2025 SICKLE & SHEAF ➻ Fall

THE MAGAZINE OF ALPHA GAMMA RHO AGRICULTURAL FRATERNITY ➻ FALL 2025

Are

Fraternities Still

Relevant?

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In Earnest

Why I Give:

“We’re brothers by choice and accident of birth.”

FOUNDATION DONORS:

Mike & Jim Borel

CHAPTER AND SCHOOL:

Eta (Iowa State)

LIFETIME GIVING LEVEL:

Order of the Harvest

Brotherhood comes in all shapes and sizes. Brothers Mike and Jim Borel of Eta Chapter (Iowa State) are not just brothers through Alpha Gamma Rho, but are brothers by birth. Brother Mike, the older of the two, and Brother Jim were born four years apart, just missing the chance to attend Iowa State together, but Jim followed his brother Mike in joining Alpha Gamma Rho. After graduating from Iowa State, both brothers held positions with the National Fraternity as Regional Vice Presidents. Brother Jim Borel went on to serve on the National Fraternity Board. When asked to help with the Fraternity at a national level, he saw it as a great way to reconnect with brothers and the Fraternity as a whole, while giving back.

Brother Mike said he and Jim had

both lived away from Iowa and even internationally after graduation and he was drawn to work for Alpha Gamma Rho at the national level because he became interested in connecting with brothers throughout the nation.

“I wear an AGR lapel pin,” Brother Mike said. “I’ve done that forever and it just amazes me how many AGRs I’ve met that I probably wouldn’t have realized had they not seen that pin.”

He said the more brothers he met from different places, the more value he found in the Fraternity. It just made sense to spend his time working at the national level, while still retaining a strong interest in Eta Chapter.

Brother Jim reflected on his own experience with meeting brothers

outside of his chapter.

“After I graduated and began a career in the agriculture industry, I started to run into AGRs — it really started to sink in how much impact AGR makes across the country in the ag industry.”

After seeing all the brothers who were making impacts in the agriculture industry, both brothers began investing their time and resources into Alpha Gamma Rho. Brother Mike is excited to see how educational and leadership programming develops through the Top Leaders Institute and Brother Jim looks forward to seeing how AGR helps prepare future generations to lead the way and Make Better Men, and through them a better and broader agriculture.

YOUR PURPOSEFUL MISSION

The mission of The Educational Foundation of Alpha Gamma Rho is to drive Alpha Gamma Rho’s Purpose of Making Better Men. YOUR contributions support scholarships, leadership development training and experiences, opportunities to make life-long connections and more. Every gift to the Foundation, YOUR Foundation, is an investment in the future and makes an impact in the lives of worthy brothers. We thank you for entrusting YOUR Foundation with YOUR gift.

Make a gift today at alphagammarho.org/donate.

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FALL

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4 Sickle & Sheaf FALL 2025 | VOLUME 113 | ISSUE 2

Published continuously since 1910 EDITOR

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Madeline Gilbert ASSISTANT EDITOR

Matt Olson

Departments

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS

AG R E LE VAN CE

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News from the Home Office and the world of Greek-letter organizations

Grant Bargfrede, Carol Johnson Ed.D, Becky Haley, Amanda Horvat Ph.D, Rex Martin BUSINESS MANAGER

Rex Martin DESIGN & LAYOUT

TH E PI LL ARS

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TR AN SITIO N S

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2024-2025 Accomplishments of individuals and chapters

Honoring those brothers who have departed

Features Are Fraternities Still Relevant? 8 Research and the Fraternal Experience

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Q & AG R

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TH E L A ST PA SS

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Brother David Beck (Alpha Omega), Murray State

Sickle & Sheaf (ISSN 8750-6866) is published two times a year by Publications Office, 1333 NW Vivion Rd, Suite 110, Kansas City, MO. Members receive life subscriptions with payment of initiation fee.

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Alpha Gamma Rho is more Relevant than ever!

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AGRelevance While on the road, Brother Kielak met with a variety of people including other AGR brothers. Pictured is Brother Kielak with Brother Kyle Parker, Phi Chapter (California-Davis).

Walking With Purpose BROTHER RANGER KIELAK SUPPORTS CHARITIES IN HIS WALK ACROSS THE U.S.

“MAYBE ONE DAY I COULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THAT

when I’m rich and famous...” How many times have we told ourselves that? I will do it when I am older. I will do it when I have more money. I will do it when...

What we should really be telling ourselves is “why wait?”

Brother Ranger Kielak of Phi Chapter (UC-Davis) thought the same thing when he saw in 2019, singer Mike Posner, share a social media post about walking across the United States. Brother Kielak found the act inspiring, but didn’t think it was something he could do at the time.

He was about to graduate from the University of California-Davis. He had switched his major from animal 2

sciences to economics, and had struggled with some of the pressures of classes. So, he put the idea of a walk across the nation on the back burner and focused on finishing out his time at college.

A couple of years later, more social media posts of people walking across the United States crept into Brother Kielak’s feed. He noted that one was from Kansas and the another from Ohio — seemingly pretty regular people, or as he put it, “There’s nothing inherently special about them.” He realized these people didn’t have amazing accolades and neither were they multimillionaires.

“They’re just normal dudes, and I’m a normal dude, so, what is my excuse for not doing it?”

Brother Kielak asked himself.

In July of 2022, Brother Kielak messaged his girlfriend, now fiancé, and decided he was going to walk from the Atlantic coast to the Pacific.

After some planning and making sure he had his affairs in order with his job and family, Brother Kielak

“They’re just normal dudes, and I’m a normal dude, so, what really is my excuse for not doing it?”

Left: Brother Kielak was interviewed by several local television and radio stations in several states while on his walk across the nation.

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AGRelevance

“Build a life worth remembering.”

Corporate Partners AGR is committed to offering opportunities to connect for members and corporations in the dynamic global agriculture and food industries. Thank you to our Corporate Partners for your support of our Purpose!

ELITE

flew to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, at the end of February 2024 and took his first steps March 10.

Brother Kielak walked through 10 different states, staying with friends and meeting new people while he was on his walk. He would interview interesting people that he met along the way for his podcast, “The Never Peak Project.” He even wound up with a pet cat that he dubbed Walker, which he found on the side of the road in Oklahoma.

Beyond the material parts of the walk, Brother Kielak said he was reminded of various things, such as the importance of a clear mission and setting smaller, attainable goals to help accomplish the mission.

For the walk, he had set a clear mission, which was not only to walk across the entire country, but to help support organizations that he holds dear. Through his walk, Brother Kielak raised approximately $8,500 for three organizations: FFA, Bigger Than The Trail and the Hospice Promise Foundation.

Through the funds he raised, Brother Kielak supported FFA’s Supervised Agricultural Experience Grants, mental health educational support, and treatment options and assistance for families with essential, non-medical related expenses, such as rent and utilities, who had loved ones in hospice care.

Brother Kielak used social media to share donation links, encouraging those who were following his trip to donate in

support of his walk. He was also on other people’s podcasts while on the trip, and local news stations.

He said he picked these three organizations because of the different impacts they had on his life. Brother Kielak still wears his FFA ring and believes developing skills at a young age was very important to him. While he was in college, he struggled with his mental health and found that running and losing weight was a great boost. Then, when his grandfather was in hospice, the Hospice Promise Foundation supported his family by taking care of the bills and allowing them to focus on their loved one.

“It was just like that — beginning, middle and end,” Brother Kielak said. “Start you off strong, help you out in the middle and make sure that you can focus on your family.”

Since his trip, Brother Kielak has started his own consulting business, Within Range Coaching, where he offers coaching to entrepreneurs to help them grow their businesses. He also helps people with Pesticide Training for the state of California. Through his work and his walk across the United States, Brother Kielak has accomplished and helped others, “Build a life worth remembering.”

Above left: Brother Kielak met up with Sigma Alpha Sorority sister Hannah Lewis (California-Davis) on his walk. Above: Stopping for a cup of coffee, Brother Kielak was joined by Brother Trevor Clark, Phi Chapter (California-Davis).

SILVER Bader Rutter

BRONZE PIC

Want to see your company added to our list? Visit alphagammarho.org/ corporate-partners for information on how to become a Corporate Partner.

FIND US. FRIEND US. FOLLOW US. @alphagammarhohq @alphagammarho @alphagammarhohq @alphagammarho

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2025 OUTSTANDING VOLUNTEER

Glenn A. Stith

WITH EXTRAORDINARY LEADERSHIP on the Educational and enduring commitment to the EducaFoundation Board, tional Foundation of Alpha Gamma Rho, including eight years Glenn A. Stith of Omicron Chapter, Kenas its Chairman. He has tucky, has dedicated decades of his life served on the finance to ensuring their mission and impact is and audit committee, realized. He leads by example and conthe investment comsistently demonstrates a commitment mittee, the ambassador to nurturing future leaders. committee, the develIt is for his vision and mentorship that opment committee and Glenn has been recognized as the Founthe National Convendation for Fraternal Excellence 2025 tion planning committee, Outstanding Volunteer. His award was and takes part in other compresented on Tuesday, Aug. 26, during mittees as needed. the Foundation for Fraternal Excellence His volunteer tenure has been marked Awards of Distinction Program. by significant achievements including “We deeply appreciate the countless the expansion of AGR’s ambassador hours Glenn devotes to our cause,” said program, substantial increases in Alpha Gamma Rho CEO annual fundraising, Rex Martin. “Whether the completion of a “His service has been it’s locating contact capital campaign information for brothfeasibility study characterized by ers, soliciting donaand leadership vision, perseverance tions, planning events of Alpha Gamma and a deep personal or ensuring that the Rho’s most ambicommitment to impact of our efforts is tious fundraising empowering the clearly communicated, campaign to date, Glenn’s dedication is aimed at Local next generation unwavering. His efforts Chapter Excelof leaders.” have been instrumental lence. This historic —C AROL JOHNSON, ED.D, in proving that investcampaign, currentCFRE., ALPHA GAMMA RHO ments in the Educational ly surpassing $21 EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION CHIEF DEVELOPMENT OFFICER Foundation of Alpha million, promises Gamma Rho are secure to positively imand impactful, instilling pact thousands of confidence in our donors young brothers for and supporters.” generations. In support of the campaign, Initiated at the University of KenGlenn personally solicited gifts from tucky in 1973, Glenn has volunteered almost 100 donors, totaling nearly $1.7 both locally and nationally with AGR million. He also served as the co-chair since 1977. He has served for 18 years of the Omicron Chapter housing cam4

paign which resulted in a new $5 million house at the University of Kentucky.

In support of his nomination, Pennington & Co. Vice President Aaron Parker wrote, “Glenn is the epitome of what we, as fundraising consultants, desire in a volunteer. He personally takes time to understand current challenges, provides others with knowledge and experience, offers creative ideas and feedback to move toward a resolution and acts quickly on requests and tasks aligned with the agreed upon solutions.”

“His service has been characterized by vision, perseverance and a deep personal commitment to empowering the next generation of leaders,” shared Alpha Gamma Rho Educational Foundation Chief Development Officer Carol Johnson, Ed.D. The Foundation for Fraternal Excellence presented Glenn with the 2025 Outstanding Volunteer Award this past summer. His servant leadership and lifelong commitment to Alpha Gamma Rho continue to shine through his various national leadership roles.

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AGRelevance

Alpha Tau, Western Illinois

Define Your Future WHAT’S EXCITING ABOUT

being a part of an organization like Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity, is the freedom of choice.

Collegiate brothers have the opportunity to choose what they do within a chapter so long as they follow the rules and meet minimum standards. Although the minimum might be what’s required, it’s the chapters that go above and beyond that Make Better Men, impact their communities and go on to become industry leaders.

Alpha Tau Chapter at Western Illinois University took great steps to turn a chapter with low engagement into a thriving group of young men making differences in not only their lives but the people around them.

When Brother Monte Lowderman, Alpha Tau, Western Illinois, and his wife, Carrie, first arrived at the chapter, the brothers

didn’t think of them as their Advisers, more like people trying to change things in ways they didn’t want. It wasn’t until the Lowdermans attended AGR's Leadership Seminars with the newest chapter executive board did the brothers realize that they were there to help.

“There was low engagement on all levels,” Brother Lowderman said.

He noted how the COVID-19 pandemic had impacted the chapter, influencing the engagement levels in a negative way. In an attempt to help revive the chapter, Brother Lowderman and Carrie began setting certain expectations and goals for the brothers to work towards.

“We might have opened the doors … but they went through the doors,” Brother Lowderman said. He and Carrie emphasized that the collegiate brothers at Alpha Tau Chapter began to realize

that the only way to improve was to step up and take the initiative themselves.

Brother Cody Cornell, who recently graduated and is now the Chief of Staff for State Operations at the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, was the Noble Ruler during the first few years of the Loudermans’ time as Advisers. He said when he first became Noble Ruler, he discovered the chapter needed to take a good look at their finances.

“Having a chapter that really cared about the house that we’re living in … We really cared about each other in a lot more of a personal way.”

— CODY CORNELL, FORMER NOBLE RULER

The chapter had come close to not being able to uphold certain financial responsibilities, but with the help of the VNR-Finance at the time, Brother Tyler Barrington, they were able

to put together a plan to get their finances back on track.

Brother Cornell reflected on how when he came around to what Brother Lowderman and his wife were trying to do for the chapter, he began working closely with the couple to take steps to improve the Alpha Tau Chapter.

“Having a chapter that really cared about the house that we were living in, and the brothers that are in that house who make it so special … we would host more events at our house rather than going out,” Brother Cornell said. “We really cared about each other in a lot more of a personal way.”

Brother Jace Green, the current Noble Ruler of the chapter had the opportunity to watch Brother Cornell and Brother Barrington, who was Noble Ruler after Cody. He described Brother Cornell as a man of action and Brother Barrington as one to sit back and think through a situation before making a move. Brother Green does his best to balance the two.

Because of the hard work of these brothers, Alpha Tau Chapter has boosted it’s engagement, creating a successful chapter and more. Brother Green described the changes to the chapter in one word: precedence.

“We set a strong precedence — this right here, here’s a line. This is where we need to be. We need to be at this line or above it. And whenever that line is set, you know that the bar just continues to raise,” Brother Green said.

The chapter is gearing up for another impactful Smoking Hog event and beyond that, they hope to improve alumni engagement and continue their campus leadership positions at Western Illinois University.

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AGRelevance

Looking Back To Look Forward BETA ETA CELEBRATES 50 YEARS BETA ETA CHAPTER AT Virgina Tech celebrated their 50th Founders Day May 30 and 31, 2025, with more than 450 attendees.

Brother Jay Poole, a member of the Beta Eta Chapter and an Educational Foundation Board Director, who was initiated during the chapter’s founding in 1975, helped put the two-day event together with their steering committee run by Brother Ralph Short. Brother Poole was tasked with preparing the luncheon agenda, held on the first day, and then he helped brainstorm ways to get as many people as possible to attend the celebration. The luncheon ended up attracting approximately 300 people.

“We made a special emphasis to try to make the very first event a lot of fun,” Brother Poole said. “The most accurate description is that we wanted to make it like a tailgate party, which means it’s a lot of fun, and we’re all getting in the right frame of mind for the weekend. We had a fabulous opening event. There were no speeches, there was nothing but saying hello to old friends.”

Brother Poole said the tailgate-style event was 6

inspired by Virginia Tech’s football team. He said he has always been a big supporter of the Virginia Tech athletics department, and football in particular.

He has a frequently visited parking spot at the football field, where he and brothers would enjoy each other’s company before a game.

Monies collected from the event’s registration fees went towards a funding goal of $100,000 that will be used for a scholarship for a student in the College of Agriculture and Life sciences to help create visibility for the chapter.

When word spread that Beta Eta Chapter was having a tailgate to kick off their 50th Founders Day, people knew it was going to be a good time.

Monies collected from the event’s registration

fees went towards a funding goal of $100,000 that will be used for a scholarship for a student in the College of Agriculture and Life sciences to help create visibility for the chapter among young college men pursuing agricultural degrees. Brother Poole said they were just shy of $100,000, but the chapter expects to fulfill the goal with a few other lingering donations.

The chapter also held an auction during the event to raise money to counter the cost of the event as well as create a nest egg for house repairs. The Beta Eta Chapter house was built in 1843 and has been cared for by the chapter since its founding, which consists of nearly 800 brothers who have passed through its halls.

Several items were for sale including beach trips, fishing trips and a bottle of whiskey with a painting of the Beta Eta Chapter house on the bottle.

During the event, two of seven uninitiated Beta Eta Colony members were initiated after Brother Mike Carpenter identified and located them. Five of those new members were initi-

ated January 25, 2025, and the other two the morning of the celebration luncheon.

The Beta Eta Chapter’s 50th Founders Day celebration reached well beyond those who attended the event, including the Virginia House of Delegates member, Chris Obenshain, who delivered a proclamation from the Virginia House of Delegates commending Virginia Tech’s AGR Chapter, on the 50th anniversary of its founding. A U.S. flag was flown over the United States Capital the day of the founding, courtesy of Congressman Morgan Griffith (R-VA), to honor the exact day of Beta Eta’s 50th anniversary. Congressman Griffith’s district includes the Beta Eta Chapter house.

“I think the overwhelming reaction from all of us is it was an extraordinary success,” Brother Poole said.

“It highlighted the strength of our brotherhood going all the way back to the beginning, and finally, it showed that while looking backward, we’re also looking forward.”

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The Pillars

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These training modules cover a variety of topics for the Chapter Adviser role, expectations, resources and more!

AGR has not seen these numbers this high since the 2018 – 2019 school year, when 1,250 new members were initiated.

Standards of Chapter Excellence can be found on AGRconnect

Designed to help provide a modern living-learning environment for collegiate members, the Chapter House Improvement Grant program awards grants to alumni groups planning to perform chapter facility improvement projects.

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Are

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By Brother Matt Olson, Wisconsin-Madison Across campuses and communities, the conversation around fraternity/sorority life is shifting. Critics question its place in modern higher education, citing stereotypes, outdated perceptions and the challenges of maintaining traditions in a rapidly changing culture.

Yet Alpha Gamma Rho continues to stand apart.

AGR is — and always has been — different. AGR is rooted in values, tied to a shared profession, united by service and committed to lifelong brotherhood.

AGR provides a network that isn’t just social; it is professional, personal and purpose-driven.

To explore what makes AGR relevant today and in the years ahead, three brothers representing decades of experience have provided some of their insight.

Relevant?

In this roundtable, we posed the same set of questions to each brother, allowing their distinct voices, personal stories and lived experiences to answer for themselves: Yes, fraternities and sororities remain relevant — and here’s why AGR stands out.

 Bill Boehm Alpha Psi (Wisconsin-River Falls) Educational Foundation Board of Directors

 Todd Johnson Alpha Zeta (Kansas State) Regional Vice President

 Jay Poole Beta Eta (Virginia Tech) Educational Foundation Board of Directors

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Why did you join Alpha Gamma Rho? Why have you stayed connected?

BOEHM  I was attracted by the men already in the colony [at the University of Wisonsin-River Falls] — we weren’t yet a chapter. The men who recruited me were serious about life success.

I was inspired by the AGR Purpose and Mission. When our colony was installed, and I was initiated, I was “hooked.”

JOHNSON  My AGR

“This common bond in agriculture sets us apart from other Greek organizations and uniquely equips us to support each other, and our industry, for a lifetime.”  TODD JOHNSON, ALPHA ZETA (KANSAS STATE) REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENT

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introduction came from a high school friend who is a few years older than me, and an AGR brother.

The strong connection to agriculture made it an easy decision to join. It wasn’t until after becoming a member and having my name appear in our Chapter Crescent that I received notes of congratulations from brothers in my home farming community. The AGR world became very small at this moment.

However, none of these brothers recruited me or talked about AGR during my high school days. This is a good reminder to all of us that recruitment is an ongoing process.

We should keep the Fraternity top of mind in our conversations with high school students.

POOLE  When I was invited

to join the AGR chapter at Virginia Tech in 1975, I had no idea what a fraternity was or did, but I liked the idea of being with fellow agriculture majors — most of whom were farm kids like me. Even then, the list of accomplished and prominent AGRs provided me with a glimpse of what was possible if I became an AGR brother. I’ve been privileged to meet AGRs from many chapters

throughout my professional career, and phrases like “the bond of brotherhood” take on real meaning when a professional acquaintance instantly becomes a genuine connection the moment you discover they are also an AGR. In addition, at a very difficult time in my life, undergraduate brothers at Beta Eta made a point of checking on us to see how we were doing and if there was anything they could do to help. Those guys didn’t know me — they just knew we were in a bit of a tough place and wanted me to know and feel that they were there for me.

What does AGR mean to you personally today?

POOLE  Rinse and repeat.

I have the same answer as the above question. Shared experiences. Friendships.

Meeting brothers from other chapters. A continually enriching experience. Beta Eta recently celebrated its 50th anniversary … to see so many brothers from over the years, some of whom hadn’t been back to Virgina Tech or the AGR chapter in decades highlighted the great value that membership in our great Fraternity provides. True friends and brothers for life.

BOEHM  AGR is an important organization in my daily life. It’s part of who I am. Many of my best friends are, or have been, involved in National AGR leadership roles. I’m also engaged with my chapter as an alumnus. I’m encouraged to see other AGRs, young and older, and to live the Purpose. The link to food and agriculture has been the cornerstone of my involvement for the past 60 years. I believe in both the

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AGR Purpose and Mission, and that I have a responsibility to advance them both.

JOHNSON  As a new

member, we talked about AGR being, “four years and a lifetime,” referring to our undergraduate and alumni experiences. The “lifetime” commitment holds true today as AGR means more to me now than what I envisioned as an 18-year-old. My personal and professional life have been enriched by my AGR affiliation. The skills I learned through my undergraduate experiences translate into business decision-making skills. The brothers who stood beside me during life’s celebrations are the same brothers standing beside me during career changes and family losses.

They are the same people, supporting me in different ways that only a lifetime can define.

How would you respond to people who say fraternity/sorority life is no longer relevant?

JOHNSON  I would ask

them, “What aspects of self-definition, teamwork, fiscal management, accountability, respect, meaningful friendships and expectations for giving back to our community are not important today?” In my opinion, these attributes are more critical today than ever before, and universities nationwide are focused on providing students with an environment that fosters meaningful friendships and positive social networks. These attributes are inherent in fraternity life and grow in relevance as societal pressures on

young people increase.

We all have a critical role to play in helping each other be successful in life and business. Fraternity life, and specifically AGR, are equipped to provide this network.

POOLE  If someone wants a “leg up” professionally, join a fraternity or sorority.

When I was hiring people during my career, if all other things were equal, I would always choose the person who experienced fraternity/sorority life. In college, you learn to get along with others, run a small business, learn time management and, more simply, by being an engaged brother or sister. AGR’s Top Leaders Institute is a tangible example of leadership and management training that is directly transferrable post-graduation, and it is only available to AGR brothers. I believe the training is more than good enough to be highlighted on an undergraduate’s resume as they identify skills for that first job out of college or that first internship.

BOEHM  I would say they are mistaken. Indeed, I would argue that the opposite is true. Young men are being “left behind” and the data supports this. Men don’t tend to “make friends” as easily as women. Too many struggle with insecurities and feelings of being alone. Being a member of a fraternity can and does make the difficult transition to adulthood easier for men, and it enhances their opportunity to succeed personally. I think that’s the case more for young men than it is for women, especially today.

“Young men are being ‘left behind.’ Too many struggle with insecurities and feelings of being alone.

Being a member of a fraternity can and does make the difficult transition to adulthood easier for men, and it enhances their opportunity to succeed personally. I think that’s the case more for young men than it is for women, especially today.” B ILL BOEHM, ALPHA PSI

(WISCONSIN-RIVER FALLS) EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS

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In your opinion, what makes AGR different from other fraternities or student organizations?

BOEHM  Easy question to answer. It’s our link to a professional career and commitment to an industry.

With a little personal effort, AGR does “last a lifetime.”

For me, personally, only the FFA organization comes close. Even there, the friendships and professional links are much less despite the fact that I was a chapter, state and national FFA student leader.

JOHNSON  I am a strong

advocate for the larger Greek Community and encourage students to find the Greek organization best for them. Practically, AGR’s structure as a social and professional fraternity equips us for lifelong engagement. An alumnus of 10, 20 or 50 years will quickly find common business interests among undergraduate AGR members. This common bond in agriculture sets us apart from other Greek organizations and uniquely equips us to support each other, and our industry, for a lifetime.

POOLE  All of us either studied agriculture, have ag backgrounds, or come from farms or small towns — but even if we don’t, we all identify with agriculture, and that matters. At Virginia Tech, living in the AGR house was required when I was in school in the 70s, and it still is today. The leadership, management and conflict resolution skills you gain — along with learning to work well with others — are life skills you won’t find anywhere else, especially for those pursuing careers in agriculture and life sciences.

AGR also teaches you to be 12

part of something bigger than yourself: serving the common good while improving your own life.

We do this better than any other organization because we live it long after college.

Can you share a specific story when AGR’s values — like service, leadership or brotherhood — made a real impact in your life or someone else’s?

POOLE  I heard this story from the mother of a Beta Eta Brother who joined AGR 20 to 25 years after me. At first, she wasn’t thrilled about him joining a fraternity. By chance, we met at a professional event, and when she learned I was an AGR, I shared the many benefits of membership, which helped change her mind. A couple of years later, her son was in a serious accident and hospitalized. She stayed by his side all night, then went home briefly to tend to the farm. To her surprise, several AGR brothers from Blacksburg — three hours away — were already there feeding the chickens and caring for the animals.

They told her, “We’ll handle this. You get back to the hospital.” That selfless act of brotherhood showed her exactly what it means to be an AGR. BOEHM  I don’t really have a “specific story” to share.

My involvement with AGR has been a “flow” rather than a fragmented set of individual stories. I thrive on the passion I see from AGRs for life, their work and the organization. I’m always amazed at the stories others tell about how AGR changed their lives.

“Business leaders will tell you that the one thing often missing from the skill set of new college graduates are those “soft skills” that enable teamwork, conflict resolution and common-sense decision-making.”  J AY POOLE, BETA ETA

(VIRGINIA TECH) EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION

JOHNSON  Starting

college with a group of new friends was an amazing

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experience. That experience became fraternal when we discovered one of our classmates was dealing with a challenging health issue. It then became our collective responsibility to watch out for him and provide support where needed. Life gets very personal when you’re helping a brother through life and death situations.

What does lifelong brotherhood look like to you? Have you experienced it?

JOHNSON  Four years and a

lifetime is a big commitment.

This commitment means accepting the invitation to stand up for brothers at their wedding — sometimes more than once — and it obligates you to show up for them during their losses. We do this without hesitation.

POOLE  Beta Eta Chapter celebrated its 50th anniversary in May, bringing together brothers from every era — including some of the very first members initiated in 1975. There’s an iconic photo of those young men, myself included, standing on the AGR house steps — unaware we represented the future of agriculture in Virginia.

Many of us hadn’t seen each other in years, but countless connections had been maintained through agriculture and professional associations. The weekend was a powerful reminder of “lifelong brotherhood,” — something I also experience through my service on the National AGR Educational Foundation Board. It’s been a great way to re-engage and contribute to all that’s right about AGR and our future.

BOEHM  When I was initiated, I took an oath as we all did. When I did,

I knew this was about making a life commitment and was determined to fulfill that promise. As I mentioned above, I have been personally involved in AGR for my entire adult life.

I’ve been fortunate to have the support of my family, especially my wife of 50+ years, along the way, giving me the freedom to follow my self-imposed sense of responsibility to help the organization achieve AGR’s Purpose and Mission.

How do you see AGR preparing men for leadership in agriculture, business and life?

BOEHM  In many ways, if an undergraduate simply “pays attention,” the things that happen in the college fraternity experience are “try-outs” for life. Start with the recruitment process. If you succeed, you get an invitation to join. If you accept, you then must learn how to live and grow with a group of others — some who are like you and others not so much. That’s exactly what happens in the job market!

Gaining a leadership role in the chapter is a personal success, but it’s also an awesome responsibility, just like advancement in a company. “Selling an idea” in the chapter is a skill that is required in most life assignments. Joining with friends to help those less fortunate or even to advance a shared cause happens throughout life.

Making tough decisions when chapter expenses exceed revenue. Collecting past due bills and issuing fines. Voting to expel a member who consistently disappoints. All and more are rehearsals for life after graduation.

“To stay relevant as a social and professional fraternity, we must continue to connect our membership with the challenges and opportunities facing society and help them understand how agriculture can address these challenges while capitalizing on the opportunities.”  TODD JOHNSON, ALPHA ZETA (KANSAS STATE) REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENT

JOHNSON  I often consider

college a grand social

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experiment, allowing us to see who will prosper and who will struggle within the guardrails of college. AGR accentuates that social experiment by assigning self-governance to the equation. Who can manage themselves, their peers, a budget and eventually, employees? If you can navigate these challenges, you are well equipped for what the next stage of life will put before you.

POOLE  The early success

“AGR accentuates that social experiment by assigning selfgovernance to the equation.

Who can manage themselves, their peers, a budget and eventually, employees? If you can navigate these challenges, you are well equipped for what the next stage of life will put before you.”  TODD JOHNSON, ALPHA ZETA (KANSAS STATE) REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENT

of Top Leaders Institute (TLI) and Local Chapter Excellence national initiatives demonstrates the great value this type of training can provide to individual chapter members.

The fact that TLI is largely funded by generous alumni shows how strongly AGR men believe in the Fraternity’s bright future and are willing to invest in it. Nobody else, and certainly nobody else within the agriculture community, can provide this kind of leadership.

What would you say to a young man considering joining AGR? POOLE  Say, “Yes!” before they change their mind and rescind the invitation to join.

BOEHM  Do it! But make the commitment to help the organization fulfill its Purpose. Don’t just “join.”

Understand on day one that this is a life decision, not just a “college home” or a social club. AGR isn’t a pasttense experience.

JOHNSON  I would first

ask what he is looking for in a college experience. I hope he is looking for a quality education that will position him for a successful career. I would

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then ask if he has thought about ways to enhance that experience such as joining clubs, service organizations and fraternity/sorority life.

I would then introduce him to AGR as a lifetime commitment that will bring with it unmeasured benefits.

What would you say to a parent unsure about fraternity/sorority life?

JOHNSON  I would ask

for their perspective of fraternity life. What is their impression, what questions do they have, and would they like to know more about the fraternity/sorority community? If they are open to the conversation, I would encourage fraternity and sorority life for the many benefits it provides to personal growth and development, and I would remind them there are obligations for their student to give back to the organization and sometimes the community.

Being a a fraternity member is not just about what we receive, but what we give.

POOLE  I have been blessed to have had an enormously successful career, and membership in AGR played a huge part in that. Learning to live with 50 other men is a life skill that can’t be taught in a classroom. Business leaders will tell you that the one thing often missing from the skill set of new college graduates are those “soft skills” that enable teamwork, conflict resolution and common-sense decisionmaking. These figures are real: nearly half of today’s business and industries leaders have faternity/ sorority life experience.

According to the FSPAC website, approximately 28% of the U.S. Senate and

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House of Representatives also have a fraternity/ sorority life background.

A fraternity experience begins the process for building leaders.

BOEHM  I would answer as I did above when asked about how AGR prepares young men for life itself in a way that isn’t possible in a “club.” I would stress the commitment to a career and to the lifelong relationships that are built along the way. I would tell them about the Hall of Fame and the men who have been inducted. I would ask them to trust their son.

What gives you hope for the future of AGR? What do we need to do to stay relevant in the years ahead?

BOEHM  I have seen AGR evolve over my life without giving up on the ideas that created the organization in the first place. I have been part of the recent effort to modify programming to place a clear emphasis on improving local chapters. I have seen the willingness of a relatively small number of committed alumni step up and raise more than $20 million to help our chapters become more successful in their quest to Make Better Men. My parting plea is to ask every AGR reading this article to recommit personally because that’s how we’ll “stay relevant.”

JOHNSON  The future for AGR is bright, just like the future for agriculture. We’re facing a growing world that needs to be fed, clothed and housed. Agriculture will address these needs, and AGR men have committed themselves to Making Better Men, and through them a broader and better

agriculture. To stay relevant as a social and professional fraternity, we must continue to connect our membership with the challenges and opportunities facing society and help them understand how agriculture can address these challenges while capitalizing on the opportunities.

POOLE  Top Leaders Institute and Local Chapter Excellence programming highlights AGR’s commitment to making the fraternity experience fundamentally different from any other organization on campus. The leadership and management skills that AGR brothers develop are the exact skills which will make them valuable employees. Our future is bright because we have a vision for what we can become, while embracing the best of what we have been since 1904. We can provide these tools to our undergraduate brothers and Make Better Men, insofar as we can generate the resources to make the vision a reality. AGR will stay relevant because our alumni base will recognize the value of what we uniquely provide, but only if we tell our story loudly and proudly. Agriculture in general, and the people within the industry, are inherently modest. I think it’s in the DNA, but, as Master Yoda might say, “tell our story, we must.” No one else can do it for us. AGR alumni brothers uniquely know the great value fraternity membership has meant to us. We need to ensure that succeeding generations have the same opportunities we were given.

Brotherhood With Purpose:

Why AGR will always matter

The voices in this conversation — spanning generations — reveal a common truth: AGR is more than four years in college.

It is a lifetime of relationships, leadership opportunities, and shared commitment to agriculture and each other.

While the public conversation around the fraternity/ sorority community may question its place, AGR offers a countercultural answer. AGR is a fraternity grounded in purpose, prepared to equip the next generation of leaders in agriculture, business and life.

Relevance, for AGR, is not about keeping up with trends — it is about staying true to our Purpose while meeting the challenges of today with integrity, vision and brotherhood.

As long as there is agriculture to advance and men to make better, AGR will have a vital role to play.

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Research and the Fraternal Experience PEER REVIEWED, QUANTITATIVE DATA SUPPORTS THE POSITIVE IMPACT OF THE FRATERNITY EXPERIENCE

by Dawn Wiese, Ph.D.

Fraternity men are more likely to be

ENGAGED INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OF THE CLASSROOM

men rnity ly to be e t a Fr like

or e

ED G A ENGTHEIR S IN UNITnIE Mgraduatio M O C after are m

n me ity ely to n r ik te Fra ore l m are

G Fraternit are less y men likely to

EXPERIE DEPRES NCE OR ANXSION IETY

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E T A DU A R

Fraternity men are more likely to

GIVE BACK TO THEIR ALMA MATER

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AS COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

across the U.S. prepare for a demographic decline in college-age students, fraternities are poised to be the secret weapon to both retain and graduate students. Surprised? Read on ….

I spent many years working on college campuses with my final role as a vice president of student affairs at a campus with a majority of students participating in Greek Life. While considered a “Greek friendly” vice president, the conversations one often hears on campuses, “The school is trying to get rid of Greek Life,” continued to swirl on my campus. When advocating for the Greek experience, the one talking point I would hear again and again from Greek alumni and students was, “Greeks give back more to their college than all other graduates.”

While true, I often replied, “To help you advocate for the experience, I need more data. Those who may call for the extinction of Greek Life simply don’t care that these graduates give more.”

Following a multi-year, interfraternal effort led by the North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC) to provide fine-tuned research questions and partnerships with well-known higher education researchers, fraternities are now armed with a war chest of valuable data that supports the fraternal experience.

Need an elevator pitch of outcomes?

Try these on for size: Peer-reviewed, published data tells us, that when compared with non-affiliated men, fraternity men are:

E

f More likely to be retained as students from year one to year two f More likely to graduate f More likely to be engaged inside and outside the classroom f More likely to have had an internship f More likely to have had an advisor who has served as a key mentor f More likely to be engaged in their communities when they graduate f More likely to give back in both time and treasure to their alma maters f Less likely to experience depression or anxiety

And, more fraternity men are more likely to intervene in bystander intervention in the following areas: f A friend/peer was behaving in an unsafe manner f A friend/peer was violating campus policy f A friend/peer was breaking the law f A friend/peer was engaging in hazing behaviors f Related to a friend/peer’s health and safety f Related to a friend/peer’s use of alcohol or other substances f Related to a friend/peer’s professional goals f Related to a friend/peer’s academics f Related to a friend/ peer’s dating or romantic relationships f Related to a friend/peer’s sexual relationships

All of us involved in the fraternal experience KNOW fraternity does so much for young men, and for the men who support the experience after graduation. Peer-reviewed quantitative data backs this up!

At a time when much of higher education is under attack for high tuition, restrictions on speech, activism resulting in the firing of major university presidents, and declining enrollment, fraternity is shining.

Dr. Dawn Wiese is a researcher, strategist, and writer. Wiese currently serves as Chief Operating Officer, FRMT, Ltd., Alpha Gamma Rho’s insurer, and advises the NIC on its research agenda. She authored the piece “Fraternities are a Cure for What Ails Higher Education,” (Wall Street Journal, May 9, 2024) which went viral after fraternity men worked to protect the U.S. flag at UNC-Chapel Hill during campus protests.

RESEARCH FOR THE READER Corprew, C. S. III, & Mitchell, A. D. (2014).

“Keeping it frat: Exploring the interaction among fraternity membership, disinhibition, and hypermasculinity on sexually aggressive attitudes in college-aged males.” Journal of College Student Development, 55(6), Gallup. (2021).

Fraternities and Sororities: Understanding Life Outcomes. At: Fraternities and Sororities: Understanding Life Outcomes | Gallup Grace, M. Assalone, A., Johnson, H., Svoboda, B. and Biddix, J. P. (October 2022). “The Role of Fraternity/Sorority Affiliation in Supporting College Student Mental Health and Wellness.”

Journal of Fraternity and Sorority Research and Practice.

Grace, M. Wiese, D., and Foran, W. (in press) “Perspectives and Practices of Peer Accountability Among College Men.” Journal of Campus Activities and Practice.

Knox, L. (December 11, 2024). “A long way down the demographic cliff.”

Inside Higher Education.

Pike, G. and Wiese, D. (2024). “The Fraternity/ Sorority Experience Revisited: The Relationships between Fraternity/Sorority Membership and Student Engagement, Learning Outcomes Grades, and Satisfaction with College.”

Journal of Campus Activities Practice and Scholarship, v6 (1).

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The Harvest Celebrate the growth of the entire Fraternity and the excellence of its alumni, chapters, collegians, volunteers, staff and all those who advance the Purpose of Alpha Gamma Rho. This Harvest includes Fraternal Excellence Awards, messages from scholarship recipients, campaign updates and more.

Whether you are a brother, volunteer, or generous donor, thank you for helping Alpha Gamma Rho pursue excellence; and To Make Better Men.

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The Harvest

Fraternal Excellence Awards Every chapter can earn recognition for achieving excellence in the following categories: • Academic Excellence • Lifelong Membership Development • Continued Alumni Engagement • Chapter Crescents • Recruitment Excellence • Communications • Living the Promise & Values • Philanthropic Efforts

GOLD STATUS

GREEN STATUS

Alpha, Illinois

Gamma, Penn State

Beta, Ohio State

Delta, Purdue

Eta, Iowa State

Epsilon, North Dakota State

Theta, Missouri

Zeta, Cornell

Iota, Wisconsin-Madison

Xi, Auburn

Kappa, Nebraska

Omicron, Kentucky

Lambda, Minnesota

Sigma, Washington State

Pi, Oklahoma State

Tau, Michigan State

Rho, Colorado State

Phi, California-Davis

Alpha Gamma, Florida

Omega, New Hampshire

Alpha Delta, Montana State

Alpha Alpha, West Virginia

Alpha Zeta, Kansas State

Alpha Beta, Oregon State

Alpha Eta, Georgia

Alpha Lambda, New Mexico State

Alpha Theta, Maryland Alpha Iota, Arkansas Alpha Kappa, Tennessee-Knoxville Alpha Sigma, Fresno State Alpha Tau, Western Illinois Alpha Upsilon, Tennessee-Martin Alpha Psi, Wisconsin-River Falls Beta Gamma, Wisconsin-Platteville Beta Phi, Idaho Beta Psi, Delaware Valley Gamma Delta, Abraham Baldwin

Alpha Pi, Arizona Alpha Phi, South Dakota State Beta Alpha, Southern Illinois Beta Theta, Middle Tennessee State Beta Omicron, Wyoming Beta Pi, Louisiana Tech Beta Rho, Northwest Missouri State Beta Tau, Mississippi State Beta Omega, Missouri State Gamma Beta, Fort Hays State Gamma Gamma, Southern Arkansas Gamma Epsilon, Sam Houston State Gamma Eta, SUNY Cobleskill

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The Harvest Alumni & Adviser Awards

Chapter Crescents, Single Issue Award

Lifelong Membership Development Award

Committed Alumni Corporation Award

The Chapter Crescent, Single Issue Award celebrates the top three chapters that publish the best Crescent, which highlights the work and accomplishments of alumni and collegiate members.

The Lifelong Membership Development Award acknowledges the top three chapters that have implemented a program which encompasses continuous education and lifelong personal development in not only their new members, but also successful re-engagement of alumni.

The Committed Alumni Corporation Award recognizes Chapter Alumni Corporations that showed hard work and continued success for their chapter’s collegiate membership.

HIGHEST HONOR

Eta, Iowa State HIGH HONOR

Kappa, Nebraska HONORABLE MENTION

Iota, Wisconsin-Madison

Outstanding Chapter Adviser Award The Outstanding Adviser Award recognizes the top three Chapter Advisers who are committed to engaging all brothers in professional development and lifelong success through the Promise & Values.

HIGHEST HONOR

Lambda, Minnesota HIGH HONOR

Alpha Theta, Maryland HONORABLE MENTION

Gamma, Penn State

Chapter Crescents, Feature Story Award The Chapter Crescent, Feature Story Award recognizes the top three chapters that publish the best single Crescent feature story, covering but not limited to, making a difference on campus/in the community, alumni accomplishments, and chapter philanthropic efforts.

HIGHEST HONOR

HIGHEST HONOR

Alpha, Illinois

Dan Moser, Alpha Zeta– Kansas State

HIGH HONOR

Iota, Wisconsin-Madison

HIGH HONOR

HONORABLE MENTION

Alex Wach, Kappa–Nebraska HONORABLE MENTION

Trent Moeller, Alpha Phi– South Dakota State

Chapter Awards Academic Excellence Award The Academic Excellence Award recipients are the top three chapters that have shown campus scholastic leadership and have successfully proven a strong academic program for their chapter.

HIGHEST HONOR

Lambda, Minnesota HIGH HONOR

Epsilon, North Dakota State HONORABLE MENTION

Eta, Iowa State

Theta, Missouri

Communications Award The Communications Award looks to commend chapters that use multiple means of electronic communication to engage various age groups on what the chapter strives to achieve, and involvement with both campus and community.

HIGHEST HONOR

Lambda, Minnesota HIGH HONOR

Iota, Wisconsin-Madison HONORABLE MENTION

Alpha Delta, Montana State

Continued Alumni Engagement Award The Continued Alumni Engagement Relations award celebrates the top three chapters that continually foster strong alumni involvement and leadership throughout the year.

HIGHEST HONOR

Eta, Iowa State HIGH HONOR

Iota, Wisconsin-Madison HONORABLE MENTION

HIGH HONOR

Eta, Iowa State HONORABLE MENTION

Alpha Gamma, Florida

Living the Promise & Values Award The Living the Promise & Values Award goes to the top three chapters that enthusiastically embrace and uphold the Promise & Values, in turn continually presenting a positive image of Alpha Gamma Rho. HIGHEST HONOR

Alpha Gamma, Florida HIGH HONOR

Lambda, Minnesota HONORABLE MENTION

Delta, Purdue

Outstanding Community Service & Philanthropic Efforts Award The Outstanding Community Service & Philanthropic Efforts Award recognizes chapters that take part in their communities, serving through volunteerism and philanthropic efforts.

HIGHEST HONOR

Alpha Gamma, Florida HIGH HONOR

Alpha Zeta, Kansas State HONORABLE MENTION

Lambda, Minnesota

Recruitment Excellence Award The Recruitment Excellence Award goes to the top three chapters that have implemented an effective, year-round recruitment program.

HIGHEST HONOR

Eta, Iowa State HIGH HONOR

Alpha Gamma, Florida

Housemother/House Director Social & Cultural Development Award The Housemother/House Director Social & Cultural Development Award recognizes Housemothers/House Directors who have developed and implemented programs and initiatives to improve the social development or cultural awareness of brothers at their chapter.

HIGHEST HONOR

Teri Gustafson (Lambda– Minnesota) HIGH HONOR

John Hooker (Alpha Gamma– Florida) HONORABLE MENTION

Donna Robinson (Alpha Phi– South Dakota State)

Housemother/ House Director Management Award The Housemother/House Director Management Award honors the top three Housemothers/House Directors who consistently prove superior management of the chapter facilities and the chapter.

HIGHEST HONOR

Diane Pinneke (Eta–Iowa State) HIGH HONOR

Cindra Brandl (Kappa– Nebraska) HONORABLE MENTION

John Hooker (Alpha Gamma– Florida)

Individual Award Outstanding Undergraduate of the Year Award The Outstanding Undergraduate of the Year Award honors undergraduate members who excel in their college career both on campus and within the Fraternity.

Ben Styer (Lambda– Minnesota) Robert Belcher (Alpha Gamma–Florida) Jack Stephens (Alpha Delta– Montana State)

HONORABLE MENTION

Omicron, Kentucky ISTOCKPHOTO

Kappa, Nebraska

HIGHEST HONOR

Alpha Theta, Maryland

Marie Coe Memorial Housemother/House Director Awards

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The Harvest

2025 Scholarship Recipients The Educational Foundation offers 12 national scholarships annually to collegiate members of the Fraternity. The criteria for eligibility for each scholarship differs, but each is based on the individual’s pursuit of excellence in scholarship and leadership, and for his contributions to community and Fraternity. The scholarship application submission deadline is May 15, 2026.

AGR Excellence Scholarship Awarded to collegiate members who show enormous potential and achieve success in scholarship, leadership, citizenship, activities, and fraternal involvement. > Cash Slezickey (Pi Chapter, Oklahoma State) > Will Ellison (Epsilon Chapter, North Dakota State) > Timothy Manzello (Gamma Chapter, Penn State) > Dennis Wollin (Beta Alpha, Southern Illinois)

Bill Sallee Scholarship Awarded to brothers who truly have financial need and exhibit leadership and citizenship traits like Brother Bill Sallee, Pi (Oklahoma State), including individual endeavor, resourcefulness, aggressive effort, and a balanced lifestyle. > Zach Mefford (Pi Chapter, Oklahoma State)

Dale Runnion Scholarship Created by Brother Dale Runnion, Rho (Colorado State), to assist collegiate members with financial need who show outstanding professional promise and will pursue a career in agri-marketing, journalism, or public relations. > Blake Harrold (Alpha Zeta, Kansas State)

Gene Swackhamer Ag Economics/Ag Business Scholarship Awarded to those who achieve an elevated level of excellence and pursuing a major in agriculture economics, resource management, or related fields. > Henry Downing (West Texas A&M Colony)

Harold Olson Scholarship Awarded as recognition to an undergraduate member who achieved elevated levels of excellence in scholarship, leadership, citizenship, brotherhood, activities, and service. > Warren Cornell (Alpha Gamma, Florida)

J. Wayne Rehn Animal Science Scholarship Established to encourage excellence in academics among brothers majoring in pre-veterinary medicine or animal science who are sophomores or juniors living in a chapter’s residence. > Ethan Bode (Beta Gamma, Wisconsin-Platteville)

Kirby Barrick Agricultural Education Scholarship Reserved for brothers pursuing a major in agricultural education who intend to teach after graduation and strive to help advance the industry.

Lindley Finch Memorial Scholarship

Robert L. Oehrtman Scholarship

Presented to an undergraduate member with true financial need, who exhibits leadership and citizenship traits of individual endeavor, resourcefulness, aggressive effort, and a balanced lifestyle, like Brother Lindley Finch, Eta (Iowa State), who was instrumental in establishing the Educational Foundation of Alpha Gamma Rho.

Created in tribute to a man who devoted his life to teaching, building skills, and making memories through life lessons; awardees are full time students who held leadership positions while maintaining a minimum 3.0 GPA.

> Jack Showalter (Eta Chapter, Iowa State)

Ole Meland Dairy Scholarship Made possible by Brother Ole Meland, Chi (Cal Poly), Grand President 1994–96, available to undergraduates majoring in dairy science, dairy husbandry, or animal science with a dairy option. > Michael Fenton (Alpha Nu, Connecticut)

Ornamental Horticulture Scholarship

> Henry Downing (West Texas A&M Colony)

Undergraduate Achievement Award Presented to collegiate members evaluated by committee on six categories: scholarship, leadership, citizenship, brotherhood, activities, and involvement. > Noah Graham (Theta, Missouri) > Justin Paolucci (West Texas A&M Colony) Apply for all 12 scholarships with one online form:

Reserved for brothers enrolled in a horticulturerelated major, including entomology, floriculture, landscape architecture, pest management, and plant pathology. > Ryan Culp (Beta, Ohio State)

> Hayes Rickstrew (Gamma Beta, Fort Hays State)

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The Harvest

Lifetime Giving Levels Due to changes in Alpha Gamma Rho’s databases, the way these lists are created is different. If you have questions about your giving level, please contact Carol Johnson, Ed.D. at carol@alphagammarho.org.

Zeta-Cornell Kevin Bartolotta Eta-Iowa State Kenneth Isley Omicron-Kentucky Glenn Stith Pi-Oklahoma State Arthur Jacques N. Mitchell Chi-Cal Poly Donald De Jong

Order of the Brotherhood $500,000$999,999 Alpha-Illinois Philip Francis Beta-Ohio State Kirby Barrick EpsilonNorth Dakota State Allan Johnson SigmaWashington State Doyle Jacklin Alpha Psi-WisconsinRiver Falls William Boehm Friend of AGR Cathie Lemon

Order of the Harvest $100,000$499,999

Nu-North Carolina State Samuel Davis Tyler Warren

Alpha-Illinois David Maurer Lyle Orwig David Schick Jay Vroom

Omicron-Kentucky Burgess Brown Scott Brown David Case Leslie Stith

Beta-Ohio State Robert McClelland

Pi-Oklahoma State Gary Clark Bradley Gungoll Douglas Jackson Scott Sewell

Delta-Purdue Joseph Coffey Douglas Eckrote Steven Newcom Ted Priebe Gene Swackhamer Epsilon-North Dakota State David Sunderland Zeta-Cornell Douglas Adams Gregory Wickham Eta-Iowa State James Borel Michael Borel Sigmund Cornelius David Van Wert Robert Vasko Theta-Missouri Zane Akins Stephen Barr Bradley Starbuck Iota-WisconsinMadison Jerry Steiner Kappa-Nebraska William Schilling

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Iota-WisconsinMadison James Zarndt

Alpha LambdaNew Mexico State Tyler DuBry

Alpha Iota-Arkansas James Mitchell

Lambda-Minnesota Adam Manwarren Leland Sundet

Alpha NuConnecticut Clifford Bampton

Nu-North Carolina State Allen Matthews

Alpha XiArizona State James Davis

Omicron-Kentucky George Duncan Russell Gray

Alpha Rho-Vermont Jim Carpenter Donald McFeeters

Pi-Oklahoma State Ray Beck Jeffrey Bode Terry Hague Joe Hinz A.L. Hutson Paul Schulte James Sigmon Wayne Sizelove Dennis Slagell Paul Yauk

Alpha TauWestern Illinois Larry Lepper Phillip Nichols Gerald Salzman Wayne Whipps Robert Woodrow

Alpha SigmaFresno State Michael Way

The following Lifetime Giving Levels recognize donors with a cumulative lifetime giving of $10,000 or more to the Educational Foundation of Alpha Gamma Rho in 2024. Thank you for your generous and continued support of Alpha Gamma Rho.

Founder’s Circle $1,000,000 Or More

Michael Smith Randall Stoecker Douglas Weyer

Rho-Colorado State Brian Field Phi-California-Davis Gerald Rominger Jeremy Turner Chi-Cal Poly George Borba Ricardo Echeverria Ejnar Knudsen Stanley Van Vleck Alpha BetaOregon State Richard Ladd Alpha GammaFlorida N. Brooks John Douthat Dean Saunders Edward Smoak Alpha ZetaKansas State Nelson Galle Samuel Hands Loren Kruse Aaron McKee John Niemann

Alpha Phi-South Dakota State Bradley Freking Troy Johnson Alpha Chi-Western Kentucky Jack Britt Alpha Psi-WisconsinRiver Falls Philip Josephson Friend of AGR Doyle & Debbie Carlton Norberta Modliszewski Teri Zuck

Order of the Shield $50,000$99,999 Alpha-Illinois Edward Dollinger Larry Gerdes W. Kuhfuss James Ross Beta-Ohio State David Ames Gamma-Penn State Richard Carpenter Delta-Purdue Dick Belcher Sandy Belden John Cottingham Tom Davis Mitchell Eviston Joseph Hasler David Parker Epsilon-North Dakota State Jack Brown Gregg Halverson Corey Martin Zeta-Cornell Neil Rejman Andrew White Eta-Iowa State Timothy Heiller Gregory Nickerson Theta-Missouri Steve Ellis Dan Prosser Robert Wheeler

Chi-Cal Poly David De Jong Ole Meland Alpha BetaOregon State Skye Krebs Gary Nuss Alpha GammaFlorida Reginald Brown Evander Conoley Timothy Garman Jefferson Miller Paul Myers Ernest Sellers Alpha Zeta-Kansas State Ben Brent Robert Broeckelman Chad Chase Michael Doane Bradley Foote Scott Foote Keith Heikes Todd Johnson Kenneth Kalb Bill New Dale Rodman Wallace Wolf Alpha ThetaMaryland Paul Weller Alpha Iota-Arkansas Russell Black Rex Martin Alpha KappaTennessee-Knoxville Donnie Smith John Tarpley

Alpha Psi-WisconsinRiver Falls Jon Wangen Beta DeltaIllinois State Donald Bumphrey Beta EtaVirginia Tech Jay Poole Friend of AGR Elizabeth Anderson Miller Couse Lillian Fobes F. Jean Rehn

Order of the Sheaf $25,000$49,999 Alpha-Illinois Stanley Foley Mark Gossett David Hollinrake Wilbur Nelson Cory Peter Ross Peter Beta-Ohio State Joseph Crites Daryl Deering J. Stewart McCoy Todd Pugh Dwight Radcliff Dwight Steen Gamma-Penn State Brian Sarris Jon Schroer Delta-Purdue Bruce Brown John Burkhardt John Demerly Mark McKinney Gerald Nickel Leo Scheetz Keith Welty

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The Harvest

Epsilon-North Dakota State Randall Aarestad John Anderson Keith Bjerke Dale Carpentier John Giese Roger Kenner Randy Reber Peter Shockman David Vipond Michael Vipond Ray York

Chi-Cal Poly Brett Hedrick John Moons Tim Souza Paul Weubbe

Zeta-Cornell William Baskin Timothy Dayka William Lipinski Ronald Pope Charles Saul William Wickham

Alpha Beta-Oregon State Martin Belshe William Case V. Kent Searles Craig Ward Jan Wepster

Eta-Iowa State Charles Brown Robert Dittmer Arlen Wonderlich

Spencer Sewell Terry Tippens Richard Wuerflein

Tau-Michigan State Frederick Addy William Graves John Welser

Alpha GammaFlorida Clayton Archey Charles Clemons James Clinard Theta-Missouri David Duda Phillip Brown Randall Hanna Gary Frazier John Hooker Jerome Graeser Peter Marovich Richard Maltsbarger William McLean David Minnick John Polhill Lowell Mohler Conrad Varnum Paul Steele Tim Yaeger Larry Warren Alpha Delta-Montana Iota-WisconsinState Madison Travis Brown John Cull Lyle Hodgskiss Richard Daluge Jim Holzer Karl Drye Ronald Ramsfield Cliff Gnatzig Donald Sanders Robert Kalter Ken Walsh Robert Miller Bernie Staller Alpha EpsilonLouisiana State Kappa-Nebraska Glenn Bryant Larry Engelkemier David Galton Nu-North Carolina Alpha Zeta-Kansas State State Raymond Collier James Garrison Robert May Edwin Kerley Roger McClellan Omicron-Kentucky Robert Moore Jack McHargue Casey Niemann Bernard Peterson Tim Rosenhagen Pi-Oklahoma State Steve Slusher C. James Bode Curtis Steenbock Dale Elsener Keith Westervelt David Epperly Jerrod Westfahl Kim Ford Alpha Iota-Arkansas Daniel Grellner James Atkinson Richard Grellner Rodney Baker Robert Hodgen James McCoy Ladd Hudgins Greg Satterfield Javen Moore John Pendergrass Rodney Orrell Mark Waldrip Kent Prickett Kenneth Root

Alpha KappaTennessee-Knoxville Peter Markovich Thomas White

Order of the Sickle $15,000$24,999

Alpha NuConnecticut George Staby

Alpha-Illinois Brett Bayston Morris Smith Jack Widholm James Zumwalt

Alpha Rho-Vermont Erwin Clark Laurence Jost Brian Markwell Alpha Sigma-Fresno State Ian Burnett Gary Nelson Alpha Tau-Western Illinois Jeffrey Warner Alpha UpsilonTennessee-Martin Robert Earnest Alpha Phi-South Dakota State James Feller Clark Moeckly Randall Nelson Gary Schultz Dennis Serie Dorn Severtson Michael Sukalski Tommy Thompson Alpha Chi-Western Kentucky Earnest Yates Alpha Psi-WisconsinRiver Falls Dayton Hougaard David Kilpatrick Jim Van Wychen Beta Alpha-Southern Illinois Gregory Webb Beta GammaWisconsin-Platteville Scott Laufenberg Beta Zeta-Clemson Michael Freeman Beta Eta-Virginia Tech C. Gordon Thornhill Friend of AGR Andrew Ansted Barbara Ansted Ann Christian Elise Donohue Marina Driscoll Carol Johnson Gregory Oehrtman John Pfaff C. Emily Rodibaugh Natalie & JR. Thomas Lee Townsend Anonymous

Beta-Ohio State Peter Bowen Derek Cunningham Jac Dill Michael Estadt Timothy Geiger John Stair Gamma-Penn State Jerry Edwards Matt Keil James Valent Delta-Purdue Wayne Beehler Hal Bowman Bruce Buchanan Doug Griffin Joe Horstman Don Orr Kirt Ramsay Douglas Wilhelm Marko Zaninovich Epsilon-North Dakota State Mick Anderson William Finley Frederick Haas James Hauge Russell Johnson Carl Larson Tom Lilja Randall Mauch James Mostad Zeta-Cornell Mark Creighton John Mueller John Noble David Porter Brian Rapp Terry Savidge Eta-Iowa State Bret Carter Steven Hanson James Howe Bruce Rastetter Theta-Missouri Lynn Fahrmeier Jim McRoberts Matthew Renkoski Iota-WisconsinMadison Scott Kurzer Sam Miller Kappa-Nebraska Robert Raun Charles Trauger

Lambda-Minnesota Neil Fruechte Elden Lamprecht Robert Schwert Randy Torgerson Omicron-Kentucky Paul Hupman R. Thomas Waldrop John Woeste Pi-Oklahoma State Jim Buck William Elliott Richard Grellner Mike Hardin Henry Heinrich Clay Hutson Robbye Jones Dale Kunneman Abner Lemert Jack Stuteville Sigma-Washington State Nick Hein Tau-Michigan State Daniel Peabody Phi-California-Davis Donald Brock William Carriere John Kidd George Tibbitts Thomas Watson Dean Wheeler Chi-Cal Poly Ramon Echeverria Paul Wenger Paul Weubbe Alpha Alpha-West Virginia William Black Clark McKee Alpha Beta-Oregon State Bruce McKee Alpha GammaFlorida J. Wayne Beardsley Brian Beasley Jamie Hayes Roy Lundy David Mann Martin McKenna Paul Mott Michael Pressley John Smoak Greg Steube Charles Thomas Derick Thomas Jack Townsend Paul Willis Alpha Delta-Montana State Thomas Evans Bret Lesh LeRoy Luft Edward Malesich Bill Perry

Karl Ratzburg Eugene Thayer Harold Tutvedt Stephen Wagner

Alpha EpsilonLouisiana State Ricky Guidry Myron Rabalais Alpha Zeta-Kansas State Ty Brookover Donald Griffiths Jon Isch Larry Jones Virgil Lair Thomas Miller David Oswalt Brian Pelton Michael Torrey Matthew Urbanek Alpha ThetaMaryland Charles Iager Richard Jackson Alpha Iota-Arkansas Frank Carter Chris Looney James Marrs Alpha KappaTennessee-Knoxville Tracey Binkley Alpha Lambda-New Mexico State Danny Hudgens Alpha NuConnecticut William Leahey Alpha Pi-Arizona Robert Briggs Martin Massengale Alpha Rho-Vermont Hall Thompson Alpha Sigma-Fresno State Paul Toste Alpha Tau-Western Illinois Sidney Kemmis Darcy Kessler Wayne Willems Alpha Phi-South Dakota State John Borchers Leonard Dankey Keith Goehring Garry Grorud Patrick Hennen Lee Leiferman Wayne Williamson Alpha Psi-WisconsinRiver Falls Steven Bensend Carl Schaumberg Harland Schneider

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The Harvest

Joseph Waldo Wayne Weiland Edward Whitman

Alpha OmegaMurray State Arthur Green Beta Zeta-Clemson Chalmers Carr Beta EtaVirginia Tech Ronald Green Beta Theta-Middle Tennessee State Jason Searles Beta Nu-Texas A&M Bill Lagrange Beta TauMississippi State Brad Garrison Friends of AGR Christine Martindale Ricky McNelley Barbara Ross June Schrupp Barbara Wolfe

Order of the Lamp $10,000$14,999 Alpha-Illinois Clifford Beatty William Dimond Ronald Ness Robert Pritchard Vince Reincke Beta-Ohio State Bill Beddow Michael Bumgarner Charles Cunnigan Gregory Flax David Grim Dale Krukemyer Donald Lamb William Langel Nathan Louiso Joe Mesenburg George Ruff Jack Spitler William Stinson Gamma-Penn State Carl Anderson Glenn Moyer Thomas Olliver Delta-Purdue Anthony Booher Doc Cottingham Stephen Craig Mark Durr Max Evans Eric Farrand Thomas McKinney John Nigh

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J. Michael Scheetz Jim Schoon Rick Senesac James Stewart Dan Strahl David Voris Wade Wiley Brian Wise Donald Wright

Epsilon-North Dakota State Joe Bata Darby Bauer Neal Bjornson Bernie Goodman Gregory Goodman Jared Hagert Merrill Johnson Clint Kurtz Anthony Larson Lyle Moe Andy Moquist Curtis Nelson Howard Schmid Donald Schwartz Mark Sletten Mark Vipond Jason Wildung Jarvis York Zeta-Cornell John Adams Dave Alexander Russell Beck Timothy Bostley Sheldon Brown David Call Steven Call Steven Chuhta Philip Davis Walter Henry Michael Holloway Stephen Riessen Eugene Schurman Donald Seipt David Tregaskis Bill Wickham Eta-Iowa State David De Graff Chad Dummermuth Scott Flynn Daniel Foor Wayne Fredericks Dan Johnson Roger Mahr Theta-Missouri Keith Dunn James Edwards Sidney Johnson Curtis Long Rado Popp Doug Thomas William Williams Iota-WisconsinMadison Dale Bruhn Jim Caldwell Dale Emshoff Paul Hagen

Bob Hagenow Allan Schultz Scott Vosters Jerome Wallander John Wilks

Kappa-Nebraska James Cada Larry Holbein Gregory Mullins Lambda-Minnesota Clarence Horsager Myron Tank Nu-North Carolina State Robert Goins Bolton Jones Guy Jones Xi-Auburn Thomas Russell Omicron-Kentucky William Miller Pi-Oklahoma State Paul Burrell Dennis Christie John Crawford Charles Elliott Charles Freeman Michael Frickenschmidt Greg Gungoll Charles Jacques Bradley Johnson Jeffrey Kubik Bryan Mannering Teddy Miller Jeff Morris Mason Mungle Matt Panach Lynn Reinschmiedt Brady Sidwell Ryan Trojan Jerry White Rho-Colorado State Chuck Mason Jay Wardell Roy Wardell SigmaWashington State Robert Felton Steve Swannack Tau-Michigan State David Willetts Phi-California-Davis Wayne Bartholomew Scott Cowan Gary Cusumano Mark Figone William Gregory Kip Herzog Andrew Kennedy Kenneth McCorkle Peter Miroyan Rodney Nishikawa Brett Tank

Chi-Cal Poly Jeffrey Sanders Psi-Maine Lee Meserve Alpha Beta-Oregon State Charles McElligott Vincent McElligott Alpha GammaFlorida Wilton Banack Jimmy Cheek James Clinard Jeffrey Cusson Bob Davis Keith Davis John Hoblick Paul Koukos Larry Mack Tim McDuffie Charles Miller Jody Phillips Douglas Purvis Bryan Putnal Wayne Simmons Jeffrey Sumner Michael Sumner Roger Ward John Williamson Philip Visali Alpha DeltaMontana State Donald Becker Thomas Dedman Bruce Ellis Boyd Hardy Don Herzog Jack Holden William Krutzfeldt Shane Lester Vern Luft Phil Moodie Steven Moodie Bryan Ratzburg Todd Tibbetts Robert Tronstad Alpha ZetaKansas State Kenneth Buchele Charles Cole Michael Guetterman JD Hagedorn Ron Hirst Roger Johnson Mike Schmitt Jay Selanders Brent Wiedeman Alpha Eta-Gorgia James Irvin Alpha ThetaMaryland James DeShazer Harry Gottwals Alpha Iota-Arkansas James Burton Charles Council Thomas Hart

Alpha KappaTennesee-Knoxville Donald Williams Alpha Lambda-New Mexico State Paul Gutierrez Alpha NuConnecticut David Bennett Richard Hevey Alpha Pi-South Dakota State F. Rayner Alpha Tau-Westen Illinois Steven Greenfield Mark Howard Steven Ramp Monty Teuscher Alpha Phi-South Dakota State Bruce Bot Kent Frerichs James Girard Todd Heine Benjamin Ludeman Monte Mason Gary Overgaard James Randall Stephen Rezac Paul Smith William Smith Steven Tofteland Max Williams

Beta KappaCalifornia StateChico Lee Cole Beta Lambda-Texas A&M-Commerce Ben Scholz Beta Sigma-Tarleton State Michael Keith Cody Lane Beta Phi-Idaho Philip Kaufman Dustin Winston Friend of AGR Gayle Clifford Elaine Crooke Carleigh DuBry Charles Galloway Polly Johns Susan Johnson David Krenzer Bill Perry Jim & Anita Trojan Scott & Debbie Winters

Alpha Chi-Western Kentucky David Buckingham Buster Stewart Alpha Psi-WisconsinRiver Falls Lee Born Kenneth Congdon Dennis Gehler Philip George Robert Hintz William Kelly Robert MacSwain Thomas Morris Alpha Omega-Murray State Bret Cude Beta Alpha-Southern Illinois Alan Osterlund Beta GammaWisconsin Platteville Michael North Duane Schaefer Beta Delta-Illinois State Bruce Attig Beta Zeta-Clemson Thad Boatwright Ellie Green Edwin Rish

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The Harvest

Heritage Club

Alpha KappaTennessee-Knoxville

The Heritage Club honors brothers and friends of Alpha Gamma Rho who leave a legacy for the future To Make Better Men through specific gifts or bequests of $10,000 or more to the Educational Foundation of Alpha Gamma Rho.

John R. Tarpley Thomas R. White

Alpha-Illinois

Phi-California-Davis

Tyler O. DuBry Paul Gutierrez

Chi-Cal Poly

James R. Carpenter Erwin C. Clark Laurence C. Jost Donald J. McFeeters

James E. Ross Jay J. Vroom James L. Zumwalt

Theta-Missouri

Beta-Ohio State

Zane V. Akins Lynn A. Fahrmeier Lowell F. Mohler Daniel L. Prosser Bradley K. Starbuck

Gamma-Penn State

Iota-WisconsinMadison

R. Kirby Barrick

Richard S. Carpenter

Delta-Purdue

James V. Zarndt

Kappa-Nebraska

Ted A. Priebe Gene L. Swackhamer

William C. Schilling Charles E. Trauger

EpsilonNorth Dakota State

Adam E. Manwarren

Lambda-Minnesota

John E. Kidd Jeremy R. Turner Ralph E. Grossi Ole M. Meland

Alpha BetaOregon State

Vincent T. McElligott

Alpha GammaFlorida State

Philip L. Leary Gregory A. Smith

Alpha DeltaMontana State

Jack Brown Dale R. Carpentier Allan R. Johnson Martin H. Peterson

Nu-North Carolina State

James L. Driscoll

Tyler B. Warren

Zeta-Cornell

Omicron-Kentucky

Alpha Zeta-Kansas State

Douglas J. Adams Kevin G. Bartolotta Gregory I. Wickham

Eta-Iowa State

Michael J. Borel Bret R. Carter Scott D. Flynn Steven M. Hanson Timothy J. Heiller Kenneth D. Isley Robert C. Vasko David W. Van Wert Arlen L. Wonderlich Benjamin K. Zelle

David W. Case William C. Miller Glenn A. Stith Leslie J. Stith

Pi-Oklahoma State

Scott W. Sewell

Sigma-Washington State Doyle W. Jacklin

Tau-Michigan State

John R. Welser

Justin Hagedorn Edwin R. Kerley Loren J. Kruse John A. Niemann Tim E. Rosenhage Curtis L. Steenbock Douglas C. Weyer

Alpha Theta-Maryland Paul S. Weller Jr.

Friends of AGR

Elizabeth Anderson Carleigh DuBry Carol Johnson Ed.D.

Alpha LambdaNew Mexico State

If the Educational Foundation of Alpha Gamma Rho is in your will or estate plan, notify the Home Office.

Alpha Rho-Vermont

Alpha TauWestern Illinois

Jeffrey L. Warner

Alpha Psi-WisconsinRiver Falls

William T. Boehm Philip Josephson Harland G. Schneider

Beta Delta-Illiniois State

Donald J. Bumphrey

Beta Eta-Virginia Tech

Jay S. Poole

Beta Kappa-Chico State Kenny J. Howard

Beta TauMississippi State

Bradley A. Garrison

Alpha Iota-Arkansas Rex A. Martin

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Transitions

In Memory of Our Great Brothers

Oregon State Milton Bartholomew, 1968 Dean Donaldson, 1948 Leroy Johnson, 1956 Norman McKee, 1953

Arkansas State Casey Couch, 1999 Charles Wisdom, 1991

Penn State Thomas Bosiljevac, 1963 Girdon Buck, 1956 Frederick Davis, 1963 Lawrence Ecklund, 1952 Theodore Farrand, 1969 Henry Ferris,1969 William Nichol, 1950 Jay Ramsey, 1969

The Alpha Gamma Rho Home Office received reports of the following deaths between Jan. 29, 2025 and Aug. 11, 2025. The listing includes initiation year.

Auburn Joseph Maddox, 1956 Cal Poly Ross Bailey, 1982 Jeffrey Brown, 1980 California State-Fresno Dwight Dutschke, 1971 Michael Rooney, 1963 California-Davis Kempton Clark, 1942 Richard LaRue, 1976 Philip Risken, 1976 Michael Taylor, 1967 Colorado State Jerome McCall, 1962 Robert Weinberger, 1959 Cornell Thomas Corner, 1959 Thomas Kellish, 1960 Howard Smith, 1939 Florida Eugene Badger, 1947 Walter Graham, 1978 William Jeffries, 1958 Michael Shiver, 1969 Wendell Taylor, 1963 Georgia Steven Andrews, 1982 Larry Golden, 1971 Alton Jones, 1981 David Lowe, 1979 James Middleton, 1966 Robert Woods, 1957 Illinois Joseph Bicknell, 1953 Jay Book, 1976 James Bridgeland, 1951 Merrill Dierker, 1957 Kenneth Getz, 1950 Walter Hanks, 1959 Willard Mannon, 1935 W. Schlichting, 1949 William West, 1954

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Iowa State John Barnts, 1969 William Dohrmann,1960 Howard Elson,1955 Byron Phillips,1969 Thomas Robertson,1954 Glen Schmidt, 1950 Kansas State J. Adair, 1954 Neil Caudle, 1989 Allen Clark, 1937 Warren Nichols, 1953 Alan Ostermann,1966 Clair Seglem, 1951 Kentucky Cecil Bell, 1959 Bruce Pearce, 1951 Harlin Peden, 1942 Maine Christopher Perry, 2010 Peter Zinchuk, 1954 Maryland William Godwin, 1959 Massachusetts Emerson Hibbard, 1947 Michigan State Thomas Mead, 1961 Eldon Roberts, 1969 Middle Tennessee State Micky Lawson, 1976 Minnesota Harland Chapman, 1957 Jerome Haeg, 1956 Howard Weyker, 1960

Nebraska-Lincoln Gene Gangwish, 1972 Martin Nielsen, 1957 New Hampshire Vaughn Cameron, 1958 John Coyle, 1965 Leslie Erb, 1943 John Foster,1951 Roy Hewes, 1967 Frederick Jennings, 1952 Charles Kent, 1959 Romeo Levesque, 1958 Millard Martin, 1964 Karl Scott, 1947 Garry Sharon, 1976 Calvin Whitney, 1947 North Carolina State Glenn Byrd, 1953 North Dakota State Robert Knorr, 1963 Darryl Lutovsky, 1965 Jim Ozbun, 1990 Sherwood Peterson, 1958 Joseph Ruliffson, 1953 Allison Scholes, 1959 Carl Swearson, 1970 Ohio State Hugh Moore, 1948 Oklahoma State Curtis Cline, 1961 Robert Gawf, 1954 Fred Perryman, 1971 Stephen Schneider, 1975

Purdue John Gentry, 1964 Donald Stoten, 1948 Wayne Windell, 1943 Don Wright, 1952 Harry Zink, 1936 Rutgers Pieter Oskam, 1952 South Dakota State Brian Crawford, 1986 Randall Wirt, 1975 Southern Illinois State Roger Dunham, 1970 James Pearson, 1975 Tennessee-Knoxville J. Kinnard, 1951 John Cornwell, 1972 Bob Galbreath, 1951 Bill Kemp, 1951 Edward Sanders, 1952 Edward Shore, 1951 Daniel Wheeler, 1962 Tennessee-Martin Marvin Flatt, 1972

Vermont James Manley, 1961 Virginia Tech Dennis Hewitt, 1977 Washington State Leslie Adams, 1946 Harold Boyd, 1969 Donald Callahan, 1954 Ernest Kettel, 1947 Ralph Thomsen, 1964 Western Illinois William Devena, 1964 Corey Gradert, 1990 Dennis Hertz, 1967 Mark Hoffman, 1975 David Hollis, 1970 Nolan Koch, 1967 Craig Kozeliski, 1985 Lyle Kreps, 1963 Larry Miller, 1963 Charles Morris, 1986 Lynn Nelson, 1966 John Patterson, 1975 Joel Randolph, 1998 Donald Schiff, 1969 Robert Thome, 1983 Stanley Urban, 1965 Robert Young, 1994 Western Kentucky Billy Crider, 1994 Ronald Hayden, 1972 Thomas McMillan, 1966 Kevin O’Brien, 1983 John Woodring, 1966 Wisconsin-Madison Ervin Baumgart, 1961 Gary Case, 1962 Curt Claus, 1949 Bill Hantke, 1965 Daniel Jones, 1969 Robert Rieck, 1948 Wisconsin-Platteville Scott Roberts, 1989

Missouri Robert Green, 1968 Matthew Trager, 1980 Montana State Robert Bucher, 1941 Craig Damstrom, 1963 James Driscoll,1960 Michael Layton, 1954 Alan Shammel, 1973

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Q&AGR

Q&AGR

Brother David Beck of Alpha Omega Chapter, Murray State, grew up on a farm and was deeply active in FFA. Agriculture was his dream and now he is the President and CEO of Kentucky Venues, an event company that curates exceptional experiences and fostering success for the events they host, including agricultural events. Brother Beck chairs the Advisory Team for the upcoming Louisville, KY, Convention.

What does it mean to you to be a part of AGR? I have been involved as an adult throughout my career.

I volunteer a lot of time and serve on a lot of boards, and it’s another opportunity to be connected to people.

But there’s a different bond with AGR, because you’ve had a lot of similar experiences with your brothers including living in the chapter house. Even though every year we had changed over graduations, new people coming in, it’s like being with a family. You live and learn together, the good times as well as the bad times. I mean, when you’re in school for three or four years, close with people, there’s accidents, tragedies, family members that pass — so you suffer through that with one another, but also, it’s an opportunity to problem solve together. It’s an education in itself.

What are your views on the current fraternity/ forority life climate?

I believe the core values of AGRs are still there, and I see signs of that throughout my career, as I’ve worked with people not just all

over the commonwealth of Kentucky, but all over the nation, sometimes around the world, and I look for that common denominator.

The things I look for is an agricultural background; I look for their faith; I look for if they had an FFA background or an AGR background experience, and it’s amazing. A lot of what I would consider as successful people in business, in agriculture and in government, the private sector, I see those traits show up.

Do you think those traits help make AGR relevant on campuses?

One of my daughters joined a sorority, so being on campus with them occasionally, I could see a change in Greek Life. I’ve seen the news coverage, seen those problem areas [decreases in college enrollment, etc.] get highlighted quite a bit, but I have visited our chapter at Murray State when I had the opportunity to, and they’ve gone through some renovations, some housing plans, a different structure than what was there when I was involved. But there’s a good core of young men.

And I say this often, it’s okay to change how we do some things. We will do things different tomorrow than we did yesterday, but

be some modifications to it, and that’s fine, as long as the core value of the purpose continues to be there.

“It’s okay to change how we do some things. We will do things different tomorrow than we did yesterday, but we still deal with the same purpose, the same reason.”

Why is being a part of AGR just so impactful?

Well, I think being a part of AGR has great value as it goes back to the simple, basic concept, we learn by doing, but we take that a step further, we learn from each other. We can learn the good and we can learn the bad. And my concept is pretty simple. If it’s good, do more of it. If it’s not, do less of it, and we learn from everybody else.

we still deal with the same purpose, the same reason.

And I think the core value of AGR is to Make Better Men for the future is still in place, and the process going through this can be very similar, but there can FA L L 2025

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The Last Pass

Alpha Gamma Rho is more Relevant than ever!

by Rex Martin

I WAS ASKED BY AN AGR BROTHER a couple of years ago, who was a potential donor, if Greeks and, more specifically, AGR, are relevant today.

It is a reasonable question and one that we should have a solid answer for. Let’s break it down so when you are asked that question, you have the facts.

In the book, “Of Boys and Men,” listed as the best book of 2022 by the Economist magazine, Author Richard Reeves states, “Fifteen percent of young men today say they don’t have a close friend — a fivefold increase since 1990. This loneliness, combined with a range of societal changes and pressures, has resulted in a mental health crisis for American boys and men.”

There are no easy solutions to this, but I do believe fraternities are one of the answers.

Recent research that our Fraternity supported shows: f Nearly 80% of fraternity men report excellent to good mental health and well-being. f When members seek help, they are twice as likely to turn to a brother than anyone else. f Fraternity members experience stronger retention and persistence to graduation.

A new Gallup Survey of more than 10,000 college alumni compared the experiences of fraternity and sorority alumni members (“affiliated alumni”) with those who were not fraternity and sorority members (“nonaffiliated alumni”).

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Affiliated alumni reported a higher likelihood of finding a good job quickly after graduation. More than half of fraternity and sorority alumni had accepted a job offer or found employment within two months of graduation.

The majority of affiliated alumni are thriving in every area of their well-being: f 62% in career well-being, f 66% in community well-being, f 51% in financial well-being, f 53% in physical well-being, and f 62% in social well-being.

Okay, that’s all good and great, but what about Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity? We are unique in that even though we may come from many different backgrounds and

Our AGR brothers lead companies, run farms and ranches, enter ministry, and even pursue political office.

Many of these skills were gained from being an AGR brother.

experiences, our values are rooted in rural America. There are good fraternities for every man in college who has an interest, but our values, since 1904, have remained steadfast.

We teach brotherhood, leadership, sportsmanship, and caring for family and community, among many other positive characteristics. Our chapters present opportunities to understand how to run a business or a small community. They leave their collegiate AGR experience a “Better man” taught by their brothers, collegiate and alumni. Our AGR brothers lead companies, run farms and ranches, enter ministry, and even pursue political office. Many of these skills were gained from being an AGR brother.

So, the next time someone asks if fraternities or AGR are relevant. I think that is an easy question to answer.

By the way, consider attending the Convention next year in Louisville and revisiting the Alpha Gamma Rho experience!

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Expansion Ambition QUIETLY DISPLAYED WITHIN

the AGR Home Office stands a simple plaque and plain gavel. To the unknowing passerby this does not look like much, but, in truth, represents a lifetime of work and leadership to Alpha Gamma Rho. Its inscription reads,

“To Maynard Coe Lambda ‘17” “In recognition and appreciation for 50 years of outstanding contributions to the progress of the Fraternity”

him as the Fraternity’s second Executive Secretary. Brother Coe served in this capacity until 1974. In total, Brother Maynard Coe served the National Fraternity for many decades and aided Alpha Gamma Rho’s Purpose of Making Better Men across multiple campuses.

At the time of his retirement, the National Fraternity presented Maynard with this plaque as a memento and token of sincere appreciation for his strong business efficiency and his role in evolving Alpha Gamma Rho into a well-recognized and respected organization across the interfraternal community.

Our Roots

Maynard’s leadership as Chairman of the Extension Committee was instrumental in expanding Alpha Gamma Rho to numerous campuses, many of which continue to be homes for thriving chapters today.

A charter member of the Lambda Chapter at the University of Minnesota, Brother Maynard Coe was destined to serve Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity through his unique leadership style and ability to connect with the membership.

After graduation, Brother Coe served as a 4-H agent for the state of Minnesota, while remaining a dedicated volunteer to the Fraternity.

Maynard’s leadership as Chairman of the Extension Committee was instrumental in expanding Alpha Gamma Rho to numerous campuses, many of which continue to be homes for thriving chapters today. From 1942 to 1946, Brother Coe served as Grand President. In 1961 Maynard became a Traveling Secretary under Brother Sleeter Bull, and in 1962 succeeded

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Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity 1333 NW Vivion Road, Suite 110, Kansas City, Missouri 64118.

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