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Distinguished Fiji Award Winners
The Archons established the Distinguished Fiji Award in 1964. It is presented annually to no more than six graduate brothers who shall be deserving of recognition for their faithful and unselfish service to Phi Gamma Delta or their special contribution to mankind and society at large. The award was renamed the William A. Martin III Distinguished Fiji Award in 2019, upon Bill's retirement. To date, 467 Phi Gams have been honored with the Distinguished Fiji Award.
William R. Bracewell (Georgia 1968) Brother Bracewell has had a distinguished career as an educator, both as a student affairs professional at the University of Georgia and as a volunteer in Phi Gamma Delta. Bill did his undergraduate studies at Emory University but did not join a fraternity. In 1965 he began a 34-year career on the student affairs staff at Georgia, where he was initiated into the Fraternity as a faculty initiate at the chartering of the Kappa Deuteron Chapter in March 1968. His service to the Fraternity has continued since that time. At Kappa Deuteron, he served for eight years as Purple Legionnaire and for many more years on the Board of Chapter Advisors. He has served the International Fraternity as a Section Chief, as an Archon from 1988-1992, and as Educational Director for a combined 24 years. In the latter role, he was a frequent speaker at the Fiji Academy and often worked one-on-one with chapters to improve their grades. He has served as Legate for three charterings, at the College of Charleston, Coastal Carolina, and Clemson. In the 1990s he represented Phi Gamma Delta on the board of the North American Interfraternity Conference. In his professional career, Bill initiated the role of Director of Judicial Programs at UGA in 1971 and served in that position until his retirement in 1999.
Nelson Levy, MD, PhD (Yale 1963) Brother Levy has over fifty years of achievement in academia, medicine, and business. Since 1993 he has been CEO and chairman of the board of CoreTechs Corporation. He also is a co-founder and director of ChemBridge Corporation, a global provider of chemistry products and research services to pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. After graduating summa cum laude from Yale, he earned a medical degree from Columbia University, followed by two years of military service in the U.S. Public Health Service. He then earned a Ph.D. in immunology from Duke, followed by eight years at Duke Medical Center as professor of immunology and neurosurgery. From 1981-1984 he was vice president of pharmaceutical research at Abbott Laboratories. Dr. Levy has served on the boards of eight public companies and on the scientific advisory boards of four other public companies. His public service includes five years on the Illinois Governor's Task Force for Economic Development and 15 years as a commissioner of Lake County, IL. He has also been a consultant to the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of the Treasury.
Major General William M. Matz, Jr. (Gettysburg 1961) A decorated combat veteran with a distinguished military career, Brother Matz is the Secretary of the American Battle Monuments Commission, the government agency that administers U.S. military cemeteries, memorials, and monuments worldwide. As a company commander in Vietnam with the Army’s 9th Infantry Division, he was wounded in action in the 1968 Tet offensive. During a second tour, he served with the Navy/Marine Corps amphibious forces, and in 1989 he deployed with the 7th Infantry Division to Panama during Operation Just
Bracewell Levy Matz Riggle Rodgers
Cause. He served in the 82d and 101st Airborne Divisions and was executive secretary to two secretaries of defense. He retired from the Army in 1995. He serves on the Eisenhower Institute National Advisory Council and on the board of the American Armed Forces Mutual Aid Association. He is a past president of the National Association for Uniformed Services, which advocates in Congress for members of the uniformed services, veterans, and their families. In addition to a B.A. in political science from Gettysburg, he earned a master’s in political science from the University of San Diego and is a graduate of Harvard’s Senior Executives in Government/ Management Course. Among his military awards are the Distinguished Service Cross, the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star for Valor, and the Purple Heart.
Robert A. Riggle, Jr. (Kansas 1992) Brother Riggle is a comedian and actor who served 23 years in the Marine Corps and Marine Corps Reserve. His movie credits include Step Brothers, The Hangover, 21 Jump Street, Midnight Sun and 12 Strong. His television appearances include Late Night with Conan O’Brien, The Daily Show, Modern Family and Fox NFL Sunday. Rob’s military service began in 1990 and included nine years of active duty and 14 years in the reserves. He left active duty in 1999 to pursue comedy and acting. After the September 11 attacks, he volunteered to return to active duty and was deployed for two tours in Afghanistan. He retired from the Marine Corps Reserve in 2013 with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Rob supports a number of charities, including Conservation International, the Enough Project, the Los Angeles Police Memorial Foundation, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and the USO. In support of the veteran community, he founded and hosts the Rob Riggle InVETational Golf Classic to raise funds for the Semper Fi Fund, which assists post-9/11 combat wounded, critically ill and catastrophically injured members of the armed forces and their families.
William W. "Bill" Rodgers (Oklahoma 1959) Brother Rodgers has over 40 years of experience in banking and an impressive record as a civic leader. He earned a law degree from SMU Law School and served in the U.S. Navy. He began his banking career in 1967 with Security Bank and Trust in Blackwell, OK. In 1970 he was named president and CEO, and in 1995, when the bank merged with Bank IV Oklahoma, he became Bank IV’s regional president. In 1998 he became president of Midland Trust Company in Oklahoma City, and in 2003 he joined the McAfee & Taft law firm, retiring in 2013. Bill was president of the Oklahoma Bankers Association (OBA), a board member of the American Bankers Association, and chairman of the board of the Southwestern Graduate School of Banking. He is a two-time recipient of the Outstanding Banker Award from the OBA. He served twice as board chairman for Northern Oklahoma College and was president of the Blackwell Chamber of Commerce and the Blackwell Industrial Authority. In 1992 he was named Blackwell’s Outstanding Citizen. Bill has served on the House Corporation and Board of Chapter Advisors for his Nu Omega Chapter and served eight years on the board of the Phi Gamma Delta Educational Foundation, including president from 2000-2002.t
