2011

THE • PI • KAPPA • PHI • FRATERNITY

Omegalite JULY 2011

Three alumni share audio expertise

Three Omega alumni share an • See inside this edition for bios uncommon consulting expertise. of eight other Omega alumni who What’s particularly intriguing is that do, or have done consulting. all three were in the chapter at the same time and none of them expected changed him. That internship ended up influencing his career path – one to become an acoustical engineer.

Engineering and Pi Kappa Phi were that spans 16 countries. He has lived the common themes, but each of them in Ireland for the last seven years, got into their specialized field because but has worked in the Pacific Rim, various European countries, the of their love of music. Although their profession ties them together, g e o g r a- Middle East as well as New Zealand and Australia. phy does not – one lives in Ireland, An engineering contact from his another in Pittsburgh and one in student internship met him once in Hawaii.

Singapore socially and later put Brian Johnson (Omega 1361), Johnson in touch with his current Jeff Babich (1408) and Todd Beiler e m p l o y e r, AWN Consulting, h e a d(1428) were all Omega chapter memquartered in Dublin. bers in the 1990s. All three planned He now works on architectural to be mechanical engineers, but life design and startup of major buildexperience caused them to take difings, developments, recording studios feren but similar paths. and performance venues. He works When Johnson was a freshman, on the environmental impact of wind someone from Purdue’s interdisciplif arm, highway, rail and airport nary engineering program suggested designs and works to minimize noise students consider alternative fields, pollution. He also conducts occupasuch as acoustical engineering. He tional health and safety assessments was sold quickly. for industrial facilities. His expertise “My main love at the time was has even led him to courtrooms to music,” Johnson said. “I thought it give expert noise impact testimony. might be a brilliant way of combining “Every day is different,” Johnson a field of study with something I truly s a i d . “ You get everything from designlove.” ing ‘secure rooms’ in foreign conHis intent was to design stereo Continued on Page 3 speakers. An electrical engineering class – digital signal processing, which Johnson described “as interesting as chalk” – shooed him away from designing speakers. Then a summer internship in Dublin, Ohio, with Kinetics Noise Control, which makes acoustic & noise, and vibration con- Brian Johnson conducts a test that measures how trols products, sound reacts in a room.

PURDUE UNIVERSITY

Chapter to celebrate 90th anniversary sometime in 2012

The Omega chapter is on the verge of celebrating another milestone anniversary.

In 2012, the chapter will celebrate its 90th year in existence. As is our recent tradition, we hope to coordinate a large reunion-type event. We need your help in making it a success.

First, we need some volunteers to help plan the event. So, if you are so inclined, please send Omegalite editor Pat Kuhnle a notice by email or a phone call (his contact information is on Page 2 of this newsletter) to express your interest. If you volunteer, you are committing to participate in the planning and execution of the celebratory event. What this entails is not yet fully determined, but the last time we did a similar event, it involved a conference call, a visit to the chapter house for a planning meeting and possibly contacting a small alumni group of your era to encourage attendance.

The 90th anniversary event could be any sort of event. Some past examples include: • At the 75th anniversary we had an on-campus banquet, with a reception on homecoming weekend (an evening event).

• The 80th anniversary featured a pregame banquet, followed by a postgame reception.

• On the 85th anniversary, we had a summer event that included a golf outing, optional house improvement projects, a reception and an evening banquet.

We could follow a similar format in 2012, or we could change it up again.

Continued on Page 2

OMEGALITE Omega of Pi Kappa Phi, Inc. Housing Corporation P.O. Box 2700 West Lafayette, IN 47996-2700 Chapter Web address: http://www. purduepikapps.com Corporation Officers JAY SEEGER PRESIDENT 3817 Old Farm Road Lafayette, IN 47905 765/742-4529, work 765/474-1986, home jay@shf-law.net

BRANDT HERSHMAN VICE PRESIDENT 6142 Maderia Lane Lafayette, IN 47905 574/581-2000, cell b.hershman@comcast.net

STEVE BOHNER TREASURER 194 Twin Springs Ct. Carmel, IN 46234 317/846-3008, home 317/844-2250, work 317/844-2296, fax steve@langdonand company.com PAT KUHNLE SECRETARY 720 Chelsea Road W. Lafayette, IN 47906 765/743-1111 ext.

205, work 765/743-6087, fax 765/743-1256, cell pkuhnle@purdue exponent.org The Omegalite is published at least twice a year by the Omega of Pi Kappa Phi Housing Corporation for its alumni. Address corrections should be mailed to us at the contact inform ation listed at the top of this box.

JULY 2012

PURDUE UNIVERSITY

Pi Kappa Phi wins unprecedented fourth consecutive best chapter award

Pi Kappa Phi was honored numerous times at an April 8 Purdue Greek Awards Ceremony.

The chapter was presented the 2010-11 R. B. Stewart Award, recognizing it as Purdue’s best among 41 campus fraternities.

It was the fourth consecutive time that Pi Kappa Phi has won the honor – the first time any chapter won it four times in a row.

“It was truly incredible receiving the award for the fourth straight time,” said Mike Lolkus (Omega 1736), Fall 2010 and Spring 2011 archon. “The members of our organization are truly exceeding expectations and doing things on campus that other fraternities are not.

Collin York (Omega 1800) and Ricky Rivelli (Omega 1831) were given Emerging Leaders Awards during the hour-long ceremony on campus. Pat Kuhnle (Omega 1197) won the Father Phillip Bowers Chapter Advisor of the Year Award. And, Pi Kappa Phi won a first-ever recognition, the Caliber Award of Excellence for effective risk management.

Pi Kappa Phi was named one of three finalists in each of seven out of eight judging sections. The eight sections are used to gauge effectiveness in various areas used to determine the Stewart Award winner. The seven sections in which the chapter was a finalist include: Recruitment (50 men recruited during 2010-12), social, scholarship, leadership, philanthropy, brotherhood and chapter pride.

The rules for judging the Stewart Award were changed for the second consecutive year. Last year, the award was based solely on a 300-word essay. This time around, how-

ever, essays and support documentation were used to help determine finalists.

Multiple areas contributed to the chapter’s recognition. They include a Fall 2010 Academic Awards dinner hosting Purdue administrators and honoring top academic achievers in a firstever, Greek-wide banquet. Programming in various chapter activities – including philanthropy, new member recruitment, new member education and volunteerism – contributed to the chapter’s 2010-11 successes.

All year, chapter members volunteer their time in a special needs class at Lafayette Jefferson High School – a program recognized last fall at a local school board meeting last fall. Last semester, Pi Kappa Phi hosted an all-Greek tennis tournament. In the spring, it hosted a weeklong War of Roses event, involving empathy training, visits to our volunteer relationship by other Greeks and a talent competition that drew 600+ people.

90th Anniversary, Continued from Page 1

T h u r s d ay, Nov. 22, for your reference and Fall 2012 road games are Sept. 8 (Notre Dame), Oct. 20 (Ohio State), Oct.. 27 (Minnesota), Nov. 10 (Iowa), Nov. 17 (Illinois).]

A third more remote possibility would be to celebrate Omega’s anniversary at a regional location, such as Indianapolis or Chicago.

There will be an open forum to talk about how to best celebrate the 2012 anniversary following the noon, Saturday, Oct. 22 homecoming game, in the chapter house library. At that meeting, we will share input from email, phone calls or survey information and decide on what type of event we want to plan for the chapter’s 90th anniversary.

Homecoming 2011 will be noon, Saturday, Oct. 22 vs. Illinois.

Homecoming 2012, will be TBA, Saturday, Oct. 13, vs. Wisconsin.

Two ideas include having an on campus event during the fall when there is a road game or open football weekend (to avoid the marked-up hotel prices during home football games) or doing an on-campus, post Thanksgiving event to commemorate the date of our founding alongside a national Founders Day Event. Our local founding was Nov. 24, 1922, and our national founding date was Dec. 10, 1904. [Thanksgiving Day 2012 is

OMEGALITE Acoustical, Continued from Page 1

sulates to helping lunatics who complain about hearing noise coming out of their toasters (seriously).”

His clients are as varied as his experiences and places he’s called home.

He helped design actor Tom Hanks’ and former First Lady Ja ckie Kennedy Onassis’ apartments, the Singapore embassy in Burma, NYC’s Niketown, the IBM’s World Headquarters in New York and the Russell Offices, Australia’s equivalent to the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. For Babich, who played piano since he was 5 and the trumpet in his high s chool band, being an acoustical engineering consultant seemed natural.

“I decided to become a consultant to combine my love for music with my technical skills as an engineer,” he said. “I often thought about becoming a recording engineer, but decided against it based on salary and odd hours/schedule. I also work well with people and like to work on a variety of projects.”

As a consultant for The Sextant Group in Pittsburgh, B a b i ch works with architects, engineers, developers, contractors and building owners “to ensure that their new or renovated construction projects are built with acoustics and noise/vibration control in mind.”

His clients range from recording studios to large educational facilities and hospitals.

Todd Beiler

JULY 2012

PURDUE UNIVERSITY

According to his employer’s website, Babich has done extensive work for higher education. The list of facilities he has worked on includes Seattle University’s Library and Learning Commons, Kent State’s School of Journalism including university radio and TV studios, and the University of Nebraska’s Medical Center. He is working on various projects, including two renovations at New York University, a local government building in Durham, NC, and a new auditorium at the University of Colorado Hospital.

He holds a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins in acoustics and audio alongside his BS in mechanical engineering from Purdue.

“Typical concerns include speech privacy, s p e e ch intelligibility, sound isolation and reducing mechanical system noise,“ he said.

Babich keeps in touch with Todd Beiler more than Johnson due to logistics. They typically cross paths at conferences.

Beiler’s interest in the field somewhat mirrors that of Babich – having a love for music and an interest in architecture.

“Even at a young age, I loved listening to music and eventually played a few musical instruments,” he said.

“However, aside from my parents’ encouragement, I wasn’t a particularly talented musician. Although I never lost my love of music, it was easier for me to excel in math and science.”

That brought him to Purdue.

“I thought a great job might be

working for a musical instrument manufacturer, or perhaps a loudspeaker design company.”

However, it was his time at Pi Kappa Phi that introduced him to Johnson.

“It wasn’t until I talked with a fellow fraternity brother with the same interests who had graduated a couple of years earlier,” he said. “I looked him up and found out more about the consulting firm he worked for and r e s e a r ched the kind of work that was involved.”

Today, Beiler’s work involves analysis of sound insulation, room acoustics, mechanical system noise and vibration controls, sound systems and theater system designs. He also does a lot of technical writing.

“Acoustical consulting is a specialized field and only a small percentage of engineers enter into it,” Beiler said.

“The fact that there are three engineers from the same fraternity, close in age and all who entered into the field of acoustical consulting is highly unusual.”

He started with his current employer in Denver, but was transferred to Hawaii. Most of his travels are among the Hawaiian islands, but his job has also taken him to Guam and Singapore.

He’s worked with hotels and resorts owned by Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, Hilton, Sheraton and Four Seasons. He’s also worked with a RitzCarlton’s project in Maui for private condos starting at $9 million for threebedroom units.

Jeff Babich

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PURDUE UNIVERSITY

Archon report

By MIKE LOLKUS Fall 2010, Spring 2011 Archon The chapter has had another successful year focused on philanthropy, growth and new ventures within the community.

The chapter has continued to be a force on campus for philanthropic involvement by participating in 14 philanthropies throughout the year, as well as hosting three of its own events.

The three events included the Fall 2010 Greek Open tennis tournament, the Spring 2011 War of Roses talent competition, and a first, a 72-hour Bike-A-Thon to raise funds for brother David Feltner’s needs.

The chapter also has been able to raise more than $10,000 for the fourth consecutive year, placing Omega as fourth in fundraising for Push America in the country.

Pi Kappa Phi is the second largest fraternity on campus with 130 active members at the conclusion of the spring semester. This year, both

recruitment chairmen surpassed their goals and helped the chapter grow by 50 new members. We had one of the largest pledge classes since the 1987 fire in the fall with 34 pledges.

The chapter has also been seeking new opportunities through campus and community involvement. Omega hosted a first ever academic banquet to recognize Greeks who have a chieved above a 3.5 GPA. The event was held in the fall with representatives from the Office of the Dean of Students, the College of Liberal A r t s, and professors from a variety of academic disciplines.

The chapter also invested in a Grand Prix kart for the first time in more than 20 years. The team was highest qualifier among all new karts and placed in the top 10 at the race.

The chapter was highly recognized throughout and following the 2010-11 s chool year. In the fall, the local CBS affiliate as well as the local city newspaper reported our Push A m e r i c a grant to the special needs classes at L a f ayette Jefferson High School. Each year, Push allocates a quarter of the

previous academic year fund-raising as a grant to a local agency. In November, we presented the Lafayette School Board a ch e ck for $2,550 from Push America.

In September, the chapter was featured in the Exponent for winning the national fraternity’s best chapter award in its league.

In April, the Exponent, the Indianapolis Star, the Lafay e t t e Journal and Courier and T V-18 all ran stories about the Feltner Bike-AThon. Furthermore, the chapter and Feltner were recognized on TV-18’s “Heroes Among Us” series for his b r avery and the chapter’s efforts.

Peter Bassick (Omega 1805) was recognized as the IFC Brother of the Month for his efforts to coordinate the highly successful Bike-a-Thon.

As past archon, it is reassuring to know that the men who developed and participated in the events that have defined the chapter in the past year will now be in the driver's seat and directing the chapter to knew heights. We eagerly await the new developments in the coming year.

Dennis Bowling, Liberal Arts associate dean, addresses the chaptersponsored Greek awards banquet.

Pi Kapps who participate in the Lafayette Jeff special needs class pose with $2,550 Push check.

Chapter coaches pose with winners of the 2011 War of Roses competition.

Omega continues to be Push America leader

During 2010-11, the Omega ch a pter added to its ever-increasing commitment to Push America and to those it serves.

For the fourth straight and last five of six years, the chapter has raised at least $10,000 for Push America. Fundraising events included the Greek Open, fall pledge class leaf raking in the local community, the War of Roses and the Pi Kapp 100.

The chapter also finished its third year of working with special needs

children at Lafayette Jefferson High School.

In addition to that, the chapter had four members – Craig Vargo (Omega 1676), Donovan Higgins (Omega 1692), Will Hockema (Omega 1744) and Kevin Albrecht (Omega 1768) – participate in the 2011 three-week Gear Up Florida cycling trip. Riders commit to raising $2,500 for a twoweek, 800-mile ride from Miami to the State Capitol building in Tallahassee in May. The three Omega guys were

the second, third, fourth and fifth chapter members to participate in the ride.

Furthermore, two more Omega chapter members are riding in the Journey of Hope, a three-month, crosscountry cycling event. This year’s participants – Chris Ruff (Omega 1755) and Branden Sowers (Omega 1803) – become the 15th and 16th Omega members to make the annual ride, now in its 24th year of existence. The chapter has also had two crew members with the annual ride.

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PURDUE UNIVERSITY

Undergraduate chapter member dies from cancer

Brothers traveled from Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Colorado and nearly everywhere in between to an Indianapolis suburb in order to honor an Omega undergraduate who died in June.

David Feltner (Omega 1738) died on June 5, after a five-year battle with rhabdomyosarcoma, a childhood cancer that attacks the body’s soft tissues.

The rare cancer normally strikes ch i ldren under the age of 6, but in Feltner’s case he was diagnosed at 17.

It is almost always fatal when it appears in the late teens.

Three times over the years he was considered “in remission.” His most recent relapse started in early 2011, during which doctors removed his right eye. Weeks later, cancer was found in his brain.

Doctors remained hopeful, so the chapter executed a massive campus fund-raiser to purchase a support dog for Feltner. The dog, which cost $5,000 after training, would have helped Feltner with daily activities, sensed danger and could call for help.

“While the cause of death can be attributed to cancer, David never let the disease beat him,” Pat Kuhnle (Omega 1197), chapter advisor, said.

“Never did David say, ‘Why me.’ He remained optimistic and would often lift brothers’ spirits when he visited campus. David’s was an amazing life.

He taught the rest of us, as well as the medical community, a lot.”

Childhood friend and fraternity brother Jim Vasil (Omega 1677) was also struck with how Feltner lived his life.

“Ever since David joined Pi Kappa Phi, he exemplified one of the most positive attitudes I’ve ever seen,” Vasil said. “He always looked at the bright side of things. He reflected this positive outlook through all the brothers who were fortunate enough to meet him. His bravery and optimism on life will remain with each and every one of us.”

Pledge brother and former archon Mike Lolkus (Omega 1736) admired Feltner’s fortitude as well.

“Almost everyone who knew his story came away with courage to fight their own life battles upon recognizing

his determination,” Lolkus said. “This is why it was so great to see the masses of people who were truly inspired by his life are now able to say ‘Thank you’ through his memorial services.”

David Feltner The Pi Kappa 1988-2011 Phi outpouring at a memorial service and funeral were overwhelming.

Nearly 100 brothers – including national CEO Mark Timmes, who was attending a conference in Indianapolis – participated in a ch a pter-sponsored public memorial at a Noblesville, IN, funeral home. Nearly 200 watched as the chapter said its public goodbyes, which included laying a red rose in the casket with Feltner.

David’s father, Steve Feltner (Omega 1748) joined Timmes, Steve Adam (Omega 1693, Feltner’s pledge pop) and Vasil to surrounded the casket when the rose was placed upon the fallen brother’s chest. The memorial services offered prayers for the deceased and asked for those in attendance to offer their own silent prayers.

The next day, more than 120 Omega brothers listened to a 45minute funeral service that included a letter written from David’s mother, Candy, and comments from his sister, Jessica.

The pastor read extensively from a student services professional who blogged about the impact David made on him at a leadership institute several years before.

Scott Clark, assistant director of fraternity and sorority life at the University Central Florida, met Dav i d briefly in 2008 at a Purdue-sponsored leadership conference.

“I entitled this blog, ‘The Impact of One’ because David truly impacted me,” Clark wrote in a blog posted on June 6. “He inspired me. Here was a young man, at age 18, fighting for his life, but he chose to be at a leadership institute. Here was a man who was fighting one of the worst diseases known to man, but he took it on with a smile. Here was a fraternity man

who was 18 and with one statement, had changed my life.”

Feltner attended slightly more than one day of the week-long event.

He had grown ill and left the conference prematurely.

“In my eyes, David was, and always will be, a true fraternity man,” Clark wrote. “He espoused the values of leadership and courage. … In closing, I hope everyone understands the power of sharing something significant to you. It’s a gift. Truly cherish it. It felt honored to hear David’s story.”

David’s case was relatively highprofile for various reasons. Among them was because Feltner was the 2010 Gary Brackett Foundation Courage Award winner. Brackett, a member of the Indianapolis Colts, has a foundation that supports childhood issues. According to the foundation’s website, it has as its mission “to promote health, to advance education and to relieve the poor, distressed and underprivileged by providing resources to children.”

Both of Brackett’s parents died of cancer, so that cause also resonates with him.

Feltner was nominated by his oncologist at the IU-Clarian Hopsital in Carmel, IN. Feltner was recognized for his positive attitude with parents and children when undergoing chemotheraphy.

The chapter’s bike-a-thon resulted in local and statewide media attention. Feltner was named April’s “Heroes Among Us” by TV-18, a L a f ayette area CBS affiliate. Thus, his passing also brought media attention.

E a ch time, Feltner’s love for the ch a pter was evident.

“If he wouldn't have told us, we would not have known he had cancer by the way he carried himself,” Alex Prichodko (Omega 1752) told the Indianapolis Star. “He made the best of what he was given. He never used his sickness as an excuse for anything.

That's what made him special.”

Condolenses came from members of the Purdue community, too. The various fraternities and sororities – many of which supported the chapter’s bikea-thon efforts – sent cards, notes and Continued on Page 6

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PURDUE UNIVERSITY

Chapter sponsors biking fund raiser for stricken brother A semi driver stopped his rig to donate. A woman stopped by and dropped off a ch e ck anonymously for $1,000. And late night passers-by gave pizza to a cyclist.

That was the scene of an emotional 72-hour fund-raising bike-a-thon on the front lawn of Pi Kappa Phi from March 29 to April 1, 2011. The beneficiary of the incredible effort by chapter members, fellow Greeks, and cooperative women alike was Pi Kappa Phi’s David Feltner (Omega 1738), who was suffering his fourth bout of cancer in five years.

Initially, the first $5,000 was going to fund a special needs dog for Feltner. The dog was purchased prior to Feltner’s passing to the chapter eternal on June 5. The dog has already been donated to another family. The remainder of the funds, will be split between Riley Hospital for Children and the needs of families receiving chemotherapy at IU-Clarion Hospital. Feltner and his family hav e benefited from both hospitals during his long ordeal.

During the 72 hours, nearly 100 people rode one of two stationary bicycles. Countless others manned a donation table 24 hours a day. The front of the house displayed a 72-hour projection of the countdown. A sign along the street asked for supporters to honk their horns if they hated cancer – truck, car, cycling and even police car horns were blasted. A local street vendor set up camp in the fraternity parking lot one evening and many Greek organizations canceled dinner to eat hot dogs and Philly cheese steaks with half the proceeds benefiting the cause.

During the three-day event, s o m eone was riding one of the two bikes continuously and oftentimes both were manned (and in some cases womaned). The bike that was continuously ridden logged 723.5 miles and the other nearly 200 miles, too.

Chapter members committed to raising $25 for every hour either bike was ridden and would shave their heads for any donations at the $50 or more level.

The $5,000 goal was obliterated in the first eight hours of the event. In fact, the fraternity’s fundraising topped $13,000. The chapter received three $1,000 ch e cks – incl u ding one from a fellow fraternity. An Omega alumni email blast Many of the Bike-a-Thon riders and support staff pose brought in more with David Feltner (front row, white sweatshirt) on than $1,000, too.

March 31. Feltner died nine weeks later.

The event was

conceived by Peter Bassick (Omega 1805), the chapter’s historian. For his efforts, the Purdue Interfraternity Council named him “Brother of the Month” for March .

“It’s what fraternity is all about – when someone is down, you are there to pick him up,” B a s s i ck said.

Media members covered the event extensively. There were stories reported in The Purdue Exponent, the Lafayette Journal and Courier, WLFI TV-18 (a local CBS affiliate) and the Indianapolis Star. The revamped Pi Kappa Phi national website debuted with a story about the fund raiser as well.

One reader comment posted on the Journal and Courier’s site read, “Wonderful, inspiring, wish we saw more coverage of these types of events and activities outside of campus!”

Feltner was able to visit the ch a pter during the last day of the event.

The evening prior to the noon, April 1 ending, he posed with 40 of his fraternity brothers who cycl e d , manned the donation table or otherwise supported the effort. Amid the song “The Fi n a l Countdown” blaring along Grant Street, Feltner donned a bike and rode the final five minutes of the 72hour event to a standing ovation by his brothers.

wrote. “Reading about the awards the Omega chapter has received (on the chapter website) is so very impressive.

But reading about the chapter’s care and love for David is what fraternity and brotherhood are all about.”

Following a noon burial on June 9, the Feltner family hosted mourners at their home for a luncheon.

Candy Feltner, David’s mom,

gathered fraternity members together and emotionally spoke to the group.

She explained how much the family appreciated the support the chapter offered David during his illness and particularly during the chapter memorial service and funeral.

“We are just overwhelmed,” she told chapter members. “We love you all.”

Feltner, Continued from Page 5

donations.

Jeremy Galvin, assistant vice president for development at Iowa State University and the Pi Kappa Phi national chaplain never met Feltner, yet he was touched. He read tributes from others through the traditional and social media sources.

“What a fighter David was,” Galvin

The Bike-a-Thon ran 24 hours a day for three days.

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Annual housing corporation report 2010 DONATIONS: $1,000 OR MORE 1077 Steve Bohner $500 TO 280 722 448 464 1031

$999 LTC William Mundhenk Jack Berlien Kelley Carr Robert A . Rust Mark Higgins

$250 TO 436 956 1034 1054 1180 1197 1457 1666

$499 R i chard H. Lowe Larry Metzler Tom Miller D ave Mitzner Don Porth Pat Kuhnle Peter Todd Steve Holtscl aw

$100 TO 197 325 355 436 449 509 517 520 528 533 540 552 580 585 620 632 634 643 672 706 727 733 740 814 819 836 852 835 863 864 910 919 1010 1030 1054 1090 1191

$249 R.E. Thomson Grafton Houston Jr Donald C. Swager R i chard H. Lowe Jack Powers Duane M. D av i s Robert C. Wingard Al Kirch n e r Larry Hines Jack Silvius William Hounshell D avid N. Griffiths Larry Reed Robert E. Bartels John P. Pop James O'Reilly D avid F. D av i s Robert Griffiths Ronald Lema Gerard Buente D avid R. D av i s William Kanouse John E. McDonald Dennis M. Dayton Jim Berlien Ted Coyle Kim Tubergen D avid Lane Rikard E. Hill Greg Klein Randy Braun D i ck Price Steven Timmons G. Larsen Kneller D ave Mitzner Jeff Egilsrud Steve Noth

1221 1272 1312 1401 1461 1542 1592 1611 Psi

Chris Carrier Todd Spaulding Brent Peacock Porter Draper Kevin E. Johnson Matt Maczka Vyto Damasius Jason Cooper Bill Newell

$50 TO 89 263 360 385 429 506 511 584 596 604 629 632 636 724 738 857 858 863 970 1119 1251 1265 1277 1280 1423 1459 1498 1506 1623 1771 1776

$99 Herman G. Riggs Rolund DeHoog John F. Gumpper William Macbeth Ken Wark James D. Jackson Frank Martindale memorial Robert Roth Jerry Davee Anthony Terlep Edwin Gruwell James O'Reilly Fred Lyijynen Mike Ohaver E. Neil Jay Mark Wilson Bernart Platt Rikard E. Hill D avid Sterenfeld Rick Bonar Dan Coppersmith Brent Buroker Pa t r i ckLyons Brian Huseman John Reidelbach Nathan Damasius Tom Barcl ay Phillip Leslie Jon Dora Adam Corbin Eric Stroch a k e r

$25 TO 263 286 289 345 399 584 588 720 769 822 862 956 1056 1181 1374

$49 Rolund DeHoog Donald C. Adams Clark S. Armstrong Spencer Gullicksen Eldon Knuth Robert Roth Hilton B. Henry Warren Cline Jay Hackleman N i ck Anjanos R. M i chael Little Larry Metzler James M. Conti John J. Hess Lars McCain

PURDUE UNIVERSITY 1423 1469 1480 1517 Xi

John Reidelbach Rob Woods Brian Huseman Brad Eck e r l e D u r ward Owen

The Omega of Pi Kappa Phi, Inc., housing corporation received 127 regular gifts in 2010 (up 12.4 percent from 2009), for $13,935 (up 6.4 percent from 2009).

The breakdown of gifts included: • $5,195 toward mortgage reduction • $2,250 non designated • $3,097 for house improvement fund • $1,775 for Chapter Investement Fund • $1,408 to assisit with Omegalite costs • $210 toward chapter Push fund raising Mortgage reduction donations were applied to the principal. The mortgage balance as of $64,956.64 as of June 26, 2011. The mortage, w h i ch matures in 2016, is paid on a three-year adjustable note with the last rate adjustment on June 26, 2010. The current interest rate is 4.875 percent.

Additionally, the housing corporation recevied a major gift from the estate of Edwin Sherwood (Omega 130 who died on 9/8/10) for $20,000. The bequest was applied to the mortgage, per Sherwood’s estate instructions. For additional information about estate planning, contact housing corporation president Jay Seeger (his contact info is on Page 2 of this Omegalite).

Non-designated and house improvement funds are assigned at the housing corporation’s discretion to major improvement projects. In 2010, the housing corporation paid for $49,825 in improvements. The vast majority of those funds – $38,575 went toward a total renovation of the second floor bathroom. The second largest project was $5,125 to add an air conditioning unit to the first floor. Those two projects represent 87.7 percent of 2010 summer projects.

Undergraduate rent as well as alumni donations fund the corporation’s annual budget of $113,655, w h i ch includes summer improvements, m o r tgage P&I payments, homecoming, Omegalite publication, liability insurance and major repair & maintenance.

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Estate leaves $20,000 toward mortgage balance A late alumnus’ estate has made a sizable donation to help reduce the chapter’s mortgage.

Edwin Sherwood (Omega 130) died on Sept. 8, 2010. L awyers for his estate made contact with corporation president Jay Seeger, who worked out the details for a $20,000 donation. The bequest was applied to the mortgage principal in December 2010.

The mortgage balance after 2010 alumni donations and the bequest has reduced the balance due to less than $70,000 out of the original $460,000.

The chapter house was completely renovated following a June 11, 1987, fire.

The renovations cost $975,000 at the time. Alumni donations and insurance proceeds reduced the balance due to the mortgage amount.

Over the years, alumni have continued to donate money to reduce the principle. That money, alongside the normal principle and interest payments have brought the balance down to $64,957 as of June 26, 2011.

Car crash claims alumnus life

On Nov. 27, 2010, Pi Kappa Phi members joined family members in recalling the fun and joy that Omega alumnus Ryan McHie (Omega 1660) brought into their lives.

Of the 300 mourners gathered at a gravesite service more than 50 were fraternity members. They celebrated the life of McHie, 26, who died tragically on the morning of Nov. 21 in an auto accident. Two of those who eulogized McHie were his Purdue fraternity brothers – Matt Lange and Robbie Pels. The third to speak was a high school friend, Chris Strait, who was a Pi Kappa Phi member at IU. “I have spent much time this week alternating between tears and smiling and laughter reading the countless messages that you all have left for him and his family (on a funeral home condolence website),” Lange said.

Pels told those gathered that crying was not an option, but laughing was.

JULY 2012 Lange, who had met McHie in elementary school, didn’t cross paths again until high school.

“It was at Purdue where Ryan and I had become inseparable,” Lange said.

“Ryan and I did virtually everything together. We pledged the same fraternity, went to the same parties, ate dinner together, worked out together, went to concerts together, went on road trips to IU together and even played all the same silly intramural sports like racquetball, badminton, ping pong, darts and horseshoes.

“Well, Ryan, we are all grateful to have endured your company. I will carry in my heart our memories until we meet again in Chapter Eternal.”

The McHie family made the Omega chapter’s annual Push America fund raising its preferred memorial. A total of 29 gifts were made to Push in McHie’s memory for $1,890.

Tickets available for homecoming

Alumni may order tickets through the housing corporation to the Oct. 22 homecoming football game.

The Boilermakers host Illinois at noon, Saturday, Oct. 22, in Ross-Ade Stadium. Tickets are $46 each and may be purchased by Sept. 1 through the housing corporation. You can fill out the slip enclosed in this mailing or send your checks ($46 per ticket) to: Omega of Pi Kappa Phi, Inc.; PO Box 2700; West Lafayette, IN 47996.

A traditional pre-game meal will be provided by the chapter to alumni and their guests. Given that we know the start time of the Oct. 22 homecoming game, the following schedule will be followed: • 9:30 a.m. to noon, Open House at 330 N. Grant St. • 10:30 to 11:15 a.m., pregame luncheon in the basement dining room for alumni and their guests.

• 11:30 a.m., l e ave house for the game.

• Noon, Purdue vs. Illinois, Ross-Ade Stadium.

• Roughly 4:30 p.m. (or an hour after the game ends, whichever comes first), 90th anniversary planning meeting, chapter house library.

Bring your ideas on how you want to celebrate the historic event in 2012.

PURDUE UNIVERSITY

Almanac

DEATH:

521 Leo C. Powers Feb. 27, 2011 MARRIAGES: Tony Lenhart (Omega 1468) and Lindsay Reed, June 24, 2011.

Tom Kodiak (Omega 1511) and Stephanie Hsien-I Chang, Nov. 13, 2010. Altadena, CA Kevin Criner (Omega 1574) and Ashlee Blink, June 18, 2011.

Vyto Damasius (Omega 1592) and Morgan Biesecker, M ay 28, 2011 Michael Thompson (Omega 1664) and Sarah Newton, June 4, 2011, West Baden, IN BIRTHS: McKenna Majerski, daughter of Jon and Courtney Majerski (Omega 1594) 10/20/10 Alexander Lee Parker, son of Andy (Omega 1450) and Jessica Parker 3/13/11 Bennett Douglas Engler, son of Joe (Omega 1533) and Jen Engler 3/28/11

Mr. & Mrs. Kodiak

McKenna Majerski

Connor Ko d i a k , son of Tom (Omega 1511) and Stephanie Hsien-I Chang 1/25/11 Caleb Dav i d Weatherwax, son of Kent (Omega 1545) and Ke l l y Weatherwax 5/20/11

Mr. & Mrs. Lenhart

Mr. & Mrs. Criner

OMEGALITE

JULY 2012

Omega consultants

Omega alumni who have ended up in consulting are numerous. Their expertise ranges from designing bombs to helping CEOs. Here is a brief listing of some of our alumni who have been consultants over the years. The list is hardly exhaustive, but reflects information gathered from alumni records through the national organization and from the last alumni directory questionnaire.

The next Omega alumni directory will be published as part of the chapter’s 90th anniversary in 2012.

Omega 473 John “Budford” Blackford Contoocook, NH Retired CEO consultant for small manufacturing compa nies.

BACKGROUND: • Brother Blackford worked briefly for Reliance Electric in Cleveland, then joined the US Air Force. With his military commitment completed, he went to Harv a rd business school. He started a company to manufacture machinery for the lumber industry (with up to 120 employees). He was CEO and major stockholder for 28 years and sold the company in 1982. Since that time he has been a consultant.

CONSULTING CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: • “My clients were owner-managers of small manufacturing industries. While my backgro u n d was in the forest products industry, business problems are universal.”

• Less than 10 percent of his clients have been in the forest products industry. He continues to consult at the age of 81 for a single client, Centronics, which is in the electronics industry and has 200 employees.

• During his care e r, he would have as many as six or seven clients simultaneously and would build two-to-five year relationships with those clients.

• “Business is not a whole lot diff e rent than one another. I have served clients who are ownermanagers who might be a whiz-bang sales person, but is uneasy with finances. My job was shoring up the businesses in all are a s . ” • “I found consulting very rewarding. What I did was quite diff e rent than the sort of consultants you see today. They are not necessarily management consultants, but have a certain expertise, such as finance.”

HOW PI KAPPA PHI IMPACTED HIM • “I found Pi Kappa Phi useful to learning about human nature. Engineering is rationality, but org anizations are made up of humans. The subconscious if not always rational, so it’s helpful to l e a rn about human nature . ” Omega 509 Duane M. Davis Niceville, FL Weapons consultant, retired

BACKGROUND: • Brother Davis started his career with Westinghouse, Atomic Power Division. Then he flew B-47s in Vietnam and taught at the Air Force Academy.

• BS aeronautical engineering, Purdue, 1955.

MSME, Pittsburgh. PhD, Purdue, 1967.

CONSULTING CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: • “I re t i red from the Air Force because they wanted me to move to Wright Patterson AFB and my family did not want to move from Niceville, FL.” • “There weren’t any particularly good jobs when I re t i red, so I started consulting. It helped fill the gap, but I really enjoyed the engineering aspect.”

• He worked in missile engineering and with the Air Intercept Missile, AIM-9.

• During his military career, Davis had about 1,000 flying hours with aircraft carrying nuclear weapons. During his Air Force career, he worked mostly out of Whiteman, MO, but was also stationed in Spain and England during the Cold War era.

• He was in the Air Force during the 1961 failed Bay of Pigs, the US-led invasion of Cuba. The eff o rt was a failed eff o rt to train Cuban nationals to invade Cuba to overt h row Fidel Castro. The event left the US Military on high alert. He also s e rved during the 1962 Cuban missile crisis when the Soviet Union tried to place nuclear weapons in Cuba. The US employed an embargo pre v e n ting Soviet ships from bringing weapon parts to Cuba.

• The Bay of Pigs was the “same as any other a l e rt, but we knew it was more than just an average chance that we’d have to fly. The Cuban Missile Crisis was more tense.”

• Davis also worked with the Strategic Air Command that controlled land-based bombers that carried nuclear weaponry from 1946 to 1992.

• David worked in assisting in the design of selfguided bombs, including technology used in the 1990-92 Gulf War, also known as “Operation Desert Storm” and there a f t e r.

• “We worked with laser-guided bombs and bunker buster with some of that same technology used in both Iraqi conflicts.”

• He was the Sigma Gamma Tau pledgemaster for fellow Purdue alumnus Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon. Sigma Gamma Tau is a national aerospace honor society.

Omega 525 Jim McNeely Newark, DE Technical consultant, chemical industry BACKGROUND: • 1955, BS, Chemical Engineering, Purdue.

• Developed semiconductor materials (such as GAP) for applications such as LEDs, semiconductor lasers, gum (microwave oscillators, police radios); GA emittors (such as TV remotes); solid state lasers (CD and DVD players and writers); solar cells for power generation both in space and terrestrial. Consulting after re t i rement – have had a successful second career writing SBR proposals.

CONSULTING CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: • “As a re t i red chemical engineer, I enjoy working, especially technical writing, in areas that I’m familiar with – semiconductor materials, devices,

PURDUE UNIVERSITY and optoelectronic applications, such as, lightemitting diodes (LED’s),and high-efficiency solar cells. I also have consulted in the general area of chemical separation processes, particularly in the a rea on renewable energy sources (e.g., fuelgrade ethanol). I have been very successful at grant applications, and helping companies complete their interim and final reports for various federal and state research and development grants.”

• Companies Brother McNeely worked with include: Exxon Solar, Compact Membrane Systems (CMS), SP-One, Becht Engineering (This is after a career at Monsanto, Texas Instruments, L i t ronix, Allied Chemical, M/A-Com Laser Diode, and AstroPower.)

• Technology or Products: Compound Semiconductor Materials used in advanced solar cells, LEDs (for TV and PC backlighting), semiconductor lasers(such as used in CD & DVD players), hand-held remotes, high speed integrated c i rcuits (for cell phones); Separation Chemical Processes leading to high purity biofuels, carbon capture from flue gases and from other environmental objectionable exhaust streams, sustained d rying of lubricating oils to prevent corrosive damage to large, difficult-to-access drive trains used in wind turbines. Research Proposals and Funding: I have written a large number of Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) proposals in the area of advance solar energy for the D e p a rtment of Defense and the Department of Energy.

• I am most active now in chemical separation p rocesses, mostly renewable energ y. At CMS this last year, we received more than $6 million in SBIR grants from DOE, NIH, EPA, and USDA. Over my entire care e r, I have raised more than $40 million in re s e a rch and development grants.

IMPACT OF PI KAPPA PHI ON HIS CAREER: The social experience of being a member of Pi Kappa Phi at Purdue has continued to help me all my life. I learned to work with other people in all technical areas throughout my career. The team was what counted most, not the individual, in gaining real accomplishments, whether it was building a Homecoming Exhibit or finishing a technical project for a Purdue class. The brothers at Pi Kappa Phi supported, encouraged and critiqued my writing eff o rts at Purdue, leading me from a cub sports reporter, to junior sports editor, and to senior sports editor of the Exponent.

Omega 632 Mike “Smiley” O’Reilly Hudson, OH I n f o rmation technology consultant Background: • Brother O’Reilly worked at IBM in Dayton, OH through 1969, then moved to Chicago with M e m o rex Sales. Promoted to branch manager in 1972 and moved to Cleveland. In 1975, form e d MiniData Systems (president), which sold computer systems to small businesses. In 1981, joined Storage Technology as district manager. In 1998, jointed Plaut Consulting (German company) as Midwest consultant, sales manager. Retired in 2000.

CONSULTING CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: • Worked as a technical consultant in the IT i n d u s t ry to help implement SAP, a German-based s o f t w a recompany that provides enterprise softw a re applications for busineesses of all sizes.

• “While I was working for the corporation by re p-

OMEGALITE resenting them, I consulted with SAP as a technical consultant. It was like sales in that I was tyring to influence them to go with SAP as a software.

My industrial engineering background helped a lot along the way as I got involved in quality improvement ties to new software .

• My industrial engineering background helped a lot along the way as I got involved in quality improvement ties to new software . ” Curre n t : • For the last nine years, O’Reilly has tutore d middle school, high school and college students, “which provided a good use of my previous consuslting career.” He works with those students in science and math skill development to impro v e their standardized test score s .

• “I really hep give them a strategy for achieving on SAT and ACT tests, working with them how to study. I help them qualify for and stay in schools.”

• During his time as a tutor, he has worked with more than 150 students, “One in part i c u l a r, I remember, because I helped this kid from a bad area of Cleveland. I spent a summer after he scored an 11 or 12 on an ACT test and he improved to 24. He’s now in a private, churc h based school in sports management.”

Omega 749 Peter Gentry Jacksonville, FL Information systems consultant Omega 749 Peter Gentry Jacksonville, FL Information systems consultant BACKGROUND: BSIM, ’67. Started working for IBM as systems engineer upon graduation. “IBM trained me in small and large computers and operating and programming systems during the summer of 67.

It was an 11 week course that prepared me for the rest of my working career in IT.” Brother G e n t ry assisted in IBM sales and installation of small business computer systems in the east.

Then in 1973, he was hired as a controller for a lumber yard for two years. Then moved to Jacksonville where IBM re f e rred him to a local IT consulting company. Afterw a rds, “I went on my own as a consultant and contract software engineer for about 10 years working primarily for a steel foundry and a regional mechanical contractor designing and maintaining cost accounting programs and payroll processing programs for their mid-range IBM computers.”

For the next 10 years, Gentry did consulting and contract software engineering work for 10 years for a steel foundry and regional mechanical contractor with accounting programs. In 1986, he was hired by Tree of Life, Inc. as its inform a t i o n systems directors. During this time, the company grew from $35 to $400+ million in sales.

In 1993, he was re c ruited by the ATP (American Tennis Professionals) to work in Europe and Australia. After three years became consultant with the largest lender and servicer of student loans.

In 1998, he was re c ruited by Bombardier Capital Mortgage as IT director. From 2000-03, G e n t ry was a consultant for telecommunications industry. Now he works in commercial real estate, with Florida Commercial Real Estate Services in Jacksonville.

JULY 2012 “It seems that most of my working career was either consulting and working for myself or as an expert employed by a corporation. Either way the work was similar.”

857 Mark Wilson Centerville, OH A e rospace consultant BACKGROUND: • After retiring from the Air Force in 2006 with more than 38 years of expereince, Brother Wil s o n started consulting. He graduated from Purd u e with a BS in aeronautical engineering and worked up in the ranks from engineering positions into management and finally into Senior Executive S e rvice, the civilian equivalent of a General Officer. “I had enough of the 70-hour work weeks and decided that part-time, working for myself as an independent consultant was the right fit.”

SOME NOTABLE CONSULTING CLIENTS: • Nort h rop-Grumman Corp. – systems engineering advice on the Global Hawk Program.

• Lockheed-Martin Corp. – preparation and i n s t ruction to foreign clients on U.S. Air Forc e Airw o rthiness requirements.

• Air Force Research Lab, Materials Directorate – system engineering advice.

• Air Force Research Lab, Propulsion Directorate – systems engineering advice on alternate fuels program.

CONSULTING SPECIFICS • “My Air Force experience includes assignments as an aircraft stru c t u res engineer on the F-15 fighter program; leadership positions in structures and flight systems on the B-2 bomber pro g r a m ; Branch Chief for Stru c t u res in a Product Center engineering functional organization; Director of Engineering on the C-17 transport program; Technical Director at a Major Air Force Command Headquarters; Technical Advisor for Systems Engineering at a Product Center engineering functional organization; and finally, the founding D i rector of the Air Force Center for Systems Engineering.”

Omega 1185 Jeff Benesh Westfield, IN I n f o rmation Systems Consultant CONSULTING CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: “At a high level, a business/IT consultant helps organizations implement new IT solutions to solve a business problem. This could be the implementation of a new computer system or a change in the process of how tasks are completed.

“Typically, the consultant brings specific knowledge to the business that was not currently available in-house. The best consultants have many years of experience and often were form e r employees of the technology that they now re p resent. When I started working in IT in 1990, there were also companies that provided consultants that were recent college graduates and provided training on current technologies.

“Today, most of that work has been outsourc e d to India and most of the entry level consultant jobs are gone in the U.S. “During my career I've held two consultant positions. The first was at a large public account f i rmfrom 1992-94. My previous employer closed the division I was working in and I wanted to re l o-

PURDUE UNIVERSITY cate back to Indianapolis from Dallas.

“During that time, I primarily worked on a single account. While my title was IT consultant, my ro l e was more of a contract re p o rt developer.

“I was able to obtain the position due, in part , to having a Pi Kapp brother on staff. My second consulting roles was at a small firm from 199799.

“My motivation for taking this role was primarily money as this was Y2K work and salaries during this time were inflated. I was again at the same client, auditing IT applications to verify that they would continue to function on January 1, 2000.

“A career IT consulting re q u i res strong technical skills, salesmanship, and the flexibility for travel. In practice, many use consulting to learn new technologies and/or fill employment gaps prior to taking another position within the business.”

Omega 1316 Sean Horansky Burke Tampa, FL Management consultant, CEO Wi s e BACKGROUND: • Brother Burke is the president of CEO Wise. He is also president of Six Disciplines Tampa, a strategic planning consultant. Prior to that, he founded CentraComm Communications, a managed services company in the information technology industry. He was also a co-founder of Chicago’s ISP EnterAct and two other start - u p companies, Centerpost and DigiShip.

• His client list includes colleges, information technology firms, telecommunication companies, financial services firms and top 500 high growth companies.

CONSULTING CAREER HIGHLIGHTS: “My company helps businesses clearly define who they are (their culture) and where they want to go (their strategy). Then through our software and coaching assistance, we help them execute on their plans ... every person, every day.

Defining their culture and their goals is relatively easy as the management team usually has a good feel for this – but helping them get that critical work done each and every day is very diff icult. It takes discipline, consistency, strong leadership and a committed team. On the top perf o rming companies are strong enough to stay on course so that is what we look for before we engage with any new client.”

“First and foremost is that I genuinely love to help people reach and exceed their goals. When our clients have a great quarter or year – it is a fantastic re w a rd for all of us (both my team and the clients team). Secondly, I am naturally curious about all types of businesses. From a fledgling s t a rt up to a well established large organization – how they operate and what makes them tick is i n t e resting to me. I think it is important for all consultants or coaches to have an interest in learning first - then provide options/suggestions based off of what you learn about the leadership, strategy, culture, etc.”

“My focus is on coaching not consulting. we a re there to help elevate our clients to new heights - not come in and tell them how to run their business. Even though some of our work is difficult, at the end of every day, I know that we a re making a diff e rence and that is what is important!”