Winter Laurel 2020

THE

OF PHI KAPPA TAU | VOL. 106, ISSUE 3 DECEMBER 2020

PARTNERSHIP & PERSEVERANCE ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

P. 12

P. 14

P. 20

SERIOUSFUN BY THE NUMBERS

25 YEARS IN THE MAKING

BEATING THE ODDS

This year has been difficult for many of us. We have faced long periods of isolation, great uncertainty, and turmoil.

We rely on our Fraternity, our friendships, and our families to get us through.

We look to the strength of others as inspiration for our own perseverance.

This issue contains stories of brothers who overcame hardships to create wonderful lives for themselves, as well as a celebration of 25 years of a partnership that benefits our members and so many others.

We are constantly reminded that our ties of brotherhood bind us and make us stronger. Go Far.

[2] THE LAUREL || DECEMBER 2020

good and loyal citizen. I shall try always to discharge the obligation to others which arises from the fact that I am a fraternity man.

Phi Kappa Tau, by admitting me to membership, has conferred upon me a mark of distinction in which I take just pride. I believe in the spirit of brotherhood for which it stands. I shall strive to attain its ideals, and by so doing to bring to it honor and credit. I shall be loyal to my college and my chapter and shall keep strong my ties to them that I may ever retain the spirit of youth. I shall be a good and loyal citizen. I shall try always to discharge the obligation to others which arises from the fact that I am a fraternity man.

Phi Kappa Tau, by admitting me to membership, has conferred upon me a mark of distinction in which I take just pride. I believe in the spirit of brotherhood for which it stands. I shall strive to attain its ideals, and by so doing to bring to it honor and credit. I shall be loyal to my college and my chapter and shall keep strong my ties to them that I may ever retain the spirit of youth. I shall be a good and loyal citizen. I shall try always to discharge the obligation to others which arises from the fact that I am a fraternity man.

16

25 YEARS IN THE MAKING: 2020 marks the 25th anniversary of Phi Kappa Tau’s partnership with SeriousFun Children’s Network. Clea Newman recounts her father’s mission, her first experience at camp, and the continuing importance of the partnership between our organizations.

FEATURES 5 PERSPECTIVE: CONFRONTING ADVERSITY Charlie Ball, Miami ’82, reflects on how Phi Kappa Tau has overcome adversity in its 114-year history.

13 5 MINUTES WITH: BILL JENKINS Bill Jenkins, Bowling Green ’57, sent Paul Newman a letter in the 1970s on a hunch the movie star was a Phi Tau. That letter became a catalyst for a long and self-less partnership.

14 FRIENDSHIP, FRATERNITY, AND BEATING THE ODDS: Two Phi Taus, twenty years apart, share their stories of how medical catastrophes in college changed their lives and how they persevered due to the strength of their brotherhood.

DEPARTMENTS 4 | COO’s Letter 7|U ndergraduate of Distinction 9|A lumnus of Distinction 12 | B y the Numbers 23 | Laurels 27 | Why I Give 28 | Chapter Eternal 30 | Phi Tau Store

THE LAUREL || PHIKAPPATAU.ORG [3]

COO'S LETTER

A WORD FROM THE

MAILBOX THE LAUREL IS INTENDED TO START A CONVERSATION with brothers and friends.

Content is carefully selected to engage and excite our readers. It is our hope that stories you read start a conversation with those in your life. Any comments are appreciated. You can submit your feedback— positive or negative, we want it all—to phikapptau.org/ laurelfeedback. ~

SIDELIGHTS Phi Kappa Tau has launched a new monthly newsletter, Sidelights.

Releasing on the 15th of each month, Sidelights is a compilation of stories and updates for Phi Kappa Tau alumni and undergraduates to gain some insight into the ongoings to the Fraternity and Foundation.

If you are not receiving Sidelights and would like to sign up, visit phikappatau. org/update-info to be added to the mailing list.

[4] THE LAUREL || DECEMBER 2020

EXECUTIVE OFFICES

SHOW UP

I

n 2012, I lost my house to a fire.

My wife Kristen and I were living in the suburbs with our two-year-old daughter Charley and our son just two weeks from his due date.

In the middle of the night, Charley woke up and on her way back to bed, Kristen saw smoke outside the window. We thought for a second maybe it was fog, but soon the tires on our cars started popping like a shotgun and we knew we had to get out of there. Our garage, which was detached from the house, had gone up in flames.

I ran downstairs with my nine-months pregnant wife, our daughter, and our dogs. We got outside and watched from our neighbor’s lawn as the fire got so big it caught the side of the house. We watched in the dark as our home burnt to the ground.

Our community came together those next few days. Our neighbors packed their bags and left their own house to stay with family so we could have a place to sleep. The second night there, we may have overstayed our welcome when Kristen’s water broke in their bed.

Kristen had delivered Charley naturally and, despite all the craziness, she wanted to do the same for Brooks. But after hours and hours nothing had happened and when the shifts changed, a new nurse came in to check on her.

She had this puzzled look and asked when the last time we’d had an ultrasound. It had only been a week, but within those seven days the baby had gone breech. They scheduled an emergency C-section. We were about to head in, but a tornado warning meant the operating rooms above a certain floor threshold couldn’t be used because of potential for power loss. We kept waiting and waiting. Finally, after my poor wife was in labor for nearly 10 hours, I watched the doctor pull this screaming kid out by his ankles.

I learned a lot in those few days and the months after. It was a lesson in gratitude and thankfulness. We lost a lot, but more important than anything else we had each other. People came from every direction to help us with gift cards, furniture, and clothes. Keeneland, a customer of mine at the time, sent us a package with Patagonia, Vineyard Vines, you name it – I would joke we were the best dressed homeless people around. It’s like that quote – 80% is just showing up. Those months of rebuilding our lives were just showing up and getting through the day. Those people showed up for us when we needed them. Our friends, family, neighbors, my fraternity brothers, Kristen’s sorority sisters and co-workers all showed up. I’m so grateful for all the ways they helped us during that time.

I learned a lot about perseverance too. When the going gets tough, sometimes you can’t even think a week down the road so perseverance means, “Let’s get through these next five minutes.”

We knew we weren’t going to give up, but when one of us was having an extra hard day, we started persevering for each other. Show up and wait it out, you’ll get to the other side.

We moved back in the week before Thanksgiving. When we were looking for a more permanent place to live we felt like we couldn’t leave that sense of community. I forget some of those lessons and from time to time I catch myself not being grateful. Then something reminds me to be present and appreciate what matters most – the people around you.

Go Far,

TRAVIS ROBINSON CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER

PERSPECTIVES

CHARLIE BALL, MIAMI ’82

CONFRONTING ADVERSITY THE LAUREL OF PHI KAPPA TAU

A

dversity is nothing new for Phi Kappa Tau or for Greek-letter organizations. The entire history of Phi Kappa Tau is one of overcoming adversity after adversity and every time finding a way to thrive, to grow and to evolve.

+ World War I Just as the fledgling Phi Kappa Tau adopted a Greek-letter name and was admitted to the National Interfraternity Conference (NIC), the nation was faced with both the Spanish Flu pandemic and the first World War, striking a blow that could have crippled or even brought a premature end to the young national fraternity of seven small chapters. National President Ewing Boles couldn’t even attend the important December 1917 National Convention because he’d been called to active duty in the Navy. The war, though relatively short for the United States, had a much greater effect on the organization than the Influenza pandemic. The fraternity system was virtually shut down as young men on college campuses trained to head overseas. The NIC, in one of its earliest lobbying efforts, got the United States War Department to back off of an initial ruling that prevented male students in the Student Army Training Corps, made up of nearly all college men, from joining or participating in fraternities. Not only did we survive the early challenges of war and pandemic but the period following the armistice in November 1918 began one of the greatest periods of development and expansion.

+ The Great Depression Over the next dozen years, the fraternity had installed thirty-one chapters in all sections of

SEPTEMBER 2018 VOL. 106, NO. 3

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Lilly Steger Charlie Ball (right) and Rob Reese, Kent State ‘87

the country, built several impressive chapter houses, solidified its internal structure and became the second fraternity to construct a building specifically for its headquarters, taking its place among the great national fraternities of America by the time the Fraternity celebrated its 25th anniversary in 1931. Though by that time, the United States was already two school years into the deepening national depression which began with the stock market crash in October 1929. As the Depression worsened, it began to have a significant effect on the Fraternity, halting expansion and forcing a moratorium on National Conventions cancelling the events planned for 1932, 1933 and 1935. And financial problems caused the first chapters to fail when Delta Chapter at Centre College and Iota Chapter at Coe College closed in 1933. Phi Kappa Tau did not charter a new chapter between 1930 and 1937. While the national organization remained financially stable during the depression years, they were austere times, with a twenty-five percent budget cut in the 1933-34 year alone.

Plans for an grand Convention in Los Angeles in 1932, in conjunction with the 1932 Olympics were abandoned altogether. After cancelling conventions in 1932 and 1933, a scaled back event was held on the campus of Purdue

CONTRIBUTORS Travis Robinson, Eastern Kentucky ’98 Tim Hudson, Truman State ’97 Rick Harrison Jr., Ohio ’79 Harry Donavon, Ohio State ‘64 Larry Washburn, Kansas ’88

UPCOMING EDITIONS Phi Kappa Tau publishes the Laurel three times a year. Each edition focuses on an aspect of the Phi Kappa Tau experience.

The schedule below identifies upcoming delivery dates.

April 2021; October 2021 ADDRESS CHANGES Visit phikappatau.org/address to update your current mailing information.

LAUREL ARCHIVES Past Laurel publications can be found online at phikappatau.org/laurel. Individuals can browse and view all past editions that are available.

(continued on next page)

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PERSPECTIVES

Dick Michael, Michigan Tech ’70, Warren Mattox, Nebraska Wesleyan ’69, John Green, Nebraska Wesleyan ’60, and Charlie Ball

University in 1934. The 1935 Convention was also cancelled and the 1936 event held on the campus of Penn State University was similarly modest to the 1934 affair.

The 1936 convention adopted a new Constitution which called for conventions to be held every other year, in part because of the expense.

+ World War II On the heels of the sustained economic downturn that came to be known as the Great Depression, came a second world war. The Depression was a challenge to Phi Kappa Tau but the war that followed was devastating. As a relatively young organization, most Phi Taus were eligible to serve in the military and it is estimated that as many as eight thousand brothers or roughly one half of our membership served in the war. Undergraduate members left school to volunteer or were drafted. Volunteers running house corporations and Boards of Governors joined the war effort. Even National Secretary

[6] THE LAUREL || DECEMBER 2020

Richard J. Young was called into service as a Navy Officer and Founder William Shideler had to assume management of the Central Office on a volunteer basis, with the help of other past presidents and volunteers. By the time the war came an end in the late summer of 1945, only twenty-two of our forty-four chapters were still operating, and many of those were holding on by a thread with greatly reduced membership. Some of those chapters would never reopen. The Fraternity had been dealt severe blows by the Depression and war but the post-war economic prosperity and influx of new students using the educational opportunities of the G.I. Bill of Rights positioned Phi Kappa Tau and other college fraternities for two decades of unprecedented growth and popularity.

+ Campus Unrest Phi Kappa Tau was on an upward trajectory for growth, development and prestige throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Mem-

bership recruitment reached a new all-time high in the 1967-68 school year and Phi Tau had chapters on more campuses than ever before. But the increasingly unpopular war in Vietnam and social unrest over issues of race and poverty began to affect fraternities by the late 1960s. College campuses became a focal point of student protest and rethinking of priorities. Fraternities began to look stodgy, out of touch and were perceived as part of the “establishment” that needed to be re-thought or done away with. Chapters floundered for lack of membership. The downturn in membership crippled the national fraternity through the 1970s as Phi Kappa Tau struggled to find a way to be relevant and to appeal to a new generation of college students. Financial problems coupled with a national gasoline shortage postponed the planned 1974 Convention until 1975.

Once again, by the early 1980s, the tide began to change. While Phi Kappa Tau enjoyed the overall resurgence in the popularity of fraternities but this time its resilience also came from within. The organization sharpened its focus on leadership training and skill building. The Phi Kappa Tau Foundation mounted a capital campaign to increase financial strength and to support the educational programming of the organization.

The current pandemic and its attendant economic downturn coupled with social unrest is certainly a new combination of challenges. But if we learn the lessons of past adversity and recovery there is reason to be optimistic that the future of Phi Kappa Tau can be brighter than ever.

UNDERGRADUATE OF DISTINCTION

JUSTIN WRIGHT, SOUTH CAROLINA ’18 CHAPTER PRESIDENT UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA COLUMBIA, SC Justin Wright, South Carolina ’18, is a senior and part of Zeta Xi’s founding class. The pre-med major has been working in healthcare since the onslaught of COVID-19 earlier this year.

It started with a medical trip to Guatemala. “I’ve always gravitated towards healthcare and becoming a physician, but to be able to get firsthand experience in Guatemala was lifechanging.” He traveled with a group of volunteer medical workers to Panajachel, a small town three hours from Guatemala City. “It’s lively place on the coast of one of the most beautiful lakes in the world. Surrounded by mountains and volcanos, it really was something I’ve never experienced,” he said.

He and his “pod” were guided by senior physicians and leaders along the way. Together, they diagnosed everything from acute infections to chronic conditions like diabetes. Wright found a lot of meaning in his trip but was forced to evacuate because of COVID-19.

Back in the states, he realized his experience could be put to use helping COVID-19 patients. He applied to as many hospitals as he could and finally found a position in New Jersey. He helped every way he could, delivering patients, specimens, and various lab equipment across the hospital.

“Whether it was taking patients to scans, helping patients on and off the OR table, responding to codes, or just being there for the patient, I was never bored,” he said.

Being in direct exposure impacted Wright’s life a lot; he couldn’t see friends or family, but he said, “The COVID pandemic stirred in me a passion for healthcare I don’t think I could have gotten any other time. Any one of us can and will end up in such a vulnerable position in life, so I realized how important it was for people to come together and lend a helping hand.”

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Alumni News, Inspiring Stories, Undergraduate Successes, Your Monthly Dose of All Things Phi Tau.

To update your contact information visit phikappatau.org/sidelights

ALUMNUS OF DISTINCTION

PAUL IGNATIUS, SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ’39 BORRADAILE ALUMNUS AWARD WINNER WASHINGTON, D.C As the newest recipient of the Borradaile Alumnus Award for outstanding achievements, perhaps the most astonishing thing about Paul Ignatius, Southern California ’39, is that he had not yet won it.

Ignatius was born to first generation Armenian parents in Glendale, CA, on November 11th, 1920. After joining Pi and graduating from Southern California in 1942, Ignatius served in World War II as a Commissioned Lieutenant in the U.S. Navy, primarily as an Aviation Ordnance Officer in the Pacific.

Upon his return, Ignatius attended and graduated Harvard Business School with an MBA in 1947. Ignatius has had a varied and remarkable career, including Secretary of the Navy under President Lyndon B. Johnson, Assistant Secretary of Defense, Under Secretary of the Army, and Assistant Secretary of the Army. He has served as Chairman, President and CEO of the Air Transport Association, President of The Washington Post, and Executive Vice President of The Washington Post Company. He founded Harbridge House Inc., a Boston-based consulting and research firm.

Now nearing his 100th birthday, Ignatius is retired. He has authored two books “On Board: My Life in the Navy, Government, and Business” and “Now I Know in Part: Stories of My Growing Up.” Ignatius has been inducted into both the Phi Kappa Tau and the USC Hall of Fame and received honors at the Armenian American Museum and Cultural Center. His wife of 72 years, Nancy, passed away in 2019. Together they had four children. His grandson, Isaac, is now member of the Pi colony.

On May 23, 2013 the Navy announced that an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer would be named after him. The USS Paul Ignatius was commissioned at Port Everglades, FL on July 27th, 2019 with Ignatius in attendance.

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CHAPTER OF DISTINCTION

BETA CHAPTER OHIO UNIVERSITY / ATHENS, OHIO CONTRIBUTED BY RICK HARRISON JR., OHIO ’79 On October 27th, Beta Chapter at Ohio University celebrated its 109th anniversary. Beta holds the distinction of running continuously since 1911 – with one notable exception – the only fraternity on campus to never cease operations and the longest operating chapter in Phi Kappa Tau Fraternity history.

There were close calls. Just six years after joining Phrenocon (renamed Phi Kappa Tau in 1916), World War I broke out which had serious effects on the Beta chapter, but they persisted and prospered after the armistice. During the Great Depression, students and money were scarce and the chapter suffered but, once again, they persevered.

It was during World War II, with almost every member serving their county, Beta chapter went on its brief but notable hiatus. The chapter house was rented out to female students at Ohio University and ceased operations for two years until brothers returned from war and the chapter prospered.

In the 1970s when interest in Greek Life declined nationally, the chapter found itself with fewer than 10 active members. But Beta rebuilt to the point of winning the Maxwell just a decade later.

Brothers at Beta chapter have a deep-rooted pride in being the second oldest Phi Tau chapter and each successive generation has, at their core, the desire to ensure that there will always be a Phi Tau chapter at Ohio University. While no more than 10-15 alumni have ever lived in Athens at any given point, a select group of individuals who are willing to drive an hour or more have been there every step of the way for those 109 years. For some, that service extended decades. In times of peril, alumni have been there and served their college and chapter loyally as advisors, house corporation, and Board of Governors members.

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FROM THE ARCHIVES

LILLY STEGER

SERIOUSFUN CAMPS At the 1995 National Convention in Washington DC, Phi Kappa Tau made the historic move to partner with SeriousFun Children’s Network – at the time, Hole in the Wall Gang Camps – as the Fraternity’s national philanthropy. The relationship with Hole in the Wall, already a beloved tie, only grew after the formal partnership was announced. The 1996 editions of The Laurel are full of camp stories and anecdotes, all brimming with enthusiasm for the exciting new relationship.

[ SPRING 1996 ]

Wedged in the middle of an article about chapter fundraising for the first six months of partnership (University of Florida raised $4,000, Evansville $1,200, and Muskingum $1,000) is an excerpt from Paul Newman in a 1994 edition of USA Weekend. In it, Newman talks about compassion, community, and the importance of helping. [ FALL 1996 ]

Mr. Bill’s “From My Side of the Desk,” a reoccurring feature in The Laurel while Jenkins was Executive Director, recounts

his time at Camp Boggy Creek in Florida that summer. “For eight hot, humid, exhausting and wonderful days in July, I lived with Elijah, Rico, Robert, Kellen, Antaun, Kenson, and Jerlin. Those youngsters – 11, 12, and 13 years old – each afflicted with arthritis or sickle cell anemia, gave me an experience I shall never forget,” he writes.

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BY THE NUMBERS

BY THE NUMBERS:

$166,572 RAISED DURING HIGHEST FUNDRAISING YEAR (2019)

2,000

PHI TAU VOLUNTEERS (IN THE LAST 10 YEARS)

MORE THAN

1,900,000

50

DIFFERENT CONDITIONS SERVED INCLUDING HIV, CANCER, SICKLE CELL DISEASE, JUVENILE RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS, HEMOPHILIA, AND DIABETES

LIFETIME TOTAL RAISED BY PHI KAPPA TAU

$2,500 x 760 COST TO SEND A CHILD TO CAMP

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CHILDREN SENT TO CAMP

30

NUMBER OF SERIOUSFUN CAMPS AND PROGRAMS AROUND THE WORLD

FIVE MINUTES WITH...

BILL JENKINS

5 MINUTES WITH MR. BILL

B

ill Jenkins, Bowling Green ’53, had been on staff a long time. “Mr. Bill” came to staff in 1960 and remained until 1978. After a brief hiatus, he returned in 1991 and remained until 2006.

While on staff in the 70s, Mr. Bill confirmed Paul Newman was a Phi Tau. His whim would became the catalyst for a partnership, decades later.

• How did you discover Paul Newman was a Phi Tau? We had a Paul Newman in the records from the same time he was a student at Ohio University, so I wrote a letter asking him to confirm if he was a member or not. He wrote back a real short letter saying, “You got that right!”

Later, he wrote us a letter thanking us for all our work with SeriousFun. • Did you ever meet him?

I met him just once at the 10th anniversary of SeriousFun in 1998.

He was the feature of the evening, as you might imagine. He talked about his motivation to start the camps. He was really down to earth and pleased

with how things had evolved. He said he had no sense at the beginning they were going to grow the way they did, but he had liked kids and wanted to help them, so he did. One of the things he said to me personally was that he very much appreciated and valued Phi Tau’s involvement with the whole concept from the beginning.

• What happened when the two organizations formally partnered?

It was at Convention in 1995. There was a motion to adopt the camps, and enough people were familiar with Newman one way or the other that it passed. That was a new thing, at the time, to have a national philanthropy.

Sometimes I wonder whether it was more Newman than anything else because he was a big name, but we all voted, and I think it’s one of the best things we ever did.

• How quickly did it become popular among the chapters?

It caught on pretty quick. A lot of members had already gone to camp and an increasing number of members became involved afterwards. They

Mr. Bill’s 1996 trip to Camp Boggy Creek

would go to camp then go back to the chapter and talk it up, it got reborn every time somebody experienced a camp.

• When did you first go to a camp?

I went the summer after Convention in 1996, Camp Boggy Creek in Florida. I think it was the newest at the time and it needed the most help. It was a great experience. It allows young men to be involved with other people in a way that they probably have never been.

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FEATURE

YEARS IN THE MAKING [14] THE LAUREL || DECEMBER 2020

PARTNERSHIP AND PERSEVERANCE WITH SERIOUSFUN CHILDREN’S NETWORK

BY LILLY STEGER

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FEATURE

Clea Newman takes my call in Paul Newman’s old office, surrounded by photos of her father and her mom, Joanne Woodward. “I miss him very much, as you can tell,” she says, taking a bittersweet pause to remember her dad.

Clea is the youngest of Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward’s three children and a half-sister to three siblings from Paul’s first marriage. Famed for his devotion to his wife and children, the Newman family grew up far from Hollywood in Westport, Connecticut, now home to the current headquarters of SeriousFun Children’s Network.

Clea has been involved with SeriousFun since the very beginning when her father opened The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp in 1988 in Ashford, Connecticut. Today, she serves as Ambassador for SeriousFun and she has watched the organization grow from one woody campground to an international philanthropic community.

Like most organizations, SeriousFun Children’s Network was deeply affected by COVID-19 this year, transitioning a full staff housed at the SeriousFun Support Center to remote work, sending home volunteers, and the most devastating of all, suspending in-person camp programs all around the world.

Serving campers who are living with serious illnesses, making them incredibly immunocompromised, was too great of a risk to decide otherwise, but SeriousFun camps found a way to adapt to the necessity of the times and provide a continuing virtual experience for campers.

Clea has been generous with her time not only to SeriousFun but to Phi Tau as well. Two years ago, she attended the 64th National Convention in Cleveland to honor the work of chapter fundraising. Last year, she invited a delegation of Phi Taus to New York to accept the Excellence in Philanthropy Award at the SeriousFun gala.

2020 marks the 25th anniversary of the partnership between Phi Kappa Tau and SeriousFun Children’s Network. It has been 25 years of a symbiosis that revolves around the power of fun and the growth that develops out of compassion. In honor of this milestone, Clea once again gave her time to talk about the important partnership.

Clea at Double H Ranch in Lake Luzerne, NY.

about it. As with all things my dad did, once he decided he was going to do something he was like a dog with a bone - he just did it. He found the best people to help him build the camp and get the medical presence. He partnered with Yale and he surrounded himself with the best people and got it done. He found the property, he built 52 or 54 buildings in something like 15 months, then he was serving the first campers. It was a marvel to watch him because he was so passionate about it.

He was such a believer in the healing of play and fun, and just letting kids be kids.

What is your first memory of visiting a SeriousFun camp? How long was it from when you heard about the camps to when you got to see and experience it?

The Hole in the Wall Gang Camp opened in 1988 – what was your reaction when your father said he was opening the camp?

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I did see the property at the very beginning, but the first time I was there I worked for Hole in the Wall. I worked on the development staff and I luckily got to go up to camp all the time.

I volunteered as a counselor and I got to experience all the ups and downs with starting a camp for kids with serious illnesses -

Gamma chapter members

literally - from the ground up.

It was amazing to watch dad work through everything. He was hands-on, he didn’t tell people what to do, but he wanted to know what was happening because he was so excited about it.

It was fun to be a part of the beginning. Now, of course, seeing where we’ve come from, being a part of his vision and the passion of people all over the world… It just makes you feel good.

later when I drove off, I felt completely different. I felt like I had grown up. I just became a more sensitive, more compassionate person. I learned so much from everybody. It was an amazing gift that changed me as a person. That one thing probably changed me more than anything else in my life.

You come from a very active family – your father’s racing, your equestrianism – do you think that was a

At Convention in 2018 you shared a story about

factor in establishing a camp instead of a different

your time counseling at camp. Can you share that

type of organization?

for our readers?

I was a development associate. My dad said to me, “Listen, if you’re going to work on the development staff, you need to go volunteer as a counselor because you need to know what you’re talking about.” I looked at him and said, “Dad, I’m the youngest, remember? I’ve never babysat a day in my life!” (she laughs) and he said, “You’ll be great.”

I felt a lot of pressure volunteering. I cannot tell you how driving into camp I felt like such a spoiled person and ten days

I think that for him, as a kid, camp was such an incredible time for gaining independence. I think when he looked at our campers and our kids, the fact that they really miss out on so much, and to be able to give them and have that independence… It was the perfect fit.

Camp pulls together everything; it gives you independence, it gives you new experiences. You meet people from all over the place and make new friends. It kind of encompasses everything that’s great about being a kid.

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FEATURE

[18] THE LAUREL || DECEMBER 2020

Why do you think the mission of camps mattered so much to your father?

He loved kids; he was kind of like a big kid himself. I think that allowing these kids to get back to being kids and having the healing power of making friends and feeling like people understood but to really, as we used to joke, “find your peeps” – like find your people – I think he felt like that was really going to make a big difference in their lives.

It wasn’t just for the kids and the families that experience camp, but it’s for everybody that experiences camp – the feeling of inclusion and excitement encompasses the whole community.

How did your father feel about the official partnership in 1995?

He was really honored. He was so excited that all those young people were behind something that was so important to him and these were his fraternity brothers. It made him feel great – how can it not? It was important to him that the Fraternity felt so strongly about something that he was so passionate about.

What do you think is most valuable about the partnership between SeriousFun and Phi Tau?

I think the long-standing commitment to each other is amazing. We are so lucky to have all those young men as volunteers because, frankly, it’s a little bit hard to get young men as volunteers, and they’re just amazing role models for the kids. It’s an incredible mutual relationship, not to mention the extraordinary fundraising they do all around the country!

Clea at the 64th National Convention in Cleveland.

What sort of activities are you doing in virtual camps?

They’re doing things like putting camp in a box and sending it out to all the different camper families. They do awesome activities online, or an activity in their yard and come back and talk about the experience with their camp friends and counselors online. And they’re doing live camp sessions on Zoom or on Facebook Live! I’m telling you, the creativity – it’s pretty amazing and the way the staff have pivoted so quickly - it was amazing to watch.

What do you hope people think of when they remember your father?

What are your hopes for the legacy of SeriousFun camps?

At this time, we just want to continue meeting the ever-changing needs of our kids during these times in the world. I’ve been so incredibly proud of our program staff and our medical staff to be able to juggle for a camp experience, even if it’s virtual. It’s amazing the things that they’ve come up with! I’m so proud and I have such incredible hope for the different, new, and exciting things we’ll be able to do in the future.

If there’s a single silver lining in this trying time, it’s that we have been able to create so many new exciting things and opportunities we will be able to use in the future. Everything that we’ve done we will be able to use in the future, even when camps are able to open again.

His amazing dedication to the things that mattered to him.

He was so passionate about the camps and that never wavered.

And his kindness and generosity were never-ending. I know he was my dad, but he was an extraordinary role model. He put his time and money where his mouth was, he talked-thetalk and walked-the-walk. He would go to camp, literally in between shooting films, to go hang with the kids. He wanted to be a part of it, and he wanted to experience it. He didn’t want to miss anything.

He was a wonderful actor, he was a great racecar driver, he was a great friend, but his passion for giving back and making a difference - there’s not a day that I don’t miss him and think that the world could use him right about now. u

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MINI FEATURE

LILLY STEGER (WITH CONTRIBUTIONS BY HARRY DONAVON AND LARRY WASHBURN)

FRIENDSHIP, FRATERNITY, AND BEATING THE ODDS t twenty-two, Harry Donavon found out he had 10 and it all could not matter. All of this, only to discover that his years to live. health insurance lapsed on his 23rd birthday. With no other As a child, Donavon was diagnosed with a congenital heart insurance options, he frantically called the surgeons office to condition and was already facing a shortened lifespan. “I had allet them know what was happening. They moved his surgery ready lived well beyond my expected lifespan,” he shared. But he up immediately, one week before his birthday. went to college and was initiated into the Gamma chapter his He underwent the surgery in September of 1965. The junior year, the fall of 1964. He lived in the chapter house and recovery was painful, but he had a community of brothers to he, like so many men, was drawn to Gamma by the camaraderie help him through it. “I received support and encouragement of the brotherhood. from my fellow brothers,” he said.

As the time passed, his heart He healed and had to take just a condition steadily became more quarter off of school. “I assumed of a problem. By the time he was I would take two weeks off, but in college, sometimes it would that was naïve!” he said. That take him 10-15 minutes to recover spring he graduated from Ohio from climbing the stairs to class.

State with a BS in Finance. He His senior year, a case of bronchispent his career in corporate tis put him in the hospital and finance in Akron, New York, doctors were forced to re-assess Atlanta, and Dallas. the underlying condition.

Donavon is now 78 (“beats After extensive testing and 60!”) and retired in 1998. He has much worry, an Ohio State Cardispent the last 22 years enjoying ologist told Donavon that, without his family, motor homing, golf, treatment, he would live to his and serving non-profits. He is mid-thirties then suffer a fatal married with a daughter and heart attack or, if he was brave, he grandson, which made every[ HARRY DONAVON, OHIO STATE ’64 ] could undergo open heart surgery thing “all worth it.” and live until his sixties. In 1965, “The experience is a vague open heart surgery was far riskier, so Donovan had to face the memory in my life today, until I think back upon it and it decision of only living another 10-15 years or taking the risk and comes alive,” he said. “At the time, I thought 60 would be a seeing 60. “I was given a 90% chance of survival,” Donavon said. good lifespan, again – naïve!” he jokes. His family can’t believe “But that still means there’s a 10% chance you won’t get off the he graduated only nine months after undergoing open-heart table. That’s a lot for any 22-year-old to face.” surgery. “I once told my daughter that my target lifespan was He chose the surgery. “I weighed 10 ‘for sure’ years versus 35 sixty, which was a factor in deciding upon the surgery. I look ‘possible’ years,” he said. “I opted for the chance on 35 or more.” back now and realize [if I didn’t] I would have missed nearly With the surgery date set, Donovan was already nervous. It half of her life thus far and a grandson. Everything is relative.” could still go wrong, he could not wake up, or he could wake up

A

[20] THE LAUREL || DECEMBER 2020

wenty years after Harry Donovan underwent his trauhad happened and where he was. During his blurry days, Goodmatic open-heart surgery, Larry Washburn decided to en and other chapter brothers came by to visit. His family was attend the University of Kansas. by his side the entire time. But Washburn made tremendous He chose KU because of their excellent journalism program progress and after two weeks he was allowed to return home. and quickly found a job as a part-time air personality for a local At home, Washburn adhered to his physical therapy routine, radio station. There, he met Rex Johnson, Kansas ’85. but he began having trouble breathing. His local physician Johnson was part of a small-but-growing fraternity on campus, recommended a specialist, so Washburn and his mom drove Phi Kappa Tau, who had just re-colonized in 1984. Washburn out to Wichita. While using the handicap accessible sidewalk had no intention of joining a fraternity, but the two became to walk into the office, he became so out of breath he could fast friends and soon Johnson invited him to a party. “I said hardly speak. The doctor was stunned. “He used a scope to ‘why not?’ It sounded like it would be fun and who knew – look down into my trachea and saw a swelling two millimeters maybe I would change my mind about joining a Fraternity,” from my vocal cords and ordered an emergency tracheostomy, Washburn said. as he said if it was not done immediately my throat would close “I heard awesome music, laughter, lots of people talking and up. I was admitted and the next having a good time,” he said. day had the procedure.”

Everyone was welcoming and At the time, the thought kind, especially the Chapter Preswas that the swelling was due ident, Tom Gooden, Kansas ’85. to trauma from the accident.

“When I left, I was convinced The doctors believed that if they that I had to join Phi Tau!” treated it with steroids, it would Washburn became the first be gone within a couple months. member of his associate class. By “During these months, I was not August of ’86, he was looking able to talk or whisper because of forward to the upcoming year. the narrowing and not enough “I was dating a great girl, I had air getting to the vocal cords.” the radio job, I was in pretty “My family got really good at good health and I had this new reading my lips and we wrote adventure in front of me.” He a lot of notes!” was invited to the Delta Gamma His chapter brothers stayed Anchor Bash and joined his in touch. Johnson called one associate and future fraternity night and Washburn’s mom [ LARRY WASHBURN, KANSAS ’88 ] brothers. He had a great evening reminded him that he couldn’t and said goodbye to his friends speak, but Johnson didn’t care. before heading home.

He filled Washburn in on everything he had missed and told “Unfortunately,” he says, “That’s the last thing I remember.” him that the Beta Theta guys were rooting for him.

While crossing the road to the parking lot, Washburn was hit After four months of treatment, the doctors changed their by a car going 40 miles per hour. He flew into the windshield, prognosis. They believed it was scarring rather than swelling over the roof, and landed on the pavement. He was knocked that was preventing his throat from healing. Washburn and his immediately unconscious, broke his jaw and left leg, busted his parents flew to Cincinnati to meet with a different specialist. He teeth and suffered a head injury.. underwent a five-hour surgery to remove the damaged portion Washburn was taken to the emergency room, but the doctors of his throat and repair his trachea. determined they could not offer the help he needed. He was Washburn remained under heavy sedation for the weekend. airlifted to Kansas University Medical Center, about 40 miles On Monday, the nurses removed all of his tubes. “My dad said, away. Of course, he found all this out later. He spent two days in ‘Well, say something!’ We were all still apprehensive that the an un-responsive coma. procedure worked. I gathered my courage and breath and prayed When Washburn woke, he had trouble understanding what what I wanted to say would come out – in a very gravelly voice I

T

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MINI FEATURE

“HE’S REMAINED GOOD FRIENDS WITH THOSE WHO STOOD BY HIM WHEN IT ‘DIDN’T LOOK SO GOOD.’ ‘IT’S A GOOD REMINDER TO ME ON HOW SPECIAL BROTHERHOOD IS AND HOW MEETING REX IN A RADIO STATION CHANGED MY LIFE FOREVER. I TRULY FEEL I BEAT THE ODDS.’”

uttered the words, ‘Hello, Mom and Dad.’” His dad broke into tears.

The following months were difficult. As he recovered, Washburn battled depression, another surgery, dental work, and the restlessness of being stuck at home. His chapter brothers continued to check in on him. Each time they did, they asked if he was still interested in joining, which he always said “yes.”

Washburn returned to campus in the fall of ’87. He worked part-time through the remainder of his time on campus and graduated in the spring of 1991. He took “full advantage” of all Phi Tau had to offer; he was Associate Class President, Secretary, Vice President, and President. Everything his chapter brothers told him about brotherhood and opportunity came true.

After graduating, Washburn had a successful career in broadcast journalism, non-profit fundraising, customer service, and information technology. He just celebrated his 19th anniversary with Wells Fargo where he is a systems operation engineer.

He has stayed involved with Phi Tau by planning homecomings, house dedications, and attending conventions. He’s

[22] THE LAUREL || DECEMBER 2020

From top to bottom: Washburn during charter signing; Washburn after the accident. The hat was his first Phi Tau “swag” – a gift from his chapter brothers.

currently the Beta Theta Graduate Council president. He is married to a “wonderful” wife and they have three “awesome” children.

He’s remained good friends with those who stood by him when “it didn’t look so good.” “It’s a good reminder to me on how special brotherhood is and how meeting Rex in a radio station changed my life forever. I truly feel I beat the odds.”

LAURELS

LAURELS

~ THOMAS BURKHOLDER, MUHLENBERG ’67, Dr. Thomas Burkholder and his wife Dr. Judith Burkholder have made a major gift to Muhlenberg College. Their donation will support a number of initiatives, including scholarships for underrepresented pre-med students.

[1962] David Windley, Transylvania, Windley and his wife Ann received Transylvania’s Morrison Medallion, the highest alumni recognition as voted on by the Transylvania Alumni Board and presented annually to an alumnus or alumna for exceptional service to the University.

[1968] Terry Forcht, Louisville, Forcht is the subject of a recent biography, Start Right. End Right. The Terry Forcht Story, by Gary P. West and

Eddie Woodruff.

[1971] Mitch Engel, Miami, Engel’s fourth novel, The Senator’s Suitcase, was released earlier this year.

[1982] Cole Rucker, Transylvania, Rucker is the producer of a new documentary, Cured, about the fight to de-classify homosexuality as a mental illness by the American Psychiatric Association (APA).

It includes the story of Dr. John Fryer, Transylvania ’54, or “Dr. Anonymous,” a gay man himself, who spoke at the 1972 APA convention to advocate for the declassification under the condition of anonymity.

[1985] John-Mark Hack, Transylvania, Hack became the Lending Director at the Mountain Association, an organization that invests in a sustainable economy in Eastern Kentucky.

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LAURELS

JIMMY STUBBS, AUBURN ’82, Stubbs has been named Chairman on the Board of Directors for the Alabama Bankers Association.

Stubbs is a Founding Director and CEO of River Bank & Trust in Prattville, AL. .

[1988] Michael French, Kent State, National Councilor French has started a new position as Manager in Technical Consulting, Digital, Data & Analytics at EY.

[1988] Michael Hewes, Southern Mississippi, Hewes published his third book, The Milk Wagon.

[1989] William Simonitsch, Florida State, Simonitsch started a new position as the Assistant United States Trustee in charge of the Orlando Field Office. The Trustee program is a litigating component of the Department of Justice.

~

[1991] Sung J. Woo, Cornell, Woo published his fourth book, Skin Deep.

[1993] Dr. Scott Nass, Bradley, Dr. Nass won the Frank Kamney Award from the National LGBT Bar Association for his work advancing LGBTQ equality in healthcare.

[1994] Jason Bitsoff, Transylvania, Bitsoff was named Chief Commercial Officer of Chip Ganassi Racing. He will be responsible for revenue generation across the various teams that compete in NASCAR, IndyCar, and Extreme E. [1995] Adam Goetz, Clemson, Goetz has been appointed President of the MassMutual Advisors Association for a one-year term from 2020-2021.

[24] THE LAUREL || DECEMBER 2020

[2002] James Miller III, Colorado State, Miller was named one of the Top 50 Most Impactful Low Major Coaches in D1 men’s basketball.

Miller is the Associate Head Coach for New Mexico State.

[2004] Mike Cerulo, Rider, Cerulo was promoted to Director at Nuveen, a premier global investment managing company.

[2004] Scott Dilley, Eastern Kentucky, Dilley and his wife Courtney welcomed their second child, Lucas, to the family in December.

[2004] JJ Lewis, Central Michigan, Lewis has been named a Teacher of Honor by Kappa Delta Pi, the International Honors Society in Education.

Lewis is the Superintendent & CEO of Compass Charter Schools (CCS) in California and was given this award for his commitment to continuous professional growth and integrity in the classroom.

[2008] Guillermo Flores, Southern Illinois, Flores was named 2020 Campus Professional of the Year by Phi Delta Theta Fraternity for his meaningful work advancing Greek Life at Michigan State.

[2008] Johnathan Krodel, Belmont, Krodel married Patricia Colon on August 14th. His father is also a Phi Tau, Greg Krodel, Purdue ’71.

[2008] Michael Lukens, Washington, Lukens married Jordan McNeil on August 8th. Lukens serves as Dean of Regional Conferences.

[2009] Ben Donlon, Louisville, Donlon is engaged to Courtney Worthington. Donlon is a 2012 William H. Shideler Award winner.

[2011] Robert Menendez, Florida State, Menendez has started a new position as Specialty Sales Representative, Central Nervous System at Allergan.

[2011] Mark Scout, Georgetown, Scout married Andrea Elaine in April.

[2012] CJ Donald, Centre, Donald was shortlisted for the Chambers D&I Future Leaders Award. Nominees must demonstrate their commitment to being true diversity and inclusion pioneers in the legal profession. Donald is a member of Haynes and Boone’s Finance Practice Group. He is heavily involved in the firm’s recruiting and D&I efforts and serves as a formal and informal mentor for dozens of diverse young lawyers.

~ TREY PIPPEN, LOUISVILLE ’09, Pippin was featured in Owensboro Parent magazine to encourage men to take paternal leave when their children are born.

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LAURELS

[2013] Cam Bigelow, Colorado, Bigelow was promoted to Program Lead at Asana, a project management application company.

[2014] Aaron Vance, Louisville, Vance was elected President of the Indiana University Maurer School of Law Student Bar Association. Vance is a 2017 William H. Shideler Award winner.

[2015] Blake Woodyard, Indiana U of Pennsylvania, Woodyard has been promoted to Operations Manager at LumiShield Technologies.

[2016] Dillyn Stephens, East Central OK, Stephens married Kylie Cox on September 20th.

[26] THE LAUREL || DECEMBER 2020

[2017] Anas Saba, Belmont, Saba has been awarded a prestigious Fulbright Grant to teach in Mexico. Saba graduated from Belmont with a double major in international business and management with concentrations in entrepreneurship and Spanish.

DREW DANIK, TEXAS ’17, Danik is traveling the country on his motorcycle to raise money for Motorcycle Missions, an Austin-based nonprofit that works with veterans and first responders affected by PTSD. ~

[2012] Brandon Peterson, Nebraska Wesleyan, Peterson was named a “20 Under 40” in the Freemont Tribune for his work as an entrepreneur building startups in Nebraska.

WHY I GIVE

Education Programs

U

pon the request of many members this past summer, the National Council established the first ever Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) task force. On the task force sits Dexter Horne, Centre ’14, a Kentucky native and 2016 William H. Shideler Award winner.

The purpose of the task force is to examine the ways Phi Kappa Tau could be better supporting black, indigenous and people of color (BIPOC) members. “We’re receiving recommendations made from members and going through our perspective on what we should take on as a national fraternity,” said Horne. “From there, we present to the National Council what we think are important priorities and how to execute in a way that makes the most sense.”

For Horne, this is a very personal issue. “Growing up as a minority you interact with so many institutions that you sort of

understand weren’t created for you, and you try to adapt and bend who you are to fit into them because it’s better than ostracization.

Living that way doesn’t allow you to reach your fullest potential as a brother or as a person. White members benefit from having their peers feel valued and appreciated. It makes your feeling of community and togetherness better and stronger.”

The DEI task force is thinking about the future. “Hopefully we can look back and look at the changes that were made and see them as being beneficial in terms of breaking down barriers so non-white members feel just as much of the brotherly connection,” Horne explained. “I want future generations of Phi Taus to look back and say, ‘Wow, this changed for the better.’”

Giving back as a donor and a volunteer is his way of ensuring that we make that change.

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CHAPTER ETERNAL

CHAPTER ETERNAL The following members were reported deceased to the Executive Offices between August 20, 2020 and November 16, 2020.

MIAMI Robert Newcomer ’40 Richard Bahr ’42 David Bone ’49 Lewis Stephan ’50 Donald Brannon ’57 William Enos ’80 OHIO Donald Pace ’33 Robert Cook ’40 Richard Kiser ’41 Richard Gilbert ’50 John Shephard ’51 Richard Harrison ’56 Thomas Whitehair ’57 OHIO STATE Stanley Miller ’64 MOUNT UNION John Matthews ’37 Edward Kenneweg ’47 Louis Giovanelli ’50 MUHLENBERG Carl Becker ’36 Thomas Kennedy ’37 Allen Steward ’38 Raymond Smith ’43 Willard Kindt ’45 Robert Butz ’47 Ray Graver ’48 TRANSYLVANIA James Holt ’34 Melvin Link ’35 Charles Luzader ’35 Charles Stivers ’35 James Pennington ’36 Vernon Tucker ’36

Paul McIntire ’37 Charles Patrick ’37 Omer Cunningham ’38 Benjamin Perry ’38 George Riley ’38 Benjamin Quick ’38 Danny Jones ’41 Reginald Phillips ’41 Jack Du Pree ’41 Ralph Versaw ’41 Howard Ditrick ’45 James Likins ’46 Ben Hobgood ’47 Robert Hubbard ’47 Maxwell James ’47 Thomas Roach ’47 Richard White ’47 Charles Dungan ’48 William Hellyar ’48 Walter Reddy ’49 James Seale ’49 Robert Cox ’50 George Ryals ’50 Richard Drane ’51 Morton McAnally ’52 Norman Parks ’52 Dinsmore Nisbet ’53 David Williams ’56 Donald Nicholson ’57 Thomas Butterworth ’58 Leonard Brown ’59 Sidney Steinberg ’59 Douglas Johnson ’60 Darryl Spencer ’61 Cecil Rawlings ’73 Lynn Huddleston ’75 Fred Ballou ’91

KENTUCKY Billy Chandler ’47 Wayne Crow ’50 Elias Adams ’52 Jennings Johnson ’55 Charles Johnson ’56 Dan Burg ’65 J. White ’65 George Williams ’69 Mike Koehler ’78 David Rempe ’82 Stuart Cooksey ’13

COE Robert Lana ’60 Joe Meyer ’0

Lawrence Blau ’45

[28] THE LAUREL || DECEMBER 2020

PURDUE John David ’75 LAWRENCE Lambert Peterson ’41 John Haack ’76 FRANKLIN & MARSHALL Clinton Hoffman ’47 Allen Lesswing ’47 Robert Draude ’48 Richard Ritz ’48 Robert Wolpert ’49 John Hanley ’53 Raymond Spencer ’74 Richard Chamberlin ’75 Curtis Spangler ’78 PENN STATE Robert Lane ’38 Wilson Oberdorfer ’41 Daniel Boughner ’89 SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA Charles Norton ’35

SYRACUSE Robert Imobersteg ’49 John Tompkins ’49 MICHIGAN Thomas Coleman ’39

DELAWARE Courtney Cummings ’48 William Webb ’47 Gif Crothers ’49 Richard Blevins ’59 John Hohman ’84 Kent McCullough ’90

NEBRASKA WESLEYAN Ronald Trombla ’51 Michael Bonham ’66

CASE WESTERN RESERVE John Neidhart ’37

BETHANY Paul Weber ’63 Peter Weber ’63

KANSAS STATE Charles Baker ’55 Raul Gutierrez ’72 Forrest Lawson ’74

NORTH CAROLINA STATE Ralph Parker ’56 Robert Pindell ’60 Donald Moore ’63 Peter Skalchunes ’69 Stephen Lilley ’73 Fred Stone ’87 COLORADO Fred Fenger ’39 James Craddock ’56 Wayne Norman ’65 WISCONSIN-MADISON James Fowler ’31 MICHIGAN STATE Jack Grigsby ’38 Robert Brower ’46 Robert Wilcox ’47 William Wipperfurth ’51 Jared Orchen ’01

FLORIDA Earle Johnson ’33 Russell Wright ’36 Robert Nieland ’42 Shephard Young ’44 James Kennedy ’47 Robert Cobb ’48 Gary Schaffer ’60 James Gaff ’74 James Polaty ’09 WILLIAM & MARY Eldon Langbauer ’36 Bernard Swann ’47 Posie Hundley ’52 PENNSYLVANIA John Magenau ’37 WASHINGTON STATE Harry Swannack ’35 John Weekes ’50 Randall Hamada ’77 Timothy Davies ’95

AUBURN Emery Shull ’45 Charles Richardson ’48 Harrison Rees ’49 Robert Radford ’50 Edward Sellers ’54 James McKee ’64 David Barrett ’71 Julius Sorrell ’75 IOWA STATE Harold Beenken ’41 LAFAYETTE Theodore Grossman ’59 WASHINGTON Jack Richardson ’43 Robert Anderson ’51 GEORGIA TECH Troy Norris ’53 Ronald Christensen ’56 COLORADO STATE Thomas McDermott ’40 Gordon Hutton ’41 COLGATE Grant Raucher ’41 Robert Eckis ’42 John Filler ’48 Andrew Goodwin ’50 Russell Doyle ’51 Charles Foster ’53 William Koenig ’54 William Large ’57 Warren David ’58 Robin Williams ’58 James Beaumont ’62 Kent Poey ’63

AKRON Paul Feeley ’38 Jerry Colombes ’40 E. Kleines ’41 Dell Orr ’41 William Koleta ’43 Louis Zak ’45 Robert Murray ’46 William Boles ’48 Jack Force ’48 Wesley Smith ’49 Richard Wagner ’49 George Kriska ’52 Thomas Farley ’61 Roger Kvam ’67 Gary Middleton ’69 MISSISSIPPI STATE John Beall ’42 Patrick Dickerson ’65 Jimmy Gipson ’65 Hiram Baxter ’68

Ron Britain ’53 Gary Murphy ’65 Glenn Knight ’70 IDAHO Marvin Cox ’54 SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI Reese Helmer ’49 Harris Prothro ’63 Tommy Duncan ’73 NEW MEXICO William McCoy ’51 FLORIDA STATE Thomas Ates ’49 Homer Hayes ’49 Carl Walsingham ’58 John Ament ’65 OKLAHOMA STATE Michael Raleigh ’58 Timothy Sullivan ’19

TEXAS EL-PASO George Richards ’43 George Aiken ’56 Walter Cross ’60 Ronald McCluskey ’67

INDIANA John Diaz ’54 James Cartwright ’73

BALDWIN WALLACE Frederick Scharmann ’57 Timothy Miesse ’73

GEORGIA Wade Whitley ’57 Thomas Boydston ’69

TEXAS Carl Poindexter ’46 John Chance ’48 Robert Griffis ’57 Stanley Lowrey ’59

BOWLING GREEN Mark Koehler ’75 Donald Schuerger ’82

LOUISVILLE John Carpenter ’49

WESTMINSTER Raymond Stedman ’50 Douglas Williams ’82 Richard Robinson ’61

SOUTHERN ILLINOIS John Neunlist ’55 John Uffelman ’56 Alfred King ’70 CAL STATELONG BEACH Richard Drake ’57 CAL STATE-CHICO John Costanzo ’65

NEBRASKA-KEARNEY Timothy Saltzman ’88 EVANSVILLE William Keith ’68 GEORGETOWN Michael Eads ’88 RIDER Mark Stahl ’89

MICHIGAN TECH George Beeby ’66 Russell Wagner ’68 Robert Thayer ’72 Thomas Audit ’73

BOSTON Johnnathan Heitzman ’18

CINCINNATI Edward Ludwick ’79

CORRECTION: Bert Robins lll, ’53 was spelled incorrectly in the October issue. We sincerely apologize for this error.

ST. JOHN’S Patrick Linehan ’63 WESTERN MICHIGAN Warren Williams ’62 Donald Allen ’63 CENTRAL MICHIGAN Daniel Schmalenberg ’65 Michael Kanights ’68 BRADLEY Raymond Nau ’68 EAST CENTRAL OK Gary Graham ’66 Phillip Kirk ’67 YOUNGSTOWN Roy Johnson ’68

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SIDELIGHTS

SIDELIGHTS LEADERSHIP MESSAGE

LIVING TO YOUR FULLEST Phi Kappa Tau 2020: Focusing Our Vision is Phi Kappa Tau’s strategic plan.

Created by the National Council and Executive Offices staff, the plan was ratified in 2016 by the 62nd National Convention in Sacramento, Calif. The plan focuses the organization on five strategic imperatives.

GOVERNANCE RECRUITMENT/ RETENTION EDUCATION LEADERSHIP SERVICE Giving back to Phi Kappa Tau is one of the finest traditions of our Fraternity.

With strong strategic plans in place for both the Fraternity and Foundation, it is an exciting time to be a Phi Tau. Support the mission, vision and strategic direction of our Fraternity by donating today. You will be glad you did!

Brothers at a benefit for Scott Klasner, Truman State ’00.

C

amp Boggy Creek in Florida. Summer 2003. It was heart week. Joining me on the trip were six other members of my chapter. We had an amazing week. Everyone agreed that it was one of the most impactful times of our young lives. To see the determination, the toughness, the resounding positive energy, while also understanding the vulnerability of these campers, and the many challenges they and their families faced was inspiring. How could we ever leave this place and feel sorry for ourselves again we asked. And it was true.

Now it is spring of 2014. One of those recent alumni (Scott) who was at Camp Boggy Creek in 2003 has finished his doctorate at Kansas State in Analytical Chemistry, is gainfully employed and getting married to the love of his life (Sherry). During the months leading up to his marriage, he also receives a crushing diagnosis – he has Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or ALS (Lou Gehrig’s) disease. I could go on for pages about the type of guy Scott was, the love he showed for his family, his friends, and his brothers at Truman State. That is a great story, and unfortunately a story that has an all-to-early and ominous end based on his diagnosis. Of more importance than his diagnosis is the way in which Scott persevered to live his best life in the time he had left. He got married, traveled, and compressed a number of amazing experiences in a short time. He was extremely intelligent and astute. More importantly he was caring and selfless. Scott didn’t beat ALS, but he gave it one hell of a match; and after a five-year fight, he decided to rest in May of 2019.

How does this piece together – my story of volunteering at a SeriousFun camp and the untimely loss of a young alumnus of my chapter? The last time I saw Scott in person was at a benefit for his medical expenses.

He was confined to a wheelchair at that time and using his voice was a challenge. We talked briefly about our shared fun times at Truman State, about his desire to see the Cubs lose to the Cardinals (always sticking me with a jab) and about our trip to Boggy Creek. When the event was drawing to an end, he said, and I will never forget his words to me that day – “Don’t feel sorry for me, I have had an amazing journey!” After that sentence he gave me a wink and a nod. As I have reflected on that interaction, it’s clear to me that Scott was able to be at peace with his situation. I have to believe one of the factors that aided him was reflecting on how lucky he had been.

SeriousFun absolutely provides our members with opportunity to see serious medical challenges that exist in the world around us. It also provides Phi Tau’s with great memories and hopes for the good we can produce in this world. And, in the toughest of times, Phi Kappa Tau and our connection to SeriousFun can also provide our brotherhood with understanding and grace. We cannot change fate, but we can certainly find a way to live to our fullest.

May we each be so lucky as to understand our blessings in the way that Scott so clearly did…

In Phi,

phikappatau.org/2020

[30] THE LAUREL || DECEMBER 2020

WM. TIM HUDSON CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

DIRECTORY

SHOP PHI TAU!

NATIONAL PRESIDENT Bill Brasch Louisville ’67 bbrasch@phikappatau.org NATIONAL VICE PRESIDENT Dale Holland Kent State ’87 dholland@phikappatau.org FOUNDATION CHAIRMAN Wes Fugate Centre ’99 wfugate@phikappatau.org FOUNDATION VICE CHAIRMAN Buzz Green Ole Miss ’66 bgreen@phikappatau.org CEO Tim Hudson Truman State ’97 thudson@phikappatau.org

VISIT PHIKAPPATAUGEAR.COM FOR ALL OF YOUR MERCH NEEDS!

COO Travis Robinson Eastern Kentucky ’98 trobinson@phikappatau.org EDITOR Lilly Steger lsteger@phikappatau.org

Additional contact information for the Executive Office staff, Fraternity National Council, Foundation Board of Trustees, National Advisors, Domain Directors, and Educational Deans can be found at phikappatau.org/contact.

THE LAUREL || PHIKAPPATAU.ORG [31]

PHI KAPPA TAU FOUNDATION Ewing T. Boles Executive Offices 5221 Morning Sun Road Oxford, OH 45056 Change Service Requested

NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION U.S. POSTAGE PAID OXFORD, OH PERMIT # 13

You can give directly to a camp from our website! Your gift helps stock the camps with medical supplies, preserve campgrounds, pay for medical care, or help a brother cover travel expenses to volunteer.

VISIT PHIKAPPATAU.ORG/GIVE AND SELECT SERIOUSFUN TO MAKE A GIFT.