Yang Becomes Fifth New Founder

F. Phil Yang, Abra ’80 Is Delta Chi’s Fifth New Founder!

As Delta Chi Fraternity joins in the millenium celebration, a fifth New Founder has emerged. Brother F. Phil Yang, Abracadabra ’80 has chosen this special occasion and the Fraternity’s 110th anniversary in the year 2000 to lift his lifetime giving to $110,000, thus joining Brothers Frederick B. Hammert, Oklahoma ’60; Gene A. Johnson, Oklahoma State ’58; Clayton T. Roberts, Florida ’31; and Bernhard C. Shaffer, Penn State ’25 as a major benefactor of Delta Chi.

Brother Yang was among 39 undergraduates at the University of California, Berkeley who were Founding Fathers when the Abracadabra Chapter re-chartered in May, 1978. The Abracadabra name came from a local fraternity that merged with Delta Chi in the late 1960’s. Long time president of the University of California, Robert Gordon Sproul, for whom the main plaza on campus and the administration building was named, was a member of the local group.

The re-chartered Delta Chi group wanted an alternative to the Animal House mentality that was prevalent in the Berkeley Greek system in the late 1970’s, a sharp contrast to the radical 1960’s which submerged the system. Dan Billings ’76, a transferred gradua t e s t u d e n t f r o m t h e L o n g B e a c h Chapter, presented the concept of a non-hazing fraternity. Brother Yang was sold on this and, with 23 others, was initiated by the brothers from the Oregon State Chapter in May, 1977.

During the formative years of the new chapter, executive directors Larry Audlehelm, Iowa ’71 and Ray Galbreth, Missouri ’69, field secretary Ken Shepard, Long Beach ’77, and of course, office manager Marge Lee (aka Delta Chi Mom) provided strong support and guidance. Major achievements were recorded in scholarship, athletics and student government. The core of this group has mostly remained in the San Francisco and Silicon Valley area. It would not surprise Brother Yang one bit if one of his contemporaries also becomes a significant benefactor of the Fraternity. Recalling his impressions as an incoming freshman, Brother Yang was naturally intimidated by the sheer size of the 30,000+ student body and the surrounding urban setting, though he had grown accustomed to high-density places such as Taipei, Tokyo and Los Angeles. He felt extremely lucky to have been assigned to Putnam Hall, where the majority of first and second floor dorm mates became Delta Chi brothers, and mates for life. “Growing up in an Asian culture, the importance of education was ‘not negotiable,’” Brother Yang laughs. The education that Berkeley provided and that Delta Chi supplemented was a unique blend that prepared Brother Yang for a career in international marketing. After an undergraduate degree in architecture and a master’s in business administration, Brother Yang worked for many multi-nationals in the U. S. and in Asia. He is currently

the Regional Marketing Director, Asia Pacific and Middle East, for DHL Worldwide Express and resides in Singapore. Brother Yang’s commitment to education is also evident at two leading universities. U. C. Berkeley has a Delta Chi Fraternity program with cumulative gifts of over $100,000 while the joint Sino-US program beHis other hope is to have tween China’s Nanjing University and Johns Hopkins University hashis giving prompt other benefited from a $50,000 gift. Brother brothers to reflect on the Yang is quick to point out his role positive role of Delta Chi m o d e l s , G e n e J o h n s o n a n d F r e d in their personal and Hammert, who have instilled in him professional development. a “sense of duty.” There are many others in the Fraternity that Brother Yang has come to know who have also given selflessly of time and financial resources over the years. Asked about his hopes for Delta Chi in the new millenium, Brother Yang would like to have a chapter return to the Berkeley campus, and strangely enough, to the Stanford campus. Having worked for the likes of Coca-Cola, Pepsi-Cola, RJR Nabisco and Guinness Stout, he knows that competition breeds excellence. His other hope is to have his giving prompt other brothers to reflect on the positive role of Delta Chi in their personal and professional development. Two thousand gifts of $2,000 would be a nice number to usher in the year 2000, Brother Yang muses.

X Quarterly Fall/Winter 1999 21