The Deke Quarterly

DEKE the

quarterly

Deke winner creates popular comic strip

DEKE FOUNDATION TO BENEFIT ALUMNI AND UNDERGRADUATES

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eke alumni can now increase the value of their donations to the International Headquarters, in three ways.

First, alumni can designate up to 50% of their donation to their preferred chapter.

Second, by sending donations to the Deke Foundation rather than DKE International Fraternity, alumni can now deduct the full amount of their donation for U.S. tax purposes.

Third, now that donations are fully tax-deductible, we hope that alumni will increase the amount of their financial contributions to DKE each year, by increasing their commitment from the $100 dues amount, to $250, $500, or even more. This will help us meet the demands of serving a growing student population in a changing world.

Alumni donations are essential if DKE is to continue improving the professionalism of the services we offer to our members. See the article below for specific information on why alumni funds are needed.

Beginning this year, DKE has made several substantial changes to the fundraising program which supports our chapters and alumni organizations.

The Rampant Lion Foundation is now doing business as the Deke Foundation, a name change which we think is more

recognizable to our alumni, and which better reflects what the Foundation does, which is to support Deke undergraduates.

The Foundation, a 501(c)(3) educational charity, will support DKE by granting money to the Fraternity for educational purposes.

By lessening our reliance on alumni “dues,” which go directly to the Fraternity, and instead, asking alumni to donate to the Foundation, alumni can benefit by deducting their donations for U.S. tax purposes.

And, they can directly benefit their own chapter as well. This is done through the formation of Chapter Endowed Funds for each active chapter, which have been established within the Deke Foundation. Donations to the “CEF” will be aggregated for each chapter, and once they reach $5,000, will be used for the benefit of members of that chapter.

The Deke Foundation should eventually be able to supplement the Fraternity’s budget by about 5-10%, to help us expand these educational programs.

Tax-deductible donations to the Deke Foundation can be made online at https://causes.anedot.com/rlf, or by using the envelope inserted in this magazine. Checks can be sent to: Deke Foundation, PO Box 8360, Ann Arbor, MI 48107

HOW ALUMNI DONATIONS TO THE DEKE FOUNDATION WILL HELP SUPPORT DKE UNDERGRADUATE MEMBERS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING AND SCHOLARSHIPS

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unds raised from DKE alumni will provide educational programming such as scholarships, leadership education, and conferences where educational material is presented. As you will see below, the biggest challenge is to increase programming in areas which affect student health and well-being.

Drastic changes have taken place in the fraternity world in just the past 3-5 years, as we all recognize. One of the biggest demands of HQ operations now is to increase the level of education we provide to our members, especially in the areas of biggest concerns over health and safety, such as alcohol education, hazing prevention, mental health, bystander awareness, and sexual assault. These are the serious student issues that college administrators are expecting fraternity professionals to tackle head-on. There is a strong perception among student life professionals that these problems are more prevalent in fraternities than in other student populations. Whether or not that is true, it has become an expectation of academics that Greek organizations take the lead in educational programming to lessen the impact of these serious problems.

2 The Deke Quarterly | spring 2017

In addition to these topics, we also feel that leadership education should be a big part of belonging to a fraternity today. It’s a competitive world, and leadership training can help young Dekes learn how to take advantage of their fraternity membership, and be better prepared for their future endeavors. All this is true, but we also cannot forget the basic training in the day-to-day aspects of running a fraternity chapter in today’s complex world—recruitment, treasury, risk management, social activities, etc.

These educational programs are delivered through our Chapter Consultant program, through conventions and regional meetings, and other forms of online training and web-based programs, and our budget for these educational activities is growing at a faster rate than any other single budget item.

Besides educational programming, the Deke Foundation would also like to develop a scholarship program for deserving students, to help them make college more affordable, or in some cases, to be able to attend DKE-sponsored educational conferences.

Donations to the Deke Foundation do not go to the support the operational side of DKE Fraternity and are deductible for U.S. tax purposes

S pring 2 0 1 7

table of

Volume 135, No. 1

CONTENTS 15

SPECIAL NEWS

2

DKE FOUNDATION

5

DKE updates

8

joe hagin

10 cover story

Chip Sansom

12

BB A feature story

BROTHER BETA ACADeMY

18

Class of 2017

20

dke judicial committee

departments

Education Consultant: Jen Haidet, Miami University

why I joined DKE

4

HQ Report

6

DEKES UNDER 30

22

alumni profile

23

forgotten greats

27

DEKES GIVING BACK

Cover: Chip Sansom, Lambda ’73, creator of “The Born Loser” comic strip drew this cover for The DEKE Quarterly. Read about his longtime devotion to DKE in the Cover Story.

DKE HQ STAFF Executive Director: Doug Lanpher, Gamma ’77 Director of Marketing & Technology: Eric Holland, Kappa ’13

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24

Favrot’s Search

DKE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Sam Heffner, Psi Omega ’56, Chairman Peter Tripp, Phi Gamma ’93, Vice Chairman Michael Peters, Delta Delta ’90, Treasurer Neilson Brown, Beta ’67, Mid American Regional Director Grant Burnyeat, Phi Alpha ’65, Western Regional Director Cory Crenshaw, Tau Lambda ’01, Southern Regional Director Bob Green, Eta ’69, Member At Large Dan Johnson, Sigma Alpha ’77, Member At Large Stan McMillan, Gamma ’89, Mid Atlantic Regional Director John McNeil, Psi ’79, Member At Large Mason Morjikian, Lamdba ’88, Midwest Regional Director Kevin O’Bryon, Tau Lambda ’77, Southeast Regional Director Luther Soules IV, Tau Chi ’18, Undergraduate Member Terry Stewart, Phi Chi ’69, Member At Large Ross Wigle, Alpha Phi ’79, Member At Large Billy Treadway, Zeta Zeta ’74, Honorary President

Chapter Consultants with areas of responsibility: Craig Dick, Phi Alpha ’16; Michigan, South & Southeast US Daniel Lyon, Omega Mu ’16; New England & Midwest US, Central Canada Turner Spears. Lambda Tau ’16; Pennsylvania & Northeast US Clayton Trette, Iota ’16; Southwest & West US, Western Canada

SPECIAL FEATURE

alumni spotlight

feature story

PUBLISHED BY Delta Kappa Epsilon International PO Box 8360 Ann Arbor, MI 48107 (734) 302-4210 dke.org

29

MYSTIC CIRCLE

DEKE QUARTERLY STAFF Co-editor: Robert Alvis, Gamma ’74 Co-editor: Kevin Cuneo, Gamma ’77 Design: Scott-Goodman Design CONTRIBUTORS Matthew Costantino, Phi Rho ’15 Bill Roberts, Gamma ’77 Kevin Cuneo, Gamma ’77 Turner Spears, Lambda Tau ’16 Michael Dulan, Phi Rho ’14 Clayton Trette, Iota ’16 The DEKE QUARTERLY is an educational journal published by the Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity, PO Box 8360, Ann Arbor, MI 48107, in Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: DEKE Quarterly, Ann Arbor, MI 48107.

Correspondence: Send to DEKE Quarterly, PO Box 8360 Ann Arbor, MI 48107.

Manuscripts, literature, and letters should be addressed to the Editor. Submissions will not be returned. Please mark CONFIDENTIAL if material should not be published.

Copyright ©2017 Delta Kappa Epsilon For change of address please contact DKE HQ and provide Full Name, Chapter, both old and new address. w w w.d ke.o rg

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HQ

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REPORT

ear Brothers in DKE, Welcome to the Spring Edition of the Deke Quarterly! As the baseball season gets under way, and hope springs eternal for another fantastic year for my beloved Cleveland Indians, the academic year is winding down, and as usual, it’s been an eventful year for DKE. It’s always an honor for me to be able to update the Brotherhood on some of the new initiatives taking place at our chapters and at the International headquarters.

bers). We have gotten some great feedback on this program and expect that it will motivate chapters to continue growing. We call it “Performance Based Recruitment Incentives,” or PBRI for short. If anyone can come up with a better acronym, we’re all ears!

To encourage responsible risk management practices in our chapters, our second initiative is that we are moving to a system of variable risk management fees. Chapters who enact strong programs to limit risk will be able to obtain reductions in their RM fees, while those whose behavior is indicative of higher risk will see their premiums rise.

Perhaps the most meaningful new program we put into place this year was our first-ever Brother Beta ConferDoug Lanpher, ence, held in January in Chicago. Besides the fact that it Executive Director One more new initiative we just started this spring was the coldest weekend of the winter (trust me, it was is called the Undergraduate Advisory Board (UAB). really cold), the conference was enormously successThis is a panel of 15 undergraduates - one from each ful. Twenty-one chapter presidents from all around the of 15 of our chapters. The group meets monthly by phone with me Deke map attended, and I wish you could have been there to experior someone from staff, and this is our opportunity to get feedback ence first-hand the quality of young men who are leading our chapters and advice from our undergraduates on a formal basis. We’ll present in 2017. The Deke staff developed an engaging agenda of leadership our plans to the panel members, to see if they agree that what we sessions, blended with nuts & bolts group discussions about chapter are working on will be beneficial to our chapters. We spend a lot of issues, capped off by a session where each chapter leader developed our time and effort working on programs to strengthen the underhis goals and action plans for the upcoming semester. The feedback graduate experience, so it is important to hear from our members we received was extremely positive, and most of those in attendance about what they think we should be doing. Of course we always seek reported that the goal-setting session was the one they got the most informal feedback from our active members, but the UAB puts this in out of. We will continue, and improve, this conference next January. more of a formal, regular format. The chapters participating in UAB will rotate every year.

At HQ, we are constantly seeking to develop ways to teach chapter officers the types of things they need to do to strengthen DKE at their Well, I could go on, but the Editors of the Deke Quarterly are stern campuses. In this regard, we launched two separate initiatives which taskmasters, and are limiting me to this amount of space. If they DID we hope will encourage them to do that. allow me more room, I’d talk about the revival of our Cornell chapter coming up in the Fall, the alumni associations we are establishing for The first new program is one designed to reward chapters that grow five chapters this summer, our upcoming 175th Anniversary celebratheir chapter size. While chapter size is not always a sign of success, tion, great news about DKE’s expanding staff, the Judicial Committee we have found that there is often a correlation between roster size (see more on that later in this issue), and many of the other things and success in other respects. We have been promoting a “Grow by we’re working on to continue DKE’s resurgence. (I might even talk 10” initiative this year, with a 10% growth target, and have spent a lot more about the Indians.) So, I managed to sneak those topics past of energy helping several of our chapters reach that goal by teachthe Editors, but unfortunately can’t expand on them. Maybe next ising them great recruitment techniques. One success story is our sue? Or a Chevron newsletter? three-year old chapter at UNC-Wilmington, which had the largest new member class of all the fraternities on their campus, in both the fall Until then, please accept my best fraternal wishes to all Gentlemen, AND spring semesters this year. Congrats to Chi Beta!

Scholars, and Jolly Good Fellows in DKE! Next year, to continue the focus on growth, we are putting a financial In the Bonds of DKE, reward in place for chapters who grow by 10% or more, by paying them a cash bonus for every new member they acquire. For example, Doug Lanpher, Gamma ’77 if a chapter’s overall roster size increases by 20 members year over Executive Director, Delta Kappa Epsilon year, the chapter will receive a $2,000 bonus ($100 x 20 new mem4 The Deke Quarterly | spring 2017

DKE Updates

DEKE Quarterly readership survey results Recently, DKE sent out two readership surveys, soliciting comments on the current Fall and Winter issues of The DEKE Quarterly. Prior to determining the content slate for 2017, it was important to find out if the magazine is well received and serving the needs of its audience.

In response to a request to rank the stories, the ones receiving the highest scores were: Forgotten Greats of DKE, Donor List, Mystic Circle, and HQ Report. These will continue to be a regular part of the magazine, with the Donor List being published once yearly. A follow up comment on the Donor List, “Wish there were more Dekes from my Chapter” was well received by HQ. Even though it wasn’t panned, Chapter/ Colony News received the lowest marks.

“Hard to read through” was a comment.

The Winter issue contained by far the most reports ever submitted, which did result in a large number of pages. We understand much of this information may not be interesting to all alumni, especially those with less interest in the activities of other chapters. But we do feel it is important to present what is going on throughout DKE Nation and give the chapters an opportunity to showcase their activities.

All of the remaining articles received fairly even rankings from middle to top of the scale.

This suggests The Quarterly should continue offering those features.

There were several comments regarding “include material sent in from readers.” The DEKE Quarterly would like to stress total agreement. Unfortunately, to this point, very little has been received. The quickest method to get information to The Quarterly is to send an email to quarterly@dke.org. You will receive a return email acknowledging your input.

This is particularly important for The Mystic Circle. The information published there is a direct result of notes sent to us. The notices we have included have been fairly detailed as that is what we receive. However, if The Quarterly receives a simple note with the Brother’s name, chapter, graduation year, birth & death dates, it will be published without fanfare.

An additional very important area where readership input would be welcomed is Alumni News. The magazine’s primary audience is DKE alumni. However, the daily responsibilities of much of the DKE International staff are concentrated on servicing the chapters. This makes garnering information about DKE alumni more difficult.

Beginning with this issue, The Quarterly will publish brief profiles on alumni who have made contributions of note to their (or another) chapter. Please feel free to send the name of someone you feel should receive mention to quarterly@dke.org.

The Quarterly is also anxious to publish information regarding general alumni activities. If you send a short email “my alumni group had this gathering and would like to see a note about it in the magazine,” we will definitely follow up and include the information in Alumni News.

More importantly, if you are having an alumni reunion, please send The Quarterly advance notice. We will contact you to discuss the specifics and arrange for an article in the first available issue.

Here are some additional comments from the survey: “Generally speaking, I enjoy reading profiles of Dekes, either in school or out in the world, doing amazing things.”

“I can still recite the Chapter Roll in 60 seconds!”

“Could use more about fraternity issues and solutions.”

“The magazine is an excellent source of information on the current state of the Fraternity.”

Three Regional Summits scheduled for Summer 2017

By Clayton Trette, Iota ’16 The good news is that undergraduate Dekes won’t have to travel so far to meet up with their Brothers at the bi-annual summit.

That’s because three regional summits are being planned.

In years past, Delta Kappa Epsilon has held a single leadership summit in the off years from the Fraternity’s international convention. This leadership summit has become a time for new and veteran officers to come together, share, and learn from DKE staff, alumni, and each other.

DKE Headquarters has decided to split this year’s summit into three regional locations -- Erie, PA.; Minneapolis, MN; and Blacksburg, VA. -- to allow for more undergraduate members to attend and at a lower cost. Three summits, regionally located, should offer this experience to double or triple the members compared to the past.

Multiple dates and locations will also help accommodate Brothers who have summer jobs or internships.

The focus of each regional summit is to help cultivate the up-and-coming leaders in each chapter and give them the knowledge and skills to make their chapters successful. The content at the summits will include ways to motivate and focus a group, year-round recruitment, managing finances, developing good habits as a leader, crisis management, developing your leadership style, and more.

One especially exciting area we’re focusing on this year is deepening our members’ knowledge of DKE ritual. An extensive program is being set up to help ensure that DKE Brothers know, in depth, the meaning behind and how to perform the ritual.

Each summit will take place from Thursday evening to Sunday morning on two different weekends to ensure as many as possible can attend. The first summit will take place in Erie, from July 27th through July 30th. The next two in Blacksburg and Minneapolis will both occur from August 3rd through the 6th.

While gaining skills and knowledge are a key focus for each summit, we also have plenty of bonding and networking time set aside for Brothers to meet and deepen the bonds of brotherhood across chapter, state, and country lines. We at DKE Headquarters hope you are just as excited by these changes and the increased opportunity to support our Brothers as we are. w w w.d ke.o rg

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DEKES U NDE R 30

PATRICK MORRIS, PSI ’12 BRAND MARKETING SPECIALIST FOR NASCAR

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he roar of race cars on the course sounds like music to the ears of Patrick Morris, a 26-year-old Alabama Deke who is building quite a reputation in big league sports marketing. Last April, Patrick joined NASCAR as a brand marketing specialist. His team handles the creative promotions for the league and produces all of NASCAR’s TV commercials, print and radio advertising.

It’s been a rapid rise to the top for Patrick, a business major at the University of Alabama who later picked up a Master in Business degree at UAB. “A relationship with a fellow DKE alumnus, PGA player Dickie Pride, helped me get my foot in the door in professional sports,” Patrick said.

Brother Morris interned with the PGA before joining ESPN, where he worked in sponsorship sales and marketing for the Southeastern Conference Network. When the network launched in 2013, Patrick helped manage the accounts for SEC business partners. He did so well helping to secure sponsors from Southeast-based companies that NASCAR took note and soon came calling. He joined the world-famous stock car racing league and is now based in Charlotte, N.C. From the beginning, when he worked in marketing in Alabama’s athletic department, Patrick showed a flair for sports promotion.

As rush chairman and president of DKE’s Psi Chapter, he also demonstrated a gift for leadership and for motivating his Brothers.

When a major tornado tore through Tuscaloosa in 2011, Patrick’s junior year, he said the chapter’s leadership team realized it had to take action. “We worked to figure 6 The Deke Quarterly | spring 2017

“We worked to figure

out a way to provide relief to the victims and to the hundreds of volunteers who traveled to the region to help out . . . We helped unify Alabama’s entire Greek system, and over a two-week period we provided more than 52,000 hot meals.”

out a way to provide relief to the victims and to the hundreds of volunteers who traveled to the region to help out,” he recalled. “We helped unify Alabama’s entire Greek system, and over a two-week period we provided more than 52,000 hot meals.”

The PSI Brothers also started a fund drive effort that raised over $235,000. “We created a board that consisted of a lot of DKE alumni, and it helped allocate money to different groups and organizations that needed assistance,” Patrick said.

Major national publications, such as Time magazine, were so impressed by the work of the Psi Alabama Dekes that the Fraternity was prominently featured in stories and photos. The Dekes were praised for helping to rebuild Tuscaloosa. “Best of all,” Patrick said, “we were able to transition that effort to the university and make it a unifying fundraising system by the Greek system on campus. It kept running after we graduated.”

Patrick remembers how much he learned and grew during the year he served as president at Psi. “I learned to work with people and develop relationships that enabled us to solve problems,” he said. “It took hard work and dedication, but I learned the power of networking. Plus, I emerged with deep friendships with Brothers that I’m certain will last a lifetime.”

The past year has been busy and exciting for Brother Morris, who is a native of Birmingham. “My wife, Catherine, and I got married in 2016 and we just bought our first house,” he said. Patrick said with a laugh that he has no desire to drive the race cars, but he is helping to drive business to new heights for NASCAR.

ANDREW FLOWERS, DELTA DELTA ’07 MAKES HIS MARK IN ECONOMICS, DATA SCIENCE AND JOURNALISM

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orn in Louisiana, Andrew Flowers learned at an early age to find comfort with change. The son of a career U.S. Army officer, Andrew did not attend the same school for consecutive years until the 11th grade.

“Our family moved around a lot, which bugged me then but probably shaped who I am now,” the personable Flowers said.

Today, he is in demand for his multiple skills, which include writing and editing.

He’s also an applied statistician who spent more than five years as a senior economic research analyst with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta. He would go on to become a quantitative editor and economics writer for the respected website FiveThirtyEight, which focuses on opinion poll analysis, politics, economics, popular culture and sports blogging.

A proud Delta Delta Deke at the University of Chicago, Flowers would spend three years at FiveThirtyEight, which started as a licensed online feature of The New York Times before ESPN purchased the company and renamed it FiveThirtyEight: Nate Silver’s Political Calculus.

Andrew, who works at the intersection of economics, data science and journalism, has been juggling several projects as a freelance writer since leaving FiveThirtyEight in December. “The timing of the change made a lot of sense,” he said. “My wife, Anna, got a great job as pastor of United Church in Walpole, Massachusetts, and we moved here with our daughter, Vivian, who’s 18 months old. We did hate to give up our 400 square foot apartment in New York,” he said with good humor.

His bright personality and keen intelligence have served him well since his college

“We had Dekes who

were from India, Brazil, Rwanda, Russia, Egypt – you name it. We had conservative Republicans and left-wing activists . . . we were all so different, and we had discussions that occasionally turned into heated arguments, but we all loved each other.”

days and his time at DKE, which he recalls with deep fondness. “At Delta Delta, I met an incredibly diverse group of men,” Andrew said. “We had Dekes who were from India, Brazil, Rwanda, Russia, Egypt – you name it.

We had conservative Republicans and leftwing activists, and we were all very close.

We were all so different, and we had discussions that occasionally turned into heated arguments, but we all loved each other.”

Andrew still keeps in close touch with his Delta Delta brothers through an e-mail chain and on Slack. “I attended a Deke wedding in December and will be heading to another in May,” he said. Flowers started out at Chicago as a pre-med major, but after spending a summer working in the ER at Cook County Hospital, tending to gunshot victims, he decided he would rather help shape gun policy. So, he got serious about his economics studies. At college, he was a star on the debate team, served in student government, and even put in a year as part of a comedy improvisation group.

His years at FiveThirtyEight proved productive, as he wrote more than 200 byline stories on multiple topics. “I’m a huge sports fan and helped cover the NBA and college football. It was great,” he said.

Now the multi-talented Flowers is considering new offers as he plans his next career move. “Fortunately, my life is very full and I’m looking forward to the next challenge,” he said.

DEKES UNDER 30 is a regular DEKE Quarterly feature focusing on up and coming Dekes who are on the move and have much to offer their DKE Brothers. Please email quarterly@DKE.org if you would like to see a fellow Deke receive recognition.

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SPECIAL NEWS

KENYON DEKE JOINS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AS DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF

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hen President Donald Trump needed to find a skilled, loyal White House veteran for the key position of Deputy Chief of Staff, Washington insiders told him he could do no better than Joe Hagin. The 61-year-old Hagin, a dedicated Deke who remains close to his Lambda Brothers, had previously served as a top White House official in three administrations for a total of 14 years.

After serving as an aide to George H.W. Bush during his unsuccessful GOP presidential campaign in 1979, Hagin was named personal assistant to Bush when he became Vice President in 1981. Bush later appointed him to head the Vice-President’s legislative affairs office, a position in which Brother Hagin served from 1983-85.

In 1985, Hagin left the White House to serve for three years as Public Affairs Director for Federated Department Stores, which owns Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s. Respected as a skillful manager and communicator, Hagin has moved easily throughout his career between the top levels of business and White House politics.

He returned to politics in 1988 during the senior Bush’s successful run for president. Hagin continued his service during Bush’s administration as Appointments Secretary until 1991 when he took a job as vice president of corporate affairs at Chiquita Brands International.

As an example of his dedication to community service, during his years with Chiquita, Hagin was a volunteer firefighter for the Madeira Indian Hill Joint Fire District.

8 The Deke Quarterly | spring 2017

Top (l-r): Hagin departing Marine One, advising George W. Bush.

“The stress was immense, it was very real and could have been debilitating... but people really rallied”

Brother Hagin, born in Lexington, Ky., was raised in the village of Indian Hill near Cincinnati, Ohio. He received his B.A. from Kenyon College in 1978.

During George W. Bush’s 2000 run for the presidency, Hagin served as deputy campaign manager. In 2001 he was appointed Deputy Chief of Staff, a position in which he remained until July 2008. Before Karl Rove, a top adviser to Bush, resigned in 2007, Washington insiders claimed that Hagin’s day-to-day power rivaled that of Rove.

A consummate professional who never draws attention to himself, Hagin gained the trust of President George W. Bush, who praised him profusely for his management of the overall administrative, security, and military support structure surrounding the president. Bush said Hagin excelled during the bleak days

following the 9/11 attacks. He led the extensive, post September 11th effort to reorganize and modernize the structure and methodology for modern day Presidential support, and he was one of eight principal officials responsible for planning the formation of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

President George W. Bush relied on Hagin for numerous assignments, and he appointed his valued assistant to chair the White House task force on the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, hosted by the United States. Indeed, Hagin’s skills ranged from overseeing the President’s participation in key international summits and conferences to planning and executing the President’s covert travel to Iraq and Afghanistan.

In recent years, Hagin helped found and run the Command Group, and has served on the board of directors of several major companies.

SPECIAL feature

WHY I JOINED DKE

By Turner Spears, Lambda Tau ’16

What initially attracted you to DKE? I had always considered Greek life, but kept making excuses as to why I shouldn’t join. The list of excuses was aggressively average: I didn’t have time, I didn’t want to pay for friends, I was already involved in many other organizations. At the end of the day, I just hadn’t given it a shot because it didn’t seem that noteworthy. But, as a Junior, I decided that it was time to jump in.

I pledged DKE because I knew it would give me the opportunity to expand my friend network and give me another chance to help lead an organization.

have was a letter signed by George W. Bush, from the previous convention, sitting on a corner coffee table.

There was a picture of Teddy Roosevelt on the wall, and a faded t-shirt with ΔKE on the pocket. I had met a group of men who had decided to forge their own path and form their own destiny, and they had surrounded themselves with a 170-year-old Fraternity filled with men who did the same.

The oath of office was administered to Turner by LTC Russell Rector at the University of Tennessee in May 2016 for his commissioning into the United States Army National Guard.

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What have you gained so far from your experience in DKE? Within ten minutes of pledging, my world view started to change. I made friends who became my Brothers, and DKE was soon a hell of a dream that I am happy I bought into. Now I work for DKE as a chapter consultant, actively recruiting new members on almost a daily basis. Being a part of this brotherhood is something that gets into your blood and shapes your life forever.

Why did you decide hat the Dekes did have was a letter to join DKE? signed by George W. Bush, from the I was recruited by a previous convention, sitting on a corner group of men who had the fortitude to start a coffee table. There was a picture of chapter of Delta Kappa Teddy Roosevelt on the wall, and a faded Epsilon at the University of Tennessee. After t-shirt with ΔKE on the pocket.”

This is a new feature in ten minutes of speaking which DKE Brothers tell to a group of guys in an what attracted them to off-campus apartment, I our fraternity, and how the experience of being a Deke made my decision. I wasn’t recruited with pomp and has enriched their lives. If you’d like to share why you circumstance. There was no girl standing by the door joined DKE, please write to quarterly@dke.org. to give me a name tag and a smile. What the Dekes did

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BRIGHT FUTURES AWAIT DKE With graduation fast approaching for many undergraduate Delta Kappa Epsilon Brothers, the grave and reverent seniors are about to embark on the first step of their life’s work. Here’s a look at six Brothers who understand that all that stands between them and their dreams is hard work and a determination to succeed. Not surprisingly, they all credit their time in DKE for helping to set them on the right path.

ANDREW FONTAINE, PHI MU ’17

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ndrew Fontaine, of Phi Mu Manhattan College, helped provide memorable leadership to the pledge classes he worked with at the chapter. As pledge educator, and assistant pledge educator before that, he gave meaning to every aspect of the process, to ensure that pledges would learn and grow, and be fully equipped to become outstanding Dekes. Andrew said what he learned in DKE will remain with him for the rest of his life. After graduation, he hopes to enroll in a doctorate program for psychology, with the ultimate goal of becoming a practicing psychologist.

Andrew is pictured with the President of Manhattan College, Brennan O’Donnell.

MOIZ KARIM, BETA TAU ’17

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oiz Karim made his way from his hometown of Sugarland, Texas, to the beautiful geographic scenery at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada, learning every step of the way.

“There to help me on my journey always were my Delta Kappa Epsilon Brothers,” Moiz said. “They taught me not to be content with the status quo, but to strive for something that at one time might have seemed out of reach.”

Moiz, who majored in political science, recently accepted a position with a commercial banking firm. “I will help advise mid-market businesses on development and fund growth,” he said.

“Eventually, I would like to realize my dream of becoming the general manager of a sports franchise. My time in DKE has taught me that with hard work and dedication, anything is possible in life.”

BILLY SUKITCH, PHI RHO ’17

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illy Sukitch did it all during his years in Delta Kappa Epsilon at Penn State.

He served as president, secretary, and chairman of recruitment. “I learned so much at DKE,” he said. “You get to know people really well and the guys in the chapter become your friends for life.”

By assuming so many positions of leadership at the chapter, he learned to broaden his horizons. “After graduation, I plan to move to Minneapolis, Minnesota, to begin working for Polaris Industries in their sales and marketing leadership development program,” Billy said.

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BROTHERS IN CLASS OF 2017 DORIAN PERSUAD, PHI MU ’17

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uring his time at Manhattan College, Dorian Persaud served the Phi Mu Chapter as rush chairman, social chairman, Greek council president, and student body president. Dorian said that, now more than ever, Greek life is on Manhattan College’s radar for its positive influence.

After graduation, Dorian plans to work as a fulltime administrator for the college. He will also enroll as a fulltime student and work on his MBA in accounting.

In his final semester as an undergraduate, Dorian is using his role as an administrator to represent Greek life in a professional setting with other members of the school’s administration.

Dorian spent his past winter break touring both Italy and France.

MIGUEL A. VILLALBA, SIGMA KAPPA ’17

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iguel Villalba said his time at Delta Kappa Epsilon has had a profound effect on his life in a number of ways. “From joining a Brotherhood away from home to strengthening my understanding of the values that truly constitute what it means to be a gentleman, a scholar, and a jolly good fellow, DKE has meant so much to me,” he said. “I had so much fun with guys who I’m certain will be my friends for life.

I believe that DKE has enhanced my skills and helped me find a vision to see the results of hard work. I realize that long-term growth will occur if you have confidence and faith in your work.”

Miguel has always had a passion for participating in new ventures in life. “Each experience has left me better invested with a brighter future ahead of me,” he said.

Miguel expects his journey to continue after graduation when he goes to work in the private equity field. “I hope to make the lives of others better by always having a single, consistent mindset – that is to always have a specific strategic plan for improvement.”

TOM PARONICH, ALPHA MU ’17

T

om Paronich said he had no idea when he pledged Delta Kappa Epsilon at Rowan University how much his decision would have an impact on his life.

“The fraternity quickly became my second home,” he said. “Because of DKE, I met my closest friends at college, as well as numerous alumni Brothers and Dekes from chapters all around North America.”

Tom served as Alpha Mu’s president, and the experience taught him how to handle multiple situations. “I learned so many life lessons in DKE and the fraternity helped me accomplish goals that I never would have been able to reach by myself. I also had the opportunity to watch my younger brother, John Paronich, follow in my footsteps and become a Brother in DKE.” When Tom graduates, he plans to pursue a career as a structural design civil engineer. He majored in civil and environmental engineering at Rowan, while minoring in mathematics. “Being a Deke was like the icing on the cake, and I plan never to be too distant from my Brothers,” he said.

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feature story

FIRST ANNUAL BROTHER BETA ACADEMY PROVES MEANINGFUL

By Turner Spears, Lambda Tau ’16

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ne of the most memorable quotes of Brother Teddy Roosevelt is to “do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” Since he was a Presidential Deke, I have always found a correlation between his words here to the task that many current Brother Betas see before themselves today. Brother Betas take ownership of a chapter at a young age and make a steadfast commitment to improve the organization through capitalizing on their own experiences and knowledge. While experience in a chapter can only be gained through time, trial and error, Delta Kappa Epsilon International readily recognizes that we can provide knowledge so that our Brother Betas can continue to do what they can at their chapters, but have a little more skill while they do it. In an effort to provide this knowledge, the First Annual Brother Beta Academy came to fruition.

Taking place in Chicago, IL over the Winter Break, Brother Betas from all over the United States gathered for four days and were exposed to classes covering Inspiring and Influencing, Managing an Executive Board, Motivating during Recruitment, and Crisis Management.

The material was presented in case study format and all of the discussions took place in a small group setting. The pairing of topics, delivery, and discussion created an atmosphere where Brother Betas were able to not only gather new knowledge on 12 The Deke Quarterly | spring 2017

these topics, but also to create relationships with their counterparts, share experiences, and find solutions to problems at their respective schools.

Although the majority of the Brother Betas’ time was in a classroom setting, an opportunity was provided to apply their current knowledge with what they were studying in a practical way through participation in an “Escape Room”. Essentially, the “Escape Room” is a group activity that places a team inside a completely locked room with clues on how to escape. Without a doubt, teamwork is essential to make it out before the clock strikes zero.

Initially sounding like a fun way to get away from the academic sessions, the scenarios symbolized a lot of what the Brother Betas face on a daily basis; feeling as if they are encountered with a problem (such as recruitment) with only clues on how to solve it (their past experiences) while trying to lead their peers (the Recruitment Committee) without knowing what the final outcome will look like (Bid Day). At the end of the activity, the lessons learned about pre-planning, creating a consensus, and adjusting on the fly seemed to really take root.

Overall, the Brother Beta Conference was a learning opportunity for both undergraduate attendees as well as the International body. Brother Betas were able to gain valuable tools to take back to their chapters while honing those skills.

DKE International was able to continue

to take stock in what the Brother Betas need as well as find interesting. At the end of the day, feedback confirmed the event was a roaring success that cemented the “tie that binds our hearts in one” a little bit stronger.

The Deke presidents who attended the first Brother Beta Academy in Chicago in January learned how to lead, motivate and inspire their Brothers back at their home chapters.

BUSICK SHARES CONFERENCE LESSONS WITH BETA PHI BROTHERS

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rt Busick, Beta Phi ’18, said he didn’t know what to expect coming all the way from Rochester to January’s Brother Beta conference in Chicago. “Because we came from different parts of North America and had different backgrounds, I wasn’t sure if we would all connect,” Art said. But his fears quickly subsided.

“There was a mixture of guys who had a lot of experience, and others, like me, who were brand new. But our traditions bound us together and I ended up learning so much that I took back to our chapter,” Art said. “Even though we’d never met each other, we found that there were a lot of similarities among the chapters.”

One of the most important things Art learned was how to forge a close bond with his Brothers back at the chapter in Rochester. “We’ve started having weekly brotherhood events – going to hockey and basketball games together, and we’ve had great times watching big sporting events on TV. I think these activities remind the guys why we joined DKE, and spending time as Bothers has reaffirmed those bonds,” he said. “It was a valuable example I saw first-hand at the summit.”

A 20-year-old History major from Poughkeepsie, N.Y., Art is determined to maintain the spirit that he witnessed in Chicago. “The connection between all DKE brothers is strong, and we at Beta Phi want to be a part of it,” he concluded.

Continued

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13

Brother Beta Academy continued

PHI EPSILON’S COX RECOMMENDS ACADEMY TO FUTURE BROTHER BETAS

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ailey Cox, Phi Epsilon ’18, says the Minnesota chapter doesn’t have many nearby DKE neighbors, so it was special for him to meet Brothers from all over North America at the recent Brother Beta conference. “Almost instantly, I had a feeling of solidarity with the rest of the chapter presidents,” said Bailey, a 20-year-old junior finance and computer science major from St. Paul.

“The workshops and programming were great, and it was the perfect opportunity to network,” he said. “If you made the effort to put something in, you got a lot out of it, and I would highly recommend this experience for future Brother Betas.”

Bailey said that some DKE Chapter presidents occasionally feel as if they’re the only one dealing with a certain problem.

“But we found that isn’t the case – that a lot of guys face the same challenges. The exposure to the other presidents and the responsibilities they have was enlightening,” he said.

“The communication between representatives at the conference proved extremely valuable. We explored how to develop strategy and how to implement it, and I took a lot back to my Phi Epsilon Brothers.”

Bailey said he feels better equipped to motivate his Brothers to accomplish their goals. “We’ve found at Minnesota that guys not only want to do it, they want to do it well,” he said. “I think that’s part of what I learned about motivation at the conference.”

KETRING SAYS BROTHER BETA LESSONS ALREADY PAY DIVIDENDS AT OMEGA MU

J

acob Ketring, Omega Mu ’17, calls his experience at the Brother Beta Academy “one of a kind.” “I never thought I would be a part of something like this. I learned things that should help take our chapter to new heights,” said the 22-year-old senior from Omega Mu Oklahoma State.

“The conference really opened my eyes – taught me that being a Deke is much bigger than just one person,” he said. “The spirit in Chicago was something that I want to share with all my Omega Mu Brothers. The Brother Betas came from all over North America, but we had strong bonds in common and I learned from everyone I met. The DKE staff was terrific, inspiring everyone and helping to foster a spirit of unity.”

Jacob said he picked up more valuable tips about recruiting, which helped pay off in another strong rush class. “Learning about morale helped me come back and get the guys pumped up,” he said. A native of Broken Arrow, Okla., Jacob said he learned what it takes to be a leader, to motivate people and help solve problems.

“When I returned to our chapter, I had the conviction that these are my Brothers, and it was very meaningful,” he said. “That was just one of the important things I took back from Chicago.”

ARTHUR FORGES NEW FRIENDSHIPS FOR DELTA CHAPTER

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or James Arthur, president of DKE’s Delta Chapter at South Carolina, the Brother Beta Academy yielded gifts that keep on giving. “I made friends and remain in contact with brothers from different chapters, and we still talk (on the phone) at least twice a week,” James said.

He thought the discussion at the conference on recruitment proved especially valuable. “I saw how the different chapters do it, as we talked about what works for them. It was a fantastic way to network,” he said.

Arthur, Delta ’17, said, since the summit closed, ongoing discussions with brothers from other chapters have yielded many good ideas which are regularly shared with Luther Soules, Tau Chi Texas A&M ’18, the undergraduate member of DKE’s board of directors. “We give our ideas to Luther and he passes them on,” James said.

A 21-year-old Houston, Texas, resident who is majoring in finance and entrepreneurship, James said the conference conveyed a sense of pride and urgency in what we, as Dekes, do. “That’s one of the things I took back – that we represent what DKE really is. Motivation is really big with me, and I try to encourage my brothers to be as invested in their education as in anything else they do.”

As a result of the bonds he forged at the summit, James said the Delta Rho brothers from North Carolina State will soon visit the Delta chapter. “We have an ongoing relationship now, which is a result of the Brother Beta conference. I would say that it was a great way to meet brothers and now we’re staying in touch.”

14 The Deke Quarterly | spring 2017

Cover Story

DEKES LAND ON THE FUNNY PAGES, COURTESY OF CHIP SANSOM, LAMBDA ’73

Chip (center) with Big Brother Norm Schmidt (left) and Little Brother Gregg DeSilvio (right).

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By Kevin Cuneo, Gamma ’77

hip Sansom’s Kenyon DKE Brothers keep a close watch on his comic strip because they never know when one of them will turn up in The Born Loser. Sansom, who began working with his late father, Art Sansom, on the prizewinning strip in 1977, has been its sole creator for the past 26 years. During that time, he’s been known to mention his beloved Fraternity or one or two of the Brothers who were closest to him.

“Actually, I’ve remained in touch with a lot of the guys for many years,” said the 65-year-old Sansom, who lives and works in the same house where he grew up in Lakewood, Ohio, a leafy community of 53,000 bordering the city of Cleveland to the west. “For all its faults, I love Facebook for helping me reconnect with Brothers I haven’t seen for years,” Sansom said. He attended a reunion with dozens of Dekes at the October rededication of the “new” Lambda Lodge, on the hill at Kenyon, which dates

to 1871. Without much prodding, Sansom proudly recounts the history of the Lambda Chapter, which began as a secret literary society at Kenyon in 1852.

Sansom was an English major after enrolling at Kenyon in 1969, and he had no idea he would follow in his father’s footsteps as the artist and writer of The Born Loser, which debuted on the comics pages of American newspapers in May, 1965.

Since then, its reach has spread to more than 1,000 newspapers in 30 countries. It’s translated into 20 languages and twice has been voted North America’s top comic strip by the National Cartoonist Society. It’s been nominated for that prestigious honor six times.

Chip’s parents were prize-winning artists whose serious paintings were nationally known and respected. “They were schooled in all aspects of art at Ohio Wesleyan University, and I knew I could never hope to equal their level of talent or success,” the Continued

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15

Notice Kenyon shirt on Norm

modest Sansom said. “So, I never tried – took not a single art course in all my years in school. It was stupid, really, because it would have helped me in later years to have at least some art education.”

He began an apprenticeship with his father 40 years ago when he was 25. “My dad thought it would be a nice break to get help with the writing of The Born Loser, and he interviewed a bunch of candidates, including me,” Sansom recalled. “I could write well and I knew the strip and the characters. I told him I didn’t want any compensation, but after a year he encouraged me to stay on and said I should start taking a salary. In those days I would do anything to help with the strip – file things, color the Sunday strip, whatever was needed. Dad took me on as a complete novice and taught me very well over the next 14 years.”

Cleveland journalist Michael Sangiacomo describes the humorous comic strip’s early years this way: “Originally, the strip was not about one person, but about the ‘Born Loser’ in all of us. It touched on the times when stupid things happened to us and we felt like a loser. But eventually the strip would coalesce around one character, Brutus Thornapple, a typical 1960s office worker with an unreasonable boss, Rancid “Rank” Veeblefester. Thornapple faces abuse and challenges every day. From the beginning, he’s been out of touch with modern times, and it’s even more that way today. The conflicts of daily life provide much of the humor of the strip as he reacts to life’s indignities along with his wife, Gladys, and his ‘Dennis-the-Menace’-like son, Wilberforce.”

16 The Deke Quarterly | spring 2017

The bratty girl next door, Hurricane Hattie O’Hara, starred for several years in the 1980s in her own comic strip, Dusty Chaps.

“It had a big start, thanks to the popular urban cowboy trend at the time, but it faded after a few years, as did the trend,” Sansom said. “Dad and I were devoting almost as much time to Dusty Chaps as we were to The Born Loser, so we let it go.”

Over the years, there were plans to turn The Born Loser into a TV show, and comic actor George Gobel was considered for the part of Brutus. In an animated TV version of the comic strip, Rodney Dangerfield was hired to provide Brutus’ voice. “But neither show ever came to pass,” Sansom said.

It’s clear as you talk with Sansom that he worships the memory of his father, who died at 70 in 1991. But Chip’s skill as a writer and, later, as an artist, have given The Born Loser longevity. “I learned my dad’s techniques, and I do have a good eye,” he said. “Basically, I consider myself more of a craftsman than an artist, which means it takes me twice as long as it took Dad to come up with the finished product.”

Editors on national newspaper syndicates recall the transition of The Born Loser from Art to Chip Sansom as seamless, but Chip doesn’t remember it that way. “I think the gags were seamless, because writing is my strength,” he said. “But I noticed a huge difference in the artwork, and, in all honesty, it took me 10 years until I was completely happy with it.” Today, Sansom labors on the strip many hours a day, seven days a week. “But I like being my own boss and having the ability, when I feel like it, to take a break from the work to play a round a golf or take part

Copy of a favorite DKE strip, crafted by Chip’s father, which hangs on DKE HQ bulletin board

Brutus’s imaginary Great Uncle Hazen Grant is combination of Chip’s DKE Brothers, Hazen Arnold and Bob Grant

in a family event.” Chip and his wife, Brooke, are the parents of a son and daughter, and Isabel, a recent college graduate, has taken up the helper’s role around the office.

“I love this work and don’t believe I will ever retire. It’s in my blood now,” Sansom said. “About the only drawback is that I must work when I’m sick, and I can never take a vacation unless I work far ahead, which is not easy to do.”

When Art Sansom was alive, he knew what a strong bond Chip had with Delta Kappa Epsilon, which is why he often let him slip mentions of the Fraternity into the comic strip. “Dad was a member of Phi Kappa Psi fraternity, but I’ve always felt that if we’d had a chapter at Ohio Wesleyan, he’d have been a Deke. As it was, he and my mom seemed thrilled when I pledged DKE at Kenyon.”

Sansom said over the years he’s enjoyed not only putting the DKE name in specific strips, but also including several of his Lambda Brothers. “I even made some of them characters in the strip,” he said. “Sometimes I’d use somebody’s name – or a mashup of a couple of names. Brutus would make a phone call to somebody, and I’d slip the name in. I knew my Brothers would recognize it and get a kick out of it. In the last year and a half, I’ve twice featured Kenyon Brothers. Both my big brother and my little brother were used in 2015.” Every time there’s a mention of DKE in The Born Loser, Sansom said he receives letters and e-mails from readers who ask, “Are you a Deke?” “The answer is yes – a proud one,” he said.

Sansom said he had a terrific time at the rededication of

Lambda’s Lodge, where he mingled with Dekes of all ages. “It was great not only to see the guys I’d lived with, but to chat with some of the older Dekes and especially the current actives at the chapter,” he said. “They are all very impressive people and I plan on going back to Lambda soon and remaining active with DKE. You know, I’ve got to say my time with DKE as a college student was one of the best times of my life, and I thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. I’ve found all the traditions extremely rewarding, and my time in DKE taught me so much about life and about interacting with others. If I had it to do all over again, I would absolutely pledge DKE. I have no regrets at all.”

Many of the friendships Sansom forged at DKE remain strong today. “I’m fortunate that a fair number of my Brothers live in the Cleveland area, so we stay in touch and get together from time to time.”

He laughed as he remembered a call some years ago when he was asked to sign a DKE flag. “I think it was going to be auctioned off, or some such thing,” Sansom said. “Anyway, I was told that some of the Fraternity’s biggest names would be on the flag, but I didn’t think much about it until I received it in the mail from Gerald Ford’s office – with the instruction to sign and forward it to George H.W. Bush. I couldn’t believe it, and called the person who’d set the whole project in motion. ‘I can’t do this,’ I said. ‘I’m not even in the same league with these fellows.’

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feature story

FAVROT’S SEARCH CONTINUES TO REVEAL MORE ABOUT HEROES IN POEM

By Kevin Cuneo, Gamma ’77

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Semmes said he had a conversation with emmes Favrot, Psi ’83, calls Grant Burnyeat, DKE’s respected historian, himself an amateur historian, who told him, “If you find that the poem is not but anyone who’s as passionate true, it might be best to just bury it, because and diligent about research as he for so many it’s embedded in the tradition of is surely deserves a better title. the Fraternity.”

Semmes, a 56-year-old New Or“In a weird way, I wondered if I was dableans lawyer, has gained fame in the DKE World bling on the dark side, risking becoming the in recent years for uncovering mysteries surDarth Vader of DKE,” Semmes said. But he rounding John Clair Minot’s poem, “Brothers in started his research by reading and studyDKE.” Written in 1897 by Minot, a Theta Deke, ing everything he could find about the Battle it’s the moving story about two DKE Brothers at Cold Harbor, Va., which took place during -- one from Theta in Maine and one from Psi the first week of June in 1864. He discovered in Alabama, meeting on a Civil War battlefield that Lieutenant Edwin S. Rogers of the 31st -- that has become such a part of the fabric of Maine Regiment of Volunteers, who is the Delta Kappa Epsilon.

Theta Bowdoin Deke in the poem, did not die Semmes said he inherited his passion for on June 3 on the battlefield, as had been ashistory from his grandfather, Mortimer Favrot, sumed. Rather, he was wounded on June 7, and Semmes Favrot, Psi ’83 Tau Lambda ’15. The Favrot name is well known likely taken by Rebel soldiers to a farmhouse throughout DKE, and Semmes proudly points or makeshift hospital, where he later died. It out that there are 38 Dekes in his family. meant that Rogers could have been cared for in his final hours As an undergraduate at Psi Alabama in the early 1980s, by a surgeon who was a Deke.

Semmes said he loved to steal up to the third-floor chapter “Minot got the basic story right, but when he was writing in room at the old Psi mansion and leaf through the volumes of the 1890s, all of the authoritative information about the Civil history. Eventually, he would become chapter historian, which War had not yet become available,” Semmes said. “I just had fueled his search for the true identities of the Brothers in Miaccess to resources that he didn’t.” not’s poem. “The initial effort to find the name of the Alabama Semmes also had access to the Internet, and he would spend Deke in the poem was undertaken primarily by Brothers Black days trying to track down information about the right Edwin S. Chafee, Psi ’83, John McNeil, Psi ’79, and Agee Broughton, Psi Rogers.

“There are a lot of them – millions, it seems,” he said, ’80,” Semmes said. “They poked around and discovered some smiling. His research led him in April 2014 to Alice Shepherd, maps, but it proved difficult to figure out who was involved.” an amateur historian who was not only well familiar with RogSemmes believes that for real historians, the truth is not ers’ story, she even knew the Rogers family in Patten, Maine. always what you want it to be. “I’m dedicated to that proposiBest of all, they were still in possession of Edwin Rogers’ DKE tion and I’m never going to overlook or embellish facts. That’s pin. “When I heard all that, it was one of the greatest days of mythology, not history.” At one point in his research, as many my life,” Semmes said. of the facts simply wouldn’t add up, Semmes wondered if perIn August of that year, he took his wife, Catherine, and four haps Minot had just taken poetic license when he mentioned children, who at that time ranged in age from 6 to 13, and “Psi in Alabama.” “Did it just match the rhythm and meter of headed to Maine. “It turns out that the story has been perpetuthe poem?” he asked.

18 The Deke Quarterly | spring 2017

Clockwise from top: Edwin Rogers while at Bowdoin wearing pin. The Rampant Lion and Rogers’ tombstone.

Favrot’s DKE pin, left, from 1979, and Edwin Rogers’ “battered” DKE pin, right, ca. 1861, atop Edwin’s memorial, Patten Cemetery. John Clair Minot, author of “Brothers in DKE.”

ated in the Rogers family, and they were familiar with the DKE poem,” he said. “For me, hours and hours of boredom had turned into sheer ecstasy.

But I knew that half of the job remained, and it had actually become more complicated. Now, instead of searching for just one man out of 87 Alabama Dekes serving at that time, I had to take into consideration that perhaps the Brother who attended to Rogers might have been a surgeon from Eta Virginia, or possibly a man who’d been a DKE Brother at a Northern chapter. It wasn’t uncommon in those days for Southerners to send their sons up North to school.”

So, Semmes’ quest continues. “I’m still at it,” he said. “We’ve seen the pin and I’ve actually visited two graves – one in Virginia and one in Maine – where Lieutenant Rogers is reputed to be buried.”

A longtime board member of New Orleans’ Civil War Museum, and numerous historical organizations throughout the South, Semmes, who is named for legendary Confederate Admiral Raphael Semmes, is a respected historian. “There’s a statue of Admiral Semmes in Mobile, and that’s how I got my nickname – The Admiral –

at the Deke House,” he said.

As he continues raising his family and running his law office, Semmes said he will keep working to learn the identity of the Southern DKE Brother in the beloved poem.

Don’t bet against him.

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SPECIAL NEWS

DKE JUDICIAL COMMITTEE PROVIDES FAIR HEARING FOR POTENTIAL VIOLATORS

by Bill Roberts, Gamma ’77

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uring last summer’s 2016 convention in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, longtime Delta Kappa Epsilon Board member John McNeil and DKE Executive Director Doug Lanpher announced a new committee to address threats to our Brotherhood. The goal was to put a process into place that would be consistent, fair, and expeditious, and a Judicial Committee has been established to investigate and adjudicate potential violations of DKE’s risk management and social media policies.

“Each chapter or Brother who is charged with a violation deserves to know that DKE will give them a fair hearing,” Lanpher said. “Our goal is always to make sure that DKE chapters are following practices that ensure the health and safety of our members, new members, and guests.”

The DKE Board of Directors amended the Fraternity’s constitution to establish the Judicial Committee which not only enforces DKE’s risk management policies but, in general, helps to ensure that DKE Brothers are acting in ways that are consistent with our Objects, and consistent with our motto, “Gentlemen, Scholars, and Jolly Good Fellows.”

It removes much of the responsibility from the DKE Board of Directors and staff for conducting investigations, adjudicating issues and deciding sanctions, if there are any.

20 The Deke Quarterly | spring 2017

The initial Judicial Committee is composed of five DKE Brothers: Ron Li, Phi Alpha ’10; Nat Kluttz, Beta ’09; Nick Pence, Sigma Kappa ’00; George Otey, Rho Lambda ’74; and Bill Roberts, Chairman, Gamma ’77.

Like most DKE committees and the Board of Directors, no two members may come from any one chapter.

Committee members serve two-year terms with a maximum of three full terms, or seven years in total.

The terms of the initial committee members are staggered so that the entire board will not rotate off in any two-year period.

Judicial Committee investigations will originate with an incident report.

Most of the incident reports will be prepared by the DKE staff and will

include the basic facts as they are known to the individual preparing the report. Some incident reports may be complete and some may be a mere skeleton of the facts of an incident.

Once an incident report is assembled, it is forwarded to the Chairman of the Judicial Committee. He assigns the matter to one or more Judicial Committee members to investigate.

DKE staff members will assist in some investigations. The Judicial Committee member who investigates the incident develops the facts and makes a recommendation as to whether the member or chapter is responsible for the alleged misdeed.

The entire Judicial Committee with the advice of the DKE Execu-

William Roberts, Gamma ’77

Ron Li, Phi Alpha ’10

tive Director reviews the completed incident report. They determine whether a member or chapter is responsible by a majority vote of the five Committee members. The Judicial Committee may also refer a report for greater investigation. In making its decision, the Committee takes into account all comments, documents, records and other information submitted by the member, the chapter, the DKE staff and the Executive Director.

If a member or chapter is found to be responsible, the member or chapter is informed in writing by the Chairman of the Judicial Committee of its findings. Those found not responsible are also informed in writing, but no further action is taken for most “no responsibility” decisions.

Responsible members of chapters may appeal the determination of the Committee, but the first appeal must be made back to the Committee so that it will have an opportunity to fully understand the position of the member or chapter. Once an appeal has been made to the Committee, a final decision of responsibility is

made. The responsible member or chapter may appeal to the Legal and Judiciary Committee of the DKE Board of Directors, chaired by Kevin O’Bryon, Tau Lambda ’77.

Like the Judicial Committee, the Board may sustain the Judicial Committee’s finding, reverse the finding or ask for more investigation. The Judicial Committee does not have the authority to expel any member or to close any chapter. Only the DKE Board of Directors can expel a member or close a chapter.

George Otey, Rho Lambda ’74

Nat Kluttz, Beta ’09

Once an incident

report is assembled, it is forwarded to the Chairman of the Judicial Committee. He assigns the matter to one or more Judicial Committee members to investigate.

EXAMPLE SYNOPSIS OF AN INCIDENT REPORT The men of Chapter X hosted at Chapter X house an unofficial party for new sorority pledges after the women received bids. Chapter X served alcohol at the party, including a keg of beer. The House also provided cases of beer.

Chapter X provided security at the door, but that security did not screen for underage people who might consume alcohol. The role of security was to largely control access to the party and serve as bouncers in the event of a fight.

Two women who attended the party ended up getting taken to a hospital for treatment related to drinking at the event. One was evacuated from the Chapter X house directly to a hospital. The other was transported by ambulance from another location on campus to a hospital after she left the Chapter X house.

The woman who was evacuated from the Chapter house was underage. She had been at the house for a relatively short period of time, but had apparently been taking other medication that may have intensified the effects of the alcohol she consumed. The details of the second woman’s situation are not clear.

DKE International would, in most cases, be informed of the situation by the Office of Greek Life or similar organization at the school.

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21

ALUMNI profile

TULLER MARKS SIX DECADES OF SUPPORTING THETA ZETA

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ixty years have passed since Bob Tuller, Theta Zeta ’57 ended his career as an undergraduate member of Delta Kappa Epsilon. But that was only the beginning for the man known in California as “Mr. Deke.”

Bob joined Theta Zeta’s alumni board in 1962 and to this day remains actively involved in all aspects of the chapter. Since 1970 he’s served as alumni adviser, seeing his beloved Deke Brothers through good times and bad. “Things were booming until the late 1960s when the number of fraternities on campus plunged from 60 to 35,” he recalled.

It proved to be a difficult period for DKE at Berkeley, too, as Tuller remembered the chapter closing for three full years. “We rented the house out to football players and some other individuals, several of whom ultimately came to us and said they wanted to restart the Deke chapter,” Bob said. It kicked off another surge of interest in DKE and Theta Zeta continued to boom until early in 1993.

Part of the chapter’s success, in addition to Tuller’s leadership of an active alumni group, stems from the beautiful Deke House at 2302 Piedmont Ave. “It’s really a great house, with lush gardens and lots of room for the various activities,” Tuller said. He would know, too, as he’s been a force in Bay Area real estate and development for more than half a century.

DKE has always meant family for Tuller, whose older brother, Charles, served as president of Theta Zeta. “I pledged the year after Charles graduated, and I was thrilled when my two sons, Robert and Geoffrey, became Dekes in the late 1980s,” Brother Bob said.

Tuller’s devotion to his DKE Brothers is known far and wide, and in 1980 he was honored with the prestigious William M. Henderson Award for his outstanding service to the fraternity.

His energy level is amazing, and he still

22 The Deke Quarterly | spring 2017

puts in six hours every day, five days a week, at his real estate office, one of the largest in California.

Tuller is proud of the undergraduates at Theta Zeta, and he points out that 44 currently live at the Piedmont house, which

is located practically right in the middle of campus. “I’m heading over to meet the newest pledges, and we’ll be taking the chapter out to dinner,” he said. “I’ll turn 82 soon, but my involvement in DKE keeps me young.

As they say, it’s a gift that keeps on giving.”

ALUM NI SPOTLIG HT

DAVIDSON NOW IN 50TH YEAR OF SERVICE TO CORNELL DEKES

BLEVINS SPEARHEADED IOTA’S RESURGENCE

HAYWARD HELPS RESTORE KAPPA HOUSE

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A

in Davidson, Cornell ’70, said he learned so much as an undergraduate at Cornell that he decided to remain involved with the fraternity after graduation. That was 46 years ago. When Lin started with Delta Chi’s alumni organization, he was the new kid on the block. “One of the members of the group had graduated in 1938,” Lin recalled. “I was impressed by that.”

Because he’d married and remained in the area – he would teach biology at Cornell for the next 37 years – Lin was a natural to keep working with the Dekes. “I always enjoyed being around young people, and the guys on the alumni board were great,” he said. One of the roles he assumed was problem solver. “When parents had an issue, or one of the brothers had an issue, I tried to be there for them,” Lin said. He’s been a busy man through the years, with a wife and family, a fulltime job, and the responsibilities on his farm in upstate New York. Since retiring from Cornell, he’s expanded the farm operation.

At 67, he still seems youthful, and Lin credits his time in DKE. “I originally had no intention of joining a fraternity when I first enrolled at Cornell,” Lin said. “But my dad said, ‘You ought to join a fraternity. There’s a lot there that would be of interest to you.’ As usual, Dad was right.”

or the Iota Dekes at Centre College, Matt Blevins, Iota ’99, has always been there when they needed him. After graduating from Centre, Matt joined the chapter’s alumni board a couple of years later. When the chapter was forced to disband about a decade ago, Matt, who by then had joined the International Fraternity’s Board of Directors, became a key player in negotiating the chapter’s return.

“The requirements were pretty stringent,” Matt recalled. “We had to have an international adviser on campus and we had to recruit 30 men.” He chaired the Iota alumni council, which developed a strategic plan to recolonize. “Amazingly, we ended up with 32 in that first pledge class and it just took off from there,” he said.

It was another three years before Iota secured a house on campus, but once that happened, the alumni supported a drive to significantly update the building. “We’ve had a lot of success since then,” Matt said.

“We won the Lion Trophy and hosted the DKE Convention.”

For all his work, Blevins, the global brand director for Brown-Forman, producers of Jack Daniel’s, was awarded the William M. Henderson Award in 2014. “It was one of the proudest moments of my life,” he said.

dam Hayward, Kappa ’93, is a highlyrespected artist in Cincinnati, who’s also been painting up a storm at the Miami DKE House. Known for natural landscape paintings, the 46-year-old Hayward, who also runs a construction business, answered the call when prominent Kappa alumnus James Prochazka hired him to start fixing up the Miami DKE house.

“The house was built in 1989, but had fallen into disrepair,” Adam said. “I started in 2008 and went to work tearing out carpets, fixing walls, refinishing floors, and painting practically every room. It’s been one project after another, but the house is looking good again.”

“Kappa closed for one year before the renovations began,” Adam said. “In 2009, we went active again, landing 12 new members.

Then a few years ago things just exploded.

The chapter now has 54 active Brothers.”

Adam has painted murals in the basement and a large, beautiful DKE crest on one wall. “We’re proud DKE is one of the few Fraternities on campus that owns its own house,” he said. “That allows funds from actives and donations from alumni to go back into the renovation of the house instead of mortgage payments.” And it’s clear that everyone involved is determined to keep Kappa shipshape, inside and out. w w w.d ke.o rg

23

THE FORGOTTEN GREATS OF DKE

FILM DIRECTOR

HOWARD

HAWKS

HIS MOVIES STILL RANK AS THE MOST POPULAR AMONG TCM VIEWERS

T

he passage of time might have obscured the memories of some of our greatest Dekes, but for many, their best work continues to live and prosper. Such is the case with Howard Hawks, one of the greatest filmmakers of the 20th century, whose award-winning movies are often featured on Turner Classic Movies and at film festivals across North America.

Hawks, a proud Deke at Delta Chi Cornell, did it all in his more than 50 years in Hollywood, directing and producing everything from Westerns to private-eye thrillers to crime films to screwball comedies and biopics.

His 1941 film, “Sergeant York,” based on the life of World War I hero Alvin C. York, and starring Gary Cooper in his first Oscar-winning performance, was praised by no less than President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who said it made all Americans proud. FDR credited it with helping to boost the 24 The Deke Quarterly | spring 2017

By Kevin Cuneo, Gamma ’77 enlistment of thousands of men in the armed services, following the attacks at Pearl Harbor.

Through the years, Hawks directed and befriended actors such as James Cagney, Clark Gable, Walter Brennan, Humphrey Bogart, John Barrymoore, John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Rita Hayworth, Lauren Bacall and dozens of others who loved working for him. Many of his best-known films, including “Bringing Up Baby,” “To Have and Have Not,” “The Big Sleep” and “Red River,” continue to attract top ratings on Turner Classic Movies.

Born in 1896 in Goshen, Ind., Hawks graduated from Cornell in 1917, with a degree in mechanical engineering. His Deke Brothers of that era remember Hawks for his keen intelligence, sharp wit and his gambling ability. “He regularly cleaned us out,” one Brother recalled, smiling.

Though he never worked as an engineer, Hawks attributed his method

of working in film to his academic training. “Engineering is a process of putting everything on paper,” he told the New York Times shortly before his death in 1977 at the age of 81. “I never make a scene without first getting a visualization of it. I have artists paint me the scene in complete detail, lighting and shading. I work it all out on paper so that I have a feel for it once the cameras roll.”

Hawks’ straight forward filmmaking philosophy won him many fans in the theater audiences. “My credo is don’t annoy anyone,” he told the Los Angeles Times in 1971. “If I can make five good scenes and not annoy the audience, I’ve got a good picture.”

He managed his stars in a similar fashion. During the filming of “Twentieth Century,” he was disturbed by Carole Lombard’s mannered playing opposite John Barrymore. When Hawks asked Lombard what she thought she was getting paid to do, the young actress replied, “To act.”

Hawks immediately urged her to stop acting. “If Mr. Barrymore were treating you this way in real life, how would you respond?” he asked.

“I’d kick him in the groin,” Lombard said. “Then let’s film it in that spirit,” Hawks said.

Before serving in France during World War I as an Army Air Corps pilot, Hawks became an assistant prop man on a Mary Pickford movie. After the war ended, Hawks had a brief stint as a professional race-car driver before going to work at Paramount Studios as a story editor. His facility with words and respect for great authors led to friendships with Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner, both of whom he convinced to come to Hollywood to work on his films.

In Paul Boller’s “Hollywood Anecdotes,” Hawks invited Faulkner to join him and Clark Gable for a day of dove hunting in the Imperial Valley. On the ride there, Hawks began talking about books, prompting Gable to ask Faulkner to name the authors whose books he would recommend. Faulkner named several

writers, ending with himself. “Oh, do you write, Mr. Faulkner?” Gable asked. “Yes, I do,” Faulkner replied.

“What do you do?” For the rest of his life, Hawks Clockwise from top: To Have and Have Not, Gary Cooper, often repeated the Bringing Up Baby. exchange.

When Lauren Bacall, then a successful 19-year-old model, first I felt miserably out of place, and tried to make it in films, she met at the end of the night I had to ask with Hawks. “He told me my voice Howard to drive me home. “On the was too high pitched,” Bacall said. way, Howard asked me if I was nice Two weeks later, she returned to his to the actors I’d met,” Bacall recalled. office, speaking in low, sultry tones.

“When I said I was, he said, ‘Next “Howard said, ‘Much better,’ and he time don’t be so nice. Try insulting ordered a screen test for me. He was them.’ The following Saturday at ana tough old hombre, but he had a other party at Howard’s house, I told good heart.” him at the end of the night that I’d In Ted Sennett’s “Great Movie followed his advice. When he asked Directors,” Bacall said she was very me what I did, I said I told a man his uncomfortable at Hollywood parties, necktie was the ugliest I’ve ever seen partly because she didn’t know anyin my life. Howard was delighted. body and partly because she didn’t ‘Who was the man?’ he asked. ‘Clark drink. “At a party at Howard’s house, Gable,’ I said, smiling.” w w w.d ke.o rg

25

DKE MERCHANDISE

Ralph Lauren DKE Pullover: $125.00

Ralph Lauren Golf Polo: $89.50

DKE Socks: $10.00

DKE Tie by Bird Dog Bay: $75.00

order online at www.DKEgear.com

26 The Deke Quarterly | spring 2017

DEKES GIVI NG BACK

ANDREW GARWOOD STRONG FOUNDATION’S INAUGURAL GOLF OUTING

By Michael Dulan, Phi Rho ’15 and Matthew Costantino, Phi Rho ’14

A

ndrew Garwood, a native of Glen Ellyn, Illinois, joined the Phi Rho chapter during his freshman year fall semester in 2011.

He quickly became one of the most active members in the fraternity, serving various roles and participating in many extracurriculars and philanthropies.

Particularly, Andrew was most interested in raising money for Penn State’s THON and loved to organize activities and participate in various weekend canning events.

His ability to lead, guide, and motivate others was truly special. He was a gifted athlete and loved to play team sports, excelling on the football field, the hardwood, and on the diamond. Andrew was beloved by his brothers and close friends for his caring personality, sense of humor, and genuine ability to connect with others.

In the Fall of 2014, Andrew was returning to State College for his senior year and second term as president of Phi Rho. That Labor Day weekend he started to experience prolonged headaches and a lack of coordination. These unusual symptoms led to a diagnosis of glioblastoma multiforme or grade IV astrocytoma, a severe form of brain cancer, which Andrew fought valiantly for 16 months.

Andrew was forced to leave the university that Fall to undergo treatment. Over time Andrew underwent three craniotomies, various chemotherapy and radiation treatments, as well as immunotherapy infusions. During this period he re-enrolled in the Spring and participated in THON 2015, as one of the few selected to stand for the entirety of our Greek community’s annual dance marathon supporting pediatric cancer patients.

Those close to him were uneasy about his participation in the strenuous no-sitting, no-sleeping 46 hour event in his condition.

He shared these same concerns, but refused

to let cancer dictate any facet of his life, especially his participation in THON. When battling cancer, Andrew always kept his head up and there was never a sense of selfpity or “Why did this happen to me?” He carried out this courageous attitude until the very end – as just another shining example of the way he lived.

When those close to him are asked about his battle with cancer, they always have the same response, “He didn’t lose his battle to cancer, he won by the manner in which he lived.” At THON 2016 Andrew was remembered for this during family hour.

The Andrew Garwood Strong Foundation was started mid-2016 after Phi Rho’s first gentleman, scholar, and jolly good fellow joined the mystic circle on January 12, 2016.

The foundation’s purpose is to raise awareness and provide support for brain cancer research in hope of developing a cure. The foundation not only financially supports reputable brain cancer research centers, but also funds academic scholarships to undergraduate Dekes who exemplify Andrew’s best traits and values. In Andrew’s memory, many of Phi Rho’s undergraduates and alumni are participating in the success Andrew’s family has built with this charity established in his honor.

The Andrew Garwood Strong Foundation’s Inaugural Golf Outing will take place on June 3rd at Mountain View Country Club near State College, PA, the home of our Phi Rho chapter. We would like to extend an invitation to all Dekes, family, and friends to join us for the event. The foursome scramble tournament has a shotgun start at 9:00 AM, with a luncheon to follow available to non-golfers as well. We are accepting gifts and other items to be used as prizes for various events and an auction, which will be conducted during the luncheon. Please contact Matthew Costantino at Matthew.Costantino.L@gmail.com for further information.

Andrew with parents Steve and Terri Garwood at THON 2015.

Geordann Weik joined Andrew in his enthusiastic participation in everything THON. w w w.d ke.o rg

27

DEKES GIVI NG BACK

A

GANNON DEKES PROVIDE SERVICE WITH A SMILE

t Gannon University in Erie, Pa., Delta Kappa Epsilon is known as the fraternity with a heart. It’s because the Gamma Iota Brothers devote so many service hours to dozens of needy causes.

The 30-man chapter, which chartered in 2015, volunteers at the start of every school year by helping freshmen move in. Gannon administrators call it a welcoming gesture, which is followed up by a huge cookout hosted by the Brothers in the large, leafy yard next to the DKE House.

“Not only does it get everyone off on the right foot, we always meet some guys who become interested in our chapter,” said Gamma Iota President Evan DeFalco.

From the day it became a DKE colony, Gamma Iota forged a special relationship with the Barber National Institute, an Erie center that serves more than 4,300 people with intellectual disabilities. The Gannon Dekes help groom the center’s grounds in spring and they come out in full force to assist in September at the Institute’s annual Beast on the Bay. It’s a 10-mile obstacle course along the shores of Presque Isle on Lake Erie, and Dekes have done everything from manning the huge parking lot to pulling weary athletes out of the water.

Every March, when the Institute hosts a community-wide art show, Gannon Dekes help set up the paintings and then, after the show ends, they tear down the dozens of heavy display boards. Barber Institute President John Barber lavishes praise on the Gannon Brothers, calling them a credit to the university. “Every time we can use some help, the Dekes respond with enthusiasm and in large numbers,” Barber said. “They’re a terrific group of young men.”

Erie’s Friends of the Library, a group that supports the public library and its branches, was in desperate need of volunteers, especially young ones with muscles, when it hooked up with the Dekes. Every spring and fall, usually on freezing cold days, the Brothers report on Book Drive Days to lug hundreds of boxes of books.

28 The Deke Quarterly | spring 2017

Above: Helping special needs children enjoyHoliday crafts. Left: Gannon lends a hand every year at the Barber National Institute Art Fair

“What is truly gratifying is that they’re always cheerful, always seeming to have a good time, as they perform what is essentially a thankless task,” said Friends of the Library volunteer Dom Bencivenga. “They are polite to our patrons and have a scholarly interest in many of our donated books. Whenever one of our older volunteers goes to pick up a box of books, the boys rush in to help. It’s amazing, and they come back year after year.”

For SafeNet, an organization that helps families that have experienced domestic abuse, the Dekes open their hearts every Halloween. They assist at the group’s 5-K race, help the kids cook s’mores, and set up a Halloween maze for the kids. “We pass out candy, and when the event is over we help take down all the decorations and clean up,” DeFalco said.

On Gannon’s annual Give Day, the Dekes clean parks and streets, and plant new trees and shrubs. They pass out turkeys on the day before Thanksgiving to hundreds of needy people lined up outside St. Patrick Catholic Church. They also set up and help manage the Ales for Sails event, which benefits Erie’s Maritime Museum.

Gannon’s Relay for Life raises funds for cancer research, and the Dekes have brought in the most money for the past three years.

The Brothers also set up and hand out food during an annual Christmas dinner hosted by the college’s Social Work Club.

“You get a lot of satisfaction by helping people,” DeFalco said. An annual event on campus called Basket of Blessings encourages students to assemble a basket of food and clothing for refugees who recently moved to Erie. The Dekes are known for assembling the largest, most impressive basket every year, which they personally deliver to the family.

“We stay and talk with the parents and kids to hear their stories, which are always amazing,” DeFalco said. “It’s funny, but we’ve learned that the more you do for others, the better you feel about yourself.”

MYSTIC CIRCLE MARTIN THOMAS DAVIS, MD PSI OMEGA ’48 1923-2015 Martin Thomas Davis died Friday August 14, 2015, of natural causes.

Dr. Davis was raised in West Hartford, CT. and resided in the Troy, NY area since 1959. He studied Engineering at R.P.I. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy from 1941 to 1943.

After serving as a Naval Aviator in World War II from 1943-46, he returned to R.P.I. where he became a member and President of Phalanx and a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity, graduating in 1948 with a B.S. in Biology.

While at R.P.I. Dr. Davis played football and lacrosse. He was captain of the 1948 R.P. I. undefeated lacrosse team that represented the United States at the 1948 Olympics in London, England, winning the first place medal.

He did graduate work in Physiology and Biochemistry at George Washington University in Washington, D.C., and received an M.S. in Physiology. In 1954 he received his M.D. from George Washington University School of Medicine. During the 1950s he was engaged in extensive research with such institutions as the National Research Council, National Institute of Health, Operations Research Office of Johns Hopkins University, The Carnegie Institute, and Yale University Medical Research Center.

He served on the faculty of George Washington University School of Medicine and on the faculty of Yale University School of Medicine. Also during this period he published numerous original articles in leading journals in the fields of Physiology and Anesthesiology. In 1960, Dr. Davis and family returned to Troy, New York where he served as Director and Chief of the Department of Anesthesiology at St. Mary’s Hospital until 1967. He then became Director and Chief of

Anesthesiology at the Samaritan Hospital and served in this capacity until 1987.

Dr. Davis was involved with many organizations including: Member and Past President Rensselaer County Lung Association, Volunteer Founder & Past Director, Hudson Valley Community College EMT Training Program, Board Member, Rensselaer County Historical Society, Board Member Vanderheyden Hall; Trustee and Past President RPI 50 Year Club; Vestryman St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Albany, New York, and the St. Peter’s Episcopal Church men’s group.

In 1955 he resumed flying and was an instrument rated commercial pilot with a Cessna-182. Dr. Davis participated in many sports with his family. He started skiing in college and introduced his family to the sport.

ARTHUR REEVES RATCLIFFE, MD KAPPA EPSILON ’53 1931-2017 Arthur Reeves Ratcliffe, MD passed away on Thursday, February 16, 2017.

Art graduated from Franklin High School in 1949 where he won the Bausch and Lomb science medal in 1948. He went on to attend the University of Washington where he belonged to the Delta Kappa Epsilon Fraternity and graduated with a BS in Chemistry. He married the love of his life, Giovanna (Jill) Frost on April 24, 1953.

Arthur continued his education at the University of Washington, graduating with a degree in Medicine in 1957. He was member of Phi Chi Medical fraternity. He completed an Internship at Harbor General Hospital, Los Angeles, 1957-1958, a Residency in General Surgery at Harbor General in 1958, and a Residency at UW Associated Hospital, 195961 in Orthopedic Surgery. During this time he completed his military commitment at the

US Public Health Hospital, Staten Island, NY attaining the rank of Lt. Commander.

Arthur was a man of boundless energy and a range of interests. Most important to him was his family in which he invested all that he had. They lived life and played so well together. His personal interests involved mountain climbing, having climbed all the major peaks in Washington, travel, gardening, and Habitat for Humanity. He was a committed volunteer in his community and church, and was known as an amazingly generous and compassionate man.

KENT J. VANA OMICRON ’59 1937-2016 Kent J. Vana died in Grand Rapids, MI on December 31, 2016 at the age of 79. He is survived by Judy Henry Vana, his wife of 45 years.

Vana was a graduate of the University of Michigan (B.A., ‘59) and the University of Michigan Law School (LL.B., ‘62). While in Ann Arbor, Vana was a member of Omicron chapter of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity, serving as president in his senior year. He also served as president of the Hectorians, an honorary society for fraternity presidents and ex-presidents. From 2003 to 2011, he served as a member of the board of directors of the international Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity.

Vana practiced law for 54 years with Varnum, Riddering, Schmidt & Howlett in Grand Rapids, serving as Managing Partner from 1997-2000. In 2006, the Michigan Supreme Court appointed him to the Michigan Attorney Grievance Commission where he served as member (2006-2011) and Chairman (2009-2011).

In 2002, Vana was elected to the Board of Directors of the Citizens Research Council of Michigan, where he served as the first Continued

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29

MYSTIC CIRCLE Continued

Chairman of the Board from West Michigan. Mr. Vana was a lifetime member of the Labor Relations Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan, the American College of Labor & Employment Lawyers, the American Employment Law Council and the Industrial Relations Research Association.

In his law practice, Vana represented management interests in labor management, focusing on planning for and acting as principal spokesman in negotiations, work stoppages, and National Labor Relations Board proceedings. As a leader and mentor, he left a lasting mark on the firm and more than one generation of attorneys.

Kent Vana was the consummate labor attorney and a tremendous mentor, generously sharing his legal and institutional knowledge. He was widely admired and deeply respected not only within the firm and by his clients, but also by those who sat across the bargaining table from him. He was a professional with the highest standards. He made us proud to be part of the legal profession.

ERNEST BARNARD MERCER III ZETA ZETA ’60 1937-2016 Ernest B. Mercer III, “Barney”, died peacefully on October 26, 2016, in Dallas, Texas, after a battle with Leukemia. He is survived by his beloved wife, Mary Lou “M’Lou” Kent Mercer. Barney and M’Lou were married 44 years. They met in Lafayette, LA where they resided until moving to Dallas in 1988.

Barney held a B. S. in business administration from LSU and was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He served as an officer in the Army National Guard and the U. S. Army Reserve, attaining the rank of Captain in the Corps of Engineers.

He spent his career in the insurance industry, specializing in risk management.

He obtained his CPCU and ARM professional designations and was a former member of Lloyd’s of London. Barney was a proud 30 The Deke Quarterly | spring 2017

Christian and a member of the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation in Dallas.

Barney was an avid outdoorsman. He enjoyed hunting, fishing and any sport that brought him closer to God’s great outdoors and natural beauty. On most Thursdays, Barney could be found on a golf course with any number of cherished friends.

JACK R. CROSBY OMEGA CHI ’49 1926-2016 Jack R. Crosby passed away peacefully on December 30, 2016 in Austin, Texas. He was surrounded by his family, and was visited in his final days by loyal friends from decades of entrepreneurship and civic involvement.

He inspired legions through his kindness, generosity, honesty, humor, spirit of fun and sense of adventure. He was happiest in the company of family and friends and the worldwide pursuit of new ideas, ventures and acquaintances.

Crosby was a cable television pioneer in the U.S. and overseas and a board member at Imagine Entertainment, Orion Pictures and Propaganda Films. Companies that Crosby founded or co-founded grew into the cable behemoths Cox Communications and Times Mirror (Time Warner), and he helped facilitate the development of the Spanish International Network, now known as Univision.

Crosby served as a director and interim CEO of Imagine Entertainment, as a director at Orion Pictures and as chairman of Propaganda Films. He also had a stint as chairman of the National Cable Television Association.

In 1981, Crosby became a founding board member of the Sundance Institute and later served as its chairman.

Jack graduated at age 16 from high school as salutatorian of the class of 1943 in the middle of World War II. He enrolled

at the University of Texas at Austin. At the University, Jack earned his varsity letter as the manager of the baseball team, and he joined the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity.

His business undergraduate studies were interrupted by a two-year stint in the U.S. Naval Air Corps as a gunnery instructor. He returned in 1946 to a campus crowded with returning service men, so with three friends he constructed a pre-fab building in the backyard of the DKE house and lived there till graduation.

In the mid-1950s, he began selling appliances in Del Rio, but he couldn’t sell televisions. It was too far from San Antonio to get a signal. So Crosby, with $10,000 he’d borrowed from his father and the help of a rancher friend, built a 450-foot tower and brought a cable TV system to town.

Thus began the entrepreneurial career of a man who would become a media mogul, builder of some of the first Swiss and Argentine cable TV systems and godfather of Univision, Cox Communications and Times Mirror. To business associates, he was a larger-than-life personality and a wildcatter, known in his early days for doing business with a handshake rather than a contract.

“One of the last gentlemen” is how Michael Woolley, senior partner at Crosby’s Rust Group, put it.

His daughter, Chris Crosby, remembered the hours he spent coaching. When the teams traveled, he would eat in the kitchens of segregated diners with the boys who weren’t allowed in the main room, she said.

“He never said a word to us about civil rights; he just did what was right,” she said.

Through all his vocational and civic activity, Jack remained devoted to his family and friends, with whom he loved to travel, ski and play golf. Ever the athlete himself, he was a faithful attendee and fan of the sports competitions of his children and grandchildren, to say nothing of Longhorn football. He was a grand storyteller, a generous friend, advisor, sounding board and inspiration to generations of innovators, and a source of encouragement to all.

His greatest pleasure was in advising and supporting young entrepreneurs, many of whom have gone on to great success. He is survived by his wife of 67 years, Joanne.

CHAPTER ROLL 2016-2017

SCHOOL

PHI Yale University ZETA Princeton University PSI University of Alabama BETA University of North Carolina ALPHA Harvard University KAPPA Miami University DELTA University of South Carolina LAMBDA Kenyon College ETA University of Virginia IOTA Centre College OMICRON University of Michigan RHO Lafayette College TAU Hamilton College BETA PHI University of Rochester THETA CHI Union College ZETA ZETA Louisiana State University PHI CHI Rutgers University GAMMA PHI Wesleyan University PSI OMEGA Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute DELTA DELTA University of Chicago PHI GAMMA Syracuse University THETA ZETA Univ of California, Berkeley PHI EPSILON University of Minnesota SIGMA TAU Mass. Institute of Technology ALPHA PHI University of Toronto DELTA KAPPA University of Pennsylvania TAU ALPHA McGill University SIGMA RHO Stanford University DELTA PI University of Illinois OMEGA CHI University of Texas, Austin ALPHA TAU University of Manitoba DELTA PHI University of Alberta PHI ALPHA University of British Columbia TAU DELTA University of the South PSI DELTA Wake Forest University SIGMA ALPHA Virginia Tech University PHI DELTA University of Western Ontario PI BETA Troy University ALPHA MU Rowan University EPSILON RHO Duke University NU ZETA Pace University THETA UPSILON Arizona State University PHI SIGMA Bryant College PHI RHO Pennsylvania State University CHI RHO Bloomsburg University ZETA CHI Bentley College BETA GAMMA New York University SIGMA KAPPA Michigan State University DELTA PSI Indiana University MU CHI Maryville College RHO BETA University of Richmond TAU CHI Texas A & M University BETA TAU University of Victoria SIGMA XI St. Joseph’s College OMEGA MU Oklahoma State University PHI MU Manhattan College CHI BETA Univ of North Carolina, WiIlmington GAMMA IOTA Gannon University ZETA GAMMA Hampden Sydney College PI ALPHA Unversity of Missouri Kappa Chi University of Delaware Tau Beta Simon Fraser Lambda Tau University of f Tennessee Iota Chi Ithaca College Alpha Omicron University of Colorado Delta Rho NC State

DKE ADDRESS

73 Lake Place, New Haven, CT 06511 Uses university facilities, Princeton, NJ 946 University Blvd, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401 132 S. Columbia Street, Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Colony Status, Cambridge, MA 325 E Sycamore, Oxford, OH 45056 Uses university facilities, Columbia, SC Old Kenyon dormitory, Gambier, OH 173 Culbreath Road, Charlottesville, VA 22903 600 W. Walnut Street, Danville, KY 1004 Olivia Ave, Ann Arbor, MI 48104 719 Sullivan Trail, Easton, PA 18042 Uses college facilities, Clinton, NY 597 Fraternity Road, Rochester, NY 14627 N. Wing Fox dormitory, Schenectady, NY 13 Dalrymple Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70808 78 College Ave., New Brunswick, NJ 08901 276 High Street, Middletown, CT 06459 Colony Status, Troy, NY Uses private facilities, Chicago, IL 703 Walnut Ave, Syracuse, NY 13210 2302 Piedmont Ave, Berkeley, CA 94704 1711 University Ave. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414 403 Memorial Drive, Cambridge, MA 02139 157 St. George St, Toronto, ON, Canada M5R2M2 307 S. 39th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104 Uses private facilities, Montreal, QC, Canada Uses university facilities Stanford, CA Colony status, 713 W. Ohio St., Urbana, IL Colony status, 715 Graham Pl., Austin, TX Uses private facilities, Winnipeg, MB, Canada 11003 87th Ave., Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G0X5 #8 2880 Westbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6T253 735 University Ave, Sewanee, TN 37383 1101 Polo Road, Winston Salem, NC 27106 302 E. Roanoke Road, Blacksburg, VA 24060 Colony status, London, Ontario, Canada 414 Fraternity Circle, Troy, AL 36081 68 N. Main, Glassboro, NJ 08028 1708 Pace Street, Durham, NC Uses private facilities, Pleasantville, NY Uses private facilities, Tempe, AZ Uses private facilities, Smithfield, RI 328 E. Foster Ave., State College, PA 16801 Uses private facilities, Bloomsburg, PA Uses private facilities, Waltham, MA Uses university facilities, NY, NY 505 Albert Ave., East Lansing, MI 48823 518 E. 1st Street, Bloomington, IN 47401 Uses private facilities, Maryville, TN Uses private facilities, Richmond, VA 3200 Callie Circle, College Station, TX 77845 Uses private facilities, Victoria, BC, Canada Uses College facilities, Patchogue, NY 11772 1225 W. Third Ave., Stillwater, OK 74074 4513 Manhattan College Pkwy, Bronx, NY Uses private facilities, Wilimington, NC 109 University Square , Erie, PA Uses college facilities, Farmville, VA 912 S. Providence, Columbia, MO 65203 Colony status, uses private facilities Colony status, uses school facilities Colony status, 1828 Fraternity Park Dr., Knoxville, TN Colony status, uses private facilities Colony status, 881 19th St., Boulder, CO Colony status, 18 Maiden Ln., Raleigh, NC

ACTIVES

NEW MEMBERS

53 23 162 85 6 53 67 24 60 31 54 65 19 15 50 39 54 35 18 23 45 44 23 49 13 33 37 16 38 7 30 33 68 23 51 53 19 34 38 12 9 51 26 75 13 49 18 30 24 12 35 44 38 15 26 23 51 20 16 67 40 14 21 19 21 28

22 SO NA – FO NA FO NA – FO 4 S 23 SO 13 SO 12 SO 25 SO 13 SO 0 F NA FO * SO 0 S * – F NA FO 13 F 17 SO 5 F 6 S 23 S 0 F 8 F NA FO 10 SO 14 SO NA FO * SO 6 S 0 F NA F 0 FO NA FO 10 S 24 S 8 F 8 S 9 F 6 F 4 SO 15 S 0 F 11 S 11 F 6 S 12 S 6 F 7 F 7 S 8 S 11 S 10 F NA FO 8 SO 8 F 13 S 9 F 11 S 7 S 10 F 22 S 0 F 13 F 3 F 0 F 1 F

New member figure represents actives initiated during the recent semester. Add Active and New Member numbers to establish total chapter size.

FO or SO means initiation is held in Fall or Spring only. F or S means initiation is held both semesters with the letter indicating the primary recruiting period. * Recruiting still ongoing at time of publication.

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D e lt a K a p p a E p s i l o n F r a t e r n i t y PO B o x 8 3 6 0 Ann Arbor, MI 48107 Add r e s s C o r r e ct i o n R e q u e s t e d

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