November 22, 2021
On October 15, Tau Deuteron brothers from the 1971 pledge class gathered at the University of Texas chapter house to celebrate their 50th anniversary reunion. There were 25 brothers in attendance, including 22 pledges and three recruitment captains.
Pictured - back row (L-R): Skipper Nelson (1974), Rick Halden (1977), Gil Lundquist (1975), Clay Smith (1975), Stan Caskey (1975), Peter Barbour (1975), Bruce Hotze (1974), Gary Pugh (1975), Scott Shaeffer (1975), Jackson Hooper (1975) and John Thomas (1975). Front row (L-R): Steve Pearce (1975), Doug Barnes (1975), Chris Sharp (1975), Joe Flack (1973), Roger Lutz (1975), John Gordon (1977), John Newton (1975), John Peloubet (1975), Frosty Moore (1975), John Patton (1976) and Clark Covert (1975).
Not pictured: Jack Nash (1975) and Ras Redwine (1975).
November 17, 2021
On November 14, Alpha Sigma at Arizona State hosted the Shave to Save philanthropy event, where 47 brothers shaved their heads to raise money for TGen's Center for Rare Childhood Disorders at the Transnational Genomics Research Institute (The Center). By agreeing to shave their heads, brothers raised over $58,0000 for The Center, far surpassing their fundraising goal of $50,000.
The Chapter chose this philanthropy for two reasons: 1) Jim Harris (1974), who passed away from a progressive neurodegenerative disease in 2020. Jim asked that any memorial gifts be donated to The Center. 2) Braden Belnap's (2023) cousin, Seth, has a rare disease that dramatically affects his quality of life and his life expectancy. The Center successfully diagnosed and prescribed treatment for Seth, allowing him to live with fewer complications and restrictions to his life.
For more information about the event, click here.
^ Pictured: Before (top) and after (below).
November 8, 2021
On November 6, Kappa Upsilon at Kent State held their re-chartering, and 21 brothers were initiated. The Chapter was initially chartered on April 23, 1960.
October 22, 2021
On October 7, Steve Spontak (Illinois 1985) (left) and his son, Nicholas (Illinois 2019) (right), summitted the Pico de Orizaba in Mexico, which is the highest peak in Mexico and the third highest peak in North America at 18,491 feet.
October 15, 2021
The Kappa Deuteron Chapter at Georgia held a Distinguished Fiji Award Ceremony in honor of Bill Bracewell (1968) and Kessel Stelling (1978), who were recipients of the 2020 and 2021 William A. Martin III Distinguished Fiji Award, respectively. The Chapter was previously unable to hold an award presentation for Bill due to the pandemic.
Pictured (L-R): Kessel Stelling, Bill Bracewell, University of Georgia President Jere Morehead (1988) and Executive Director Rob Caudill (Akron 2004).
October 1, 2021
Over the summer, Epsilon Lambda at Michigan State graduate brothers from the classes of 1972-76 gathered for a reunion. These brothers have gathered every other summer since 2004. Each reunion lasts about three days and typically about 10 brothers and three wives attend. The next gathering will be the 9th FIJI Island - 18 years.
Pictured: They are pictured in front of a B17 plane. Back row (L-R): Linda Condit, Bruce Tolbert (1972), Denise Shaheen, Rich Lively (1973), Andy Munro (1976), Mike Closz (1973), Matt Williams and Tom Condit (1971). Front row (L-R): Ralph Shaheen (1972), Dave Pequet (1974), Tom Brennan (1974) and Jeff Williams (1985).
September 15, 2021
On September 11, 16 brothers from the Houston Graduate Chapter and four friends participated in the Travis Manion Foundation 9/11 Heroes Run, a 5k charity run. This was the second year the Graduate Chapter participated in the run. The team raised $6,4362,83 (about 30% of the event's fundraising totals), making the Graduate Chapter the number one fundraising team for two years running.
The team included: Don Amfahr (Illinois 2011), Michael Baumann (Texas San Antonio 2007), Corbin Carlson (Texas San Antonio 2010), Michael Childress (Texas State 2017), Bill Gassmann (Arkansas 2009), Paul Hains (Texas Christian 1987), Chad Heins (Illinois 2012), Brian Kindervater (Sam Houston State 2015), Nathan Navarro (Texas Christian 2012), Will Nichols (Texas San Antonio 2009), David Piech (New Mexico 2004), Jordan Raymond (Texas San Antonio 2011), Vijay Sekhara (Connecticut 2012), Trent Shumate (Texas Christian 2013) and Evaristo Tavera (Texas San Antonio 2007).
August 9, 2021
On August 6-7, Epsilon Alpha at Alberta and Upsilon Chi at Calgary held their annual Run to Red Deer relay race to raise money and awareness for the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA). During the two-day event, brothers from each chapter ran 137 kilometers relay-style from their respective campuses in Edmonton and Calgary to Red Deer, Alberta. This year, approximately 20 brothers participated in the race, and the chapters raised over $6,200 for the CMHA.
August 2, 2021
John E. Criss, Jr. (Ohio State 1950) received his Diamond Owl certificate, celebrating 75 years of membership.
John (center) is pictured with his two Phi Gam sons, Scott (Ohio State 1991) (left) and Jeff (Ohio State 1980) (right). John is also the grandsire of John S. (Ohio State 2009), who is not pictured.
July 26, 2021
On July 23, a group of Pi Iota graduate brothers from the classes of 1988-94 visited the WPI chapter house one last time. The house is about to be torn down to make way for the new building.
July 22, 2021
Ryan Taneja (Central Arkansas 2024) is the first Indian and college student to be named in AY Magazine's "Best of 2021" list for the Nonprofit, Fundraiser and Person of the Year categories. He was chosen for these awards because of his activism and the Alpha Rho Chapter's support of his domestic survivor initiative called the Mini Taneja Purple Initiative.
Ryan is also the first Indian and teen finalist for Arkansas Time Magazine's Best Arkansan, Best Philanthropist and Best Celebrity award. He will learn if he wins that award in the August issue of the magazine.
July 7, 2021
The Archons are pleased to announce the appointment of James “J.C.” Neilson (Akron 1991) as Archon Councilor. He was appointed on July 2, 2021 to a vacant position on the Archonate.
J.C. has previously served Phi Gamma Delta as a Section Chief, member of the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Committee and Field Secretary. Professionally, J.C. has more than 25 years experience in human resources and human capital experience in a variety of industries. Today, he serves as the Managing Partner, Owner and Founder of Driving People Operations (DPO), a boutique business coaching and human capital management (HCM) consulting firm. He is also passionate about serving his community, including as a board member of The Plus Collective – a giving program and foundation that awards grants to organizations that support the LGBTQ+ community while also cultivating partnerships with community allies.