The Deke Quarterly

THE QUARTERLY DEKE

DEKES in ADVERTISING

Dear Brothers and Friends,

One of the lessons many of us learned when we pledged Delta Kappa Epsilon was figuring out the meaning of our fraternity. It isn’t a business, although it relies on sound business practices to thrive.

Its rich history, no matter how impressive, does not fully describe the essence of DKE. Our fraternity is much more than its social fabric, though that’s a part of what makes us gentlemen, scholars and jolly good fellows.

One reason why I so enjoy the Deke Quarterly is that, without fail, it tells the story of the fraternity. In this issue we read about the accomplishments of so many Dekes on Madison Avenue. We read about a Lafayette brother, William E. Simon, who served with distinction as Secretary of the Treasury under two U.S. presidents.

This issue features a memorable reunion of Gamma Vanderbilt brothers that attracted men who pledged DKE more than 50 years ago. It was only the latest report of such cherished reunions of chapters that take place so often across North America.

I was also struck by the story of the late Brother Bob Wilson’s spirit of generosity. On the day the bank was set to foreclose on the Chi Chapter House at the University of Mississippi, Bob stepped forward and wrote a check for more than $97,000 to save the house.

Taken together, these stories capture the essence of our brotherhood. DKE is so many things that it’s impossible to pinpoint one aspect that sums up our brotherhood.

About all we know for sure is what the great Charlie Blaisdell said so eloquently all those years ago: DKE isn’t good because it’s old; it’s old because it’s good.

In the Bonds,

Mason Morjikian  Chairman of the Board Lambda-Kenyon ‘88

PUBLISHED BY

Delta Kappa Epsilon International 6921 Jackson Rd., Suite 400

Ann Arbor, MI 48103 (734) 302-4210 www.dke.org

ΔKE BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Mason Morjikian, Lambda ‘88, Chairman

Neilson Brown, Beta ‘67, Vice Chairman

David Helverson, Delta Pi ‘81, Treasurer

Robert Bryan, Sigma Rho ‘56, Honorary President

Cory Crenshaw, Tau Lambda ‘01

Christian Cummings, Epsilon Rho ‘18

Mike De Lisi, Rho ‘03

Semmes Favrot, Psi ‘82

Ray Reynolds Graves, Alpha Chi ‘67

Tim Lewis, Omicron ‘11

Ron Li, Phi Alpha ‘10

Stanford McMillan, Gamma ‘89

John McNeil, Psi ‘79

Kevin O’Bryon, Tau Lambda ‘77

Terry Stewart, Phi Chi ‘69

John Yerger, Delta Chi ‘82

ΔKE HQ STAFF

Executive Director: Doug Lanpher, Gamma ‘77

Director of Member Services: Trey Robb, M.Ed.

Director of Alumni Services and Marketing: Craig Dick, Phi Alpha ‘16

Director of Administrative Services: Turner Spears, Lambda Tau ‘16

Associate Director for Chapter Resources: Dustin Stewart

Assistant Director of Chapter Services: Morgan McElroy, Phi Epsilon ‘21

Archivist & Historian: Grant Burnyeat, Phi Alpha ‘65

Chapter Consultant: Tim Treffery, Zeta Theta ‘22

Marketing Manager: Carter Nolan, Delta Tau ‘23

Administrative Services Coordinator: Julie Johnson

DEKE QUARTERLY STAFF

Publisher: Doug Lanpher, Gamma ‘77

Editor: Kevin Cuneo, Gamma ‘77

Assistant Editor: Michael E. Hilts, Gamma ‘76

Production Editor, Jeff Hamilton Gamma ‘78

CREATIVE DIRECTION & DESIGN: Scott-Goodman Associates

Lester Goodman • lestergcreative.com

Barbara Scott-Goodman • barbarascottgoodman.net

THE DEKE QUARTERLY is published by Delta Kappa Epsilon in Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer.

DIGITAL VERSIONS: https://issuu.com/dkequarterly

POSTMASTER: Send address changes & correspondence to:

Quarterly, 6921 Jackson Rd., Suite 400, Ann Arbor,

Manuscripts, literature, and letters should be addressed to the Editor. Submissions will not be returned.

For change of address please contact ΔKE HQ and provide Full Name, Chapter, both old and new address.

©2024 Delta Kappa Epsilon

HQ REPORT

Greetings Fellow Dekes,

In the higher education industry there’s an enormous amount of concern about the decline in engagement among college students. Students are less engaged inside and outside of the classroom. I’ve seen multiple articles in the academic journals I read about “The Student Engagement Crisis” and “Why Campus Life Fell Apart.” There are plenty of statistics to back up this decline in engagement, such as club membership, percentage of students involved in extracurricular activities and the number of activities they are involved in. One third of students say they spend no time (0%) on extracurricular activities. It’s worse at public universities compared to private ones; and among racial and ethnic minorities, it’s worse still.

Doug Lanpher, Executive Director

All educators agree that higher involvement is closely linked to academic performance, graduation rates, and positive well being.

This trend was accelerated by Covid, but it was already a noticeable problem on campus. One social scientist noted that Covid destroyed social skills among college students, to the point where while they might be adept at communicating via social media, their interpersonal skills are in serious decline.

The concern is real, and educators are actively engaged with trying to develop strategies to reverse this trend.

Since you are still reading, I suspect you know where I’m going with this.

The articles I read always ignore the most obvious solution to the problem. The solution is staring the academic officials in the face, yet for the most part they fail to embrace what I believe to be the best solution: Encourage men to join fraternities and make it acceptable for them to do so! Unfortunately, the inherent ideological bias against fraternities makes this conclusion difficult to admit or even recognize among too many educators. Instead, administrations from coast to coast are implementing rules and regulations making it more difficult for fraternities to flourish. Of course this is a generalization, as there are many campuses which embrace Greek Life.

Just as there are mounds of statistics showing why disengagement is a concern, there is a growing body of statistical evidence proving what you and I already know, which is that fraternity members are more highly engaged than non members, in the classroom and in extra curriculars, and they have better outcomes to their college careers than non members. Fraternity membership actively promotes learning, development, and satisfaction, and this is especially true in first year students. (Which is why we as an industry fight so hard to push back against rush which is deferred to second semester or even sophomore year.) Fraternity men are more engaged, academically and socially. Just try to imagine campus life without fraternities and sororities, and how much that would reduce the social fabric and the sense of community (what used to be called “school spirit”). There’s a reason why the newly appointed head coach of Vanderbilt’s basketball team made the rounds visiting the fraternity houses on the day he was introduced to campus this spring.

One expert says that fraternities “walk their talk” when it comes to encouraging their members to be engaged socially and academically, and to have higher levels of satisfaction with college.

So our job is to continue promoting good behavior among our members, and to advocate loudly not only for our rights to associate freely, but also to educate the educators on how and why a strong fraternity system makes a positive contribution to campus life, and can be a key to solving the engagement crisis.

I hope you enjoy this issue!

In

the Bonds,

Doug Lanpher, Gamma ’77 Executive Director, Delta Kappa Epsilon

Mu-Colgate Alumni Announce Scholarships

Close to 100 Mu-Colgate alumni (and a few brave dates) gathered at the Yale Club in New York City on February 10 for the Mu of DKE Foundation’s annual Winter Gathering.

This year, the foundation awarded $65,000 to eight recipients and brought total awards since 2015 to more than $200,000 in scholarships to Colgate undergraduates.

“It was a memorable evening, especially because several undergraduate recipients came down from Colgate University in Hamilton, N.Y., to receive their awards,” says foundation president Sean Devlin, Mu ’05. Brother Devlin said the high academic achievements of this year’s recipients were very impressive and well received by those in attendance.

“It has become clear over the past decade that these scholarships are our signature program as an active and recognized alumni organization that continues to gain new members every year. Mu is very much alive and thriving!” Devlin says.

During the annual event, the foundation also announced a $2 million fundraising campaign in hopes of securing ten endowed named scholarships. The ultimate goal is to create an endowment that will sustain awarding $100,000 annually in undergraduate scholarships. More than $150,000 has already been committed to-

DEKE NEWS

wards the first of the planned scholarships, The Ellis-Talling Award, named in memory of Brothers Lane Ellis and Greg Talling from the Class of 2005.

Psi Chapter Finds Founding Documents

Last fall in Tuscaloosa, Ala., DKE Board Member Semmes Favrot scoured archived records at the University of Alabama library and discovered artifacts from the origins of Psi, one of DKE’s oldest chapters.

Semmes’ attention had been piqued when he saw an online index describing one document as a “secret society constitution.” Following up

with a visit to the W.S. Hoole Special Collections Library, Semmes found handwritten copies of the 1847 DKE constitution and the Psi chapter’s original bylaws – documents no Psi member had likely seen since before the Civil War. Psi’s originals had been lost after the chapter became inactive in 1856. While the copies Semmes found were not originals penned by Psi

founders, they were close. Instead, they were written in 1847 just weeks after the chapter’s founding, copies made by the president of the university, Dr. Basil Manly. He had copied documents presumably given to him by Psi founder Edward Baptist. These copies were heavily redacted – to prevent revealing the DKE motto, secret signs and initiation details.

Above: Mu-Colgate alumni gather at the DKE Club of New York for their annual Winter Gathering Below: Opening lines of Psi’s 1847 Bylaws, discovered by Semmes Favrot who also tracked down the diamond pin of Edwin S. Rogers, a Bowdin Deke who was comforted by a Psi brother as he died from wounds on a Civil War battlefield.

DEKE NEWS

Brother Baptist likely had been asked by president Manly about DKE’s existence and to voluntarily share the documents. Psi had clearly succeeded in its founding and initiating charter members in complete secrecy – tough to accomplish on a campus of roughly 100 students in 1847! Despite being displeased with the founding of DKE, or any secret society on campus, Dr. Manly chose not to shut

down the chapter.

While Dr. Manly’s papers were donated to the historical library in 1950, Psi had not heard of their existence until late in 2023. These papers resided just a few blocks from the DKE House, awaiting discovery for almost three-quarters of a century.

For a deeper look at Semmes’ discovery, visit the Fall 2023 Sighs of Psi chapter newsletter on the Psi website: uadke.org.

Mars Helicopter Ends Amazingly Successful Mission

With a rotor damaged from a flight over dried riverbeds on the planet Mars in mid-January, the Ingenuity helicopter has flown its last mission – but not before the 4-pound chopper designed by a Deke with many off-theshelf components and a 2015-era cell phone processor flew 72 times from February 2021 through early 2024.

Ingenuity established many aerospace firsts, including becoming the first-ever plane or helicopter to take off on another planet.

According to Ted Tzanetos, Sigma Tau-MIT ’12, who led the team that designed the vehicle at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Cal., “Ginny” flew scores more missions than expected and far exceeded its expectations as a partner to NASA’s Perseverance rover. “Every one of the vehicle’s flights on Mars provided valuable lessons” that are already influencing the design of future space exploration vehicles. The project returned “massive victories” for aerospace engineers, Teddy noted in multiple media interviews.

Teddy and his helicopter were featured in the summer 2021 Deke Quarterly. Teddy’s aerospace design work continues at JPL, so you can expect The Quarterly to provide updates on his work in future issues.

Deke Property Group on the Rise

The fledgling Deke Property Group is developing nicely and starting to make a significant difference for DKE chapter housing as the fraternity looks forward to the 2024-2025 academic year.

In recent months, per DKE Director of Administrative Services Turner Spears, DPG has provided additional management of the Chi-Ole Miss house, secured new housing for Beta Delta-Georgia and Psi Omega-Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and has overseen renovations at the new DKE house at Delta Alpha-Auburn.

DPG also recently developed a prototype loan program, helping secure housing for the Delta Delta-Chicago chapter.

“Through all these projects, we’ll have assisted in housing about 100 undergraduate brothers,” Turner says.

DPG continues to work on a mission of helping secure housing for all unhoused DKE chapters. Among active pursuits are opportunities at South Carolina, Penn State, Michigan State, NC State, Tennessee-Knoxville, and Indiana.

DKE Expansion is Sure-Footed on Otherwise Slippery Slope

Assistant Director of Chapter Services, Morgan McElroy, Phi Epsilon ’21, reports on a successful year of expansion projects that has DKE growing even when university attendance by males and Greek life rolls are seeing some decline. As DKE’s Director of Growth, Brother McElroy notes this past year saw the return of two chapters at large state universities: Delta Psi at Indiana University in fall ’23, followed this spring by Phi Rho chapter’s return at Penn State.

“Our return to Indiana shaped up as the most successful expansion project directed by IHQ in a very long time,” says Executive Director Doug Lanpher, who praised Morgan’s almost single-handed management of the chapter’s return.

The chapter concluded its final steps in their restart in March, with the Associate Chapter initiating 41 re-founding members in April.

“We began with an interest group in late 2022, with Gus Pelis, who’s now chapter president, on board since the very first call,” Morgan noted. “It was full speed ahead after the DKE Board approved Delta Psi as an Associate Chapter in April 2023 then got university approval in June. Delta Psi then went on to earn its formal charter in January 2024 –the accomplishment standing as the fastest to charter in modern DKE history.

Phi Rho, which earned its DKE Board okay as an associ-

Turner Spears

ate chapter in March, began with a re-founding class of 25 members, a sophomore-heavy group. “Most telling about this energized group is that almost every one of them expressed interest in a leadership post,” Morgan said.

“Also exciting is the excellent launch from our first ‘cold start’ of a chapter in a long time,” says Morgan, “that is, a start up without having an interest group churning and recruiting for months before go time.”

Next on Morgan’s DKE growth mission is to add more chapters at large schools, like Big Ten universities, where support for Greek Life is strong and sustaining chapters is typically more manageable. This could include adding DKE chapters where none have existed in the past. “We’ve reserved a spot on the waiting list at Iowa, with an application process starting in spring 2026.”

Wine Club Expands Its Brand Offerings

The Deke Wine Club, started last fall with DKE’s partnership with Napa Valley’s Fairwinds Winery, continues to gain momentum and raise spirits in many Deke gatherings. As expressed by Executive Director Doug Lanpher, “With each pour, we toast to our rich history, influential brethren,

and the unyielding camaraderie that defines our fraternity.”

Called 1844 Reserve, the club is ready to ship wines in its spring collection, including a new brand called Dekes of Distinction. Each release of the new label will honor a Deke who’s had a great impact on our world. The first bottle in this series is a white Cuvee Blanc and will honor Robert E. Peary, Theta-Bowdoin ‘77. You can order yours by visiting the 1844 Reserve website. As a reminder, the wine club offers many gift options, and a beautiful collectible gift box.

Memberships directly contribute to DKE, supporting our mission and our programs and initiatives, including chapter resources, Officers’ Academy, and Convention.

University of Maryland Continues Trend of Abusing Greek Life

The trend of some universities to overreach in attempts to control behavior of fraternities and sororities – and infringe upon students’ constitutional rights to associate – is continuing, and getting worse, according to recent accounts of University of Maryland actions in March.

The University of Maryland restricted all Greek-life activities for all 37 fraternities and sororities on its College Park, Md., campus after receiving reports of serious hazing by a handful of fraternity chapters. The action did not directly impact DKE, as it has no chapter at Maryland, though the fraternity has recently sought opportunities to start a chapter there.

On April 4, four fraternity chapters and three individual students filed a federal lawsuit

alleging that the university had violated their First Amendment rights while investigating the hazing reports. The lawsuit alleges that the school required 150+ fraternity and sorority members to submit to mandatory interrogations by university-retained attorneys yet the students were not permitted to be accompanied by their own attorneys. It also says investigators improperly searched some students’ cell phones and threatened disciplinary actions against students who refused to turn over their cell phones.

Wynn Smiley, CEO of Alpha Tau Omega, one of the fraternities who filed suit, summarized the concern as follows: “We have never seen such an egregious abuse of power in higher education administration. Administrators began with their preferred outcome—that fraternities and sororities must be cut down to size.”

Deke Trivia. Did you know?

. . . That a Deke was one of Hollywood’s very first voice actors? Otis Harlan, born in 1865 in Zanesville, Ohio, and a Lambda-Kenyon alumnus, was a silent film actor who became one of America’s first voice actors and among the very first Disney actors. He was the voice of “Happy” in the 1937 classic film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. After a role in the 1893 burlesque play The Magic Knight, Harlan performed in vaudeville and ragtime musicals before heading to comedic roles in film. He was Cap’n Andy in the first “part talkie” Show Boat (1929), Starveling in A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1935) and the Our Gang short film Roamin’ Holiday (1937). The 1900 book Famous Stars of Light Opera described Otis as “the personification of jest and merriment … He radiates fun and jollity … from eyes that suggest practical jokes and antics of all sorts.”

Phi Rho re-founding members enjoying time with the Nittany Lion.

CHAPTER NEWS

Chi-Mississippi

In March, the chapter was presented with the “Core Values Award” for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the university’s Fraternity & Sorority Life annual awards ceremony. The award recognizes Chi DKE for fostering an exemplary culture within the chapter and creating an inclusive environment for brothers of all backgrounds.

DKE International officers Doug Lanpher and Turner Spears were on campus to extend their congratulations to the group for receiving the prestigious award. Chapter president Elijah Lavigne accepted the plaque noting the chapter’s achievement.

“This recognition served as a testament to the dedication and values upheld by the Chi chapter, reaffirming our commitment to excellence in all endeavors,” says Brother Lavigne. “With the continued guidance and encourage-

ment of DKE International, we feel our chapter is poised to embark on a new period of growth and success, embodying the timeless spirit of brotherhood that defines the essence of the beloved DKE.”

Also during the spring semester, Elijah noted the Chi brothers had an amazing time participating in its annual Paintball event. This

year, the teams were split for a North v. South battle.

The chapter is also looking forward to a renovation of the Deke chapter house. Turner Spears, Director of Administrative Services, is leading the effort to plan what could be about $60,000 in renovations over the next two years.

The chapter is also celebrating a climb in its standing as scholars. Led by scholarship chair Peyton Oliver, Chi men have passed the 3.25 GPA threshold. Peyton’s approach to guiding the chapter to academic success has included … cultivating a collaborative environment, implementing group studying techniques and encouraging brothers to support one another.

Delta Alpha-Auburn

Spring was busting out all over at Auburn in April, with the Delta Alpha men taking full advantage with non-stop social events and a successful philanthropy day.

In mid-March, Dogs at DKE

was a huge success, the chapter raising $750 for a local humane society – and finding foster homes for two dogs!

To open April, the chapter held a great brother bonding event, taking a short roadtrip to Lagrange, Ga., to play paintball at Splat City.

That outing was followed by the highlight of the spring, a most-successful inaugural Mom’s Weekend on April 5-6.

A Friday night dinner at the Deke house, then a Moms and Mimosas brunch Saturday morning was followed by a mother-son cornhole tournament – brightened by the beat of a live band.

As the Quarterly headed off to press, the Delta Alpha brothers looked forward to hosting its 4th annual Masters Party; this time, the gathering was to revved up by July Turner, a country artist from Nashville. The chapter took advantage of Turner’s tour stop in Auburn on April 12 and booked him for the following day at the Deke house.

Phi AlphaBritish Columbia

Brother Beta Daniel Anene reports: “Our chapter went all out to make the Diamond anniversary, our 75th year as a DKE chapter, sparkle. We celebrated this special event over the Feb. 9-10 weekend. Phi Alpha actives played host on Feb. 9, welcoming dozens of alums and guests to the Deke house for a pub night. [See also coverage on page 22 of this edition of the Quarterly.]

In late March, the chapter completed its tenth annual Scott Trapp Stick-It to Cancer Memorial Tournament, a ball hockey tournament conducted by Phi Alpha at the University of British Columbia to honour Deke brother Scott Trapp who passed away when he was 21. Many brothers participated in competitive head shaving, including chair of the 2024 effort, Kjell Moller. Each competitor sought pledged donations to build a common fund that is remitted

Omega Omega-Arizona

Brother Beta Dylan Blair shares the news that for the second straight year, a Deke was named the Greek Person of the Year on the University of Arizona campus. Ethan Woodard, who preceded brother Blair as chapter president, was presented with the honor at the Order of Omega Annual Greek Awards in February. This follows a year after his predecessor as chapter president, Sami Muslmani, claimed the same high honor.

to the Cancer Society. In the accompanying photo, brother Noah Rothe sacrifices his mane. All the work and sacrifices paid off, as this year, we proudly announce raising over $55,000 to benefit cancer research. The 2024 sum also lifted Phi Alpha’s total to over $478,000 in donations the past decade.

Sigma AlphaVirginia Tech

Brother Beta Matt Wilson reports: “Our chapter has been piling up the hours in community service this spring. We’ve been motivated by the work of Colin Fox, our philanthropy chair and his efforts to create some variety in our community service and fundraising programs.

We’ve been doing work with the Montgomery County Emergency Assistance Program, mainly moving supplies and furniture for four or five weekends this semester.

In early April, we did a service project with Habitat for Humanity. The project was prepping a house for demolition –removing windows, and removing other equipment (hot water heater, toilets, etc).

On April 6, we came in big for Virginia Tech’s student-run annual Big Event, which for 22 years has encouraged students to give back to the surrounding communities of Blacksburg, Christiansburg and the New River Valley. Our service project was helping clear out an overgrown plot where a barn had burned down. We removed old, rotten wood from the barn, roofing, a fence, and a bunch of overgrown vines. One zealous brother, Logan Scheyer, kept recruitment going while working on the barn; word has it some Sigma Alpha members want to nominate the opossum an honorary member.

CHAPTER NEWS

Sigma Rho-Stanford

Brother Beta Nick Rodriguez reports: “Our chapter is on a mission to acquire housing to serve as the Deke chapter house. We won’t be able to apply to the university until next year’s cycle, but we are hopeful and internal discussions have begun about how we might prepare as a chapter for the possibility.

We had an incredibly successful quarter in terms of community service and philanthropy. For the past two quarters of our academic year, we pushed our

volunteer total to 101 hours as a chapter, including beach cleanups, habitat restorations and helping out at Challah for Hunger.

We also elevated our signature Casino Night charity event into its first run as a campus-wide event in January – and attracted several hundred attendees who packed the Arrillaga rec center gym. Giving away an instant camera, a computer monitor, Lego kits, and gift cards probably helped bring in the gamblers, with proceeds benefiting the Pacific Beach Coalition.

Sigma Tau-MIT

Opening the spring semester on a fun note, a trio of Sigma Tau sophomores finished in 3rd place in the MIT Pokerbots competition. Pokerbots is a computerized poker tournament where teams program a completely autonomous pokerbot that competes against other bots in a variant of poker. The chapter is proud of its ‘Academic Weapons’ for winning $3,500 in prize money in the

Independent Activities Period (IAP). This four week period in January allows MIT students to be free from rigors of regularly scheduled classes while pursuing independent study and research. Pictured, from left: Lawrence Tang, Owen Malone, Cole Foster, and Ches Rubin.

Zeta GammaHampden Sydney

Brother Beta Sam Detrick reports: “The college provides party bunkers to organizations for hosting mixers and social events, and we made excellent use of our DKE assigned bunker, hosting a mixer on Feb. 24 that featured a performance by Bourbon and The Bandits. This rock band sports two DKE members on a regular basis,

drummer Donnie Evans, ’26, and guitarist Harry Rust, ’24. But for this gig, the band also brought in a third DKE for a guest appearance, Thomas Morris, ’24 on bass guitar. The performance attracted a huge turnout of between 300 and 400 people, mostly Hampden Sydney students, but also included Donnie the Drummer’s parents.

Rush concluded well for us, with six new members. While we all want higher numbers, for us, success lies in the quality of character of our Zeta Gamma members. It was helpful to be in that role as VP before stepping up to president; I was preceded in my role by brother Will Krueger. Some might think an officer role will be easy, but there is solid work needed, and it helped to have that extra background in executive board leadership. Also got some help by attending Officers Academy, along with our treasurer Thomas Nichols.

A lot of our brotherhood strength derives from the nature of the college itself –capitalizing on its small size and the ability for students to know their fellow students and form bonds of friendship, even before Rush.

Sigma Rho dealers and pit bosses, from left to right: Max Newsom, Grayson Armour, Chris Lann, Bryce Kammerzell, Thomas Sternfels, Colin Schultz, Avi Gupta, Vale Rasmussen, Ryan Dwyer, Stanley Rozenblit, and on the floor again, Tom Ramsay.

Have you leveraged the DKE Network lately?

You’re a part of an unprecedented brotherhood of individuals excelling in a wide variety of industries. It’s never been easier to connect with them through DekeConnect, DKE’s new networking platform powered by AI.

So far, hundreds of Dekes have participated by submitting queries, answering questions, offering advice, and updating their contact information. You can, too, by visiting connect.dke.org.

DekeConnect works by sending questions asked by a brother to up to 20 other Dekes based on a set of matching criteria, such as career focus, geographical location, interests, etc. These 20 Dekes may then answer, decline to answer if it’s a bad fit, or refer the question to another brother that may be better suited to answer. After answering, the initial brother asking the question will receive a response. Artificial intelligence works in the background to ensure that questions are properly routed.

Here’s an example from Brady Hart (Phi Epsilon - Minnesota ‘26) looking for guidance on breaking into the financial sector.

Here’s one of the follow up messages Brady received from Nat Kluttz (Beta - North Carolina ‘09).

DekeConnect isn’t just for undergraduate brothers seeking advice or looking to land their first job. In fact, many of our queries so far have been alumni to alumni requests looking to network with others in their career field, meet Dekes local to their city, or gain professional advice. When you were initiated, you joined the premier collegiate fraternity in North America. Don’t let that opportunity go to waste! Visit connect.dke.org or use the QR code here to start networking.

CHAPTER FOCUS

ZETA CHI AT BENTLEY UNIVERSITY RELIES ON STRONG LEADERSHIP AND A DEEP SENSE OF PRIDE TO KEEP THIS DKE CHAPTER ON TOP

At Bentley University, located in Waltham, Massachusetts, the Zeta Chi chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon rules.

Among the nearly 4,000 undergraduates enrolled at Bentley, DKE, with its 75 members, is by far the largest chapter on campus.

Zeta Chi Dekes include the presidents of student government and a half dozen organizations and clubs on campus. And these Dekes are not just leaders in numerous academic groups at Bentley, they’re also top athletes.

“We won the flag football championship, Bentley’s Hockey Classic, and a recent basketball tournament,” said Hayden Shattuck, the chapter’s 21-year-old president. “We just initiated 15 new brothers and I really feel like we’re on a roll.”

Shattuck, who grew up on an 18-acre farm in New Hampshire, which his family

has turned into a prize-winning nursery and garden center, said the chapter is heavily composed of New Englanders.

“But we also have guys from Colorado, Texas, and other distant states, which makes us pretty well rounded.”

The Deke House, an historic Victorian mansion located a five-minute walk from campus, houses 11 brothers. “Most of our guys eat on campus, but we recently started a Sunday dinner at the house where one of the brothers takes a turn at cooking for everyone,” Shattuck said.

“Surprisingly, the food’s been pretty good, and you can’t beat the camaraderie.”

Only about 25 percent of Bentley’s students are involved in Greek life, but Shattuck said the bulk of the leaders on campus come from fraternities, especially DKE, which was chartered in 1991.

“That was one of the things that drew me to Zeta Chi in the first place,” he said. “There’s a true esprit de corps among the members as we pull for each other in

practically everything we do.”

“The DKE brothers really stand out on Bentley’s campus,” said Jessica Miceli, advisor to Zeta Chi in her role as the university’s director of student programs. “They not only contribute so much to the culture on campus, they boost the overall community through all of their philanthropic projects. It’s really a great group of guys.”

Bentley students take academics seriously, and many Dekes are involved in the university’s investment groups.

“My major is in economics and finance, and many of the guys are studying business and analytics,” Shattuck said. Bentley is known for its excellent business programs.

“Many Dekes who recently graduated stay in close contact with the undergrads,” Shattuck said. “They return to campus often and hold sessions with the actives where they share news about job openings and such. It’s funny but I

think I’ve learned almost as much about business from the guys in the Deke House as I have in the classroom.”

It’s true that Zeta Chi Dekes are well known for their accomplishments in their studies, and it’s no accident. “Whenever one of the guys needs help in a certain subject, there’s always a brother around who’s already taken that course and is willing to share what he knows. We take a lot of pride in being Dekes, and it extends from academics to athletics to our philanthropy projects.”

The chapter recently raised a record $18,500 for Boston Children’s Hospital, primarily through its “Karaoke for the Kids” event. “We took over the pub on campus, cramming about 175 people inside, and we raised money by singing songs,” Shattuck said. “It turned out people will pay to see a Deke sing, and this year’s event was the biggest yet.”

Zeta Chi brothers recently presented a check to Children’s Hospital officials,

which attracted positive media coverage and public reaction. “Our philanthropy board, buoyed by the success of the karaoke event, is working on other projects to raise funds for a good cause,” Shattuck said. “There’s a lot of support for what we call ‘Dekes for Dogs,’ which would help a local animal shelter.”

The enthusiasm of the Zeta Chi Dekes is palpable, and many brothers believe the chapter has reached new heights. “I think our leadership for the past three or four years has been outstanding, which is a big reason why we’re having such success in recruiting and in our various academic and sports programs,” Shattuck said.

“The pride in our chapter is evident by the way so many guys wear their DKE letters around campus. Mostly, I think people respect the Dekes as a group that works and plays really hard. While there’s a lot of diversity in our chapter, we are all committed to the same goal, which is to keep DKE as the best chapter on campus.”

Zeta Chi brothers at Delta Kappa Epsilon’s chapter at Bentley University embody the spirit of gentlemen, scholars and jolly good fellows. No fraternity on campus can equal the number of leaders that DKE boasts among Bentley academic and civic organizations. The athletes at Zeta Chi also rule the university’s interfraternity sports leagues, winning numerous championships. Also, Bentley Dekes recently raised more than $18,000 in support of Boston Children’s Hospital.

Investing in DKE

WHY YOU SHOULD LEAVE A LEGACY GIFT TO THE DEKE FOUNDATION

Fraternity life is more than just a college experience; it’s a lifelong bond that shapes individuals into leaders, cultivates lasting friendships, and fosters a sense of belonging. For most Deke alumni, the memories and lessons learned during their time in the fraternity hold immense value. One impactful way to ensure the legacy of DKE for future generations is by including the fraternity in your bequest.

HOW YOUR LEGACY BEQUEST WILL HAVE AN IMPACT ON DKE

FIRST, by perpetuating a legacy. DKE is built on traditions and values that have withstood the test of time for 180 years. By including DKE in your bequest, you will help ensure that these traditions continue to thrive for future generations of members. Bequests from our alumni play a vital role in enabling DKE to provide the same life-changing experiences to today’s students that you enjoyed.

SECOND, by supporting future leaders. Fraternity life provides invaluable opportunities for personal and professional development. As you reflect on the transformative impact DKE had on your own life, please also recognize and reflect on the importance of providing similar opportunities for future generations. By leaving a bequest, you enable the Fraternity to continue offering leadership development programs, scholarships, and mentorship opportunities that shape the leaders of tomorrow.

THIRD , by fostering brotherhood. The bonds you formed in DKE have lasted a lifetime. We all cherish the friendships, camaraderie, and support network we gained through our DKE membership. By leaving a bequest, you can demonstrate your commitment to preserving these bonds and ensuring that future generations of young Dekes have the opportunity to forge lifelong connections and support networks.

FOURTH, by honoring memories. Your DKE experience holds a special place in your heart. Leaving a bequest to the fraternity is a meaningful way to honor those memories and the impact they had on your life. Whether it’s establishing a named scholarship, funding a specific program, or helping make DKE affordable for more of today’s young Brothers, you can ensure that your legacy is forever intertwined with DKE’s.

Bequests to the Deke Foundation provide tax benefits in the form of deductions (in the US), as the Foundation is a 501c3 charitable organization. The Foundation’s EIN is 38-2407195. Please talk to your tax advisor or attorney about how you can include the Deke Foundation in your will. Or if you have any questions, please contact Doug Lanpher (doug@dke.org) or 847.899.0528.

YOU CAN MAKE A LASTING IMPACT ON DKE FOR GENERATIONS TO COME. INVEST IN DKE BY LEAVING A LEGACY DONATION IN YOUR WILL!

WHEN DEKES RULED MADISON AVENUE

MANY DELTA KAPPA EPSILON BROTHERS BECAME LEADERS IN ADVERTISING ACROSS THE GLOBE

BY BARRY MILAVSKY, PHI ALPHA, BRITISH COLUMBIA, ’70

Marketing started with the idea of “The Brand” which allowed products, previously sold as commodities, to have a greater value because of their story. Those stories came from advertising agencies. You could say Madison Avenue invented marketing. Marketing was a critical factor in U.S. emergence as a commercial power.

As U.S. industry grew, larger and larger advertising agencies emerged, mostly in midtown Manhattan. They included J. Walter Thompson, Young & Rubicam, Ted Bates, and McCann Erickson (which became Interpublic Group) to name a few.

Madison Avenue admen created and distributed those brand stories. What had been sold simply as soap to clean yourself, now left your skin glowing or caressable. Who wouldn’t pay more for a glowing complexion, instead of being just clean? Creativity, ingenuity, and mass media worked to build the agency industry. So did Dekes.

Marketing spread around the world helped by Madison Avenue advertising agencies. DKE brothers were at the forefront, leading many of these famous advertising agencies.

One of the earliest DKE leaders was Stanley Resor (Phi-Yale `01), who led J. Walter Thompson (JWT). He started in JWT’s Cincinnati office, moved to New York, and eventually bought the agency. He was the first major advertising agency leader to have a college degree. Under Resor’s leadership, JWT in 1927 became the first agency to bill more than $100 million. He was later inducted into the Advertising Hall of Fame.

Resor hired Samuel W. Meek (Phi-Yale `17) to oversee JWT’s expansion worldwide, extending the Madison Avenue philosophy of using ideas to add value. Meek started in London, England, and soon JWT had offices in Argentina, Australia, Canada, India, Poland, and Uruguay. Key clients General Motors and Pan Am expanded their operations around the world, and JWT followed.

Wilson Seibert (Gamma Phi–Wesleyan `50) was another JWT leader. His creative copy such as “The Marines are looking for a few good men,” still resonates today. He obviously had experience as the rush chairman at Gamma Phi. Siebert also did seminal work for Kodak and Pan Am, and later became Vice Chair at Arnold & Company, a large agency in Boston.

McCann Erickson was another New York advertising agency that quickly took the marketing concept international. McCann expanded worldwide, supporting key clients such as Coca Cola, as U.S. branded products followed an international road paved by agencies. McCann became the core of the Interpublic Group, the first agency conglomerate with subsidiaries in advertising, public relations, and associated communications services.

Phil Geier (Mu–Colgate `55) served as chairman of Interpublic during much of that growth, building the company to 50,000 employees with $5.6 billion in revenues. Madison Avenue was no longer a sideline business but a huge industry carrying the flag of U.S.-style marketing around the globe. Geier was also the first chairman of the advertising agencies’ PROADPAC political action committee.

Another Mu–Colgate DKE, Robert L. James, `59 was co-chair with Geier and became chairman of McCann Erickson and then Interpublic (after passing the acid test of being a boss of your author). Bob led McCann to become the largest advertising agency in the world.

According to his son, Bob James, Jr. (Mu–Colgate `79), Bob Sr. would dine with the leaders of countries, including princes, presidents, and prime ministers, because the magic of Madison Avenue wielded powerful influence throughout the world. Bob Sr.’s pledge-trainer was Clint Blume, Jr. (Mu-Colgate `56 ) who later served on the DKE International Board. Bob, Jr. pledged with Clint Blume III (Mu `79) and also worked in the agency business. Meanwhile, over at Young & Rubicam (Y&R), another Madison Avenue giant, Lou Brockway (Tau–Hamilton `17) became chairman of the company in the 1950s. Brockway chaired the agency during a period of its dynamic growth. He also chaired the American Association of Advertising Agencies, known as the 4As.

Alex Kroll (Phi–Yale and Phi Chi–Rutgers `61) advanced

A DEKE ADVERTISING GALLERY

“Melts in your mouth, not in your hands.”

“Certs

is two, two, two mints in one.”

Hank Aaron for Kodak.

LEGENDARY COCA-COLA SPOTS

Prize-winning TV commercials for Coca Cola, produced by Dekes on Madison Avenue, still rank with some of the most famous ads ever. (Top) Pittsburgh Steelers great Mean Joe Green is said to have downed nearly a dozen Cokes during the filming of an ad with a young fan who handed him a Cole. He rewarded the boy with his gameworn jersey. (Bottom) Young people standing on a hill in Italy taught the world to sing in another famous Coke commercial.

through the creative department to become president and CEO of Y&R in 1994. Kroll actually played center for the New York Titans of the old AFL, which were later renamed the New York Jets. Kroll, who was an All America football star, received many awards during his career. He served as chairman of the 4As, is a member of the Advertising Hall of Fame and more. He also survived reviewing creative ideas with your author. One of the highlights of Kroll’s career was presenting our Y&R NY softball team a trophy for winning our league.

Another Y&R veteran was Fred Baxter (Rho Delta–Wisconsin `39). Fred managed the substantial American Home Products account for Y&R, and for many years served on the DKE International Board of Directors.

Another pillar of the agency business was Ted Bates who grew his company by focusing on what he called the “USP,” Unique Selling Proposition. Bates hired DKE, Rudolph Montgelas (Phi–Yale `37) originally to handle the Colgate Palmolive account. Montgelas became chairman of the company and served as CEO for more than 25 years.

All those mentioned provided extensive philanthropic, volunteer work with national organizations, sharing their communications, organizational and leadership skills with many charities. Supporting and sharing with others is a DKE trait celebrated equally to achievements.

Terry Hill (Omicron–Michigan `65) served as Creative Director of Grey Advertising in Toronto when I worked there. Terry became President of a Y&R subsidiary, Marsteller, in New York, Washington, London and Paris. Since then, he has written a series of engaging books and plays.

While this article has focused on those at the top during the height of Madison Avenue, many other Dekes have worked in the industry. Much of advertising’s history has been chronicled by Advertising Age magazine, the industry’s bible, run by Rance Crain (Psi Phi–DePauw `60).

Currently, a number of Dekes lead many communications and persuasion agencies in cities throughout North America. The huge influence of Madison Avenue may have been reduced by the decline of mass media in favor of social media. However, the persuasion industry remains a rewarding and challenging field for a career.

Madison Avenue has had another heyday through movies and television, most recently “Mad Men.” The TV series featured Dekes such as Harry Hamlin (Theta Zeta – California `72) and Bryan Batt (Tau Lambda-Tulane `87) acting as ad executives. “Mad Men” character, Pete Campbell, is identified as a Pi–Dartmouth DKE. Easy to believe given the number of Dekes in the industry.

In fact, and in fiction, Dekes have been an integral part of the persuasion industry. Hundreds of Dekes have played successful roles in advertising, promotions, public relations, broadcasting, event management and production.

Communications is integral to any successful human interaction. The technology changes, but the need persists. A career in commercial persuasion is high pressure, creative, always interesting and stimulating with unique problems every day. Every problem starts with a blank sheet of paper and a need to understand how an idea can add value to a product or service. Often the solutions are not easily apparent and require insights based on its user’s psychology and understanding the market where the product competes. Wherever you go in the persuasion business, you can be assured that a fellow Deke has been there.

Barry Milavsky enjoyed a long and successful career in advertising in New York, Caracas and Toronto. He worked with scores of DKE brothers on Madison Avenue and across the world. His new book, “Overcome AD-versity,” is due out in June. This account explored the scope of DKE’s influence on one of the world’s most important industries.

NJ DEKE AIMS TO SOLVE PLASTIC-BAG PROBLEM

The song says it: we all want to change the world. Many people fall short of fulfilling their worldaltering dreams, yet one man who may be nearing the threshold is Gene Benfatti.

A founder of the DKE chapter at Glassboro State in 1980 (now Rowan University), a few years ago Gene started PlasTechFree, a business that could help solve one of today’s top environmental problems—the vast glut of petroleumbased plastics that take years to break down, and when they do, end up as microplastics in our water sources, the air we breathe, even arriving in our lungs and bloodstreams.

While every small business startup must clear all sorts of hurdles, the potential for success is strong in Gene’s chosen niche as it has seen dramatic change in recent years. Twelve states and over 500 municipalities in the U.S. have bans or restrictions on single-use plastic bags made from petroleum-based materials. Canada banned single-use plastic bags in 2022.

Aiming to reduce society’s dependency on those non-degradable plastic bags, Gene’s company makes several products, all home compostable and biodegradable, certified by independent labs to fully break down within months, not years, and leave only rich nutrients behind without any micro or nano plastics or PFAS in the residue. The products include singleuse bags, reusable antimicrobial bags, kitchen compost bin bags, pet waste bags, and diaper waste disposal bags. It also produces bagasse, clamshell containers, cutlery, and straws – all on target lists of plastic reduction programs.

Gene’s entry into the alternatives to plastics biz is recent, but while working in advertising, marketing, and trade show industry posts across a few decades, Gene found a few spare evening and weekend hours for his true passion: inventing things that solve “everyday life” problems. Those part-time efforts netted Gene five U.S. patents – and bragging rights for a few products seen on national chain store shelves.

Gene’s first successful invention was a plush bag dispenser for disposing soiled diapers, dreamed up when necessity arose in his own living room. Back when his son was in diapers, Gene was changing him and realized he had no disposal bags close at hand. At a dollar store later that day, he bought a stuffed teddy bear, needle and thread, and Velcro. He cut off the bear’s head, sewed up the bottom, leaving a small opening, then cut a flap in the back to insert a roll of bags secured with a Velcro loop. Voila; he created the first plush dispenser for bags to dispose of soiled diapers. His dispenser sold nationwide for five years and was later offered with biodegradable and compostable bags. Beginning this May, it will be available on PlasTechFree.com.

Gene’s most promising patent yet is the plant-based bioplastic formula that is the basis for several products of

PlasTechFree. He launched the company in 2021 with partner Mark Nathan, a toy industry entrepreneur he met in a New Jersey inventors club. After operating as an LLC initially, the company incorporated in 2023.

The company has a couple big box stores as customers, including one that sells their compostable dog waste pickup bags. Another company they recently began talks with is a leading zipper maker. “They add zippers to clothing bags and other specialty bags, and their customers wanted plant-based plastic bags for shirts,” Gene explained. So, in March, they were developing quotes to supply 7 million bags.

“That’s a small number in the plastic bag world, but the inquiry speaks volumes about where the alternative plastic sector is headed,” Gene says. “The world’s players are beginning to say: ‘we have to get away from plastics.’ ”

Gene Benfatti (center) pictured during visit with Alpha Mu brothers in 2012, helping carry on a tradition dating to 1982, when Gene and his brothers rolled a keg 50 miles from Glassboro to Atlantic City. Visiting Rowan also gave Gene one of his greatest thrills as a Deke. “My first visit to the Rowan Dekes, I arrived during a Thanksgiving social event. When I introduced myself, they knew my name instantly; many of them had to memorize my name, as a founder. I was celebrated like a hero; a founder had come home!”

U.S. GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL AND NOTED PHILANTHROPIST

WILLIAM E. SIMON

HE WAS A FORCE IN BUSINESS WHO SERVED AS SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY UNDER TWO PRESIDENTS

BY KEVIN CUNEO, GAMMA ‘77

Asuccessful banker, public servant, and philanthropist, William E. Simon served as treasury secretary under two U.S. presidents. Later, he proved to have a golden touch in the boom days of the 1980s, amassing a personal fortune of more than $300 million by the time of his death in 2000. “Bill made a lot more money than that, but he spent his final years giving a ton of it away,” said George Schultz, the former U.S. Treasury Secretary and Secretary of State, who brought Simon to the White House.

A proud member of Delta Kappa Epsilon who maintained lifelong ties with his brothers at RhoLafayette and throughout the fraternity, Simon was respected on Wall Street for his bold thinking and aggressive maneuvering. “If anybody can lead us through the shortages plaguing our economy, it’s Bill Simon,” President Gerald R. Ford, Omicron ’35, said in December 1974.

Simon, a conservative Republican, left a successful Wall Street career as a bond trader in 1973 to join Richard Nixon’s administration as administrator of the Federal Energy Office. He coordinated the administration’s efforts to encourage conservation and to allocate scarce supplies of oil – favoring factory production and home heating oil over gasoline for motorists. Known in the press as America’s “energy czar,” Simon might not have been popular, but he was well respected, especially in Washington, where he was admired for his strong leadership skills and no-nonsense approach.

my time working on international policy, pressing Arab nations to reinvest the dollars they were reaping through oil sales in the U.S.” Simon helped create an international credit line for poor nations that had been hurt by soaring energy costs.

“Then came the New York fiscal crisis, and I was Genghis Khan,” Simon recalled in a 1995 interview. After bankers pressured President Ford and Simon, insisting that if New York were to default on its debt, it could trigger chaos in markets around the globe, they ultimately agreed to aid the city. It might have been too late for the president, however, who had already been reviled in a front-page headline in the New York Daily News: Ford to City – Drop Dead! “That was unfair to Jerry,” Simon later said. “But it also explained why I never wanted to be a politician.”

Known in the press as America’s “energy czar,” Simon might not have been popular, but he was well respected, especially in Washington, where he was admired for his strong leadership skills and no-nonsense approach.

When George Schultz resigned as Treasury Secretary in April 1974, Nixon promptly promoted the then-46-year-old Simon to the post. “Those were difficult days,” Simon later told the New York Times. “The country was in recession and I spent much of

Simon left the treasury when Jimmy Carter succeeded Ford, but he remained in the forefront by becoming treasurer of the U.S. Olympic Committee. When many American amateur athletes and sports officials opposed Carter’s urging to boycott the 1980 Moscow Olympics to protest the Soviet presence in Afghanistan, Simon delivered an impassioned speech to the committee’s house of delegates. His support of the boycott swung the vote.

The following year, when Simon was elected president of the Olympic Committee, the organization was $9 million in debt. Because the boycott had hurt fundraising, the outlook was grim, as the committee faced an $88 million budget for the next four years.

But a deal proposed by Simon turned potential doom into a financial bonanza by having the Olympic committee become an equal partner with the Los Angeles Olympic organizers. Despite a retaliatory boycott by the Soviet Union and most of its allies, the 1984 Olympics earned $225 million. Under Simon’s leadership, the United States Olympic Foundation was created

as a permanent financial source for American amateur sports.

During the same period, Simon was building a fortune with his investments in leveraged buyouts, of which a deal for Gibson Greetings, a card maker, was the best known. Simon and his partners paid $80.5 million for the company – all but $1 million borrowed – in one of the first high-profile leveraged buyouts. Fourteen months later, they sold the company in a public offering to shareholders for $290 million.

Simon, born on Nov. 27, 1927 in Paterson, N.J., was the son of an insurance agent and a homemaker. Following his graduation from high school in 1946, he volunteered for the Army and served as a private. After his discharge, he enrolled at Lafayette College, where he pledged DKE. Simon would remain a loyal Deke for the rest of his life. In 1952, with graduation fast approaching, Simon was married and in debt, with one young son and another on the way.

He camped out in the offices of Union Securities on Wall Street until he landed a $75-a-week job in the mail room. Within two years, he made partner and was heading the firm’s municipal bonds trading desk. Simon later moved to Solomon Brothers, where he became famous for his 16-hour days, standing beside his desk, guzzling gallons of ice water, and barking orders to his traders. “Within Solomon’s aggressive culture, his sometimes-abrasive personality was no drawback,” Richard Stevenson wrote. “By the early 1970s, Simon was one of the firm’s senior partners, earning more than $2 million a year.”

Chief of Staff, Alexander Haig.

nation, where a half-dozen business schools are named for him. “Simon could be charming, but he was also a mean, nasty, tough bond trader who took no B.S. from anyone,” said Ed Feulner, head of the Heritage Foundation.

It was then that Attorney General John Mitchell, a former Wall Street lawyer, took note of Simon and encouraged George Schultz to hire him.

During his final years, Simon, the father of seven children, dedicated the bulk of his time to philanthropy and charitable work. He gave huge sums of money to U.S. colleges across the

But Simon had a softer side, which made his philanthropy deeply personal. Simon and his family often visited the homeless teens at New York’s Covenant House, playing games with them and working in the kitchen. Late in life, Simon became a eucharistic minister in the Catholic Church, taking communion to the sick, lonely and dying. He required all members of the board of his personal foundation to perform 150 hours per year of hands-on service to the poor.

In 1999, Simon developed pulmonary fibrosis, which he battled for a year before dying in 2000 at the age of 72. He left behind a rich legacy of service and accomplishment, as well as an abiding love for Delta Kappa Epsilon.

Bill Simon meets with President Richard Nixon along with Energy Administrator, John Sawhill and

PHI ALPHA MARKS 75 TH

Phi Alpha observed its 75th anniversary as a chapter in DKE in grand style the weekend of February 9-10 in Vancouver.

Fun and festivities began with a pub night at the DKE house on Friday. A new bar was unveiled at the chapter house for the occasion – a perfect punctuation to the pub night alumni reunion. The bar room is dedicated in honour and special recognition of alumnus Ian ‘Arf’ Arbuckle, Phi Alpha ’82, who passed away last August. Approximately 150 Phi Alpha men raised their glasses in toast to Arf.

Dekes from seven chapters – the hosts plus Beta Tau, Tau Beta, Delta Phi, Alpha Tau, Kappa Epsilon, Gamma – arrived to the party donning rugby jerseys, beautifully displaying the fraternity colours. Some members travelled across the continent and others hadn’t been out in decades!

The celebration concluded with a classy Black Tie Gala Dinner and Dance Saturday with over 240 in attendance at the Marriott’s Grand Villa Resort in Burnaby. Ranging in age from 18 to 70, the Dekes and their dates were dressed in their finest to commemorate this historic milestone. The décor, including 75 DKE flags hung from the rafters and a view of snow topped mountains through the floor to ceiling windows, put all revellers in peak mood for the spectacular West Coast event!

DKE Executive Director Doug Lanpher presented the keynote address, a passionate speech on the critical role that DKE plays in inspiring our next generation of leaders during this challenging era.

What a night!

YEAR AS A DKE CHAPTER

AMHERST DEKE CHRIS COONS AN INFLUENTIAL VOICE IN U.S. SENATE

In the stratified world of American politics, Sen. Chris Coons is one of the rare statesmen who is respected on both sides of the aisle. Maybe it’s because the 60-year-old Democrat, who pledged DKE at Sigma Amherst, spent his formative years as a Republican.

A stalwart in the Senate since assuming office in 2010, Coons serves as one of President Joe Biden’s closest advisors. Two years after Biden left the senate to become Barack Obama’s vice president, Coons became Delaware’s junior senator. His connection to Biden, also from Delaware, has only grown stronger over the years, although Coons continues to show the rare ability to connect with both Democrats and Republicans.

He was a Republican at Amherst and as a 17-year-old worked hard to help elect Ronald Reagan in 1980. Responding to an assertion in the New York Times that he can “speak Republican,” Coons joked, “I would say it’s my mother tongue.”

He once described himself during his years at Amherst and the Deke House as “sort of an Alex P. Keaton,” referring to the fictional Rondald Reagan-loving teenager from the 1980s sitcom “Family Ties.” “George Will was one of my heroes,” he added.

His political conversion came after he grew disillusioned with U.S. policy in South Africa and was exposed to extreme poverty while studying in Kenya. Just a year after he helped found a college Republican group at Amherst, he was arguing the Democratic side in oncampus debates. It set a new life course for Coons.

A respected scholar at Amherst where in 1985 he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and chemistry Coons

As his reputation grows, leading Democrats have hinted that Coons might eventually gain consideration as a candidate for the White House.

went on to Yale University. He received both a master’s degree in religion from the Yale Divinity School and a doctorate in jurisprudence from Yale Law School.

In 1996, after having worked in South Africa for a nonprofit organization concerned with caring for the homeless, he became legal counsel to a Delaware textile manufacturer. Also, that year he married Annie Lingenfelter and the couple would have three children.

Coon’s political career began in 2000, when he was elected to the New Castle

County Council in Delaware. He became county executive in 2005 and served for five years before running for a seat in the U.S. Senate. In Washington, Coons developed a reputation as a moderate Democrat.

“Chris is a very smart guy and an extremely hard worker,” Sen. Mitch McConnell, the GOP leader, said in 2014. “He’s served on a number of key committees and has led by example. I’d say he’s one of the most respected senators in Washington, and his only drawback is that he’s a Democrat.”

When Biden was elected president in 2020, Coons was considered a favorite to be named Secretary of State. “I know he wanted the job, and he’d have been very good at it, but I told Chris that I needed him in the Senate,” Biden said.

Always a loyal soldier, Coons would continue to distinguish himself in various leadership roles in the senate. He also became a strong voice overseas, advising Biden on some of the most troubled spots across the globe.

At times, Coons even showed his sense of humor. Because he bears a striking resemblance to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Coons is often mistaken for Scholz whenever he visits Germany. In February of this year, Coons and Scholz posed for a selfie with the caption “Wer ist wer,” which is German for “who is who?”

Coons’ political future seems most promising. He’s been rumored as a candidate for the U.S. Supreme Court, as well as for key positions in Biden’s cabinet. As his reputation grows, leading Democrats have hinted that Coons might eventually gain consideration as a candidate for the White House.

It wouldn’t be the first time a Deke became America’s president. It’s happened five times before.

A DKE REUNION IN NASHVILLE REKINDLES WARM MEMORIES FOR GAMMA BROTHERS

BY KEVIN CUNEO, GAMMA ‘77

Over the years, the Deke Quarterly has reported on dozens of chapter reunions. They always bring a smile to our faces, as we recall fond memories of our own time as undergraduates –often many, many years ago.

Nothing compares to experiencing your own reunion, however, as you reconnect with DKE brothers you haven’t seen in decades. Incredibly, the bond remains so strong. Our Gamma Chapter at Vanderbilt recently drew more than thirty brothers to Nashville, many of whom brought their wives. The occasion marked the 50th anniversary of the initiation of the Gamma Brothers, class of 1977.

Many of us have remained close all these years, starting with Doug Lanpher, Gamma, ’77, who is also DKE’s longtime executive director. Gamma Dekes take great pride in Doug’s accomplishments as leader of DKE. In addition to dozens of other responsibilities, Doug heads our Deke Quarterly team, which includes Jeff Hamilton, Gamma ’78; Mike Hilts, Gamma ’78; and me, your humble scribe, also a member of Gamma, Class of ’77. We all gathered with our brothers in Nashville.

When Doug reached out to Gamma Dekes from the 1970s, ’80s and before, the response was enthusiastic and nearly

overwhelming. The special weekend started with the anniversary of the initiation, which concluded on St. Patrick’s Day in 1974.

The festivities began on the evening of March 14 at Nashville’s Hilton Garden Inn, located several blocks from Vanderbilt’s campus. Bill “Cyclone” Roberts and his wife, Laurie Anne, hosted a cocktail party – fueled by Clone’s impressive bourbon whiskey collection.

As the DKE flag fluttered in the breeze on the tall pole in front of the hotel, Gamma brothers trickled into the room throughout the evening. The warmth in the room was palpable as brothers returned to Nashville from every corner of America. Toasts were raised and we dined on Shepherd’s Pie, an old favorite at the Deke House, then prepared by Miss Ann Davis, our longtime cook.

On Friday morning, the Dekes gathered for brunch at a table that stretched across the entire dining room at Loveless’ Restaurant, a famous destination in rural Nashville that serves excellent Southern cuisine.

Later, when we toured campus, shaded by the century-old magnolia and oak trees, we paused at the site where our Deke House stood at 24th Avenue South. Razed nearly a decade ago, it is now part of a huge development of academic buildings and student housing. In recent years, the undergraduate Dekes

moved to a brand-new house three blocks away, across from the Branscomb Quadrangle. Sadly, the Dekes were forced to leave both the house and campus after committing hazing violations.

Young people make mistakes. Lord knows, we were no angels during our time at Vanderbilt, but even back then, most of us felt a deep-seeded sense of responsibility to carry on DKE for the brothers who would follow us. Oh well, we can only hope that Gamma will be restored at Vanderbilt at some point in the future.

On Friday evening, following drinks at the hotel bar, our group walked five blocks to the World of Beer restaurant where we raised more toasts and enjoyed a buffet dinner. Those of us from that initiation in ’74 lifted our glasses to Clay Swindell, our pledge trainer who was unable to attend the reunion because of illness.

Saturday morning started with an e-bike ride for physically fit brothers along a scenic lane by the Cumberland River. Afterward, many of us gathered at Hawkins Field on campus to watch Vanderbilt’s baseball team host Auburn. It was a bright, sunny day with hardly a cloud in the sky, as the temperature reached 70 degrees. Many of us recalled a visit to the Deke House in 1977 by Sen. Thomas Eagleton, who was in Nashville for a campus-wide speakers forum. A Deke at Sigma Amherst,

Eagleton ended up buying his Gamma brothers a keg of beer and joined us at that day’s baseball game.

On this special weekend, the Commodores won, which put everyone in a good mood as we boarded a bus for the 75-minute ride in the country to a rustic lodge called Sweetie Pettie’s. The interior is bathed in colorful lights and brightly painted walls, and it was a perfect setting for the gathering which included a lengthy photo slideshow of Gamma Dekes through the years.

Lanpher introduced Brother Will Wilson, an Episcopal priest, who read the names of Gamma Dekes from our era who had passed on.

Following a delicious dinner of pork barbecue from Mary’s, a popular place in East Nashville that has long been a favorite of Dekes, and other tasty picnic foods, many of us sat by a blazing fire and swapped stories about the great times at Gamma.

Brothers who played a major role in arranging the weekend included Lanpher, Jeff Hamilton, Richard Graves, Gaines Campbell, Mike Berryman, Dick Lamping, Bill Roberts and many others.

It turned out to be a wonderful reunion, as brothers exchanged email addresses and phone numbers, promising to remain in touch. Everyone agreed that we can’t wait another 50 years for the next Gamma reunion.

MYSTIC CIRCLE OF ∆KE

We honor our departed brothers who have gone to the Mystic Circle

We have been notified that the following brothers recently passed away.

Detailed obituaries, photos and memories are found at our online Mystic Circle by searching Lifeweb DKE, or by using the QR code below.

CHI

CHAPTER LOSES ITS

SAVIOR WITH DEATH OF BOB WILSON

Delta Kappa Epsilon lost one of its great brothers on January 30, 2024, when William Roberts “Bob” Wilson, Jr. died in Oxford, Mississippi. A prominent lawyer for nearly six decades, Bob pledged DKE at Vanderbilt in 1961. He later transferred to the University of Mississippi where he was a significant leader at Chi for decades.

In 2010, Bob learned that an Oxford bank was about to foreclose on the Chi chapter house. On the morning that the foreclosure was scheduled to take place, Bob walked from his office to the courthouse and asked the clerk how much was owed. Told that an immediate payment of $97,500 was required to prevent the sale, Bob wrote a check for the entire amount.

“The local Phi Gamma Delta house corporation, which had a claim on the house, undoubtedly would have taken ownership if Bob hadn’t interceded,” said DKE Executive Director Doug Lanpher. “When he called

Beta-North Carolina

Clement Wright 1952

Beta Phi-Rochester

James M. Fitzsimmons 1955

Chi-Mississippi

David Hervey 1964

Lawton Terry Stevens, Jr. 1965

Dave Cannon Parkerson 1972

Delta Phi-Alberta

Ryan Gerald Smith 1995

to tell me what he’d done, he said he’d like to get paid back sometime, if possible, but he left it up to us to figure out how and when. Those were dire financial times for DKE, so it took us a while to start making payments to Bob. But we figured it out and eventually made good on the ‘loan,’ which he’d made to us not knowing if or when he’d ever get paid back.”

Wilson’s career as a lawyer is a storied one. He started as a special projects attorney with the National Labor Relations Board in Washington, D.C. He entered private practice in 1970 in Pascagoula, Mississippi, where he gained national fame for his work in what became known as “asbestos law.” He bravely broke ground for thousands of American workers, finding justice for those who otherwise would not have had a voice.

For the rest of his life, Bob, an avid outdoorsman, remained deeply committed to his family, his profession and his DKE brothers.

Gamma-Vanderbilt

John H. Fish III 1962

William Roberts Wilson, Jr. 1964

Stanley “Terry” Terrel Smith 1976

Kappa Epsilon-Washington

Robert Clarence Thwing 1955

Don Meldrum Gulliford 1961

Phi Alpha-British Columbia

Ian “Arf” Arbuckle 1982

Phi Epsilon-Minnesota

Frank Rinaldo “Tad” Shaw Jr. 1954

David Haskin 1955

Psi-Alabama

Jack Howard Krueger 1952

Michael Patrick Vickers 1984

Psi Psi-DePauw

John N. Boomer 1956

Sigma-Amherst

William David Slawson 1953

Tau Lambda-Tulane

George Febiger Riess 1965

Richard Kingsley Blum 1978

Zeta Zeta-LSU

Arthur Leonard “Red” Swanson, Jr. 1958

A brother dead and brothers mourning; Fill the heart with grief today, And the earnest grasp fraternal; Speaks, “a dear one passed away.” Yes, no longer we shall greet thee in the halls of DKE

DKE graduates from all chapters are eligible to join the DKE Club of New York – either as a resident member if you are living in or move near New York after graduation, or as a non-resident member if you visit the City from time-to-time for business (or just for fun).

DKE Club members automatically become full members of the Yale Club and are welcome to stay overnight at the Clubhouse, across the street from Grand Central Station.

∆KE CHAPTER ROLL • SPRING 2024

CHAPTERS

PHI†

PSI

CHI

BETA

DELTA

KAPPA

LAMBDA

ETA

DELTA PSI*

IOTA

RHO

TAU

BETA PHI

PHI CHI

TAU DELTA

GAMMA PHI

PSI OMEGA

DELTA CHI

DELTA DELTA

PHI GAMMA

THETA ZETA

PHI EPSILON

SIGMA TAU

ALPHA PHI

TAU ALPHA

SIGMA RHO

DELTA PI

KAPPA EPSILON*

ALPHA TAU

DELTA PHI

PHI ALPHA

PSI DELTA

SIGMA ALPHA

PI BETA

EPSILON RHO

NU ZETA

PHI SIGMA

PHI RHO*

ZETA CHI

OMEGA OMEGA

BETA DELTA

SIGMA KAPPA

DELTA TAU

MU CHI

BETA TAU

DELTA ALPHA

PHI MU

CHI BETA

ZETA GAMMA

PI ALPHA

DELTA RHO

TAU BETA

ALPHA OMICRON

NU ALPHA

TAU GAMMA

LAMBDA TAU

SCHOOL

Yale University

University of Alabama

University of Mississippi

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State College, PA

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Auburn, AL

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Hampden-Sydney, VA

Columbia, MO

Raleigh, NC

Burnaby, British Columbia Canada

Boulder, CO

Boston, MA Lubbock,

Knoxville,

*Associate Chapter (formerly called Colony)

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DKE CHAPTERS MAKE THE MOST OF SPRING

Phi Mu-Manhattan in Mexico

Iota-Centre New Members

Delta Alpha-Auburn’s Paintball Team

Phi Sigma-Bryant the Dream Team

Beta Delta-Georgia Dunk-A-Deke

Nu Alpha-Northeastern’s Formal `24

Phi Rho - Penn State Re-Founders

Chi-Mississippi Founders Day

Delta Phi-Alberta New Members