C&C November 2005- Issue 11

$SPTT $SFTDFOU B -BNCEB $IJ "MQIB 'SBUFSOJUZ QVCMJDBUJPO

*/4*%& .BHB[JOF .PWFT 0OMJOF XXX DSPTTBOEDSFTDFOU DPN "GUFS UIF 4UPSN )PX ,BUSJOB "õ FDUFE 0VS $IBQUFST "XBSE 8JOOFST /PWFNCFS 7PMVNF 9$** *TTVF

CONTENTS

Cross & Crescent a Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity publication Features Chapter News 4 Chapter and Alumni News Fraternity News 7 2005 Leadership Seminar Awards History 10 Theta Kappa Nu’s Fifth Grand Chapter

3

Magazine Moves online The Cross & Crescent magazine changes format — leaving print altogether. Released monthly, the electronic version is interactive and features member-created content. By Bill Farkas

11

After the Storm Hurricane Katrina displaced more than 400 alumni in the New Orleans area and submerged a 20-man chapter. Two alumni share their trying tales, how they escaped, and what they are doing to rebuild. By Jason Pearce

Credits

Contributions

Publisher: Bill Farkas Editor: Jason Pearce Assistant Editor: Chris Barrick Illustrator: Jeff Reisdorfer Photographer: Walt Moser Assignment Editor: Jon Williamson Contributing Editors: Jono Hren Mike Raymond Steve Sothman George Spasyk

Content for consideration should be submitted by the fiftenth of the month.

www.crossandcrescent.com

Lambda Chi Alpha 8741 Founders Rd Indianapolis, IN 46268-1338 (317) 872-8000 editor@lambdachi.org www.lambdachi.org www.crossandcrescent.com

Cross & Crescent

NOVEMBER 2005

FEATURE

Magazine Moves Online No longer printed, the Cross & Crescent becomes an online publication It is with mixed emotions that we inform you that the Cross & Crescent magazine will no longer be printed – at least in the foreseeable future – and is instead available only online at www.crossandcrescent.com.

The motivation for this change in format was purely financial. Members of the staff and Grand High Zeta equally enjoy receiving the magazine in the mail; some have even amassed collections that parallel those of National Geographic.

But the fact remains, it cost the General Fraternity in excess of $250,000 annually to produce printed editions of the Cross & Crescent for 125,000 members.

Considering our annual budget is less than $3.1 million, the magazine was one of our greatest expenses.

For more than a decade we have witnessed sustained declines in recruitment, this decrease in membership has placed the General Fraternity in a position to make drastic cost-cutting measures. Ceasing the production of the printed Cross & Crescent became a necessary step toward financial recovery.

By Bill Farkas (Butler 1988)

Starting November 2, 2005, you will find a new issue of the Cross & Crescent online at www.crossandcrescent. com. Subsequent issues will be posted on the second of each month.

Not only is the content timelier, the online magazine is more interactive – inviting you to comment on stories and contribute feature articles.

The success of the online Cross & Crescent is partially in your hands. We are still interested in your chapter news, alumni news, obituaries, and feature stories about notable and interesting alumni.

We also welcome experienced writers and editors to participate as volunteers in the development of each issue.

We invite you to explore our new format, to add your comments to each article, and to return to this site on the second of every month for the next issue of the Cross & Crescent

Bill Farkas, Executive Vice President Jason Pearce, Editor

Under ideal circumstances, we would prefer to provide a printed edition of the Cross & Crescent that is complemented by an electronic version — much the way commercial magazines and newspapers operate. But since we can’t afford to provide both, we have tried to make the electronic format as appealing as possible.

www.crossandcrescent.com

C&C History 1914: No. 1, Vol. I, of the Purple, Green, and Gold published 1915: Vol. I, No. I, of Cross & Crescent published 1932: Purple, Green, and Gold changes its name to Cross & Crescent 1970: Linn C. Lightner (Franklin & Marshall 1918) retired after 50 years of service as editor 2004: General Assembly approves “Publication [of the Cross & Crescent] shall be deemed to include electronic posting on the Fraternity’s web-based or other similar site.”

2005: Printed version of Cross & Crescent discontinued, online version made available at www.crossandcrescent.

1932

Cross & Crescent

NOVEMBER 2005

1970

CHAPTER NEWS

Chapter News Chapter news, alumni news, and reports of death Birmingham Southern (Theta-Mu)

Miami-FL (Epsilon-Omega)

Howell T. Heflin (1942) died March 29, 2005. Heflin received the Order of Achievement in 1980.

Lt. Gardnar P. Mulloy (1940) still meets annually with his crew from World War II. Mulloy commanded the LST 32, Alameda County in the U.S. Navy, which was used as a landing craft in North African and European invasions. He received the Order of Achievement in 1964 for his tennis accomplishments, entering the Tennis Hall of Fame in 1972.

He served in the Marine Corps from 1942-1946 during World War II. He received his law degree from the University of Alabama in 1948, practiced law for 23 years, and then served as Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court from 1971–1977.

James Francis Lochner (1957) December 26, 2001.

Miami-OH (Zeta-Upsilon)

In 1976 he was named the Most Outstanding Appellate Judge in the United States by the American Association of Trial Lawyers.

He was elected to the U.S. Senate in 1978 as a Democrat and was immediately appointed to serve on the Judiciary Committee. He retired in 1996 after serving three terms.

Indiana (Alpha-Omicron)

John Carley (1950) Glenn Giffen (1952) Col. Norman M. Cupfender (1954) July 26, 2005.

Stephen Hathaway, Jr. (1956)

The class of 1950 met for their 55th consecutive reunion in Evansville, Indiana. The brothers exchanged stories of their current lives and college days.

Michigan (Sigma)

When most Michigan student headed for the sunbelt on Spring Break, eight undergraduates traveled to Valparasio for the Midwest Leadership Conference. Following the Conference, seven of them spent a few days at the Indianapolis home of George Spasyk (1949). While there, they visited Lambda Chi Alpha headquarters.

Lou Zickler (1968) was named “Realtor of the Year” by the Indiana Association of Realtors. Zickler is co-owner of Horizon Group, a commercial real estate appraisal and consulting firm; and Zickler Associates, a real estate brokerage firm.

Irvin Clement Rabideau was finally initiated after 43 years.

Although he pledged in 1962, Rabideau was never initiated because he transferred to Eastern Michigan University.

Iowa State (Alpha-Tau)

When former Executive Vice President George Spasyk (1949), who has known Irv for 15 years, learned he was not actually a member, he proposed an honorary membership to the chapter and alumni. A formal petition was filed with the Grand High Zeta and approved. He was initiated on April 8, 2005.

Raymond W. Lyon (1936) December 4, 2003.

Gary Fischer (1980) September 20, 2004.

www.crossandcrescent.com

Winfield Polk (1949)

Cross & Crescent

NOVEMBER 2005

From left: Colin Campbell, Steve Marin, Ben Hoff, Mario Lowenstern, Chris VanDeusen, Andrew Turckes, Ethan Rein

CHAPTER NEWS

Purdue (Psi)

Shippensburg (Phi-Tau)

The chapter has chosen a possible location in a section of campus dedicated to new fraternity and sorority houses for a new chapter house.

Chapter members and the women of Alpha Omicron Pi earned first-place in the homecoming parade float.

This was the first time the chapter won both Greek Week and Homecoming in the same year.

To attract more alumni support for this endeavor, members are trying to establish an Alumni Association.

Interested alumni in the greater Lafayette, Indiana, area should contact Rob Nussbaum (2000) at pu_baumer@yahoo.com or (765) 430-1067.

John Drake (1982) was named Northhampton Community College Administrator for Pike and Wayne Counties in Pennsylvania.

Brian Lacy (1985) spent a week during the summer traveling to Punta Fijo, Venezuela, assisting in the construction of a new church.

In other news, Homecoming 2005 was a great success.

Members hosted two class reunions and more than 50 alumni brothers reminisced about the good old days.

Edward Horstmann (2000) was named project engineer for GE Energy of Hatfield, Pennsylvania.

Lt. Col. Franklin L. Wilson (1936) June 18, 2005.

Mark Tatkovski (1986) June 6, 2003.

Rhode Island(Eta)

William E. Brais (1949) September 1, 2005.

Tennessee (Epsilon-Omicron)

Richard B. Midwood (1964) March 4, 2005.

Cpt. Brett R. Carter (1974) is serving with the U.S. Army National Guard’s 278th Regimental Combat Team in Northeastern Iraq. “The young Iraqis were thrilled when I pulled out my old LCA football jersey to hand out,” says Carter.

Donald M. Szrom (1965) June 21, 2005.

Sam Houston State (Sigma-Mu Colony)

Bob Howie (1976) is a captain for Wing Aviation in Conroe, Texas, based at Lone Star Executive Airport. He flies Gulfstream corporate jets for charter and will soon attend school on the Embraer 145 Legacy, a Brazillianbuilt regional jet typically flown by airlines such as Continental Express. Howie is also the chapter’s High Pi.

William Calvert III (1938) December 15, 2004. Calvert was an executive for Central Bell and AT&T. Hugh Lawson Carroll (1949) March 13, 2004.

Charles Jones (1981) completed the Center for Creative Leadership course “Developing the Strategic Leader” in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in September 2005.

www.crossandcrescent.com

Warren C. Hale (1951) July 3, 2004. Hale retired Lieutentant Colonel in the army after 23 years of service.

Cross & Crescent

NOVEMBER 2005

CHAPTER NEWS

Washington & Lee (Gamma-Phi)

Tennessee-Chattanooga (Zeta-Phi)

Five members graduated with honors in June 2005.

Four received Cum Laude honors and one received the Magna Cum Laude honor.

The chapter had the highest grade point average among all fraternities during the 2004 – 2005 school year.

The chapter recruited 30 new members, doubling its chapter size. To attract new members, the chapter held events such as “Lambda Chi Olympics.”

Alumni gathered on July 21 for dinner at Chattanooga’s Mount Vernon Restaurant.

Members also gathered to tailgate October 1 before the homecoming game versus Wofford. If you’d like to receive regular From left: Eric Justus, Carl Levi Mike correspondence from Byington, Richard Buhrman, John Temple, the Alumni Association, and Brandon Huddleston contact Mike Byington at (423) 886-7109 or (423) 718-0597.

From left: Kenneth Hackman, Andrew Latimer, John Kiely, Mark Allen, and William Fox

William Fox is a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army and is stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky. Mark Allen is attending medical school at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. Kenneth Hackman and John Kiely began law school this fall. Andrew Latimer is an investment banker in Richmond, Virginia.

Joseph Herman Ochsie, Jr. (1939) October 14, 2004.

David Alexander Grier (1952) November 17, 2004.

Wabash (Alpha-Kappa)

Jonathan Byrd II (1997) and David Byrd (1998) entered into a partnership with Panther Racing, the winningest team in Indy Racing League history, to form Byrd Brothers/Panther Racing.

Trickett Willis, Jr. (1961) October 18, 2004.

Clayton A. Weist (1930) July 1, 2005.

Corrections Paul Mehal (Richmond), Stuart R. Fulcher (Elon 1998) and James R. Morris (Florida Tech) are alive and well despite being listed as deceased in a recent issue of the Cross & Crescent.

The wrong photo was used with Howard L. Dillard’s (Georgia 1971) obituary.

Two Memorial Gifts were inadvertently omitted from the Foundation’s 2004–05 Honor Roll of Donors.

Memorial Gifts were received in memory of Arthur H. Matthews (Louisiana Tech 1955) and Will Bunn Matthews (Louisiana Tech 1950) by Neill S. Matthews (Louisiana Tech 1950).

Howard Dillard and family

www.crossandcrescent.com

Cross & Crescent

NOVEMBER 2005

FRATERNITY NEWS

2005 Leadership Seminar Awards One hundred chapters recieve awards The 50th LEadership Seminar was held on the Maryland-College Park campus July 28–31, 2005. Half of our 200 chapters earned at least one award, with a few receiving four or five.

Grand High Alpha Award Recognizes chapters that have maintained a superior level of operations for at least three consecutive years. A chapter may not earn the award again until at least three years have elapsed since its previous award.

• Georgetown • Union Rev. S. George “Doc” Dirghalli Scholastic Programming Recognizes chapters that have developed an outstanding program resulting in superior academic achievement of its members.

• •

Denver Kansas State

Tozier Brown Public Affairs Program Recognizes chapters with the most outstanding programs of community service and philanthropic activities. The award is divided into two categories Public Affairs Programs and Most Outstanding Public Affairs Project.

Public Affairs Program 1. Iowa State 2. Hanover 3. Kansas State Public Affairs Project 1. Maryland 2. Iowa State 3. Eastern Kentucky

By John Holloway (High Point 1993)

Academic Achievement Awarded to chapters with a grade point average that was first on a campus, or second or third on larger campuses with a greater number of fraternities • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Alabama-Birmingham Bucknell Central Florida Delaware Denison Denver Drury Florida International Florida Southern Gettysburg Georgetown Iowa State Kansas Kent State Kettering-A Lehigh Maryland Miami-FL Michigan State Minnesota State Mississippi State New Mexico State North Carolina Old Dominion Pennsylvania Pittsburg State San Diego Simpson South Dakota Southeast Missouri State Southeastern Oklahoma State Southern California Southern Methodist Texas Texas Christian Texas State-San Marcos Towson Truman State Union

www.crossandcrescent.com

Cross & Crescent

• • • • • •

Valparaiso Vanderbilt Virginia Tech Washington & Lee Washington State Wittenberg

Alumni Affairs Program Recognizes outstanding alumni programming within the chapter, including alumni organization, events and activities, mentoring and fund-raising efforts.

1. Denver 2. Culver-Stockton 3. Kansas State Alumni Publications Awarded to chapters with outstanding alumni newsletters. At least two must be published and submitted to Headquarters during the academic year.

1. Northwestern 2. Iowa State 3. Cornell Website Development Recognizes chapters with outstanding advances in the use of computer technology, layout, content management, computer graphics, and website design.

1. Shippensburg 2. Northern Michigan 3. Southeast Missouri State

NOVEMBER 2005

FRATERNITY NEWS

North American Food Drive Awarded to chapters that collect and verify more than 8,500 pounds of food. The top 10 chapters received special recognition.

1. Kansas State (246,478 pounds) 2. Denver (232,000 pounds) 3. Baylor (208,500 pounds) 4. Missouri (184,792 pounds) 5. Kutztown (111,692 pounds) 6. Millsaps (110,468 pounds) 7. Texas-San Antonio (105,640 pounds) 8. Toronto (95,000 pounds) 9. Central Florida (92,200 pound 10. Nebraska-Omaha (78,150 pounds) • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Akron Arkansas Auburn-Montgomery Bowling Green State Butler California State-Fullerton California-Riverside Coe Colorado State-Pueblo Denison Drury East Tennessee State Eastern Illinois Elmhurst Ferris State Florida Southern Franklin Georgetown Hanover Illinois State Incarnate Word Kettering-B Louisiana State Louisiana-Lafayette Maryland Memphis Mercer Minnesota State-Mankato Mississippi State Missouri-Kansas City Morehead State Nevada-Las Vegas North Dakota Northern Colorado Northern Michigan Northwestern

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Oklahoma Oregon State Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Southeast Missouri State St. Mary’s Tarleton State Texas-El Paso Union Western Kentucky Western Ontario Wisconsin-Whitewater Wittenberg Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Membership Recruitment Awarded to chapters with outstanding success in recruitment, by substantially increasing their numbers and/or dramatically improving their initiation ratio of associate members.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Alabama Arkansas California State-Fullerton Central Michigan Drury Florida Georgia Tech Kentucky Kettering-A Louisiana State Michigan State Murray State Nevada Oklahoma Pennsylvania State Purdue Rhode Island San Diego Southeast Missouri State Truman State

Bruce H. McIntosh Standards for Chapter Excellence Recognizes chapters who effectively use the Standards for Chapter Excellence program to continuously improve their fraternal experience.

• • • •

Kettering-B Hanover Kansas State Texas A&M-Kingsville

www.crossandcrescent.com

Cross & Crescent

Joseph T. Charles Mentor Leadership Program Granted to chapters that have the most participation in this program.

Undergraduate Participation 1. North Dakota 2. Florida Southern 3. Northwestern Alumni Participation 1. North Dakota 2. Eastern Illinois 3. Murray State

NOVEMBER 2005

FRATERNITY NEWS

Campus Involvement Awarded to chapters with extensive involvement in extracurricular activities.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Alabama Appalachian State Arkansas Auburn-Montgomery Central Florida Central Michigan Culver-Stockton Denison Drury East Tennessee State Florida Southern Gettysburg Hanover Illinois State Incarnate Word Jacksonville Kent State Louisiana State Marietta Michigan Millsaps Missouri-Rolla North Carolina-Chapel Hill Northeastern State Randolph-Macon Simpson South Carolina-Aiken Southeastern Oklahoma State Southern California Spring Hill St. Louis COP Texas-San Antonio Union Valparaiso Vanderbilt Wabash Wake Forest William Jewell

Warren A. Cole Recruitment Recognizes chapters that have developed and implemented well organized and effective recruitment programs.

Phoenix Award Presented to a chapter that has made unusually positive strides in overall chapter operations for at least three consecutive years, taking into consideration improved membership size, depth of programming and risk-free operations.

• • • •

Alabama-Birmingham New Mexico State North Carolina A&T Virginia Tech

Cyril F. “Duke” Flad Outstanding Undergraduate This award was created in 1970 to honor Duke Flad, who served as the Fraternity’s second chief executive from 1942–1968.

One outstanding undergraduate from among all student Brian Kelley, 2005 “Duke” members Flad Award winner is selected annually to receive this award.

• • • •

Recipient: Brian P. Kelley (Denver) Finalist: Aaron Parker (Hanover) Finalist: Prem Shetty (Georgia Tech) Finalist: Nathan Whetsell (Michigan)

Fraternity Adviser of the Year May be awarded annually to a fraternity or Greek adviser who has rendered exemplary service to the Greek system on a particular campus or on a number of campuses.

• Katy Lowe Schneider (Hanover)

Order of Achievement Established in 1960, this award recognizes alumni for outstanding achievement in their professional careers.

Recipients are elected to receive the award in General Joseph T. Charles (right) recieving Assembly the Order of Achievment Award years, from Lynn Chipperfield (left). but may receive it at another appropriate event.

• Joseph T. Charles (Culver-Stockton) president and CEO of Charles Industries, Ltd.

Calendar November 2005

Nov 5: North American Food Drive Nov 12: Appalachian State 30th An niversary (Boone, NC) Nov 19–20: Grand High Zeta Meeting (Indianapolis) Nov 23–25: Office Closed Nov 30: Georgia Alumni Reception (Hilton, Atlanta) Nov 30–Dec 4: NIC Educational Conference (Hilton, Atlanta)

December 2005 Dec 25–Dec 31: Office Closed January 2006 Jan 19–22: Grand High Zeta & Council of Presidents Meeting (New Braunfels, TX) February 2006 Feb 17–18: Foundation Board Meeting (Rancho Valencia, San Diego) Feb 25: Texas Christian 50th Anniversary (Ft. Worth)

• Akron • North Carolina-Charlotte • Southeast Missouri State

www.crossandcrescent.com

Cross & Crescent

NOVEMBER 2005

HISTORY

Theta Kappa Nu’s Fifth Grand Chapter President Hoover attended Theta Kappa Nu’s 1930 White House reception Seventy-five years ago, the Theta News magazine reported that Theta Kappa Nu Fraternity held its Fifth Grand Chapter in Richmond, Virginia. For five days in June, representatives from 47 chapters and 10 alumni clubs met to conduct the business of the fraternity.

By Mike Raymond (Miami-OH 1967)

Ritualism is the heart of fraternalism. The alter is a sacred place.

The more sacred, the more loyal each Brother will be. It has been my observation that the better a chapter gives the ritual, the more they put into it – the more of their own feelings, their own hearts and souls – the better the chapter is sure to be. It is the one thing that will weld your chapter together and make it a great force for brotherhood and fraternalism.

Grand Archon Leroy A. Wilson (Rose-Hulman 1922) presided over the largest national gathering of its members in the fraternity’s history. He spoke with justifiable pride in describing Theta Kappa Nu’s modern central office operations in Cleveland, Ohio.

Krenmyre was so closely associated with the formation of Theta Kappa Nu, and so instrumental in the creation of its ritual, that he was the natural choice to work with Jack Mason (Pennsylvania 1913) to unify our two great fraternities.

Today, members of Lambda Chi Alpha can see the results of Krenmyre’s and Mason’s collaboration in our Associate Member Ceremony, the Associate Member pin, and our coat of arms.

Later in life, Wilson played an influential role in the merger of his fraternity and ours. He was one of the three Theta Nus who served on the merger committee that forged the union in 1939. He went on to establish a distinguished record of service with the National Interfraternity Conference (NIC) and Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity.

As in the case of Lambda Chi Alpha’s General Assemblies, the ritual of Theta Kappa Nu was exemplified during the Fifth Grand Chapter.

The Fifth Grand Chapter is important in many respects, but none more so than it serving as a platform for Wilson and Krenmyre to display their remarkable leadership skills.

Unlike our current ritual team selection process, which can take months to complete, the Theta Kappa Nu Ritual Team was chosen 30 minutes prior to the presentation of the first degree. The editor of Theta News recorded that the ritual was a “...marvelous demonstration of how Theta Kappa Nu members make their ritual part of their lives.

The conference concluded with a trek to Washington, D.C., for a private meeting with President Herbert Hoover. President Hoover greeted the Theta Nus on the White House lawn and honored them by taking a place in the center of the group for an official photograph.

The Rev. J. H. “Dad” Krenmyre (Iowa Wesleyan 1917), a giant figure in the history of Theta Kappa Nu, made the following remarks about the importance of the ritual to the assembled delegates:

Excerpt: Rev. J. H. “Dad” Krenmyre, President Herbert Hoover, and Grand Archon Leroy A. Wilson

www.crossandcrescent.com

10

Cross & Crescent

NOVEMBER 2005

FEATURE

After the Storm In one chapter house, Hurricane Katrina submerged composites still hanging on the wall When we last spoke with Max Mayfield (Oklahoma 1970) for the spring 2005 Cross & Crescent, he was preparing for hurricane season.

If you missed that story, Mayfield is the director of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Hurricane Center. Known for his accurate and timely forecast, even he and his team couldn’t have possibly predicted the devastation we experienced this fall.

Lambda Chi Alpha had nine chapters within a 400-mile radius of Hurricane Katrina’s path. Of these nine, the Lambda-Alpha chapter at the University of New Orleans sustained considerable

damage. Photos from inside the chapter house show water-damaged composites still hanging on the wall.

Roughly a 20-man chapter, half of the members relocated to other campuses.

The other half are taking time to get their personal and family lives back in order.

Our chapters and undergraduates were not the only ones affected. We have more than 400 alumni who called New Orleans home.

We asked members to submit firstperson short stories about how Katrina affected them. Of those received, here are three we’d like to share.

First-Person Stories

By Jason Pearce (Elon 1994)

www.fraternalrelief.org Less than two days after Katrina struck, our office launched a website to coordinate the news and safety of our members.

Visitors to the site were able to easily add news about their chapter as staff worked to contact every undergraduate member in the area until everyone was accounted for.

Lambda Chi Alpha made the website available to all fraternal organizations; more than 30 participated. More than 18,000 interfraternal friends visited the site the week after Katrina struck.

Nearby Chapters

12

A City We Embraced

Dennis Rogers lived less than one mile from a breached levee. When he returned home to survey the damage, boats passed him on the streets.

By Dennis Rogers

14

Ground Zero: New Orleans (Lambda-Alpha) 80 miles: Louisiana State (Upsilon) 136 miles: Louisiana-Lafayette (Iota-Omega) 143 miles: Spring Hill (Delta-Delta) 187 miles: Millsaps (Theta-Eta) 310 miles: Auburn-Montgomery (Phi-Kappa) 314 miles: Troy (Sigma-Tau) 364 miles: Auburn (Omega)

Too Shocking to Believe

A hurricane used to be an excuse to miss work or throw a candle-lit party. This time, Mark Decker found himself searching for family, fraternity brothers, and a home.

By Mark Decker

www.crossandcrescent.com

11

Cross & Crescent

NOVEMBER 2005

FEATURE

A City We Embraced Dennis Rogers lost half of his belongings — he considers himself lucky New orleans was a city my wife and I called home for 27 months — a city we embraced from the start. It was also where my life completely changed in a matter of days due to Hurricane Katrina.

Trip to Dallas At 4 p.m. on Friday, August 27, 2005, I was just about to leave home for a trip to Dallas to visit my old stomping grounds at Southern Methodist University and a couple of my Lambda Chi brothers.

I had the local news on when they interrupted to say Hurricane Katrina was taking a western tilt and was headed for the Florida panhandle. I was a little worried, but continued on with my weekend.

In Dallas, I tried to have a good time, but couldn’t get my mind off of the hurricane. Late Friday, I turned on the Weather Channel and learned Katrina’s track had shifted west — the bull’s eye was New Orleans.

The next morning I took the first flight back to get home, pack the car, and get out.

Returning Home to Evacuate Fast forward to 4 a.m. on August 28. My wife and I planned to evacuate to Jackson, Mississippi, three hours north of New Orleans. The cars were packed with items we

By Dennis Rogers (Southern Methodist 2000)

deemed important — pictures, documents, keepsakes, and wedding presents.

As I step outside in the eerie morning, lightning flashes throughout the sky and the wind flows through the air. My heart is racing as I hurry out the door, not knowing if it’s the last time I will see my house in good condition.

When Monday morning rolled around, Katrina reached us in Jackson, Mississippi, as a Category 2 hurricane. She knocked out power for several days, preventing us from seeing footage of the destruction.

We tried frantically calling friends to make sure everyone was safe, but New Orleans cell phones were down.

“Be glad you can’t watch it. It is beyond bad”

Call after call came in from friends around the country, all with the same message, “Be glad you can’t watch it. It is beyond bad.” Then came the worst news of all.

The levees breached in several areas, filling the city with water. One of the levees was less than a mile from our house.

My wife and I caravanned through the darkness with hundreds of other cars as Hurricane Katrina continued to head straight for us. She had strengthened to a Category 5 by early Sunday morning.

We left Jackson on Wednesday for my hometown of San Antonio. We arrived to the airport six hours early to watch TV. Image after image flashed on the screen and my heart sank.

I knew the scenario for New Orleans. It’s a city that resides 12 feet below sea level in many areas. If a Category 3 hurricane hit New Orleans head on, the city would be 20 feet under water. It was a scary thought; so many hurricanes had come close, but we always survived the big one.

This time, however, things looked serious.

Days ago, everything was normal in New Orleans. Now the city was beyond recognition, and it all happened in the blink of an eye.

The hours passed and Katrina kept getting closer and closer to New Orleans, the inevitable was coming.

Beyond Bad Katrina hit late Sunday night, August 28. She made a quick right turn at the last minute, avoiding a head on hit to New Orleans, and instead landed around the Mississippi Gulf Coast. We knew it was bad, but could only wonder as we waited to see footage of the destruction.

www.crossandcrescent.com

12

Cross & Crescent

Despair, destruction, and sorrow filled New Orleans. Thousands of people were still left in the city. It was hard for me to watch the place I call home in need of such help five days after the worst national disaster in the US. My wife and I wondered if we had anything left. We struggled with the decision to even go back, knowing how hard it would be to live in a city we wouldn’t recognize.

NOVEMBER 2005

FEATURE

Water and Tears We decided to go back on the second day people were allowed back in Jefferson Parish, a parish located just outside New Orleans. We had a convoy of friends and a U-Haul ready to be loaded.

As we drove into the city limits we passed guards at frequent checkpoints,

helicopters hovering in the sky, and the smell of death and despair.

We maneuvered through downed power lines, debris, fallen trees, and flooded streets.

As we turned on our street, tears started to stream down my wife’s face. When we finally made it to our house, water was still covering the street and most of our yard.

Water and mold destroyed some of our possessions, but some was recovered. Many neighbors told me they lost everything.

Upon leaving, we stopped for a second to wonder if we would ever be back. We had many friends that were lifelong residents and they lost everything. What do you do when you lose everything you have ever known?

communications coordinator for the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets and am fortunate enough to have a job after Katrina. Our plan is to go back to New Orleans next summer.

One of the main things I realized in this terrible tragedy is that New Orleans is a city that everyone loves. Stranger after stranger continue to offer sympathies and reflect upon how much they enjoyed the city.

New Orleans has a charm, character, and culture like no other. It will be a long road ahead, but I have no doubt that it will be back bigger, stronger, and better.

Plans to Return We are now living in Oklahoma City for the next seven months. I am the

“We passed guards at frequent checkpoints, helicopters hovering in the sky, and the smell of death and despair”

www.crossandcrescent.com

13

Cross & Crescent

NOVEMBER 2005

FEATURE

Too Shocking to Believe This storm exceeded the devastation parents and grandparents told of the big ones

By Mark Decker (New Orleans 2001)

iN THE PAST 26 YEARS, I have never evacuated my beloved New Orleans. I remember hurricanes Ivan, Isadore, Lili, Georges, and Andrew coming near — but always turning away at the last minute.

A hurricane was an excuse to miss work for a few days or throw a party with family and friends. Banding together in a kitchen by the light of a lamp, playing cards while wondering how long the crews would take to get the power back up, became tradition.

During these storms I listened to my parents and grandparents tell stories of the big ones.

Killers like Betsey, Camille, and “The Storm of 1947.” Those who survived tell tales of floodwater rising up to the roofs, families trapped in their attics, tornados destroying neighborhoods, and chaos in the streets.

It all happened before and it all would happen again. This time the killer was Katrina. For the first time in 26 years, the evacuee was me.

No Safe Place It all began on Sunday, August 28, 2005, at 6:00 am. News outlets were reporting the storm had strengthened to a Category 5 hurricane and that no section of the city — protected by 20-foot levees — was safe.

While sitting in traffic on I-10, I viewed this minor inconvenience as a chance to visit with friends and old Lambda Chis in Lafayette and Baton Rouge, expecting to be back to work on Wednesday. In the rearview mirror, I took a quick glance at the city skyline not realizing I would never see that same sight again.

The storm’s eye was headed straight for New Orleans and the destruction was going to be catastrophic. While the majority of my family and friends had evacuated already, a few stubborn die-hards, like me, refused to leave.

The next morning I spoke to my parents, who decided to ride it out, and begged them not to stay. They assured me they would be fine and would call me after the storm passed. I heard nothing more from anyone I knew in New Orleans after the storm made landfall.

After an afternoon of phone calls from friends and televised pleas from government officials, I packed up a small bag and headed for the relative safety of Baton Rouge, just 70 miles to the west.

Around three o’clock on Tuesday morning, a phone call came out of New Orleans to a local Baton Rouge television station. The news was too shocking to believe. Just like

www.crossandcrescent.com

14

Cross & Crescent

with Betsey, the levees breached and the waters were rising. From that point on, the city went silent and my unplanned two-day vacation became an evacuation.

World of Uncertainty The first pictures I saw showed a city underwater, people trapped on roofs, bodies floating in the streets, and roads becoming rivers. It was almost surreal; the old hurricane horror stories were returning to life as Lake Pontchartrain poured into the city.

My world became full of uncertainty.

Were my parents alive? Did I still have a home? Did I still have a job? Did all the actives get out of the city in time? The questions piled with no answers in sight.

NOVEMBER 2005

FEATURE

It was at this moment – when all hope seemed lost – Lambda Chi Alpha had the greatest impact on my life.

Within hours of the storm’s passing, brothers I knew from college and in my travels began calling.

Offers of shelter, food, money, clothing, work, and comfort began pouring in for me and my family.

Sofas and air mattresses became my room, clothes became mine, meals were paid for, bills were taken care of, and ears were there to listen. Their compassion and brotherly love gave me the strength I needed to survive.

“clothes that fit me became mine, meals were paid for” As the days went on, news came from the ones who had stayed behind. My family lost no one. Every member of the University of New Orleans chapter was accounted for.

The chapter house sustained serious damage along with most of the city. Chapter members are scattered across the United States. Repairs will take time. Though the

www.crossandcrescent.com

15

Cross & Crescent

tasks that lay before us are great, the chapter and its city will rise again.

I extend thanks to all my brothers who cared for me and my family during this time. Particularly I would like to thank John Fluharty, Steve Lindsey, Brad Andrepont, Cooper Evans, James Gardner, Doug Rieth, and Ryan Lasseigne.

I also want to thank every brother who offered any type of assistance to anyone affected by this storm.

This journey cannot be made alone.

Your help will make us strong.

NOVEMBER 2005