Graduate Almanac

Graduate Almanac

Alabama | Tuscaloosa, AL

On June 11, Jim Andrews' (1981) daughter, Mary Seldon Andrews, married Neill Luther (2019). Neill is the son of Phi Gam sire Gripp Luther (1990)

Baylor | Waco, TX

A leading finance publication has named Jeffery D. Price (1992) as one of the 250 advisors on the Forbes "America’s Top Wealth Advisors" list for 2022. This is the third consecutive year Jeffery has been named to the Forbes list.

Bucknell | Lewisburg, PA

Richard Freed (1950) received his Diamond Owl certificate, celebrating 75 years as a Phi Gam.

California Los Angeles | Los Angeles, CA

Emmett Loverde (1989) recently wrote and directed "The Maginot Line," which completed filming in early June. The film was edited throughout the summer and will be released soon. Learn more about the film at http://TheMaginotLineMove.com

Chicago | Chicago, IL

^ In September, Jim Vice (1954), Don Heinrich (1974) and Mike Dotsey (1974) visited the grave of Founder Naaman Fletcher in Wabash, Indiana.

Cincinnati | Cincinnati, OH

Pictured (L-R): Larry Sprague (1971), Bruce Ziegler (1971), Bill Dowdney (1973), Former Educational Foundation Chairman Kevin J. Hopper (1973), Steve Crowe (1972) and Ed Daniel (1971) surrounding Phil Steiger.

^ On August 2, several Chi Omicron Founding Fathers conducted a surprise visit with Phil Steiger (1972) at a hospital in Miamisburg, Ohio. They presented Phil with his Golden Owl certificate, celebrating 50 years of membership.

DePauw | Greencastle, IN

Pictured (L-R): Larry Downs (1970), Jeff Lane (1971), Joe Vosicky (1971), Bob Shaykin (1971), Mike Allee (1971), Jim Yoder (1970), Randy Isham (1970), Doug Mitchell (1970) and John Doan (1971). Not pictured: Harry Cangany (1972), Chris DeGraw (1972), Steve Jacobs (1971), Wade Nichols (1972) and Jim Sanford (1971).

^ In June, several Lambda brothers from the classes of 1970-72 gathered at the recently renovated chapter house for their 50th reunion.

Embry-Riddle | Daytona Beach, FL

Joe Dickinson (2023), Cooper Schoen (2025) and Kyle Garcia (2021) traveled to London, England, to visit Spencer Helsing (2021), who is attending Kings College London to get his Master's degree.

Georgia Tech | Atlanta, GA

^ Denny Pryor (1951) was touched when he received his Diamond Owl certificate, recognizing 75 years of membership. Additionally, Dale Brandt (1963) sent a congratulatory note to Denny after seeing this story on the Fraternity's social media. Denny and his family were very moved.

Hanover | Hanover, IN

Eric Ballenger (1981), Rick Kenter (1981), Kevin Keefe (1982) and Larry Cox, a member of Sigma Chi, traveled to the southwest coast of Ireland to play at Waterville Golf Links.

On March 16-20, several graduate brothers gathered for skiing and brotherhood in McCall, Idaho, where Wes Keller (1995) lives. Brothers in attendance were Paul Clark (1995), Bill Zorn (1995), Rob Ruzicka (1996), Kevin DeFosset (1995), Justin Powers (1994), Robert "Aba" Orr (1994), General Counsel Jim Boyers (1994), Brendan Bergin (1996) and Tony Wibbeler (1996).

Idaho | Moscow, ID

Mu Iota's Scholarship Endowment has reached half of their Phase 1 goal of $1 million raised. As of the Chapter's 102nd Norris Pig Dinner, the endowment generated $20,000 in scholarships. Among the recipients were eight brothers who were each awarded a $1,000 scholarship for earning a GPA of 3.25 or higher during their first semester.

Illinois Wesleyan | Bloomington, IL

Richard Dehm (1950) was awarded his Diamond Owl certificate for 75 years of membership.

Iowa | Iowa City, IA

On April 20-21, Mu Deuteron hosted their annual Frank Norris Pig Dinner. Brothers from classes spanning over 50 years shared their brotherhood experiences and enjoyed each other's company during the weekendlong event.

Kansas State | Manhattan, KS

This summer, Tom Hubbard (1984) was a crew member on "Team Seattle" for the Clipper Round the World Race. He raced almost 14,000 miles from Seattle to London and helped raise $10,000 for UNICEF.

Maine | Orono ME

^ Former Archon President Eugene D. "Buddy" Cote (1981) (center) received Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity's Dud Daniel Award for Interfraternal Excellence. This award is presented every two years during Phi Kappa Psi's convention and honors the memory of Ralph D. "Dud" Daniel, longtime Executive Director of Phi Kappa Psi and a great friend of Phi Gamma Delta.

Minnesota | Minneapolis, MN

In August, Mu Sigma held their annual golf outing in Hayward, Wisconsin. The brothers in attendance were Adrian Bankowski (1973), Tom Bienemann (1971), Brian Gensmer (1972), Dave Moser (1972) and Creighten Murphy (1972)

Oklahoma | Norman, OK

Lee Allan Smith (1951) received his Diamond Owl certificate, celebrating 75 years as a brother. Many Nu Omega brothers gathered for a reception to present Lee Allan with his certificate: John Bozalis (1961), Ken Carson (1981), Carl Gibson (1981), Don Haskins (1957), Rick Knapp, Mark McPhail (1989), Guy Patton (2008), Bill Paul (1952) and Bill Rodgers (1959).

In fall 2021, Bill Rodgers was presented with the William A. Martin Distinguished Fiji Award at the Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club. Many of his chapter brothers attended the event to honor Bill.

Old Dominion | Norfolk, VA

^ For Pete Ostrom's (1991) 15th wedding anniversary, his wife commissioned their favorite local artist, Lynn Martin, to create a snowy white owl painting, titled "The Mascot." Pete's wife knew he had been searching for the perfect snowy white owl painting or picture for years to honor the Fraternity's mascot, Gamma.

Oregon | Eugene, OR

Pictured (L-R): Jeffrey Gill, Jeff Conway and David Thoma outside the chapter house in 2017.

Pictured (L-R): Jeffrey Gill, Jeff Conway and David Thoma and at the chapter house in the 1980s.

^ Jeffrey Gill (1981), Jeff Conway (1982) and David Thoma (1982) were inseparable in college. While they tried to stay in touch post-graduation, life happened. They moved across the country and started careers and families. In 2016, David and Jeffrey learned Jeff had been diagnosed with a form of Primary Lateral Sclerosis (PLS) and was slowly losing his ability to enjoy life. In spring 2017, the three met in Portland, and it was like no time had passed since their undergraduate years. The brothers vowed to get together every year, which they have done (excluding 2020). In 2019, Jeff asked Jeffrey and David to join him on the final trek of the Camino de Santiago trail in Spain through the organization I'll Push You. They set up a GoFundMe and raised money to purchase Jeff an 'off road' wheelchair, which he will donate to the Philadelphia PLS Foundation. The trek was originally planned for 2020, then 2021, and it was finally rescheduled for June 11-19, 2022.

Pictured (L-R): Jeffrey Gill, Jeff Conway and David Thoma outside the chapter house in 2017 (top) and at the chapter house in the 1980s (bottom).

Penn State | State College, PA

^ Since retirement, Donal C. Porteous, Jr. (1963) has spent the better part of the last 20 years researching and writing a 451-page book titled Spiritual Reality and the Afterlife: Materialism meets Immortality. The book is about "spiritual survival" and is available at Amazon.

Pittsburgh | Pittsburgh, PA

^ Pi Sigma held their Pig Dinner on April 9 at the historic Duquesne Club. Due to the pandemic, this was the first Pig Dinner since the Chapter re-chartered in 2019. There were 134 graduates and under-graduates in attendance, and Ed Graf (1960) was the keynote speaker and club host.

On July 30, the Chapter held their annual FIJI Open golf event, a decades-long tradition. Nine under-graduates and 30 graduate brothers attended the event, and Paul Leslie (1976), the original event coordinator in the late 1970s, was this year’s champion.

Rhode Island | South Kingstown, RI

Kappa Rho brothers from the classes of 1970-80 gathered for their annual reunion in Coventry, Rhode Island, on August 27. There were 30 brothers and 15 guests in attendance.

Rutgers | New Brunswick, NJ

^ Robert Stewart (1971) recently published No Greater Duty, a military suspense novel. He dedicated it to Col. Vincent R. Kramer, USMC (1941), who also served as the Chapter's Purple Legionnaire for over two decades. Col. Kramer's distinguished military career included service in WWII, Korea and Vietnam. A guerrilla warfare expert who led operations behind enemy lines in North Korea and China, he received The Navy Cross, the U.S. military's second highest decoration for valor, and eight battle stars. Vincent dedicated his life to serving Phi Gamma Delta, the Marine Corps and Rutgers University. When undergraduate brothers questioned America’s involvement in Vietnam, Col. Kramer remained committed to the service members fighting overseas, yet he always respected the brothers' right to express their beliefs.

Southeast Florida Graduate Chapter | Miami, FL

^ The Southeast Florida Graduate Chapter recently hosted a happy hour at Beat Culture Brewery in Miami and a beginning of semester barbecue at Florida International University (pictured).

Several brothers from the Graduate Chapter attended David Maya's (Florida International 2016) wedding.

Southern California | Los Angeles, CA

Tom Hall (1982) moved to Mexico several years ago to pursue a dream that has roots in his undergraduate years. He founded an agave spirits company, Tomas Artesanal, and he has three Phi Gam brothers serving on his board of directors. In honor of the positive influence Phi Gamma Delta has had on Tom's life, he hid a Phi Gam reference on the label: P! - the recognized abbreviation for Perge!

Southern Methodist | Dallas, TX

In late July, Travis Hemphill (2007), Matt Barron (2007), Jeremy Maurer (2007), Chris Burton (2008), Jamie Stoehr (2007), Dan Faulks (2007), and their nine sons gathered at Cedar Creek Lake, southeast of Dallas, for their second annual Fijis and Sons event.

Tennessee | Knoxville, TN

In December 2021, graduate brothers from the Kappa Tau Chapter and Knoxville area gathered for the annual Kappa Tau Christmas Brunch at the Cherokee Country Club. This event is the longest running holiday gathering of any group of graduates.

Texas Arlington | Arlington, TX

On September 24, Rick Hewitt (2001) and Ryan Kimball (2001) attended a university-wide Greek gettogether at J. Gilligan's Bar & Grill in Arlington. The other guests in attendance represented the Delta Delta Delta Women's Fraternity, Delta Upsilon Fraternity, Delta Zeta Sorority, Kappa Alpha Order, Sigma Chi Fraternity and Zeta Tau Alpha Women's Fraternity.

Wabash | Crawfordsville, IN

John Emery (1951) received his Diamond Owl certificate, celebrating 75 years as a Phi Gam.

William Jewell | Liberty, MO

^ Glenn Petty (1951), who recently turned 93, received his Diamond Owl certificate celebrating the 75th anniversary of his initiation into Phi Gamma Delta.

WPI | Worcester, MA

On July 16, Pi Iota held their annual summer reunion at House Corporation President Henry Fitzgerald's (1975) home in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. Over 80 brothers, from the classes of 1972-2025, and guests were in attendance. One of the highlights was a tour of the construction site for a new chapter house.

Dave Willens (2009) and Dave Ortendahl (Faculty Initiate) were both named to Worcester Business Journal's 40 Under 40 List.

^ In 2021, Zach Hartzell (2015), Tanner Landis (2015) and Kyle Foley (2016), all avid outdoorsmen who served in the military, founded OWL Overland Outfitters, LLC (OOO). OOO designs, manufactures and sells truck bed kitchens, storage solutions and other outdoor accessories for overland vehicles. Recently, these brothers committed to donate 5% of OOO's profits annually to improve availability of mental health treatment for veterans through the Veterans Outdoor Advocacy Group (VOAG) and Military Mobility Organization (MMO). Additionally, they organized a GoFundMe fundraiser to raise money and awareness for VOAG and MMO.