places that Need it Most

By Matthew Butts University of Nebraska–Lincoln, ‘12 A two day old child has been seizing on and off since birth, and a group of paramedics are screaming for someone to intubate. Nelson Aquino (Seton Hall, ‘96) happens to be walking by and hears the commotion. He rushes to tell the paramedics that he is a nurse specializing in pediatrics. A path clears to let him get next to the child. Aquino has successfully performed this task many times before, but this time it’s different. This time, he’s in earthquake ravaged Haiti and because they are short on supplies, he is being forced to use a large tube not made for children.

The paramedics and nurses stand silent, holding their breaths as they wait for Aquino to open the child’s airway. Finally, it comes and the silence breaks. Applause erupts from the tent, but they’re not out of the woods yet. The child still needs to be transported to a disaster relief unit so he can receive the proper attention. The baby is placed in a Humvee with no medication, no monitors and an unstable IV. It is over 100 degrees in the back of the vehicle, and the drive across Port Au Prince is not a fast one. Aquino is monitoring the child when he realizes that he can’t find a pulse. The destination is still five minutes away, so Aquino begins CPR and begins to pray. The rhythmic compressions pass the seconds until finally, they reach the disaster relief tent they were racing toward. The child is carefully unloaded and then rushed off to a doctor who stabilizes him. Knowing the child is alive, Aquino rides back, wondering if his team knew he had been gone.

Aquino is a CRNA, or certified registered nurse anesthetist. He specializes in pediatrics and family centered care.

CRNAs provide anesthetics to patients while working with surgeons, dentists, anesthesiologists and many other health care professionals. In order to become a CRNA, one must attain a nursing license, practice for at least a year in an acute care

“God gave me this gift to do what I do.

I thought it was important to use the skills he gave me.”

—Nelson Aquino

Nelson Aquino holding his patient after surgery in Grozny, Chechnya.

setting and then graduate with a masters degree from a registered nurse anesthesia program. CRNAs are well respected in the medical profession and practice with a high degree of autonomy.

Aquino may not have always known exactly what he wanted to do but, “I never saw myself as working nine to five, behind a desk, or five days a week,” he said.

Aquino is the son of Filipino immigrants and the first of his family to go to college. He attributes his decision to become a nurse, in part, to his parents who always encouraged him to enter a meaningful profession. Whatever happened, they wanted him to take advantage of his opportunities and to make a difference.

The path wasn’t always easy though.

To get his nursing degree, he had to work long hours and devote his free time to studying while his friends went to parties.

On top of that, nursing school wasn’t exactly a cool thing for a man to do. Aquino was one of two or three men in the entire nursing class and students didn’t wear scrubs like you might see today. Instead, the students donned long white gowns. “I looked like a dork,” Aquino said. This is one of the reasons he admits to being embarrassed at times. Thanks to his brothers in Phi Kappa Theta though, he was able to persevere. “My biggest supporters came from the fraternity.

They made me proud of who I was and what

“I love what I do.

Being able to talk a second grader through a surgery is incredibly rewarding.”

—Nelson Aquino

SPRING 2012

05

Left: Nelson Aquino is welcomed by a child to his most recent work in Grozny, Chechnya.

Right: Nelson Aquino with CNN’s Anderson Cooper 10 days after the earthquake in Port Au Prince Haiti.

I do,” Aquino said. Few people were able to offer the same support his fraternity brothers did, and he says that those were good, lasting relationships. He has been out of school for nearly 15 years now, and still keeps in contact with many of those men. On top of that, he credits Phi Kappa Theta with building his faith and instilling in him important values like leadership and thoughtfulness.

“I wouldn’t be the person I am today without Phi Kap,” he said. Aquino’s trips with his fraternity brothers to visit cancer patients at the local children’s hospital were what inspired him to work with children and their families.

“I love what I do,” he said. “Being able to talk a second grader through a surgery is incredibly rewarding.” Seeing a smile after surgery or being able to calm a family are what keep him coming back for more. Since graduating from Seton Hall in 1996, Aquino has worked at a number of hospitals specializing in pediatric care.

Currently, he works at Children’s Hospital Boston and regularly volunteers his time and services to those outside of the United States who may never have a chance to see a professional.

His volunteer work started with a group called Heart Care International when he traveled with them to the Dominican

Republic in 2000. Seeing new people and meeting new people were exciting for him, but that wasn’t why he was doing it. Aquino went because he believed he had something to give. “God gave me this gift to do what I do. I thought it was important to use the skills He gave me,” he said.

That experience was so rewarding that in 2001, Aquino went to Palestine to work in Ramallah and the Gaza Strip. His family begged him to stay home.

It was too dangerous they said. Political strife in the area led to violence and bombings were a real threat, but there were thousands of people who needed his help. It was impossible to turn his back on them. Aquino was still overseas when the attacks of September 11th occurred. He lost an uncle in the attacks that day and then came email after email telling him to come home. Friends and family thought he was living near the source of the attacks. Nobody would blame him for leaving early. But an amazing thing happened.

He was embraced by the culture. The people he was working with

“My biggest supporters came from the fraternity.

They made me proud of who I was and what I do.”

—Nelson Aquino

06

SPRING 2012

opened up to him. He met Yasser Arafat who offered his condolences and despite his difficulties in being so far from his family, not having the comforts of home, and being scared, Aquino realized something. “It made me realize how fortunate we are – I was – to have a family, education, home, car, money and the ability to work, to be happy and do what I want when I want.” It was clear to him that he needed to continue on with his mission. Despite his family’s pleas, Aquino stuck it out. When he finally returned home, the first thing he did was rush to see his family. Of course they were happy to see each other and wanted to hear of his experiences, but Aquino found himself unable to explain to them how welcomed he felt by people a world away or what this experience meant to him.

The ineffable feelings created by that trip stoked his desire to travel and find other people to help.

In 2005 he traveled to San Salvador, and in 2010, he traveled to Port Au Prince, Haiti to help the country after it had been leveled by an earthquake.

When presented with the opportunity to go, Aquino admits he was nervous, but he didn’t hesitate. He went with a group called Partners in Health and entered the ravaged country just behind the first responders as one of

“It made me realize how fortunate we are - I was - to have a family, education, home, car, money and the ability to work. To be happy and do what I want when I want.”

—Nelson Aquino

the first nurse anesthetists. “It was unorganized chaos. There was absolutely no control and you just had to do what you could to help,” he said. The infrastructure was destroyed.

Medical tents were set up around the area and volunteers did their best to find furniture for patients to lie on. The pace was frenetic and staff members found themselves working 16 hour days in the heat, among patients all clamoring for help in a foreign language. Aquino kept a positive attitude and tolerated the oppressive heat, stress and long hours. “It wasn’t about me. Once I got there, the nervousness was gone, you just Nelson Aquino receives the new Nelson J . Aquino Humanitarian Award with Dr. Linda Ulak, Associate Dean did what you had to do,” he said. What he had to do changed of College of Nursing at Seton Hall University. each day, but none of it was ever easy. He and his coworkers monitored hundreds of patients, assisted and endlessly friendly. The attention he in multiple surgeries throughout the day, pays is genuine. He seems to understand helped clean and build new infrastructure. that there’s only so much time in a day, Aquino was there for 10 days, but it wasn’t that time is a resource you spend, and he’s until he returned home that he was truly grateful you spend it on him. able to process what he It’s no wonder that had seen and done. He recently, Aquino was says that some of the honored by the Seton group members he came Hall University Nursing home with developed Alumni for his volunteer symptoms of postefforts. He wasn’t simply traumatic stress disorder given an award... it as a result of their was named after him – work. And yet, Aquino The Nelson J. Aquino would do it again. All Humanitarian Award. the 16 hour days, all “People are telling me the pressure and all the you’re so young, you’re suffering around him not even dead yet and couldn’t deter him. you have an award All this may seem named after you. It’s like the plot of a movie. truly an honor,” he said.

There’s the charismatic Nelson Aquino has leading man, times of become a successful danger, great deeds and sick children. All nurse, traveled the world, had awards this may seem like something a man would named after him, saved lives and has given brag about, and yet, Aquino doesn’t. In fact, more than some people do in a lifetime and he doesn’t brag about any of the time he asked for nothing in return. To think he’s spends saving lives. You’re more likely to not even half way done. hear him talk about how well the doctors performed, the work of other nurses or how brave a patient was than to hear him talk about himself. This makes it easy to see why he’s so good at his job. It isn’t just a strict science of measurements and doses, much of what he does is interacting with people. He calms their fears, explains the procedures, and gets to know them. Aquino is engaging, thoughtful, incredibly talkative

“People are telling me you’re so young, you’re not even dead yet and you have an award named after you. It’s truly an honor.”

—Nelson Aquino

Yep! They’re Phi Kaps!

Paul Allen Co-Founder of Microsoft University of Washington, ‘75

Paul Allaire Former President, Chairman and CEO, Xerox WPI, ‘60

Charles Edward “Easy Ed” Macauley Professional Basketball Player in the NBA Saint Louis University, ‘49

Know of a Famous or Prominent Phi Kap? Email us! temple@phikaps.org

SPRING 2012

07

Leadership

Institute

PHI KAPPA THETA Providence, RI

2012

“Back where it all started...”

August 1-5, 2012 Renaissance Providence Downtown Hotel www.phikaps.org/li2012 08

SPRING 2012

Phi Kap in Focus

Serving Military Families With a Sense of Duty Learned in Phi Kap

By Andrew McGowan CCNY, ‘62 After Devin B. Holmes graduated from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in December 1994, he held many important positions as a technology specialist--with Accenture, the New York Times, McGrawHill, Cisco and other corporations. One thing he did not do was serve in the military. He says that, as part of the 99% of Americans not serving in the military, he feels he should do what he can to support and help those who have served.

That, he says, is why he helped build WarriorGateway.org, an organization to help veterans on the home front.

It was at the Phi Kap chapter at RPI he learned this sense of duty, he says; “This is similar to the motto of Phi Kappa Theta, ‘Give, expecting nothing thereof.’”

In the Fall of 2008, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Admiral Mike Mullen (Ret.) and General Charles Boyd, USAF (Ret.), who was CEO of Business Executives for National Security, decided that there should be a way for military people returning to the U.S. to find services they needed in their hometowns.

As the idea jelled, the first person they hired to develop the needed structure was Devin Holmes, as CEO, in June 2009. He began with only a four-page PowerPoint outlining the military chiefs’ goals: a consumer website where personnel could find services within 5 to 10 miles of home.

Brother Holmes spent the rest of 2009 and early 2010 understanding the challenge and how to meet it. The WarriorGateway. org website was launched in March 2010.

It took off, and Brother Holmes was recognized in 2011 with a “Federal 100” award for significant contributions to the federal IT community.

The organization, headquartered in Arlington VA, connects people still in the military, veterans and their families with services they need in their home communities, such as physical therapy, counseling, child care and transportation.

They try to show which services are more

Warriorgatway.org’s home page.

likely to be best at what they do, to find gaps in services and fill them and to get information to the people they serve at the right time. “We didn’t want to just have a list of URLs and pass people to other websites,” says Brother Holmes; “We needed to show as much contact information as possible to connect users with a live person. Our mission included allowing our users to help us grow and improve the data we have. Not only do we allow users to flag, à la Craigslist, any profiles that are incorrect, spam or fraudulent information, we let users rate and comment on each of the profiles. We also wanted to allow innovators to build on our data... creating cool web and mobile apps.... WarriorGateway’s mission is to be the most complete resource directory available via our site... so our veterans and their families find the answers they need.” The free website attempts to break through information barriers while avoiding information overload. WarrriorGateway plans to launch a sister site aimed at military families.

There are hundreds of thousands of nonprofit organizations and tens of thousands of federal, state and local government agencies providing advice and services to military people and their

families. Brother Holmes and his colleagues in WarriorGateway stepped back and asked: should the website they were building be competing with those organizations by reaching directly to “consumers” or should WarriorGateway be empowering the other organizations and websites by creating a master directory of services that they could call on to help the military families?

The WarriorGateway organization now is preparing to launch “G.I. Network,” to host that master directory, which can be linked to by other websites and called on by counselors to military personnel. Brother Holmes compares this change with Google maps, whose geographic information can be found through the Google website directly, or through other sites that link to it to show locations or give directions. The master directory moves WarriorGateway from the former model to the latter. WarriorGateway. org will remain the organization’s site, but not the “consumer-facing” site, as Brother Holmes describes it.

Brother Holmes’s father, Brooke Holmes, who was born in Southern California, spent his career in the U.S. diplomatic service. His first posting was in Rome, where he met and married an Italian woman, Eliana Paris. She joined the U.S. diplomatic service and the two

SPRING 2012

09

served in such countries as the Bahamas, Greece, Canada, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Syria and Nigeria. Devin, who was born in Nassau, Bahamas, attended Ottawa’s Ashbury College from grades 6 to 9, while his parents were posted in Canada, and St. Stephen’s High School, a boarding school in Rome, while his parents worked in Nigeria. (His sister Alexa, who was born in California, now is an attorney in Uganda for the Wildlife Conservation Society.)

Devin had U.S. citizenship but applied for and received joint Italian citizenship in 1990, when he was finishing high school in Rome and heading to the U.S. to attend college.

“RPI was a great school, but it had a much different culture than I was used to,” he says. “When I pledged and joined Phi Kap, the brothers took me under their wings, helped me to find a place in campus life, and gave me what I needed to excel.

At Ski Lodge [as the chapter is known for the look of its wooden house], I had a great time and I learned ideals and a sense of duty. I learned that life was not just about Top: Holmes’ Pledge Class. (front row) Kevan Hoertdoerfer, Eric Gaus, Devin Holmes, Mark Kestner, Anthony Ferrara, Ted Manning, Kevin Ware (middle row) Jeanpaul Deeb, John Russo, Michael Enrique Rodriguez, Mark Das, Scott Carey (back row) Bryce Miller, Malik Coates, Joe Farhat, Mike Cullari, Right: Eric Gaus, Devin Holmes, Kevin Ware.

10

SPRING 2012

making money, but also is about helping others, especially in time of need.”

He majored in aeronautical engineering, because he was interested in flying.

“But in my senior year I realized that it was not as interesting in practice as in theory. With an advisor, I changed my major to industrial and management engineering. That’s how I wound up in the software world.” The change of major made it necessary for him to remain at RPI for an extra semester and graduate in December.

While at RPI he taught skiing (which he had learned while attending grade school in Canada) at Jimmy Peak Mountain Resort in Hanover, MA. He later became a member of the Professional Ski Instructors of

America and the American Association of Snowboard Instructors.

After graduation, he held technology positions with Key Corporation, one of the country’s largest bankbased financial services companies, American Management Systems, an international business and information technology consulting firm, Anderson Consulting/ Accenture, and OneSoft Corporation, an e-commerce software company. Away from the business world for a short period, he taught skiing again, at Lake Tahoe. “Teaching 6- and 7-year-olds to ski was the hardest job I ever had,” he says.

After Lake Tahoe, he moved to Boston, where there are many RPI and

“When I pledged and joined Phi Kap, the brothers took me under their wings, helped me to find a place in campus life, and gave me what I needed to excel.”

—Devin Holmes

would help him explore his international roots, he chose the executive MBA “global” program run jointly by Columbia University in New York City and the London Business School. In the first year he attend classes at both institutions; in the second, he left the Times and concentrated his studies in London. He received MBAs from both schools in 2007.

Also in 2007, with Craig Tockman, whom he met at a networking event in San Francisco, Brother Holmes cofounded StartUpers. The service sought people who wanted to work at start-ups, then matched them with openings at such enterprises.

At first it charged no fees and made no money. In 2009 they started charging for postings. Now they are trying to expand the definition of “start-up,” which people tend to associate exclusively with “dot com” firms, to include other technical and non-technical enterprises. Brother Holmes is still CEO while he works with WarriorGateway. And he made the connection with WarriorGateway also at a networking event, a means of meeting life goals that he ranks up there with his education and his Phi Kap experiences.

Devin Holmes from WarriorGateway.

Phi Kap alums, some of them on a triathlon team. He joined, and competed the following year in San Francisco’s “Escape from Alcatraz” triathlon. This June he will compete for the sixth time, in the event that includes jumping into icy water near the former prison for a 1.5mile swim to a beach, followed by a half-mile warm-up run, an 18-mile bike ride, and an 8-mile run. He was joined in the Alcatraz event by Ski Lodge brothers Michael “Enrique” Rodriguez (RPI, ‘94) and Malik Coates (RPI, ‘94). On May 27, he will

compete in the Iron Man competition taking place in Brazil.

In 2002, Brother Holmes joined the New York Times as director of business technology.

There he helped the paper modernize and move into the digital age.

Then he held positions with similar goals at McGraw-Hill and YUDU Media (which consulted with publications). In 2008 he was a consultant at the huge computer networking firm Cisco.

While he was at the New York Times, Brother Holmes thought about going to business school.

Seeking a program that

“I had a great time and I learned ideals and a sense of duty.

I learned that life was not just about making money, but also is about helping others, especially in time of need.”

—Devin Holmes

SPRING 2012

11

The men from the Colorado Chi Sigma Colony at Colorado State University catch a photo during their colony development visit.

The Fraternity’s Continued Growth

By Anita Kerlin Associate Executive Director of Education and Development Bowling Green State University, ‘03 Phi Kappa Theta’s expansion program has gone through several improvements in the last three years. Those improvements could not have come at a better time, as expansion efforts has increased significantly in the last few months. Last fall we were approached by an impressive group of young men at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins who were interested in becoming a chapter of Phi Kappa Theta.

In late January they officially became our 48th active group as the Colorado Chi Sigma colony. In a short amount of time, this group has recruited a complete board of directors to mentor them and have developed a strong sense of brotherhood and commitment to our Mission and Vision.

They are quickly showing their strength as a colony to the entire community at Colorado State University.

Our other colony at Georgia Southern University in Statesboro has also made significant strides in the last several months.

The leadership has been working hard to continue recruitment efforts in addition to developing their members in each of our

12

SPRING 2012

five developmental areas. At the time this story was written, they were preparing for a mid April visit to create their Strategic Plan and begin working on their petition to charter, which should be expected to hit voting members’ mailboxes in early fall.

In addition to these two colonies, recruitment efforts continue at the University of New Orleans, University of Mississippi and University of Houston in an effort to recolonize all three of these chapters. We were also recently contacted by another interest group at Minnesota State University in Mankato which is working closely with us to learn more about Phi Kappa Theta. They have already obtained university approval and have the support and assistance of the

campus Newman Center.

If you know anybody who is a student at any of these campuses that may be interested in being a part of a Phi Kappa Theta colony, please contact Anita Kerlin, Associate Director of Education and Development at anita@ phikaps.org. Visit www. phikaps.org/expansion for more information.

In a short amount of time, this group has recruited a complete board of directors to mentor them and have developed a strong sense of brotherhood and commitment to our Mission and Vision.

The men from the Georgia Lambda Chi Colony at Georgia Southern University take a break during their strategic planning session.

FOUNDATION Phi Kappa Theta Strengthens Its Commitment to Spiritual Development

By Robert Riggs Executive Vice President RPI, ‘02 On March 2, brothers representing six decades of our brotherhood from twentyeight different chapters gathered for an evening of brotherhood in our nation’s capital.

The evening was sponsored by Phi Kappa Theta’s Foundation with alumnus and Foundation Trustee Emeritus, His Eminence, Donald Cardinal Wuerl, serving as the guest of honor.

The Washington, DC, reception was the fifth alumni reception organized by the Foundation in the last twelve months. The other receptions have included events in San Diego, Chicago, New York and Atlanta.

In his remarks to the audience, Foundation President Stephen Hollander (Kansas State, ’82), articulated the essential role alumni play in supporting the educational programs of Phi Kappa Theta. Additionally, Brother Hollander communicated how the Foundation continues to support Phi Kappa Theta’s commitment to develop effective servant leaders.

Fraternity President Nathan Rues (Missouri S&T, ‘02) also spoke about the need for Phi Kappa Theta to play an active role in the development of brothers, especially in their spiritual development.

“The spectrum of the spiritual lives of today’s college men is all over the place,” said Brother Rues. “Therefore, the spiritual development Phi Kappa Theta can provide is even more important today.” He went on to share how our brothers must serve as spiritual role models for both society and for Phi Kappa Theta. Brother Rues noted that when looking for role models today, “You need look no further than Cardinal Wuerl. He is a leader who passionately serves society, fraternity and God.” In order to strengthen its own commitment to spiritual development, Phi Kappa Theta has named its Spiritual Development Excellence Award in honor

Foundation President Steve Hollander (Kansas State, ‘82), Former Fraternity President, Ed Solvibile (Temple, ‘63) Cardinal Wuerl and James Dickow (Purdue, ‘65)

GIVE

expecting nothing thereof

Phi Kappa Theta

A man’s character is shaped by the individuals allowed to influence his values and the wisdom he gains through life experience. As brothers of Phi Kappa Theta, we have the opportunity to recruit young men who are likeminded in their values. Through our Foundation, we have the opportunity to provide our fellow brothers with those valuable life experiences.

www.phikaps.org/annualfund SPRING 2012

13

of Cardinal Wuerl. This annual award will be presented to collegiate chapters who are committed to providing educational programs and activities focused on the spiritual development of their brothers.

Upon receiving the honor, Cardinal Wuerl shared some of his own thoughts to a captive audience. Cardinal Wuerl expressed how humbled he was to have his name associated with the Fraternity’s Spiritual Development Award and how proud he was that his Fraternity was committed to providing the spiritual guidance for today’s collegiate men.

Chapters who have recently been recognized for their spiritual development efforts include Belmont Abbey College (’11 and ‘10), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (’11), St. Louis (’10), Iowa State (’10) and University of Massachusetts Dartmouth (’10).

As part of the program, Greg Stein (CCNY, ‘70) explained exactly how Phi Kappa Theta had the pleasure of the presence of a Cardinal and a former Ambassador to the Holy See at the reception.

At one time, Phi Kappa Theta was affiliated with Pax Romana, an international Above: Cardinal John Wright (WPI ‘A), Edward J. Kirchner (Ohio State, ‘35) and then Father Donald Wuerl before Mass underneath St. Agnes Church in Rome in July 1971 as part of now Cardinal Wuerl’s initiation.

Right: Greg Stein (CCNY, ‘70) His Excellency Ambassador Thomas Melady (Seton Hall, ‘A), his wife, Dr. Margaret Melady and Cardinal Wuerl (Fairfield, ‘A), three participants of the historical ritual enactment.

14

SPRING 2012

Catholic movement of college students and alumni. Ed Kirchner, Tom Williams (Fairfield, ‘70) and Greg attended its 50th anniversary convention. Part of it was held in Rome so that the attendees could have a semi private audience with Pope Paul VI. Tom Melady (Seton Hall, ‘A) who was then Ambassador to Burundi and Vice President of Pax Romana also attended the convention. Cardinal Wright was stationed in Rome as Head of the Congregation of the Clergy. He had previously been the Bishop of Worcester, Mass where the fraternity had its headquarters. His Secretary was Fr. Donald Wuerl.

Ed thought it would be a good idea to have an initiation ceremony in Rome in a catacomb. In addition to the catacombs on the Appian Way, there are other, less visited catacombs located closer to the city center. One such is under the church of St. Agnes, accessible with prior permission.

So Ed gathered the degree team and asked Cardinal Wright to participate and say Mass. He suggested it would be a good idea to initiate his Secretary. Then Father Wuerl was already familiar with many people involved in the fraternity through Cardinal Wright and was happy to become its newest member.

Subsequent to that unique event, Father Wuerl became Bishop of Pittsburgh and then Archbishop of Washington, D.C. He was named a Cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI in the Fall of 2010. Ambassador Melady was appointed by the first President Bush as Ambassador to the Holy See and served from 1989 to 1993. Both distinguished leaders served as trustees of the Phi Kappa Theta National Foundation.

To paraphrase a line from a ritual, “It was a momentous day in the life of all the participants and for all of Phi Kappa Theta.”

“It was a momentous day in the life of all the participants and for all of Phi Kappa Theta.”

NEWS FROM YOU

Phi Iota Chapter Enlightens San Diego’s Youth The Phi Iota Chapter at SDSU has partnered up with the Boys and Girls Club of greater San Diego (Clairemont location) in order to have more consistent community service, while making a positive influence in the lives of children.

Since the start of the new semester, Phi Kap has been sending around ten members once a week to the Boys and Girls Club branch to help serve kids between the ages of 5-18 years old with academic success, character development and healthy lifestyle programs. Phi Kap’s volunteers perform specific duties such as academic tutoring, supervising activities and playing fun games with the kids such as dodge ball.

“It’s always nice giving back to the organization I was in for years,” said Phi Kappa Theta’s community service chair, Derek Feuerman. “Tutoring one on one with the kids feels really nice because I know I’m helping with their studies in the end.”

Supervisor Ruth Cassidy of the Boys and Girls Club Clairemont Branch loves

Interested in submitting “News From You”? Contact the executiveoffices@ phikaps.org with your stories!

Whether it’s a chance encounter with a brother in a distant country, a reunion or simple news of service, we want to know!

Find more stories at Phikaps.org/news

the presence of volunteers creating a safe environment for the future of San Diego to grow up around. She knows Phi Kappa Theta’s volunteers that come around always make a fun and memorable impact on all ages of the kids.”

Changing lives in a safe, affordable and fun way is what Boys and Girls Club does on youth,” said Cassidy.”And with the help of Phi Kappa Theta’s volunteers, it makes the experience that much better.

The kids love it when the ‘big kids’ come to play with them or even help with homework.”

Phi Kappa Theta continues to enrich the lives of the future of the San Diego community weekly. The impacts Phi Kap’s

volunteers make on youth will develop the boys and girls of San Diego into the future through character and leadership development, education and career development, health and life skills all in a fun and safe environment. “It feels great to know that our fraternity is making a huge impact on the lives of these children,” said Phi Kap’s Vice President of External Affairs, Wiston Rodriguez.

GIVE

back to your chapter For most brothers, their memories of the Fraternity are directly tied to those memories generated in the chapter. Our chapters provided us a home away from home, a place where friendships grew into true brotherhood. Through chapter designated funds, Phi Kappa Theta Foundation provides future generations of your chapter brothers and the opportunities to have what over 50,000 of us already have, a lifetime memories with brothers.

www.phikaps.org/chapterfunds SPRING 2012

15

2012 Regional Leadership Conferences

Eastern 1

Eastern 2

Servant Leadership at the Core of Regional Conferences

By Anita Kerlin Associate Executive Director of Education and Development Bowling Green State University, ‘03 The Phi Kappa Theta Regional Leadership Conferences were successful once again this year. 2012 boasted some impressive changes from 2011, most significantly the focus on servant leadership in the education program. Phi Kappa Theta staff and volunteers were joined by trained representatives from the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership at all four of our locations this year. The Greenleaf Center assisted with facilitation and the creation of three pieces of education focusing on servant leadership. In addition, each attendee was also given a copy of CEO Kent Keith’s book The Case for

16

SPRING 2012

East Central

Servant Leadership.

Based on survey feedback, attendees understanding of servant leadership increased over the weekend with the vast majority of our attendees stating that now they not only feel comfortable discussing servant leadership with others, but they plan on making significant efforts to live as servant leaders.

One attendee noted that “The Servant Leadership session gave me the idea of how, if in the future I am elected President, I can lead my Fraternity more efficiently.”

Over 140 collegiate members received more than seventeen hours of training during the weekend in not only servant leadership, but topics including

West Central

decision making, accountability, change management, masculinity and diversity.

For the second year in a row, we were able to provide training in each area of development, and all education was created specifically by or for Phi Kappa Theta. On Sunday morning we were joined via webinar by the professionals at Recruitment Boot Camp for some intense recruitment training and action planning.

Recruitment Boot Camp provided a systematic, results-driven approach to recruitment followed by assistance creating a detailed action plan that specifies what chapters are going to do to improve and how they will implement what they

“The whole conference was very thought out.

The conference will definitely have an impact on how I approach my chapter this semester.”

learned. In addition to this training, chapters were offered an opportunity to purchase online skills training for their chapter at a discounted rate to continue recruitment training after the weekend.

In survey feedback, one attendee said, “I am the recruitment chair and making the action plan helped me get the ball rolling.”

Another attendee said, “It was a fresh new insight that could be applied within my chapter as to how we go about recruitment as a collective whole.”

Almost all of our chapters and colonies were represented at this year’s Regional Leadership Conferences and the majority of our survey respondents strongly agreed that not only is this event an enjoyable and worthwhile one, but it is worth the investment that is made.

A special thank you to the Phi Kappa Theta Foundation and all of the donors who help make programming like the Regional Leadership Conferences possible.

The RLC’s come highly recommended by our 2011 and 2012 attendees. One attendee from this year remarked, “The whole conference was very thought out.

The conference will definitely have an impact on how I approach my chapter this semester.” We are currently in the process of planning for 2013 and plan to announce dates and locations at Leadership Institute this summer.

Left: The Greenleaf Center assisted with facilitation and the creation of three pieces of education focusing on servant leadership.

GIVE

the opportunity for education We remain committed to providing our brothers with accessible programs, workshops and activities that focus on developing them to become effective servant leaders. Phi Kappa Theta’s Regional Leadership Conferences is one of the Fraternity’s most effective means of providing our brothers with the essential skills and experience to be strong, confident leaders. It is our goal to have 100% of our collegiate brothers attending one of our regional conferences throughout the country.

Above Left: Brothers from the East Central Regional being led in an activity by Tim Clark (Iowa, ‘93) Above Right: Brothers presenting at the Eastern 1 Regional.

www.phikaps.org/RLC SPRING 2012

17

Leading Changes A Brother Making Changes

By Allyson Clarkson Assistant Director of Development Centre College, ‘01 If you read The Temple magazine, you may recognize Isaiah Adona (Washington State, ’12) from the Fall 2011 issue, where he was featured for his excellent work with the Michael Ryan-Pattison Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping restore health to those with spinal cord injuries.

This social development experience is only one of many that have shaped this remarkable young man’s collegiate career.

Although Isaiah’s story seems to be a happy one, its beginning certainly wasn’t.

The third of four children, Isaiah was born in Mesa, Arizona, but moved with his family to Tacoma, Washington, at a young age. His early life was fraught with negative experiences: he grew up in areas with high crime rates and attended schools with limited educational resources where he and others were frequently the targets of racism and hate crimes. He recounts how many students brought weapons to school or became gang-affiliated, and counts himself fortunate not only to have overcome many of the obstacles in his path, but simply to have survived. He credits the support of his family: “My family had a tremendous influence on my life and overall worldview,” he said.

Despite the violence and lacking educational opportunities, Isaiah made it through high school and set his sights on college. “I chose to attend Washington State University because of the friendly and calm environment it presented with its rural culture,” he said, explaining that he

THE NEXT ISSUE 18

SPRING 2012

anticipated living in an urban environment after college, and he wanted to experience something different during college.

“I find life more exciting and rewarding when you venture out of your comfort zone,” he noted.

Washington State’s strong undergraduate program for architecture was also a key factor in his decision.

Isaiah joined Phi Kappa Theta in the spring of 2009.

Several of his friends from high school had been recruited into Phi Isaiah Adona (Washington State, ‘12) Kap, and his friendship with them helped him to feel comfortable joining. He jumped should not be considered as an opportunity right into fraternity life, acting as House for merely improving one’s identity, Manager (2009-2010), Vice President position or acceptance in society. Social (2010), Public Relations Chair (2009development should be recognized more as 2011), and Recruitment Chair (2010one’s ability to build upon their life values 2011). He attended the 2010 Leadership and efforts toward other individuals for Institute in Saint Louis and the 58th positive global impacts.”

Biennial Convention in When asked to Indianapolis last August. describe an ideal of During Convention, he social development for became the Western our chapters, Isaiah Province representative painted a picture of a on the Undergraduate collegiate experience Advisory Committee, where true social and was also elected development is valued Vice Chair of the as equal to educational UGAC. achievement, where a The idea of social variety of programs and development is often opportunities are offered misunderstood. In the in order to inspire Greek community, Isaiah brothers and harness believes, many people their energy by touching think social development on their own individual only relates to becoming interests and abilities. socially acceptable to “I believe that it is very one’s peers and to making friends. Isaiah’s possible to engage all members with a opinion differs: “Social development course of action for positive social change

“I believe that it is very possible to engage all members with a course of action for positive social change if each individual is inspired.”

—Isaiah Adona

REGIONAL CONFERENCES 2013 Information about the 2013 Regional Conferences LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE 2012 RECAP List of award winners and more from Leadership Institute 2012 AND MUCH MORE!

“The smallest ounce of selflessness can lead to some of the biggest changes any one individual can make.”

—Isaiah Adona

if each individual is inspired,” he said, adding, “We may be able to put forth social change beyond belief.”

His experiences at both Leadership Institute and Convention taught Isaiah an important lesson: “We are very similar in the leadership experiences we encounter at our local chapters,” he said.

“I have tried to convey to members of my own chapter that other chapters have similar goals and issues that would help us progress if we connect with them and learn from them how they overcome their difficulties.”

The ideas of shared experience and group effort permeate Isaiah’s view of social development. Meeting others with similar interests and working together toward a common vision has allowed him to grow personally through developing and maintaining strong relationships with individuals who both inspire and encourage him. “Those who realize they can make a difference with other groups of passionate individuals are often the ones who have made the most out of their social development and understand that a single contribution can go a long way,” he explains.

Inspiring words indeed! And Isaiah’s actions back them up. In addition to successfully planning and executing a silent auction of his own photography at the Tacoma Art Museum, raising over $1,000 for the Michael Ryan-Pattison Foundation, Isaiah also organized a nationwide Movember campaign last year to help defeat prostate and testicular cancer. More recently, he helped to organize and promote attendance at a Washington State women’s basketball game by members of the Greek community, who were encouraged to wear pink for breast cancer awareness.

Isaiah admits that jumping into these projects was daunting at first, but says that the experiences helped him gain knowledge and build confidence for future endeavors. “With activities like these, you will always have the opportunity to learn and better yourself as a person, no matter how successful your efforts become, and in the end, you are ultimately helping promote a cause that benefits others.”

He encourages other collegiate brothers to choose to join in efforts for positive

change, and he wants them to realize that through their actions, they can become a part of something that is much larger than just one person. Echoing Phi Kappa Theta’s motto to “Give, expecting nothing thereof,” Isaiah says, “The smallest ounce of selflessness can lead to some of the biggest changes any one individual can make.”

When asked about how Phi Kappa Theta has shaped his social development

experience, Isaiah responded, “Being a member has ultimately made me a more confident person to plan and act upon personal and career goals. It has also helped me realize that there is no better time than now, in your college career, to improve your skill sets by engaging in positive group efforts to make an impact on the global community.” He adds, “Ultimately, there are two main influences that have helped me achieve what I have today and will in the future: my family and Phi Kappa Theta, however, our brotherhood has rendered it as one and the same.”

GIVE

life experiences With advances in communication and technology, the business, political and civic world as we know it continues to shrink every day. We are living in a global economy and for our brothers to be successful, they must gain global experience. Phi Kappa Theta’s International Education Initiative provides brothers with an international experience that will prepare them to be effective leaders in a global society.

www.phikaps.org/IEI SPRING 2012

19

Volunteer Profile

John C. Rouman, Ph.D. The Classic Phi Kap

By Gene C. Ney Slippery Rock, ‘90 On February 1 of this year, Brother John “Doc” Rouman resigned as the faculty advisor of the New Hampshire Epsilon Chapter of Phi Kappa Theta at the University of New Hampshire. Doc’s resignation as chapter advisor marked the end of 30 years of active involvement with the chapter and the Greek community at the University of New Hampshire. His role as faculty advisor or, for that matter, fraternal membership was something that Doc could not have imagined when he first arrived on campus in 1965 as Chairman of the Department of Classics.

A native of Tomahawk, Wisconsin, and the son of Greek immigrants, Doc was baptized in the Greek Orthodox Church as Ioannis Roumanis, although his birth certificate lists him as John Christ Rouman.

His surname had already been established as Rouman by a relative who immigrated to the United States before his father. In the early twentieth century, many immigrants “Americanized” their names so as to blend in better with society. Doc and his two younger brothers grew up working in their father’s restaurant doing chores and waiting on tables.

With the outbreak of World War II, Doc dropped out of high school during his senior year to enlist in the navy so as to avoid being drafted by the army. As a naval corpsman, he rose to the rank of Pharmacist Mate Third-class, and entered college as a pre-medical student after the war at Carleton College. While at Carleton, Doc discovered the Classics and decided to pursue that course of study rather than medicine. Following the completion of his Bachelor of Arts degree in Greek from Carleton, he went on to earn a Master of Arts degree in Greek from Columbia. He also studied Byzantine Greek at Rutgers, was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of

20

SPRING 2012

John Rouman former faculty advisor of the New Hampshire Epsilon Chapter.

Kiel in Germany, completed coursework in Linguistics at the University of Minnesota and was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Classics from the University of Wisconsin at Madison.

When Doc arrived on the University of New Hampshire campus in 1965, there was a Phi Kappa Theta chapter, but he did not become involved with it. The chapter that was there traced its roots back to a local chapter known as Nu Sigma Mu which then affiliated with Theta Kappa Phi Fraternity in 1924. The chapter maintained a long and distinguished existence, but declined and was closed in 1976.

In 1982, Phi Kappa Theta returned to re-colonize at UNH and a search was put out for a faculty advisor. According to Doc, “when Phi Kappa Theta approached me, I did not favorably look upon the fraternity system in general, and I let them know that. If I were to become the faculty advisor, I would do so only if the chapter was absolutely and totally drug-free, non-hazing, and intolerant of any discrimination. I made it clear that I would not be a paper-advisor, but would be present at all meetings.” With that, Doc and five undergraduates went on to be initiated and became the founding fathers of the new chapter.

Under Doc’s guidance, the chapter has grown and prospered since the early 1980’s.

In 1986, ground was broken to build a new chapter house, the first such construction at the University of New Hampshire in over fifty years. The chapter has maintained numbers and has excelled in the areas of academics, athletics and community service. At the national level, New

Hampshire Epsilon has been recognized as a leader, winning national awards which include the Founder’s Cup. Doc’s involvement with Phi Kappa Theta has reached beyond the local level to the national level. He served for many years as a member of the Phi Kappa Theta National Foundation Board of Trustees, as well as participated in many leadership colleges and biennial conventions.

As Doc looks back over his 30 years of involvement with Phi Kappa Theta, he recalls especially three moving events. First, was his initiation “I will never forget my first initiation up ceremony at St. Thomas More Catholic Church; I thought I was in Heaven.” Secondly, was when his mother passed away. “The concern and outpouring of support at a time when I was in great need was simply overwhelming.

It made the world of difference to me.”

And most recently on his 85th birthday, “it exemplified how much the brothers and alumni of Phi Kappa Theta care about each other and for me.”

For Doc, “little sprouts can grow into big trees,” and that is exactly how his experience has been with Phi Kappa Theta.

“What was little more than an idea 30 years ago has grown and continues to grow into a tree of life.”

“Little sprouts can grow into big trees.”

—John Rouman

Mike Jaroch Gives a Gift That Lasts

By Greg Stein CCNY, ‘70 Michael Jaroch (NIU, ‘67) loves his grandchildren. So much so that he is leaving them a legacy of an unusual form.

He wrote a book called “Extraordinary Lessons from an Ordinary Life” for them.

If not a road map for life, it is meant to be roadside assistance. The book, available on Amazon electronically and on paper has twenty-one lessons and fourteen reflections.

One of the first lessons Mike learned was as an undergraduate at Northern Illinois University, where he joined Phi Kappa Theta in 1965.

Mike served as Vice President under an excellent President, Robert Rosignolo (NIU, ‘66). He saw firsthand one of his cardinal principles, management and leadership make THE difference, not a difference. Mike was receptive to learning and treated education as a privilege.

One of thirteen children growing up in Illinois, he had to take a year off after high school to save up tuition. He also held odd jobs throughout college. Mike identified for me what impressed him with the chapter’s leader. “He was very detail oriented, tenacious on execution and held us accountable for our responsibilities. At the same time, he was very humble and understated. He did not demand respect because of his position. He was given respect because of the way he led, and the way he treated others.

Mike realizes not everyone will be a leader, but many of his life lessons apply to everybody. Integrity is very important. It means being true to yourself, but also being honest to the point it is manifest to others and you become able to be trusted. Mike also understands that his grandchildren and the general reader will not grasp the significance of his reflections all at once and so, like a road map, the book is written in such a way that it can easily be consulted specifically about certain subjects.

Some of the topics are brought about by the quotes and observations of others, like Woody Allen, Calvin Coolidge and Above Right: Mike Jaroch (NIU, ‘67)

William James. Some are a solidification of thoughts and ideas gathered over time into cohesive missives.

Mike has had a career of executive experience with Fortune Fifty companies and later, a successful career consulting with smaller companies in Colorado.

Mike also earned an MBA from the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management.

In addition to his family and career responsibilities, Mike also has done volunteer work with the Alzheimer’s Association and Mental Health Association in Colorado. He occasionally teaches at the University of Denver as an adjunct. Mike says you don’t have to be rich or famous to experience extraordinary events. But, you

GIVE

your own expertise Our own personal lives and professional careers have been shaped by the mentoring of business professionals, parents, teachers and coaches. All of these individuals have served us in roles that have allowed us to become stronger and more confident men. Phi Kappa Theta’s (iServe) Network is the coalition of alumni and volunteers who have made a personal commitment to serve our brothers as mentors, giving them the confidence to become effective servant leaders.

www.phikaps.org/iserve SPRING 2012

21

have to be sensitive and aware to capitalize on enfolding events around you.

His most important lesson is “trust your judgment and instincts”. But this most important extraordinary lesson is only garnered over time. One only develops instincts from being aware and learning from experiences, good and bad. His early lesson was that leadership is the difference between success and failure, achievement and mediocrity. “Yes, my career has brought me very close to many leaders of organizations. Important positive attributes would certainly include those exhibited by my chapter President all those years ago. I will also comment on a few others.

They are not only self –confident, they are self-secure. They are great communicators and actively seek input from all levels of the organization. They attract the best and brightest because they involve and empower members of the team. In assessing organizations, I will ask the question “How do decisions get made here?” It’s a critical question in determining a positive culture versus a dysfunctional culture. Those with positive leadership will answer that, while the leader ultimately makes the decision, staff members are very involved, their input is sought and their opinions highly valued.”

The bottom line seems to be that things don’t just happen; you have to make them happen. You do this with a positive attitude and by not being a loner but by getting others involved. Don’t succumb to the convenient. Below are some excerpts from his book.

“80% of success is just showing up.”

—Woody Allen When Woody Allen’s insight becomes a part of you, your only remaining fear is to hesitate……….. While most folks hesitate to take action until they are well prepared, if not overly prepared, they lose out to those who aren’t afraid to just show up. It reminds me of Nike’s great slogan, “Just Do It.” Ultimately, it eliminated all insecurities of being unprepared, feeling awkward, being rejected, etc. By eliminating those, it reverses the fear, which becomes a compulsion to act. The only real fear is that I will miss an opportunity because I hesitated………..I like to think this trait has rubbed off on my children and is beginning to get imparted to my grandsons. My oldest grandson, Sam, is fond of telling people “I’m a risk taker like my Grandpa.”

22

SPRING 2012

Left: Mike with his “pride and joy”, all five of his grandsons, at his condo on Hilton Head Island (The Island Club complex) From left to right are Brian Martin(9yrs.), twins Ryan and Luke Jaroch(5yrs.), Joseph Martin(5yrs.), and oldest grandson, Sam Jaroch(10yrs) Right: The cover of Mike’s Book.

“Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.”

—Calvin Coolidge The famous quote of President Calvin Coolidge made so much sense and immediately became my favorite. When you don’t have some of the advantages of others, it’s reassuring that your own determination, the one element over which you have absolute control, is such a great equalizer. In fact, it actually wins the day...........Life is an equal opportunity test.

Everyone gets knocked down, kicked in the face, suffers setbacks and even tragedies, no matter their status and station in life. What separates us as individuals is the ability to pick yourself up off the floor, dust yourself off, shake off the setbacks, and carry on, ever persistent and determined to climb the hill of life. I am sure that your life, like mine, has many key moments when your determination made all the difference in success versus failure.

“The greatest discovery of any generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitude.”

—William James

My student became my teacher when he asked the impossible question. As you can see, if you keep your eyes open, your life can be fulfilled with special learning moments. The key is to see and understand those moments for what they are, capture them, document them, internalize them and make them part of your being, maybe even the essence of who you are. I have had the honor of being an Adjunct Professor at the University of Denver………..After class one night, one of my students, Charlie, was very patient as I finished up a number of conversations with other students………..

He said he wanted to be alone with me when he asked his very important question.

What was the single most important lesson that you have learned in your career of 40 some years? he asked. How could anyone possibly answer such a question? Yet, in the very next moment, I knew the answer precisely. I gave it to him on the condition he would share it with others, which he promised to do. My single, most important lesson was this: Learning to trust my own instincts and judgment………..Thank you, Charlie, wherever you may be in your career, for bringing forth such a strong and real truth for me to share with you and many others since that evening in an empty classroom.

Chapter ETERNAL

Chapter Eternal — April 2011 to March 2012

The following is a listing of those Phi Kaps who have passed away throughout the past year. Please let us know

if you encounter inaccurate information while reading the chapter eternal. If there is a brother that is missing from this time period who has passed away, please contact us.

Armstrong State Frank O Downing ‘67 • Butler University John Brady ‘56 • Case Western Reserve University Robert J Farling ‘58 • Catholic University David M Pielmeier ‘63, Michael B Hartnagel ‘68 • City College of New York Arthur W Nugent ‘53, Neil A Sanchirico ‘56 • Indiana Institute of Technology William Henry Cinatto ‘90 • LaSalle University Timothy S Daly ‘85 • Lehigh University J Gordon Compton ‘43 • Louisiana State University Frank H Walk ‘41, Raymond Schneider MD ‘43, Leo A Cavell ‘49, Kevin Patrick McClanahan ‘71 • Marquette University William F Ginal ‘72 • Merrimack College Leonard J Olenick ‘67 • Missouri University of Science and Technology Herbert Gary Burlbaw ‘58 • Ohio State University Thomas L Hansen ‘55 • Ohio University Richard S Adamson ‘50, Richard J Noll ‘50, James D Bodrock ‘51, Isidore B Codispoti ‘52 • Oklahoma State University Gregory John Altomari ‘92 • Pennsylvania State University Thomas Andrew Serrill ‘34, Robert J Walsh ‘50, Carl Sova ‘51, Ignatius A Hokaj Jr ‘57, Joseph L Osenkarski ‘63 • Purdue University Robert L Wothke ‘59 • Saint Francis University Vincent J Guinee Jr. ‘54, Jeffrey W Harbel ‘99 • Saint Leo College Scott P Crowson ‘74 • Seton Hall University Richard P Salmastrelli ‘65 • Temple University John M. O’Brien ‘55, Francis A Massino ‘65 • Trine University Robert F Nugent ‘40, Joseph E Baker ‘48, Claudio A. Shaw ‘12 • Truman State University Jim Thomas ‘52 • University of Arizona John S Shroll ‘57 • University of Cincinnati Lawrence A Chinery ‘56, Robert John De Brunner ‘58, Paul V Gunville ‘67 • University of Georgia Bruce P Cavan ‘67 • University of Houston Jerry F Cruickshank ‘73 • University of Illinois John A Rosauer ‘46, Norman R Kozy ‘50 • University of Iowa Edward H Brink ‘54, Matthew W Linder ‘91 • University of “Not what I have, but what I do is my kingdom.” – Thomas Carlyle Kansas Anthony A Hoffman ‘50 • University of Louisiana at Lafayette Richard S Debie By making Phi Kappa Theta part of your estate planning, you are able to ‘48, William Lococo ‘51, Todd T Dupont ‘95 leave a legacy that ensures the successful development of future generations of • University of Minnesota William J Abresch our brothers to become effective servant leaders.

Jr. ‘57 • University of Missouri - Columbia Frederick J Bergman ‘51 • University of Oklahoma Joseph A Rieger ‘52 • University of Pittsburgh Richard J Lippert ‘58 • University of Texas-Pan American John David Tamez ‘07 • University of Wisconsin Thomas D Halton ‘51, David Y Hostak ‘59 • Washington State University Aldo D www.phikaps.org/legacy Piovesan ‘50, Stephen G Doonan ‘63

GIVE

planned giving

SPRING 2012

23

Anthony Preston

A Phi Kap With Global Dimensions

By Gene C. Ney Slippery Rock, ‘90 When you think of international travel, international trade and a desire to help make the world a better place, none other than our very own Anthony Preston should come to mind. Raised in a traditional Italian, Catholic family in Elmwood Park, Illinois, Anthony is a second generation American. After attending St. Patrick’s High School for Boys in Chicago, Anthony decided that he wanted to study business and especially international business. Part of his desire to study international business is due to his strong ethnic roots and from the ethnicity he experienced from his classmates while in high school.

Anthony enrolled at Northern Illinois University as an international business major. During his freshman year, he attended a rush function at the Illinois Psi Chapter of Phi Kappa Theta. According to Anthony, “I rushed Phi Kappa Theta because I felt that I could relate with the brothers the most and I believed in the core values/mission of the fraternity.” Following his initiation, he ran for treasurer because as Anthony put it “I wanted to make a difference, and that was an area where I thought I could be of the greatest assistance to the chapter.” He won the election for the position of treasurer, and held that position for two consecutive terms before being elected as chapter president. Aside from his leadership roles in the chapter, Anthony also served Phi Kappa Theta at the national level as the U.G.A.C. representative for the Great Lakes Province. At the university level, he maintained active involvement in many of the student organizations sponsored by the department of business, and even was able to spend one semester studying abroad in Rome, Italy.

After college, Anthony accepted a position working in finance for the City of Wooddale, but realized that a city office job wasn’t what he really wanted to do. He returned to his alma mater where he entered a dual master’s degree program and was awarded an M.B.A. degree from Northern Illinois and a Master’s degree from the University of Bordeaux in Bordeaux, France.

Currently, Anthony works for Northern Illinois University as the Assistant Director of MBA Programs and Global Program Manager. In this position, he works with many government agencies from around the world to provide training for their employees. He works with governmental agencies from Turkey, France, Spain, China and Egypt to name a few. High level officials from those countries will come to NIU for training from Anthony in a variety of areas such as leadership and decision making, as well as human resource and development management.

According to Anthony, “none of what I do in life today would be possible had it not been for Phi Kappa Theta.”

His experiences with Phi Kappa Theta helped shape him into the person that he is today. “I learned so much from leadership sessions and listening to my peers and their experiences which have helped me become a better and more broad minded person today. I was able to take things I learned in class and apply them to the fraternity, and took what I learned in chapter and applied them to class. Through my joint chapter/ classroom experiences, I am now better able to work with the diverse clientele that comes to me for training.”

Reflecting on his time as a collegiate Phi Kap, Anthony feels that many brothers fail to plan adequately for their future. “It

“None of what I do in life today would be possible had it not been for Phi Kappa Theta.”

—Anthony Preston

“For me, it was an experience of a lifetime that continues to grow and make memories that I will never forget.”

—Anthony Preston

24

SPRING 2012

Anthony Preston (NIU, ‘10)

is never too early to start planning. Many of the collegiate brothers have trouble with time management. They don’t plan early or they lose focus and end up staying in college longer than expected.” He also feels that for today’s collegiate brothers, one should not “be blinded by dollar signs and end up in careers that they don’t like.”

Anthony feels that undergraduates should pursue careers that they like as they will do much better in the long run.

During his free time, Anthony serves on his local alumni board where he tries to focus attention on development.

Nationally, he is a member of Phi Kappa Theta’s G.O.L.D. Council which he joined not only because he wanted to give back to the fraternity, but also to continue to grow from it. Among his goals on the Council is to establish a study abroad program in Italy for undergraduates as well as to educate them about Phi Kappa Theta Foundation and the value of fraternal life.

To sum things up, Anthony feels that “Phi Kappa Theta means something different to each and every one of us. For me, it was an experience of a lifetime that continues to grow and make memories that I will never forget.”

The G.O.L.D. Council serves as ambassadors for and advisors to the Phi Kappa Theta Foundation.

Phi Kaps Cares Do You Care?

By Stephen Lee Lewis University, ‘10 This article is the third installment of Philanthropy Kaps Care, a movement that is gaining steam throughout the Phi Kappa Theta ranks.

Do you care? If so, how do you show that you care? Do you use calming words to reassure a loved one in his time of struggle?

Or are you the type to let your actions do the talking?

Have you ever cared for a total stranger? If so, what possessed you to care about someone you will probably never see again, and most certainly will not benefit from?

Chances are the questions above can spark much debate. However, if there is something common amongst all walks of life, it is the practice of caring.

In the storied fraternity that is Phi Kappa Theta, we have had no shortage of members who truly care. Men who, in the name of service, have dedicated time and talent to improving the lives of those around them. Men who serve selflessly under the motto “Give, Expecting Nothing Thereof”. Here are just a few examples

of current Phi Kap undergrads showing how they care.

PHILANTHROPY KAPS CARE

Nate Hotovy, junior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He has become involved in CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) because he is passionate about improving the lives of poor and abused children in the community. He became a volunteer courtappointed special advocate last semester, and has worked with numerous cases ever since. He is always striving to achieve the best possible situation for the children placed under his care.

Nate cares for those who can’t help themselves.

Alexander Bricker, sophomore at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. He has been involved with Relay For Life ever since high school, when his father was diagnosed with cancer. His involvement with Relay spiked significantly after his father passed away in January of 2011.

Alexander is now a proud and determined Co-Chair of his school’s Relay for Life committee, which takes incredible time and effort.

This is Alexander’s way of showing his dad that he cares, as well as those who are enduring the same struggle.

Brendon Pond, senior at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Brendan spends his time serving in multiple religious-oriented organizations around the town of Lincoln. Brendon is the president of the Newman Center Parish Board, and he also tutors weekly at People’s City Mission, which is a center for the homeless and impoverished.

Brendon shows that he cares by furthering the message of his religion and helping those who are trying to climb from rock bottom.

OKO

Kevin Veatch, Joe O’Brien, Matt Whims at Lewis University. These young men were on top of the world after getting a place of their own just off campus, until sobering news arrived: Christian Nuñez, a fellow Phi Kap and roommate, was just diagnosed with cancer. The young men let the news sink in, and then resolved to do everything they could to help Christian get through it. Joe and Matt stepped into support roles, and Kevin assumed the lead role as the main-shoulder-to-leanon. Ultimately, the roommates all made numerous sacrifices. They would skip the big parties in order to stay in with Christian, so he wouldn’t feel left out.

They consistently refrained from showing weakness, so that he could have someone to come to when it got tough. And they had to live with and endure the deep mood swings that came with the territory.

These roommates care through sacrifice. (They are proud to report that Christian has since beat cancer.)

How do you show that you care?

Become a fan of Phi Kaps Care on Facebook and see how others in our great fraternity choose to care. Also, feel free to share your own story!

Brothers Kevin Veatch (Lewis, ‘12), Christian Nuñez (Lewis, ‘08), Joe O’Brien (Lewis, ‘12) enjoy a beautiful day at Six Flags Great America amusement park in Illinois.

SPRING 2012

25

The Adventures of Henry One Child’s Life Saves Another

By Darrin Anderson Northern Illinois University, ‘94 It is said the worst experience that one can have is burying your own child.

My mother never recovered from the death of my brother, and my aunt laments to this day about the loss of her beloved son from a football related injury that occurred decades ago. Looking back on my past, it seems that our family reunions occurred more frequently at the funeral home than celebrations at a park.

My oldest son’s name was Henry and he loved animals. His younger brother, Jack, admired him greatly and both boys were Star Wars fanatics. Henry became sick on October 30 and was taken to the hospital. This was during the H1N1 scare when everyone was going to the hospital for sniffles and the staff was overworked and overburdened.

The doctors assumed he had a viral infection and sent him home with an anti-vomiting medication, despite the fact that our Jack was on an antibiotic from a bacterial infection. Each child had seen a separate doctor who never collaborated on their diagnoses. When Henry was taken to the Emergency Room on November 1st, he was given an anti-viral medication with numerous potential adverse reactions and then he suddenly slipped into unconsciousness.

Life flight was summoned and he was flown to a nearby Children’s Hospital. His heart stopped again when he landed due to the pressure change and it took nearly two hours to get him out of the helicopter. His heart then completely collapsed and he went septic. Fourteen doctors and surgeons feverously set about trying to save him.

At one point, a heart surgeon took us into a room and explained, “Your son is in grim shape,” he began, “he needs a procedure to relieve the pressure on his heart. He may not make it through the surgery. Your son needs a miracle.”

I looked at the surgeon and noticed his hands were trembling. He looked pale as a ghost. I pinched myself to see if I was in some kind of horrific nightmare. I then

26

SPRING 2012

realized the only chance my boy had for living was for this doctor to have a steady hand and the self confidence that he would succeed.

I drew upon every ounce of spirituality that I have and looked the surgeon in the eyes. I tried to come up with something to break his nervous tension and finally said, “Doctor. You wouldn’t be working at Children’s Hospital if you weren’t the best heart surgeon around, so please go save my boy. I will work on the miracle part.” The doctor gave a warm smile, stood up and with a dose of optimism, strode out of the room on a mission to bring me a miracle.

I said a prayer for my son and went to update my family and friends. After calling a few family members, I posted an update on Facebook that Henry needed a miracle to survive the surgery and was in really bad shape.

Henry’s message spread throughout the world. There was an entire village in Vietnam praying for him. A teacher in Texas had a moment of silence with her classroom, and we received thousands of emails and posts.

Miraculously, Henry made it through the heart surgery.

Several hours later we were called into his room hoping to begin the long recovery for him only to find that his body had shut down and was septic. He was on a heart and lung machine but was gone. At 12:30pm on November 2, we turned the machine off and let Henry

depart this world.

It was the saddest day of my life.

His loss is devastating. Words don’t seem to do justice with how I feel about his loss, but they do provide some solace from a repeating cycle of “what ifs” that surround his death. “What if” we had done something differently, would he still be here? “What if” the doctors would have spent a fraction of the effort providing health care to him before he died that they spent trying to bring him back to life?

Back in college, I was encouraged

by Phi Kappa Theta to perform good deeds and serve. I had continued my CPR skills and had expanded my skills as a volunteer Emergency Medical Services first responder. Although we had a lot of good times, and some bad ones at Phi Kappa Theta, I believe that things I learned there were about to uncover the mystery behind Henry’s death.

I began my search into unraveling the mystery by acquiring all of the medical records for both of my boys. I obtained all of the records and set about performing research. I have always been good at performing research and I decided that I was going to see what really caused Henry’s death.

Children’s Hospital told me it would be up to six months for an autopsy to be returned. His official cause of death was a mysterious bacterially induced septic shock, and possibly trauma to the stomach.

I thought my search would be simple.

“I believe that things I learned there were about to uncover the mystery behind Henry’s death.”

—Darrin Anderson

Above Left: Darrin, Henry, and Jack (in the stroller) at the Special Memories Zoo, Greenville, WI. Above Right: One of the last pictures of Henry before he passed away. He loved Star Wars and thought he was Yoda.

Below Right: The cover of Mikayla the Wolf, second book in The Adventures of Henry series. The profits go to help children with neurological medical conditions.

His body was overrun by a bacterial infection and went septic so I thought that whatever caused it was resistant to the particular antibiotic that my local hospital had given him. According to the records, no antibiotics were given at any point.

I then saw some strange medical history patterns between both Henry and Jack. I became convinced the pattern showed a genetic link, and that Jack was in peril. Both of the boys had a pattern of ear infections, strange rashes, jaundice, acid reflux and stomach issues.

I began my search by researching over 6,000 rare genetic diseases using Google, Web MD, Wikipedia, online blogs and research papers. I noticed a pattern of possible autoimmune diseases that matched. I asked my wife to review the symptoms she remembered, without having the actual medical records and her review contained several of the same diseases.

The pathologist told me that Henry had been overrun by common bacteria called Pseudomonas Aeruginosa. During my research, I had recalled that many immune compromised individuals were unable to fend off common bacteria so I told the pathologist that I was bringing Jack in for tests.

The doctor had blood samples drawn and returned an hour later. She told us that all but one test had returned and there was no sign of any problems.

The next day I received a call around lunchtime. It was the immunologist. The immunologist told me to grab overnight clothes and get Jack to the emergency room immediately.

The series of events that followed

explained how Henry died. He had inherited an unknown and stealthy genetic mutation that occurs on a sex linked chromosome called Bruton’s X linked Agammaglobulinemia (XLA). XLA is an autoimmune disease which disrupts the immune defense production so common bacteria are fatal because the body is unable to produce the proper defenses. It is in the family of autoimmune diseases that contains Severe Combined Immune Deficiency (SCID) that was featured in the movie, Boy in the Plastic Bubble starring John Travolta.

Fortunately, there is a treatment called plasma infusions that Jack receives that enables his body to fight off bacterial infections. He visits Children’s Hospital for a day each month to be infused with the lifesaving plasma.

This is something he will need for the rest of his life.

Following Henry’s death, we took some of the memorial money and published a series of children’s

books, Adventures of Henry, that contained bedtime stories that Henry created.

Jack is my little miracle boy that would not be here today if I had not persisted in researching Henry’s cause of death. I owe part of my methodical perseverance to many of the experiences I had in college, particularly during my time at Phi Kappa Theta.

SPRING 2012

27

The Bookself: Books by Our Alumni Adventures of Henry Series

by Henry Morgan Anderson & Sarah B. Anderson

Extraordinary Lessons From An Ordinary Life Simple Insights For a Better Life

by Mike Jaroch (NIU, ‘67)

Get Off Your “But”: How to End Self-Sabotage and Stand Up for Yourself

by Sean Stephenson (DePaul, ‘01)

Seek First the Kingdom: Challenging the Culture by Living Our Faith

by Cardinal Donald Wuerl (Fairfield, ‘A)

More Books can be found at phikaps.org/bookshelf

Heard on Twitter Johnny Hohenstein @JohnnyHoh • @gretchenstahl and I’m lucky to have @phikappatheta. Can’t put into words how much the organization means to me.

CSU Phi Kappa Theta @CSUPhiKaps • We love the support we get from the executive office. Thanks so much @phikappatheta! You have very dedicated office staff!

28

SPRING 2012

@phikappatheta Derek Markle @derekmarkle • Thetafest is going great! Raising a lot of money for the children’s miracle network and having a great time doing it! @phikappatheta Phi Kappa Theta @PhiKapSDSU • @phikappatheta another brother from Phi Iota was elected IFC President for the 20122013 school year #leadershipstartshere

SPRING 2012

29

From the Archive Pictured from left to right, Doug Dilling (Kansas State, ‘84), Fraternity Executive Director, Greg Stein (CCNY, ‘70), Foundation President, Gerald Donovan (Brown, ‘12), Pat Hays (Oklahoma State, ‘53), Foundation Vice president, Joseph Rude (Iowa State, ‘81), Foundation Treasurer and Ed Solvibile (Temple, ‘63), Fraternity President, on the occasion of the presentation to Brother Donovan

of a diamond circle plaque. Mr. Donovan was one of the three Brown students who went to the University of Illinois in the Spring of 1912 to merge the Loyola Club with Phi Kappa, making it a National Fraternity. Photo taken in Spring 1987.

Visit www.phikaps.org and click on “Vendors” at the top then browse through Phi Kappa Theta Apparel! From the Official PKT Tie, to Grad Cords to Ritual Supplies!

Start shopping now!

www.phikaps.org/vendors Get the Official Phi Kappa Theta Tie

Get all your Ritual Supplies from Robes to Documents Get your Phi Kappa Theta Polo and more.

Spend $50 or more and get $10 off!

Act now while this offer lasts!

At checkout, enter the coupon code: 2012