REVIEW A New Day FOR
Triangle
CONTENTS FALL , 2021 I TRIANGLE REVIEW I VOL .110 NO. 2
04 Fraternity Update 06 Summer Growth Summit
TRIANGLE LEADERSHIP National Council National President National Vice President National Secretary National Treasurer Past National President Active Councilman Council Member Council Member Council Member Council Member Council Member Council Member
John Cottage ps04 Ryan Sunyak tol10 Stuart Masuda uci07 Tyler Moore tol09 Joe Cerrato os05 Seth Pierre is19 Kevin Fong ucla84 Bob Goehring is76 Jake Hoppert msu10 Brad Keller neb69 Merle Newlon III lou73 Pete Satre os89
Building & Housing Corporation Chairman Secretary/Treasurer Director Director Director
Dick Beaubien mich64 Jim Marshall pur65 Shawn Diedtrich minn90 Don Hatfield msu88 John Malmquist wis72
07 Make a Gift from Your IRA 08 Chapter Highlights 11
Tyler Artz sdm11
12 Kansas State Alumni Reunion 13 Iowa State Spotlight 14 Triangles Travel Across North, Central and South America 17 A Journey Just Started 19 Tri-CON 2021 21 Triangle Staff Update 23 Triangle Education Foundation 24 Triangle National Alumni Dues Program 28 Missouri S&T Brotherhood and History 31
Obituary
Triangle Education Foundation Chairman Vice President Secretary Treasurer Undergrad Dir. CEL Ex-Officio Dir. Director Director Director Director Director Director Director Director Director Director Director Director Director Director
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John Gargani pitt82 Randall Herrel pur70 Lt Gen Ted Bowlds (USAF) miss72 Mark Tolliver ill70 Jackson Deal minn18 Nick George ks12 Michael Chu ill86 Dee Duncan ks64 Robert Halgren mich05 Don Knebel pur65 Gregory Lang mom74 RADM Melvin Chiogioji (USNR)pur58 Dr. Cary Laxer rose88asc Joseph Salvucci pitt76 Gordon Mortin mich63 James Schier ky66 Michael O'Connor marq74 Stanley Walker neb67 John Pritchard is82 Kyle Robertson is01
EDITOR Rileigh Roberson
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COPY EDITOR Kevin Fong
PUBLISHER EZ Mailing, LLC
CONTRIBUTORS Paul Wilson - Graphic Design The Triangle Review is a periodic educational journal of college life and alumni achievement. It is the official publication of Triangle Fraternity, published since 1911 and currently distributed to over 20,000 members and friends. Articles in the Triangle Review represent the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the positions or policies of Triangle Fraternity, Triangle Education Foundation, and the Triangle Building & Housing Corporation.
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PRESIDENT’S ANGLE
STAFF CONTACTS Fraternity Tom Pennington Executive Director tom@triangle.org Rhonda Halcomb Director of Operations rhonda@triangle.org Nicki Rowlett Director of Leadership Programs nicki@triangle.org Jim Phillips Director of Growth & Expansion jim@triangle.org Dinah Sammon Asst. Director of Growth dinah@triangle.org Lilly Woltman Asst. Director of Growth lilly@triangle.org Robby Barlow Regional Leadership Specialist robby@triangle.org Quinn Moran Regional Leadership Specialist quinn@triangle.org Rileigh Roberson Marketing Specialist rileigh@triangle.org Barbara Potter Administrative Assistant barbara@triangle.org
Brothers, It is an honor and a privilege to write to you in this Triangle REVIEW. I am thankful for the opportunity to serve as President and have appreciated the notes of support. We have much to do to recover from the last two years of crisis, but we have much for which to be thankful. Everyone has been affected in one way or another by this pandemic. Triangle, like everyone else, was not immune to Covid’s impact. I am beyond grateful to all of HQ staff, generous Alumni donations, and the unwavering leadership of the Past National President, Joe Cerrato. Our focus now is to help chapters rebuild their membership and campus impact. We have two years of students coming to campuses for the first time, eager and enthusiastic to get involved in campus life. This gives our chapters an opportunity to grow significantly which will both increase our numbers and bring new energy and ideas to our chapters. Spring 2021 saw a decrease in nationwide undergraduate enrollment almost equal to the entire population of fraternity/sorority membership! Our chapters did not suffer as greatly, but that is a staggering shift in enrollment. Predictions are that campuses will rebound this fall, but also warn to plan for smaller fall enrollment numbers over the next decade. At the summer online convention we approved changes that will decrease the cost of membership for our members. This will keep us competitive on campuses where cost has been a factor in recruitment – particularly on campuses where we do not offer housing. Our insurance costs are among the lowest in the fraternity community, so our four-year cost of membership is now below the men’s fraternity average.
Education Foundation Scott Bova, CFRE President sbova@triangle.org Aaron Girson, CFRE Vice President agirson@triangle.org Amy Buchheit, CFRE Senior Director of Development abuchheit@triangle.org Carrie Loveless Director of Alumni Engagement and Stewardship cloveless@triangle.org Lucy Duncan Staff Accountant lduncan@triangle.org Kate Planow Director of Development kplanow@triangle.org Erica Reed Administrative Assistant ereed@triangle.org
How will we accommodate the new men we attract? With few exceptions, current housing stock is dated and in need of renovation. Fundraising campaigns are ongoing at several chapters to renovate those properties to highly attractive member housing. Now is the time for alumni housing boards to consider major capital campaigns. Triangle Education Foundation and the Triangle Building & Housing Corporation are experts at this work and can guide those discussions. Finally, I challenge chapters to improve their relationships with their college community. Our strongest chapters are recommended to students by faculty. Every chapter should have at least one honorary initiate a year from the faculty or administration. This builds trust and visibility with our colleges. Strong campus relationships are a factor in longterm success and stability. There is much to do, but I have always been impressed by the dedication of our members. Now is the time to re-connect and re-dedicate yourself to the success of your chapter and Triangle. Working together, I know Triangle will emerge from the last two years larger, stronger, and smarter. In F, S & C,
Building & Housing Corp. Mike Fouts Executive Director mfouts@trianglebhc.org Denise Burch Director of Business Operations dburch@trianglebhc.org
John Cottage ps04, National President FALL 2021
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Triangle Fraternity Update TOM PENNINGTON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR There is no doubt about it… we have come through one of the most challenging periods Triangle has faced in decades. The pandemic tested our chapters, National Council, and the HQ staff to find new ways to succeed amidst uncertainty and limited resources. The best news is that our undergraduates and the alumni working with them did a fantastic job of keeping our members safe. The result was no undergraduates had lengthy hospital stays and there were no student deaths related to Covid-19. In addition, there were no chapter houses forced to close due to exposure.
Growth Success Program
Many chapters found new and innovative ways to gather together for meetings, brotherhood activities, recruitment, and social activities. Online experiences built around gaming, watching movies, or doing chapter business became common as in-person events and activities were suspended. As campuses and IFCs postponed or cancelled usual recruitment activity, HQ staff helped groups build a “virtual” alternative through our Growth Success Program (GSP). Staff worked one-on-one coaching chapter recruitment chairs in creating and executing a virtual recruitment program. Chapters that participated and did the necessary work saw an average increase of 120% in new members Spring 21 from Spring 20. Even chapters that did most of the required work saw an average 50% new member increase Spring to Spring. These results motivated a generous alumnus to make a special grant to the fraternity to fund additional growth staff for the next two years. Dinah Sammon and Lilly Woltman join our team as Asst. Directors of Chapter Growth and will serve as Growth Coaches for ten or more chapters each. Robby Barlow comes to staff as a Regional Leadership Specialist and will be based in Milwaukee to work with three chapters there and with Armour in Chicago. Despite those chapter successes, Triangle started the Fall term with the lowest undergraduate membership we have had in almost ten years – under 850 total 4
members – with nearly half our chapters at a total membership of 20 men or less (See sidebar on next page). Growth must be our number one priority!
Program Development
Our annual January Leadership & Training Weekend (LTW) was reworked as an online experience. Chapter assessment and support visits were moved online and meetings with officers and chapters were done virtually, and we hosted several advisory groups utilizing chapter leaders to provide feedback and direction for fraternity programs. We postponed our summer convention, and moved it online in June (see article on Page 19/20). In addition, we found we were able to work more on new resources. The BuildTriangle program is designed to provide important lessons and “soft skills” development for members, to complement their academic work. Members that complete most or all of the program will be better prepared for life after college and for career success.
Expansion Pipeline
A critical part of the growth plan is rebuilding our expansion pipeline. The pandemic forced us to cancel at least two projects to bring Triangle to new campuses and postponed others. In some cases, campuses are unsure when they will begin to open to new groups once again. Contacts have now been made with over 30 campuses to express interest and determine opportunity. These include campuses new to Triangle and most of our former host institutions, where chapters closed. The responses received will guide us in building a priority and timeline for colonization projects. Alumni in areas where we have opportunity will be contacted about helping.
Financials
We started the year budgeting for a 25% membership decrease – an amount consistent with what colleges and our interfraternity peers expected. We were happy to see approximately half that loss, as 87% of Triangle WWW.TRIANGLE.ORG
members returned to their campuses/chapters – a much higher rate than the general student population.
Chapter/Campus
Recruitment still was a challenge for many chapters, resulting in a drop of about 17% in total new members over the previous year. However, with an expected 25% drop in the budget, the result was member income that came in above budget.
Armour 43 Cal Poly 28 UNC-Charlotte 9 Cincinnati 22 Clemson 16 Colorado State 17 Florida Atlantic 6 Georgia Tech 18 Illinois 45 Iowa State 31 Kansas 23 Kansas State 2 Kentucky 35 Louisville 40 Michigan 65 Michigan State 55 Michigan Tech 19 Minnesota 26 Missouri Mines 22 MSOE 12 Nebraska 26 Ohio State 22 Oklahoma 25 Penn State 27 Penn State Behrend 21 Pittsburgh 30 Purdue 47 Rose Tech 62 SD Mines 33 Texas 10 Toledo 21 UC-Irvine 10 UCLA 31 UCSD 0 Utah 32 UWM 5 VCU 11 VA Tech 9 Washington 34 Wisconsin 32
Triangle alumni also rose to the challenge! Income from alumni donations and dues were up 38%. Between the Alumni Dues program, Week of Giving, and special gifts, alumni contributed over $122,000 to help offset expected losses in undergraduate dues and fees. We are grateful to those generous alumni and to the Triangle Education Foundation for their fundraising effort. It was critical to our success. We were able to cut our total expense budget by nearly 30% as we suspended travel to chapters, Council meetings, and other usual business costs. Staff moved to remote work and their chapter support work went online. Expenses for educational programs also were reduced as our LTW program and regional work also went virtual.
What’s Ahead?
Priorities this biennium are Growth, Financial Stability (HQ and Chapters), and Alumni Engagement. The current Growth Success Program will be a foundation for getting chapters back up to historic membership levels and beyond. A revised chapter standards program also will be introduced this year to help chapters build and execute success plans. Our partnership with GreekBill (greekbill.com) provides a robust financial management solution for chapter budgeting, forecasting, billings, and collections, and ensures annual tax filings are done to protect chapter nonprofit status. We have lost more chapters to financial difficulties than almost any other issue, so this is an exciting new tool for chapters. Lastly, you will see more outreach to alumni, including a renewed Tour de Triangle program of area events and gatherings for Triangles in major metro areas across the nation. We’ve already started this fall with events scheduled in Detroit, Chicago, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh and Raleigh/Durham. Keep your contact information current with HQ so you can receive information on events near you! FALL 2021
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Fall 2019
Fall 2021 % Change
Start of Fall term, before new members.
Total
29 -32.6% 7 -75.0% 0 Inactive 41 86.4% 14 -12.5% 2 -88.2% 0 Inactive 0 Inactive 39 -13.3% 46 48.4% 21 -8.7% 0 Inactive 31 -11.4% 26 -35.0% 41 -36.9% 46 -16.4% 22 15.8% 21 -19.2% 20 -9.1% 13 8.3% 24 -7.7% 24 9.1% 12 -52.0% 11 -59.3% 19 -9.5% 45 50.0% 37 -21.3% 64 3.2% 34 3.0% 0 Inactive 25 19.0% 14 40.0% 5 -83.9% 5 N/A 14 -56.3% 6 20.0% 4 -63.6% 21 133.3% 29 -14.7% 32 0.0%
1022 844 -17.4% 5
Triangle Fraternity’s Growth Initiative was born from a realization that membership numbers were significantly down for the 4th year in a row. In an effort to revitalize the organization as a whole, the fraternity has implemented various new measures to combat decline and promote rapid growth. The Summer Growth Summit is just the beginning. We are also excited to announce expansion of staff, programming, and fundraising! All of these efforts are made possible by our members. Alumni involvement, mentorship, and professional connections. These are the tools we can use right now to make a tremendous impact on the future of Triangle. Are you concerned about your chapter size or level of engagement? We need your help! Our alumni are uniquely positioned to connect with chapter members and foster a growing environment. If you want to learn more about
Over 40 Brothers from 24 chapters kicked off the fall recruitment season on August 1, 2021 at the inaugural Summer Growth Summit (SGS). The Growth Summit is the first of many steps in Triangle’s biggest goal of the year: growth. Funded in part by a loyal and generous donor committed to Triangle’s expansion and longevity, the fraternity’s goal is quickly becoming a reality. Thanks to this donor’s generosity, we now have the funding and staff capacity to facilitate at least one in-person visit to each chapter this year. This donation also allows for a primary staff member to meet with chapters and develop programs geared towards growth initiatives like the SGS. The SGS programming included an interactive opening session, workshops, a panel, roundtables, and an online recruitment event simulation. Additionally, the program allowed the fraternity to introduce a new growth staff member to every single chapter who will be working hands-on with the members. 100% of the attendees indicated that attending the program was a good use of their time, and 92% gave feedback that they learned something new by attending SGS. With the success of this inaugural event, the fraternity plans to move forward with hosting the SGS every August to jumpstart the recruitment season and therefore, jumpstart chapter growth. The national leadership is excited for the future of Triangle and the potential the organization possesses moving forward. For more information about how to get involved, you can email Jim Phillips, Director of Growth and Expansion at jim@triangle.org.
how you can get involved, please visit bit.ly/Triangle-Volunteer. 6
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Why does it make sense to make a gift from your IRA? AMY BU CHHEIT, CFR E S EN IOR DIR ECTOR OF DEVELOP M EN T
IRA gifts are a tax smart way to support the Triangle Education Foundation!
You can direct your required minimum distribution (RMD) up to a maximum of $100,000 to the Triangle Education Foundation without having to pay income tax on the distribution if you are 70 ½ or older! This popular giving option is referred to as a qualified charitable distribution (QCD) or as an IRA rollover gift.
Why make a gift through your IRA?
• Your gift will be put to immediate use to help all Brothers with scholarships and programs! • Beginning when you turn 72, you can make a direct gift to the Triangle Education Foundation from your IRA to satisfy all or part of your RMD. • There are no income taxes on gifts made this way. This transfer directly to us generates neither taxable income nor a tax deduction, so you’ll get the benefit even if you do not itemize your deductions. • Since this gift doesn’t count toward your income, it can reduce your annual income level. This may help lower your overall tax rate
Frequently Asked Questions • Q: I will be 70 ½ in a few months, can I make a QCD now? A: No, you must be 70 ½ or older on the date you make the gift • Q: I have several retirement accounts; some are IRAs and some are pensions. Does it matter which account I make the gift from? A: Yes. In order to reap the tax benefits, you can only make this gift from your IRA account. You might be able to roll assets from your pension, profit -sharing, 401(k) or 403(b) plan into an IRA and then make the gift to the Foundation. To determine if you can convert these assets into an IRA, contact your plan administrator.
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• Q: Can my gift be used as my RMD? A: Yes! Beginning after the date you turn 70 1/2, you can use all or part of your gift to satisfy the requirement. • Q: When do I need to make my gift? A: We must receive your gift by December 31 for your donation to qualify in 2021. • Q: I’ve already named the Triangle Education Foundation as the beneficiary of my IRA. Are there benefits of making a gift now instead of after my lifetime? A: Making a gift this year of any amount up to $100,000 from your IRA means you can see your gift in action! You are helping Triangle Brothers benefit from scholarships and programs and your generosity is instrumental in helping all members!
At Any Age
No matter your age, you can designate the Triangle Education Foundation as the beneficiary of all or a portion of your IRA. This gift will pass tax-free to us and is very simple to complete. Contact your plan administrator and ask for a change of beneficiary form. It’s important to let us know if you have made the Triangle Education Foundation a beneficiary of your IRA so that we can properly thank you for your generosity and ensure that your wishes for the gift are carried out. If you have questions about gifts from your IRA, or other questions about how to make a gift to the Foundation, contact Amy Buchheit, CFRE at 317-203-7759 or abuchheit@triangle.org.
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Chapter Highlights Cal Poly Membership took a hit during the last year and we did not recruit anyone which hit morale hard. We were scared to see similar results due to the pandemic. In the end, we were able to recruit 2 members during Spring semester who were so excited to become part of our organization, they were already securing future new members for Fall! With this, though our chapter is small now, our morale is at a new high and that energy will serve us well for the next semester when our campus opens. Several months before we even heard of Covid, we established a Discord server for our chapter, which put us in a good position to make the transition to a virtual format. As a result of our preparedness, we conducted our weekly meetings, executive board meetings, and our annual bylaw revisions without a problem. The Discord server allowed us to easily host virtual events with our own members and other organizations. We have had at least 6 brotherhood events and 6 social events each semester. Iowa State This year we hosted our annual retreat in person again at an outdoor park; we spent the day evaluating how our chapter has done the past year, how we want to do a year from now, and what goals we needed to make it happen. The week before initiation in 2020, the university eliminated all in-person activities. Our ritual committee turned a week of in-person brotherhood activities into virtual activities for our 14-member pledge class. Group activities during I-Week like cookie baking turned into mug cakes over Discord. We grew our sense of brotherhood using an Iowa State Triangle Discord that promoted safe and fun time spent with each other. We even won the Innovation award from Iowa State’s Sorority and Fraternity
Engagement Office for our use of Discord and ability to pivot to the uncertainties of Covid-19. We needed to reevaluate how our chapter was doing during this stressful time and enhance the membership experience. One way we did this was through a culture board, Crucible Talks, and a workshop led by our house director. Our culture board is an online form that members can fill out anonymously about how things were going. Crucible Talks were safe spaces where brothers could talk openly. It could be simple things like how stressed they were for exams, or heavier things they wanted to talk about with their brothers. Our chapter is seeing our brotherhood change for the better. Michigan After a year of chapter professional development, fundraising, and brotherhood, we are full of energy for the future. We concluded the 2020-2021 academic year with our best fundraising work. Between fundraising for Movember, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and a bonus for our chapter chef of 13 years, we raised about $6400. We are excited to expand our service impact on campus next year. While Covid-19 dramatically altered how the brotherhood operated, interacted, and socialized, our men showed a renewed commitment to forming great relationships and building themselves as better men. We had the opportunity to host 15 professional development, DEI, and academic-related events, most delivered in a virtual format for all brothers to attend. This year, we aim to focus on improving our impact on the campus and community, expand our relationships with other student organizations, and recruit a pledge class of over twenty men. As the Michigan Lambda chapter nears its 100th anniversary, we are proud to look back on our strong traditions and roots in Ann Arbor and continue to build our brotherhood for another century of success.
Discord is a voice, video, and text communication service used by many of our chapters. 8
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Michigan State The Michigan State chapter came together when the pandemic started as we made the switch to virtual to maintain the safety of our members and community. Though there were challenges, we overcame them by using our resources and our engineering problem solving skills. We incorporated new strategies for brothers to engage and be able to help each other. We utilized Discord, Zoom, and outside events to interact with each other. The transition to virtual events was difficult but it worked well for our brothers. Mental health was a large concern for chapter leadership, particularly because of the stigma around men’s mental health. The chapter leadership decided to create a health and safety chair that would present on mental health every week and be a point of contact for brothers to find help that needed it. Chapter leadership met with a series of community stakeholders to develop educated internal Covid safety guidelines. We continued to edit and change our Covid-19 guidelines and spread them to all fraternity chapters. We had the unique opportunity to be better men and leaders through a pandemic. We persevered and our members will hold onto the work we did and learned very valuable lessons. Minnesota Over the course of the last year, we re-examined our selection process after losing members to differing personal interests. Now, I believe our brotherhood has never been stronger. We transitioned from large formal events to small informal events and developed personal relationships that we would not have been able to cultivate otherwise. Previously, our new members would often work amongst themselves before warming to the upper-classmen, but now our close relationships span across all member classes. We were also incredibly successful working with other campus organizations. This is the first year Triangle members were elected to the Interfraternity Council, two members as President and Vice President of FALL 2021
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Recruitment and a third as the Chief of Staff. These three members have represented Greek Life, IFC, and Triangle to the campus community and upheld all Triangle values in doing so. Additionally, two members serve as representatives on a Triangle national fraternity board or committee. Nebraska The spring of 2021 brought many changes to the organization. With a clearer vision for the chapter, members became more inclined to attend chapter meetings and social and recruitment events. With additional help from the national organization, the focus of recruitment became sharper. This mindset led us to a more successful rush in the spring, with the chapter pledging six men. Summer recruitment will look different for us. We have implemented several action items including engaging events throughout the summer, tracking of PNM’s interests, and outside promotion of the chapter. With all these things in place, the Nebraska chapter is positioned for a successful summer recruitment. Although we struggled in the past, the lessons we learned have been impactful, which is apparent with our large spring pledge class. This is due to the continued efforts of the recruitment chair and initiated members to improve our recruitment program for the semesters to come. Ohio State Our brothers have worked tirelessly this year to strive for excellence in academics, professionalism, recruitment, and philanthropy. Our biggest achievement was being the winner of the IFC Chapter of the Year out of 26 fraternities. We also won the Outstanding Philanthropy Initiative award, the Outstanding Member Development Program award, and the Excellence in Health and Safety award. These massive wins were due to our amazing executive board and brothers. With our focus on academics, the chapter’s cumulative GPA was a 3.46 in Fall 2020 and was a 3.5 in Spring 2021. N ot a single brother had a GPA under a 3.0, including our new members.
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All of this year’s graduates left college with either full time job offers at companies like JP Morgan Chase, BWX Technologies, and the Air Force, or will continue their education in medical school and graduate school. During recruitment were able to initiate 7 new members this year. We worked with Jim Phillips to develop a virtual recruitment program that brought one of our largest pledge classes in years. Pittsburgh This year, the chapter converted our academic programs to a virtual setting to support brothers and new members. We maintained our value of service by having the most philanthropy hours of the Intrafraternity Council. Additionally, we continue to grow at an accelerated rate, with a total of 19 new members this year. We also formed a Diversity, Involvement, and Inclusion committee with a focus on ensuring that minorities are properly represented and welcomed into the fraternity world. Our chapter continues to actively welcome brothers of all creeds and origins. Having previously faced issues of being perceived as an engineering-only organization, the chapter has expanded far beyond engineering. Nearly half the active chapter is studying something other than engineering in the STEM field with majors ranging from engineering disciplines to environmental science and biology. Our chapter continues to welcome diverse STEM majors and expand the brotherhood. Purdue Due to a drastic decrease in membership in Fall 2019 and Spring 2020, the chapter employed a recruitment consultant that, with the hard work and dedication of every member, recruited a 13-person (11 now initiated) member pledge class. Members engaged in a new online recruiting process where 1on-1 interactions were vital. Brothers would have lunch or dinner with PNMs to get to know them and see if they met the values and qualifications of joining Triangle. 1 0
the spring, the chapter became one of few organizations to not have any cases of Covid and the only organization with a chapter facility with zero cases. This was a testament to the officers’ procedures that allowed for guest and family visits, while maintaining regular testing for the safety of the members. The chapter has a strong will and will continue to work hard, as shown by the near 200% new member increase in one year, even during the pandemic. The successes have been celebrated but members know the hard work has just begun. Washington The Washington chapter held elections at the end of Fall which brought fresh perspectives into the leadership. We elected 4 people to the Executive Board, a downsize from last year, so we split up roles and responsibilities. I’m proud to say that despite these odds, the four of us on the Executive Board gave our all to help lead this chapter. Winter quarter saw a dip in motivation in the members, but a new recruitment season renewed motivation. Our Winter quarter recruitment reignited many of our members’ passions for Triangle. Despite our previous hesitancy for recruiting online, our new Epsilon class is full of hard-working and committed men, many of whom stepped up into officer roles that helped our chapter immensely. Throughout this year we learned many ways to strengthen our bonds. Our 1-on-1 system where every brother is expected to meet with every other brother has gone a long way in facilitating the intimate brotherhood interactions that we want to see in our chapter. Despite this year driving many of us physically apart, our chapter has come out of this year closer than ever. Wisconsin This year has been a year of reorganization and reevaluation for the Wisconsin chapter. The recruitment chairs were always at national recruitment meetings, calls —Continued on next page 11 WWW.TRIANGLE.ORG
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about new member education, and leadership meetings. They took Jim Phillip’s recommendations of consistent social media use and personalized messaging to advertise what Triangle could offer to new members. This led to the largest spring and fall pledge classes in over a decade with 10 new members. Along with this, the chapter raised over $3,000 through social media, participated in an Earth Day pickup, and made food and clothing donations to continue serving the community. One major change this year was a new executive board position, Sergeant At Arms, who will be in charge of continuing member education. This will continue to stabilize the chapter culture and give the members an avenue to communicate their opinions to the executive board officers.
Tyler Artz Winner of the South Dakota Engineering Society of the Year Award In February 2021, engineer Tyler Artz sdm11 received the South Dakota Engineering Society (SDES) Black Hills Chapter Young Engineer of the Year Award, which allowed him to advance as a nominee for the SDES statewide title. Tyler has now been named SDES Young Engineer of the Year! “These awards encourage engineers to broaden their horizons,” says Tyler. “It’s not all about left-brain thinking and technical work. There has to be community involvement. Getting involved in the community links projects with people.” Tyler participates in various community efforts from sitting on the Board of Directors with the South Dakota Mines Alumni Association to advocating for businesses and individuals to sign up to volunteer with Rapid City Summer Nights, a local summer-long music festival. Tyler also serves as the President of the South Dakota Mines Triangle Alumni Organization. For Tyler, this award reinforces his belief that engineers should pursue relationships with their communities through volunteer efforts. Congratulations to Brother Artz on this welldeserved award!
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Kansas State Alumni Reunion 2021 Earlier this summer, the Kansas State alumni gathered in Wichita, Kansas, to host their 5th KSU Triangle Reunion with other Brothers from their era. The reunion also served as an opportunity for the group to attend the memorial service of Brother Phillip Enegren ks64. Brother Charles Eby ks64 led the group’s planning and provided a few remarks regarding the time the members and spouses had together. “It was great that we had the opportunity to meet the Enegrens’ children who we’d heard about, and grandchildren and other family members. I did have the pleasure of handing Linda a letter from Rainbows United stating the summation of our gifts to the memorial for Phil. In all, our group donated over $1,700, which pleased Linda. She said the money would go to buy equipment and additional resources to enhance the lives of children with special needs and their families.” “After the memorial and lunch, most of the brothers returned to the hotel meeting room, where we 1 2
discussed life in the fraternity and ‘what is brother X doing or in good health?’ We mentioned how much we missed the Brothers who couldn’t attend but how we surely haven't forgotten them.” Brother Eby concluded his description of their time spent together with an important reminder of the fellowship found with Triangle Brothers, “Having spent two days with my brothers, I know why I chose them and they me. We share the common values of good character, intelligence, and hard work. I just completed Steven Ambrose’s ‘Band of Brothers,’and I truly feel we too are a Band of Brothers. I admire and feel closer to each of the members than before the reunion.”
SEND US YOUR PHOTOS AND STORIES. We’d love to hear from you. Send to Carrie Loveless at cloveless@triangle.org
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Iowa State Alumni Spotlight DAV I D S C H W I C K E R AT H I S 6 8 A group of Iowa State Alumni started meeting in March 2020, shortly after the COVID-19 lockdown, as a way to mitigate the isolation we all felt in our lockdown mode. We meet on Zoom every Monday at 5 pm EST in a cocktail hour type environment. Members are spread from California to Florida with only a couple guys actually living in Iowa. We invited mostly 1960’s and 1970’s Iowa State Triangles with a few 1980’s folks. The 1960 and 1970 guys were mostly retired so it was easier for them to commit to the weekly time slot. We keep it interesting by having each Alumnus tell their “Life Story” in 30-60 minutes. Twenty to thirtyfive brothers participate each week. We schedule the presentations a couple months into the future so guys have an ability to prepare as much as they would like. We learn about what our brothers have been doing with their business and personal lives for the last forty to fifty years. We learn about families, work, hobbies, where we’ve lived, who we’ve loved, and just generally rekindle our past friendships. We tell a lot FALL 2021
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of stories that only we know about, including some stupid stuff we did when we were twenty years old. Most of us realize that each day is a gift, that it’s important to enjoy our families and friends while we can, including our fraternity brothers, and we’re grateful for the ability to rekindle friendships from our time at Iowa State Triangle. We’ve also invited the President of Iowa State and the Dean of Engineering to speak to us as well. Our alumni have supported our recent Capital Campaign to help reduce our mortgage balance on the new house we purchased in June 2018. We’ll keep it going as long as we can keep it interesting. We record each presentation and save them to our Alumni Google Drive so we can share and access everyone’s story. We are making a second pass through our group asking our guys to show us their Corvette collection and other interesting hobbies and stories from special times in our past!
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Triangles Travel Across North, Central, and South America INTERVIE W W I T H K E I T H PORT E R M I C H 0 9 With travel planning on many individuals’ minds, we thought there was no better opportunity to highlight a transcontinental motorcycle trip championed by Triangle brother, Keith Porter mich09. Keith is a two-time graduate from the University of Michigan, where he received his bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering and his master’s degree in Industrial & Operations Engineering. Director of Alumni Engagement & Stewardship, Carrie Loveless, had the opportunity to sit down with Keith to discuss this incredible journey, what spurred his interest, and the biggest takeaways from his experience spending 18 months traveling nearly 30,000 miles from Canada to Argentina and back all on his motorcycle.
Q: We can’t wait to jump into your trip experience, but first, can you tell us a little more about your Triangle experience as an active member and now, an alumnus? A: While an active member, I was Marketing Chair, Academic Chair, and Social Chair. I thrived as a Social Chair because I wasn’t the one that typically went out and partied but instead, I enjoyed the process of event planning and gathering individuals for a good time! I would later have a similar role on our transcontinental journey, making the experience and skills gained through leadership experiences in Triangle come full circle. I also lived in the chapter house, which allowed me to be highly involved with the organization and deeply connected with my brothers throughout the years living together. Since graduating, I have remained connected to my chapter brothers and formed new relationships with
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brothers since graduating. I’ve also been able to use the connection to Triangle to identify and hire undergraduate brothers for internships. Also, as a routine traveler, my brothers have always been more than willing to let me crash with them when I’m rolling through town from one place to another!
Q: You weren’t alone in this journey; can you tell us a little more about the other folks that joined you for the trip? A: I was joined by three other guys who eagerly said yes to this wild idea, quit their jobs, and uprooted their lives! Chazz Malott mich09, Jake Wood mich09, and a non-Triangle, Tommy Rumpke. I was very close with Chazz and Jake from undergrad and had traveled extensively with both in the past. I met Tommy when I moved to Cincinnati and bought my first motorcycle from him; we formed a great relationship right off the bat. We each determined roles that we would play and skills we would contribute to the group throughout the trip. Chazz, a computer scientist by trade and now a professional theatre lighting designer, was our photographer. Jake, an electrical engineer by trade and now a real estate professional, was nicknamed “Lefty” during the trip due to many falls off his bike, always on his left side. Ironically enough, his role in the group was to be the medic. Tommy held the critical role as the mechanic of the group. I was conversational in Spanish, so I held the role of translator. I also often ended up as the group's caretaker, building on skills I learned back as an undergraduate student as Social Chair. Looking back, we weren't often great at executing our assigned roles, but we made it through in the end!
Q: A transcontinental trip is quite the lofty goal; has travel always been a love of yours, and where did you initially get the idea for this particular trip? A: As a child, I had the opportunity to do a decent amount of domestic travel, and in high school, I was introduced to international travel, being able to visit a few countries before heading to college. Global exploration continued to be a part of my journey in
college, so I'd say the eagerness to get out and see the world has always been part of my life. I never touched a motorcycle until I finished my master’s degree. Jake had been in an accident on his motorcycle and wanted to get back into it, so he and I took the class together to get motorcycle certified; a refresher for him and a first time for me. After my first back and forth in the parking lot of the class, I turned to Jake and said, “This is awesome; I’m going to go ride around the world.” He laughed in disbelief at the time. I was in a two-year fellowship program and felt that period would give me the ability to prep for a big trip following the program’s conclusion. I spent those two years planning the trip out, learning more about motorcycles, and of course, saving money. I initially thought I wanted to do the trip solo but realized that having a small group would be safer and potentially even more fun.
Q: Now for the fun part, tell us where you traveled and one of the most memorable stops along the way. A: In October of 2016, we started near Lake Huron in Canada, and made our way down through Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and El Salvador. After about a month-long pit stop in El Salvador, we made our way down through Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and into Panama where we put our bikes on a cargo ship to Santiago, Chile while we flew down to meet them there. After a bit of a fiasco with the logistics company, we were reunited with our motorcycles and made our way through the beautiful expanse of Patagonia in Chile and Argentina. Once we reached the southern tip at Ushuaia, we turned around and zipped up north to Bolivia, over to Peru, and up to Ecuador around the end of June of 2017. Our group split in two in Ecuador and I continued on to Colombia with Tommy while Jake and Chazz stayed in Quito, Ecuador to begin their trip home. Tommy and I split ways in Colombia, and he sold his bike in Bogota, Colombia while I continued up to Cartagena. Over the next nine months, I slowly made my way up from Colombia —Continued on next page 16
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back to Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Mexico, working as a freelance software developer along the way. Our original plans for a 6-month trip ultimately spanned nine months for the others and 18 months for myself, arriving back to the United States in April of 2018. A stop on the trip that holds an exceptional place for all of us was on a tiny little beach town in El Salvador called El Zonte. We accidentally ended up in the tiny town and got stuck for about a month with little to do while we waited for a spare part. El Zonte is where Tommy got engaged to his now-wife, Chazz’s now-wife flew down to meet us in the town and rode along on the back of his bike, and I first met my now-partner there as well. I think for all of us, this was an unexpected but remarkable stop, teaching us all that there is always something to be gained from a divergence in the plan and learning to be flexible with the situation you are handed.
Q: Looking back on the entire experience, what do you believe your most profound takeaway is? A: People everywhere are intrinsically good. It’s very easy for us to be afraid to travel to unknown areas and worry about the worst reports we may see about other countries suggesting crime is rampant. But, at the end of the day, the people we met in each town and on the road couldn’t have been kinder. We were picked up off the road (literally) countless times, provided free places to crash, and were always met with gracious hospitality. It’s hard to appreciate all the good in the world until you travel and experience it first hand. Q: For Triangle brothers reading this who may have a desire to travel for an extended period and immerse themselves into different cultures, what is your one piece of advice? A: With the flexibility of remote work, I think many people are adventuring into a lifestyle as a 1 6
digital nomad, spending their time working and experiencing the journey of travel and cultural immersion. The main thing to keep in mind when juggling both of these things is to not have a very fast pace for movement while working. You want to have your movement planned with safe buffer times and then know that you can be in a place and be productive for a set period. For me, that meant that I spent 2-4 week increments in places where I could work and enjoy my free time. You have to plan your travel between places strategically around work projects. Another key takeaway was the mode of transportation. This will be a critical factor in your travel planning. Traveling by your own mechanism (bike, car, motorcycle) is significantly more complicated than the backpacking route. There are public transportation options such as vans, shuttles, trains, etc., to get you anywhere you need without having to deal with a vehicle’s maintenance and the difficulty of border crossings in a personal vehicle.
Q: As we wrap up our time together, what's next for you? A: Either a trip across Africa, on a smaller motorcycle than this previous trip or a tuk-tuk, also known as an auto-rickshaw, (which is a popular mode of transportation) across Southeast Asia. No specific plans are in the works for the trip just yet, but these are definitely on the top of the list for my next great adventure! Send us your travel stories. We’d love to hear from you. Send to Carrie Loveless at cloveless@triangle.org
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A Journey Just Started INTERVI E W W I T H D E R E K H O OS 1 9 Here’s the truth, the time we spend as an active brother is one of the shortest periods of membership. In reality, membership in Triangle goes far beyond the college campus and the active member experience. The time we spend as an alumnus allows us to expand upon our active membership and intertwines itself into one’s personal and professional life. We sat down with one soon-to-be Triangle graduate, Derek Ho os19, to discuss his Triangle journey thus far and how he plans to continue engaging in lifelong membership with Triangle, no matter where life’s winding roads may take him.
Q: How did you decide that Ohio State was the right fit or you? A: I’m originally from the Chicagoland area, and I knew I wanted to explore someplace new. I welcome discomfort in my life if it means that I will have the opportunity to grow from the experience. Going to Ohio State indeed gave me that feeling of discomfort as well as the chance to grow. I knew I was interested in engineering before entering college, so finding a university with a great engineering program was also an essential part of my college search. Q: How were you introduced to Triangle, and why did you choose to join? A: While interning in Texas, I realized that those in STEM majors, as well as STEM professions, could be social and that by enhancing my social sphere, I could also grow the network of professionals around me. When I got back to Ohio State from my internship, FALL 2021
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I decided that I’d start looking at student organizations that focused on STEM that I could get involved with. I began to research to see what organizations fit what I was looking for and which would foster a strong network of current students and supportive alumni. When I found Triangle on the listing of organizations and saw that they had a partnership with FIRST Robotics, I instantly knew it would be a great fit! I was heavily involved with FIRST Robotics before college and knew it was a sign that I needed to find more information on Triangle. I joined as a Junior but never saw it as a negative because Triangle was an organization that I would continue to keep part of my life well beyond receiving my degree. Little did I know just how much of an impact Triangle would have on me in the past two years.
Q: You’ve been able to make a significant impact as a chapter leader. Can you tell us what roles you’ve held in the active chapter and what you’ve learned that is transferable to other areas of your life? A: With FIRST Robotics being such a large part of my life before Ohio State, I knew that a leadership role in the philanthropic area would be a great initial leadership role. Right after initiation, I served as the Philanthropy & Service Chair. I had the opportunity to plan service events throughout the community and engage with our alumni to participate. I currently serve as the Internal Vice President, where I oversee numerous areas of chapter operations such as ritual, brotherhood, academics, and scholarships. I also serve as the FIRST Robotics Committee Chair for the National Organization. Throughout the past two years I’ve learned an immense amount about leading not only my peers but also alumni and community partners. The most significant skill I’ve taken away, which goes back to my original search of finding a STEM-based —Continued on next page 18 17
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organization, is my growth in effective communication. The skills I’ve learned through leadership roles and simply being a Triangle member allow me to have strong communication tactics, whether I am communicating with my chapter brothers or with a client in a professional space. Triangle has given me the ability to enhance a critical skill that most employers are looking for in a prospective candidate.
Q: Speaking of professional careers, you plan to graduate in December; what’s next for you? A: I’m completing my degree in Electrical & Computer Engineering with a minor in Environmental Engineering. I am planning to move to North Carolina to pursue a career in water & wastewater industry. During my time at Ohio State, I became an environmental enthusiastic, and I was able to narrow my focus to either chemical or water. A lot of the classes I took within my minor focused on water, and I quickly realized that it was the exact type of career I wanted to pursue. I also plan to obtain my master’s degree in Engineering Management once I get settled in North Carolina! Q: As your time as an active member comes to an end, what will you most fondly look back on? A: Hands down, the brotherhood trips. As the active chapter gets bigger, it becomes more challenging to form close bonds with each brother. Our brotherhood trips provide us the ability to focus on Triangle and one another solely. These brotherhood experiences give us an opportunity for everyone to gather together, share in the same experiences, and identify new connections/similarities that we have with one another that we would have never known about if we were back on campus. I’ll miss the brotherhood trips the most! Q: As you transition from an active member to an alumnus, what are you most excited about? A: I’m looking forward to stay connected not only to the Ohio State guys but also to form new connec1 8
tions with brothers from all over the country. I’ve really enjoyed using my leadership roles to provide a connection between the active chapter and local alumni, and I hope to continue to foster a strong relationship between the two once I am an alumnus.
Q: How do you plan to continue to be an engaged member of Triangle after graduation? A: Moving to a new city can be terrifying but knowing that I can easily connect with other Triangle members in North Carolina has me excited for the potential that lies ahead to continue my lifelong membership with the national organization. I plan to continue supporting our national partnership through the FIRST Robotics Committee and elevate participation with active chapters and alumni across the country. Q: As we wrap up our conversation today, what is one piece of advice you would give to freshmen students or new members of Triangle? A: Make the most of your time but don’t overwhelm yourself. College is an important time in everyone’s lives, but we often try to jam it so full that we don’t get the opportunity to focus entirely on what we’re passionate about. Don’t forget to give yourself time outside of the requirements of school, work, fraternity, and life in general. Remember, membership in Triangle is for a lifetime; soak up the college experience, but know that our brotherhood doesn’t end when you receive your diploma.
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TRI-CON 2021: Together Online Again From 1942 through 1945 Triangle Conventions were cancelled. The cause was the world-wide calamity known as World War II. Almost 80 years later it was a global viral pandemic that forced us to cancel a planned Convention in Orlando and postpone the in-person event until 2022. Refusing to see this as a defeat, Triangle’s National Council and HQ staff designed an online two-day event called TRI-CON 2021. Held June 26 and 27, the virtual event involved over 130 alumni and undergraduates who participated in the business of Convention and celebrated Triangle’s successes through one of the most challenging years of our history. It was a great example of how Triangle solves problems and adapts to overcome difficulties – and we also had fun doing it! Months before the event, we worked with chapters to communicate proposed legislation and encourage them to select their delegates. Because it was a virtual event that did not require travel or overnight stays, it was easier for many chapters to have their president or other executive officer(s) attend. This meant we were able to have more delegates who were leaders and decision makers in their chapters. Alumni delegates also were drawn mostly from alumni chapter officers and leaders, but we were glad to have alumni and student attendees who registered just to see what TRI-CON was all about. With few barriers to participation, it was easy for those who had never participated in a previous Convention to get an idea of what we do and why. Perhaps some will be motivated to attend a future event in person. The business of any Convention includes reports on the various entities of Triangle, proposed legislation, the Court of Appeals, and the installation of National Council. These were addressed in the business session on Saturday June 26, where five items each were nearly unanimously approved to make changes to the Constitution, Bylaws, or Ritual.
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What Legislation was adopted? • Approval for active members to alter the fastening design of the badge • Simplification of the requirements for induction as a Distinguished Fellow • Updates for fire safety on the official Ritual list of materials • Update of the Chapter Eternal Ceremony (non-secret) • Reduction of National Active Fee and creation of National Education Fee Changes to the Constitution and Ritual are now being ratified by our chapters. There was no business brought before the Court of Appeals, which exists to consider appeals to modify or reverse national decisions. The new National Council was Installed by former President Dick Beaubien mich64, current Chairman of the Triangle Building & Housing Corporation (a listing of Council members is on page 2), and attendees heard from Immediate Past President Joe Cerrato os05 and new National President John Cottage ps04. The Sunday program was a celebration of the work chapters and individuals have done over the previous year to support or represent Triangle as leaders, scholars, and servants (award winners listed on the next page). While the pandemic may have changed the campus experience for our students, many members overcame adversity to help their chapters grow and succeed. We also hosted a spirited Triangle Trivia game, coordinated by Kevin Fong ucla84 and Merle Newlon lou73, as well as several fun gift card “giveaways” during breaks in the program. Top chapter awards recognized our top four high-scoring chapters in the Building Better Men competition: Iowa State, Michigan State, Ohio State, —Continued on next page 20 and Wisconsin. 19
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The day culminated in the announcement of the Judy & Larry Garatoni Building Better Men chapters, who shared awards of $150,000 to their Chapter Endowment Funds within the Triangle Education Foundation. First place winner Michigan State received $100,000, while second place winner Wisconsin, and “Rattle Award” winner (for top young chapter) University of Washington each received $25,000.
Triangle’s in person Convention will be held July 7-10, 2022 in Orlando, Florida at the Rosen Plaza Hotel on International Boulevard. Information and registration links will be provided online at www.Triangle.org and announced via email to the membership. We look forward to gathering together again in person after so many months of being physically apart!
2021 Award Winners Chapter Awards Top Chapters Top four Triangle chapters, based on annual assessment scores and submission of Building Better Men Award materials. Iowa State Michigan State Ohio State Wisconsin Outstanding Chapter Operations: Iowa State Honorable Mention: Michigan, Michigan State, Pittsburgh
Outstanding Philanthropy & Service: Kentucky Chapter Honorable Mention: Louisville, Michigan, Minnesota
Individual Awards Chapter President of the Year: Greyson Meyers msu18, Michigan State ’18 Senior of the Year: Brenden Post tol18, Toledo 18 Brother of the Year: Thomas Balaj os17, Ohio State ’17 Executive Board Member of the Year: Logan Crawfis tol19, Toledo ’19
Outstanding Recruitment & Retention: Cincinnati Honorable Mention: Clemson, Iowa State, Wisconsin
Chapter Advisor of the Year: Joe Kay os13, Ohio State ’13
Outstanding National Involvement: Minnesota Honorable Mention: Colorado State, Nebraska, Ohio State
Outstanding Young Alumnus: Jacob Rausch tol12, Toledo ’12
Outstanding Risk Reduction & Education: Penn State Behrend Honorable Mention: Ohio State, Utah, University of Washington
Outstanding Engineer, Architect, Scientist: Michael Hilyard tol18, Toledo ’18
Outstanding Campus Involvement: Toledo Honorable Mention: Cal Poly Pomona, Kentucky, Purdue Garatoni Building Better Men Award - First place ($100K) to Michigan State; Second place ($25K) to Wisconsin; Rattle Award ($25K for young/new chapter) to Washington.
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Living Your Values Award: Connor Mears msu18 (active) , Michigan State ’18 Jim Lindle lou80 (alumnus), Louisville ’80 Outstanding Philanthropy & Service: David Gunger is19, Iowa State ’19
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Triangle Staff Update “I am beyond excited for this opportunity available to Triangle’s membership. We have a generous donor that is allowing our staff to extend our resources after a very tough year and a half in the pandemic. My hope is that all members and chapters see the value in these resources and use our new growth staff and partnerships to their full potential. Our new staff additions have valuable experiences in different avenues within the fraternity and sorority life community. In 3-5 years, I believe many Triangle members will remember the great impact that was made by the 2021-2022 academic year. It’s my pleasure to introduce the new growth staff members to you.” — Jim Phillips, Director of Growth & Expansion Robby Barlow “What excites me the most about this position is the fact I get to work with Triangle campuses that are within a five-mile radius of each other. I get to help undergraduate members on the ground. This is a position unlike anything else I’ve seen in the fraternity world. With the campuses so close to each other it creates unique opportunities for growth and brotherhood. In the future I hope the first word that comes to people’s minds when they hear Milwaukee is Triangle. Overall, I appreciate the opportunity to help young men better themselves and their campuses.” Robby joined the Triangle Fraternity Staff as a Regional Leadership Specialist based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In his role he focuses on growth, membership experience, leadership, and education with chapters in Milwaukee and beyond. He is passionate about the holistic development of fraternity men and facilitating lasting culture change in chapters. Robby graduated from Western Illinois University in 2017 with a degree in Recreation Park & Tourism Administration. During his undergraduate experience he served as recruitment chair of his fraternity, Sigma Chi, alongside roles on the Interfraternity Council Executive Board, Student Government Association and Homecoming Committee. Robby worked for the Office of Sorority & Fraternity Life at the University of South Dakota as a graduate assistant, serving as a Live-in Advisor to an IFC fraternity and advising IFC & PHC leaders on FALL 2021
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recruitment and new member education. Additionally, Robby has experience in the Student Conduct, Campus Programming, and Diversity Offices. He graduated from USD in 2020 with an MA in Educational Leadership & Administration with a concentration in Adult & Higher Education. Dinah Sammon “I am so excited and grateful for the opportunity to join Triangle staff as a member of the Growth Team! Working with undergraduate students is my passion and I am excited to see what the future holds for each undergraduate and alumni member. With hard work and dedication, the sky is the limit!” Dinah graduated from Cleveland State University in May 2019 with a degree in Communication Management. After college, she spent two years working as a Leadership Consultant for Alpha Sigma Alpha Sorority where she spent extensive amounts of time working with fifteen chapters in the areas of values-based recruitment planning and recruitment success. Additionally, she facilitated leadership and educational programming to over 1,000 undergraduate women in the areas of risk management, finances, public relations, chapter operations, and personal and professional development. As an undergraduate member of Alpha Sigma Alpha, she was a founding member of her chapter and served as chapter President, PR chairman, Panhellenic Delegate, and Vice President of Standards on the —Continued on next page 22 21
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College Panhellenic. Dinah has a broad understanding of the fraternity and sorority experience and has the ability to help chapters turn their struggles into strengths. Contact Dinah regarding Triangle professional development programming, as well as growth and chapter operations. Lilly Woltman “I am very excited for my new role at Triangle. I look forward to working closely with undergraduate students to maximize their recruitment efforts and continue to build their chapters. Fraternity and Sorority Life is a passion of mine, and I am very happy to begin my journey in this profession at Triangle.” Lilly joins us from Indiana University of Pennsylvania (IUP). She graduated with her master’s degree in Student Affairs in Higher Education in May of 2021. While completing her master’s degree she worked as a graduate assistant in Fraternity and Sorority Life at IUP. During her time at IUP, she served as an IFC, Panhellenic, and United Greek Council advisor. Lilly is a member of Alpha Sigma Tau and served her chapter in the role of VP of Member Development during her time as an undergraduate.
working with chapter members to reach their full protentional as fraternity men. Lilly also will be Triangle’s staff lead for our partnership with FIRST and Triangle’s FIRST Committee. Contact Lilly for ideas and assistance with chapter philanthropy, campus/community service, public relations and FIRST engagement. Barbara Potter Barbara joined Triangle in March of 2021 as the Administrative Assistant. She earned an associate degree from Indiana Wesleyan in Accounting and on her off time she loves to craft, spend time with her grandchildren, and volunteers with the children’s department in her church. Triangle is excited to welcome these valuable new team members. Active and alumni members are encouraged to contact Fraternity, Foundation, or TBHC staff with any questions. Refer to our Staff Directory on Page 3 for contact information.
Additionally, Lilly completed graduate internships in civic engagement, community outreach, and academic advising. She is passionate about chapter growth and 2 2
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Triangle Education Foundation - Chapter Endowment Fund Program Update Alumni Support Expands Educational Opportunities Chapter Endowment Funds (CEFs) are restricted funds within the Triangle Education Foundation supporting the educational needs of a specific chapter. A CEF provides grants to the designated chapter that can be used for scholarships, educational programs, leadership development initiatives, and improvements to educational space in chapter houses. CEFs are established through tax-deductible contributions from alumni and friends of Triangle who designate their gifts to a specific chapter. Once contributions to a CEF reach $25,000 or more, an annual grant of up to 5 percent of the fund’s value can be made to support qualified initiatives. To date, Chapter Endowment Funds have been established for the following chapters: Armour, Cal Poly Ponoma, Clemson, Colorado State, Houston, Illinois, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Louisville, Marquette, Michigan, Michigan State, Michigan Tech, Minnesota, Missouri Mines, MSOE, Nebraska*, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Penn State Behrend, Pittsburgh, Purdue, Rose-Hulman, South Dakota Mines, Toledo, UCLA*, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin
“The Chapter Endowment Fund Program is the fastest growing initiative in the Triangle Education Foundation, and it provides chapters the flexibility to fund their educational needs,” said Triangle Education Foundation President Scott Bova, CFRE. All chapters need at least $5,000 available annually to support basic educational needs to avoid overburdening actives, and ideally a 30-member chapter would have a CEF of $300,000+ to support $15,000 in annual grant funding. Information on funding available for 2021-2022 school year is available now. To access your existing Chapter Endowment Fund please visit http://triangleef.org/how-we-help/chapterendowment-funds or contact Foundation President Scott Bova, CFRE at sbova@triangle.org. If you would like to make a gift to your chapter’s CEF or help create a CEF for a chapter that does not currently have one, please contact Triangle Education Foundation Vice President Aaron Girson at agirson@triangle.org
CEF Approved Grant Total 2017-2021
*Nebraska and UCLA have not yet reached $25,000 in contributions needed to support grants.
$100,000
For “Young Chapters” that do not yet have the alumni base to support funding of a Chapter Endowment Fund, the Triangle Education will provide annual educational grants of $1,250 to chapters that are less than 15 years old who commit to working to establish a Chapter Endowment Fund. The “Young Chapters” Chapter Endowment Fund program is now supporting the following chapters and is open to all new chapters. UC-Irvine, UC-San Diego, Virginia Commonwealth, Virginia Tech FALL 2021
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$80,000 $60,000 $40,000
$0 2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
$91,000 $90,000 $72,000 $95,000 $65,000 23
Triangle National Alumni Dues Program Thank you to the following members who made a non-tax-deductible gift to support the fraternity. These donations support chapter growth and expansion, professional staff that work with our chapters, and maintaining the Triangle archives. Please see the Winter 2021 issue of the Review for a list of donors that gave to the Triangle Education Foundation.
DONORS FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR 2021 ARMOUR
Matthew C. Mayberry
Frank A. Berczynski
Thomas D. Robertson IV
John F. Berninger
Thomas J. Scheetz
Vu N. Chu E. Eugene Collin
William W. Stebbins
Kevin W. Clark James M. Connolly
CLEMSON Jordan X. Lawrence
CINCINNATI
Russell A. Dankert Patrick D. Dennis William Gust Dickett
Jeff J. DiFrancesco
Thomas E. Agin
Lawrence E. Dorn
Charles L. Anderson
Zach Grennan
Scott F. Franzen
Edmund G. Filetti
Scott F. Brown
Barton P. Hahlweg
Derek W. Graff
Mark W. Grimes
Michael Joseph Buhr
Manfred Hein
David A. Hiland
Ronald E. Groer
Dr. Frank E. Burris
Nathan D. Nash
Bradley K. Hunt
Hugh G. Hachmeister
Michael W. Chiasson
Stephen W. Scott
Carl I. Johnson
Paul J. Hartung PE
Robert M. Clark Jr.
Robert D. Hoel
Michael C. Davis
Steven P. Hosp
Jeffrey E. Duke
John L. Mocker
R. William Kotrba
Anthony C. Jeskey
Eric R. Frenz
1Lt Michael A. Moran
Douglas E. Miles
Allan M. Kersten
Donald L. Grover
Mark David Rolfe
Richard H. Miller Jr.
James A. Klimek
Gary L. Hahn
Shawn W. Szturma
Steven L. Miller
Robert Kolba
Charles L. Herron
Allen M. Koleff
Jack B. Hochadel
Andrew J. Kundrot
James R. Holmstrom
Dr. William H. Cutler
Hassan M. Rejali Ph.D.
Michael S. Lochmann
Michael D. Holton
G. Thomas Davis
Jeffrey L. Rohrer
Carl A. Manthe
Joseph L. Huffman PE
Douglas A. Dayger
C. Philip Ross Jr.
Bruce A. Murray
Steven T. Hundemer
Kenneth R. Fause
Michael R. Scholtes
James Carl Nasby
Charles C. Kazmierski
Allen C. Hale PhD
Mark E. Tolliver
Donald E. Nelson
Mitchell L. Kirby
Matthew Martin
John D. Unison
CDR Edward A. Robertson Jr.
Major Timothy A. Lawson
Stanley R. Stager III
Robert B. Young
Gerald J. Robertson
Richard W. Morrill
Michael F. Rogers PE
William J. Nelson
Dr. Robert B. Rosenberg
David S. Nice
Robert P. Schlaf
Christopher S. Powers
Douglas W. Sievers
David T. Richards
Kevin T. Smith
Thomas S. Steinmetz
Kenneth J. Spengler
Gerald M. Sturm
David J. Wick
Dean A. Thayer
Peter O. Wood
Matthew J. Wallbrown
Charles H. Allen
Donald D. Duhan
Everett D. Wixom
John K. Bassett
William G. Eichman Jr.
CALIFORNIA
E. Malcolm York
Donald E. Benson
Scott A. Evans AIA
Mark H. Lu
John J. Zasio
Robert A. Benziger
Robert L. Goehring
LTC Richard J. Bergholz
F. Michael Goeser
James W. Bohlen
John R. Gould
CHARLOTTE
CLARKSON
COLORADO STATE
R. Jon Ehrman
Edward M. Karls CONNECTICUT
Yoric T. Knapp
Edward A. Perry CORNELL
John D. Raffl
David R. Zielke FLORIDA ATLANTIC Stephen M. Castillo
IOWA STATE Robert R. Balsbaugh
HOUSTON Giorgio E. Romero
Jason A. Carroll Paul H. Cassingham Donald R. Cordts
ILLINOIS
Thomas A. Daft
Willaim E Hodges
Wilfred L. Herzog
Warren J. Broll
Edward E. Hale III
Calvin Jones
Everett W. Knox
John J. Brull
Perry L. Hanson
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Rick L. Hautekeete PE
Warren J. Deatrick
Ronald P. Reak
Dr. Alan L. Throop
Jason J. Henry
LTC Leland A. Fincham
Wayne A. Robins
LTC Paul A. Valette
Timothy A. Herrick
George K. Fischer Jr.
Val J. Schnabl
Laurence A. Medberry
John B. Fuller
Thomas E. Schoenauer
Ronald D. Moore
Robert W. Haschak
Kenneth L. Streit
Jeffrey D. Cottrell
Matthew L. Perun PhD
G. Lowell Keith
Robert Thoresen
William M. Flood
Matthew L. Peyton
Peter P. Kelly
Gerald J. Van Handel
Brett D. Opel
John D. Poyzer
J. Ronald Lawson PE
Joseph T. Warnemuende
Bruce E. Schmidt
John P Pritchard
Paul A. Patrick
James R. Warzon
Clinton R. Rabe
Maj Gen Earnest O. Robbins
Leo J. Zoeller
David R. Schwickerath
II USAF (Ret)
David J. Scott
William V. Stewart
Dr. Theodore J. Settle Patrick A. Tangen
LOUISVILLE
MICHIGAN TECH
MINNESOTA Timothy R. Abraham
MICHIGAN
David J. Anderson
Richard F. Beaubien PE
Thomas M. Barnett
Lester R. Burroughs
Paul S. Copeland
Gregory J. Walch
Ashley W. Burt
Roger A. Carrier
Shawn G. Diedtrich
John A. Welzenbach
Dustin R. Cummins
Carl P. Cronk Jr.
Evan Grove
Chad M. Whitman
Bret T. Feger
John W. DeLisi
Kenneth C. Hanson
Christopher J. Hurst
Richard G. Frenkel
James A. Hopson
Dorrance D. (Dee) Kelly
Kurt W. Hagemeister
Peter L. Hovde
Kirk A. Blacklock
Gary L. Mallaley
Robert G. Halgren
Robert A. Jensen
Stephen S. Carter
Merle Newlon III
Curtis E. Hertler
Steven E. Kokotovich
Jon R. Hendrickson MD
James S. Rowan
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Lyle I. Larson
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KANSAS STATE
KENTUCKY
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MISSISSIPPI STATE
MISSOURI MINES
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John E. Pearson
NORTHWESTERN
Donald E. Becker Jr.
John W. Pierce
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Paul C. Rizzolo
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Arthur Simmons
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P. R. Dick Hollis Jr.
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William P. Storoz
Rev. James K. Bornzin
John A. Maxwell
Tim Tallon
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Craig Henderson
Ronald M. McKenzie
Gilles D. Teste
Omar G. Hernandez
LT William I. Noyes PE
Daniel W. True
Reuben C. Johnsen
Daniel L. Tully
Robert J. Urban Jr.
Daniel D. Mickelson
Maj. Richard D. Waddell
Robert F. Miller John R. Sternickle
MSOE Robert G. Bies II
OHIO STATE
PURDUE Thomas H. Abbott David L. Anderson
PENN STATE
William J.Baker
David C. Adams
James E. Bare
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Capt. Kenneth D. Barker
George E. Arnold Jr.
Wayne F. Bauer
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Edward A. Bischoff PE PS
Collin H. Baker
John M. Bednar
Chris J DeLisle
Derek J. Boyer
Arthur D. Bixler
Michael W. Biggane
David A. Douglas
Milton R. Carroll
Robert D. Brust
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Dale C. Pryor
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Thomas A. Harvan
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Kent V. Hollinger
RADM Melvin H. Chiogioji
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USN (Ret)
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Matthew W. Cook
Lawrence C. Strachota
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Davis C. Johnson
Jack D. Cunningham
Tylor J. Zygarlicke
John C. Hoover
Robert R. Jones
William M. P. Cusick
Patrick J. Hubbell
Keith Scott Koller
Edward C. Dasse
NEBRASKA
Charles B. Hume
George C. Minnich
Scott Alan Davis
Joseph V. Basile
Bruce A. Jacobs
Jeffrey G. Moyer
Stephen C. Dodd
Robert W. Brightfelt
Milan C. (Miles) Johnson
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E. Galynn Ferris
Joseph A. Kay IV
Ronald L. Rissel
James A. Edwards
John P. Glynn
Douglas W. King
Thomas W. Schleicher
Joseph N. Feil
Bradley N. Keller
John B. Lowe
LTC Scott A. Schriner
Robert W. Feldmaier
David J. Mennenga
Philip S. Musser
Vincent A. Scovazzo
Mark B. Finn
Daniel J. Nissen
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Gregory S. Shotzberger PhD
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David A. Thiessen
Peter L. Satre
James R. Whalen
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John P. Yorkovich
Thomas W. Goeddel
Kent D. Weishahn
Paul R. Stephens
K. Joe Youssefi
Jason A. Torok Alex J. Waibel
NORTHERN ILLINOIS
PENN STATE BEHREND Lee T. Sifford
Timothy J. Walters
John R. Arne Amar K. Basavatia
Donald D. Graab Zarrell T. Gray Ronald S. Henderson PITTSBURGH
OKLAHOMA
Thomas A. Grate
Randall L. Herrel
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David M. Herstad
John P.Gaughan
Jeff L. Knous
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Perry A. Holman Jr.
Alexander I. Nikolaev
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Thomas F. Howard
Ken J. Olsen
Marcos D. Stocco
Jeffrey R. Graeber
Joseph C. Hunter
Alexander J. Hamilton
Roman A. Jamrogiewicz
Ethan S. Hoberman
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Dale A. Lieb
Brian K. Jarman
Todd M. Placher Christian S. Stegh
OKLAHOMA STATE James Ed. Ball
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WWW.TRIANGLE.ORG
Norman A. Jones
ROSE-HULMAN
Major K. Carl Stoll
Donald E. Knebel
James R. Baker
Grant L. Terkildsen
Randall W. Krampe
Robert H. Casey
Thomas E. Warborg
Donald P. Kruggel
James A. Cox
James W. Ward
Paul J. Kruggel
Philip A. Croll
Samuel D. Whitehead
Allan R. Kuse
Randall E. Drew
Steven W. Wiederrich
Wade A. Lange
Thomas J. Duex Jr.
Joel P. Leisch
Mark E. Ellis
Michael E. Lindsey
Daniel T. English
David G. McCarley
Robert B. Marr
Nicholas J. Hill
Chad L. Miller
Matthew G. McKinney
Brian S. Hoaglan
Leon E. McKinney Jr.
Christopher L Hurst
Kenneth L. Mierke
Dr. Teruo (Terry) Ishihara
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Matthew Miller
Kenneth R. Johnson
Scott E. Darpel
Leo Millstein
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Thad A. Mead USA
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TEXAS A&M
TOLEDO
Ryan M. Sunyak SOUTH DAKOTA MINES
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Jeffrey C. Berry
Scott A. Schroedel
Brian L. Boettcher
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Joseph M. Searle
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James E. Shields Jr
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K. Gilbert Soder
Seth H. Davis
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Stacey J. Stegemerten
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Steven G. Bernd
Rev. Maurice L. Strong III
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Stuart J. Masuda
Andrew M. Szurgot
Joseph W. Fott
Gregg H. Taylor
Scott L. Frerichs
Brent E. Tharp
Loyd D. Garrison
John H. Beuerman
Patrick James Turley
LTC Michael E. Gilbertson
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Dr. Leon C. Walters
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Joseph P. Chamberlain Jr.
Lucas D. Wellington
Stacey L. Hieb
Hsiao Y. Chung
Jack C. Wiley
Jeffrey Walter Hohle
Norman B. Estabrook
Paul D. Wilson
Robert E. Kelley
Kevin Y. Fong
James D. Wright
Dennis W. Larson
Hany A. Francis
Robert C. Yost
James A. Morrison
Paul L. Gerard
Tony John Zaderej
Michael Lee Pagel
Nathan T. Hackett
Kenneth C. Parsons
Timothy K. Helble
LTC Harry Van Rossander
Ronald G. Horspool
Robert J. Consadine
Toby Ray Sandal
Dr. Paul R. Hutson
Douglas W. Constable
Col. Garry A. Scharberg
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Michael F. McCartney
Daniel B. Shafer
Robert E. Stofft
Ralph E. Petzold Jr.
RIT
FALL 2021
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TRI-STATE
UC-IRVINE
UCLA
Harold C. Pittman Andrew W. Rigor Gary A. Schelin Serafino D. Sini Ronald D. Tobin Kimberly C. Turner UTA Michael R. Diver Roebie J. Protacio UTAH Adam R. Krusic UWM Robert T. Balmer Dr. Edward W. Chandler Timothy R. Haagensen Paul D. Litchy Paul A. Scheele Robert D. Schmidt VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH Wesley Bosman VIRGINIA TECH Joel E. Andre PE Charles D. Baker Jr. Eric L. Crump Steven A. Specht WASHINGTON Matthew J. Jones WISCONSIN Jason A. Birr Robert B. Borsum Thomas M. Disch James F. Euclide Robert W. Fletcher Henry G. Goehring James L. Kaboski LtCol Roger J. Liska Christopher T. Mallon John K. Malmquist Brian K. Rathgeber Robert D. Safford Troy D. Stucke Carl Kei-Ichi Tatsuguchi Richard J. Wagner Richard C. Weiland 27
Missouri S & T Brotherhood and History C ON N I E S I E FE R M A N
In a scenic valley near the Mark Twain National Forest and the Ozark highlands, the quaint city of Rolla, Missouri offers its visitors a panoramic view of pastoral surroundings. The rural midwestern setting provides a perfect backdrop for several city structures on the National Register of Historic Places. Officially established as a town in 1858, Rolla saw Civil War activity as a Confederate sympathizer overtaken by Union forces. For most of its subsequent history, the city was known as a transportation and trading center. Rolla can also lay claim to being a regular stop along the old U.S. Route 66, conveniently located about halfway between St. Louis and Springfield. 2 8
More recent accounts have shown this historic and pleasant city to be an important center for state and federal education and research in science and technology. It is the proud home of the Missouri University of Science and Technology, originally founded in 1870 as the Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy. Missouri S & T, as it’s now called, is well-known for its engineering and computer science departments. It is, then, a logical and welcoming gateway for a men’s social fraternity focused on majors in the sciences, engineering, and architecture. Triangle Fraternity is a natural fit at Missouri S & T. WWW.TRIANGLE.ORG
The chapter house at 807 State Street in Rolla is a tribute to the historic legacy of the building itself. The structure was built as a private home around 1914 by a local pharmacist, Millard Fillmore Faulkner, and his wife Nancy. Mrs. Faulkner wanted something “different” than the other homes in the area and decided to use field stone from a farm north of Rolla. The farm and its surrounding stone fence pre-dated the Civil War. During the war, the farm area became a military fortress known as Fort Dette. The Faulkners “purchased” the stone by agreeing to replace it with a barbed wire fence. At that time, there were no trucks available to haul the roubidoux sandstone to its new location. It had to be hauled in regular wagons, and that meant many trips from the farmhouse locale to the city address near downtown Rolla. The Faulkner home was a private family residence for several years before becoming headquarters to The Grubstaker Club, the first social organization on the campus of the School of Mines. Originally conceived as a men’s dining club, the members eventually came to regard it as more than an eating arrangement. This gave strength to the idea of procuring a house and managing the group along the same lines as those practiced by fraternities. At the beginning of the school year 1925-26, the Grubstakers Club began leasing the property with an option to buy, and found it very suitable to their needs at the time. As the men of the club became ever more fraternityconscious, they felt the need for a significant and official brotherhood that would not be confined to just their own school. Many of them engineers, their eyes turned naturally to Triangle. In 1927, they petitioned the National Council for admittance into the organization. After an appropriate investigation of the club had been made, the petition was approved. On December 10, 1927, the Grubstakers Club became an official chapter of Triangle Fraternity.
Steve Lang mom77, current president of the alumni chapter, talks about the challenges of managing a building with this longevity and character. “Historical material helps you understand how to maintain a building of this age. There has to be discipline involved in living with many other guys in this setting. Interpersonal skills are important, along with a joint appreciation for the house. The majority of today’s men are not as familiar with home maintenance and repair as was an earlier generation. You need to learn how to replace a toilet, lay carpeting down. There’s an expectation of our older guys that they will teach the younger ones who come along. You need to know how to get by in life! You don’t always have to pick up the phone and call a repairman.” There are good life lessons to be learned when living in a structure that has elements dating back to the Civil War era. If the age of the building has not proven to be enough of a challenge over the course of many decades, add in a few fire events along the way. Definitive records on these events are not thoroughly documented, but legend suggests that there have been three fires: one in 1927 that caused some minor damage; another in 1957 involving a space heater resulting in moderate damage; and a third in January of 1988, also blamed on a space heater. That one, which took place on the first day of classes for the second term, resulted in approximately $400,000 worth of damage. The top two floors of the house burned significantly. The entire structure received smoke and water damage. The chapter newsletter, Miner’s Millings, dated April, 1988, offers these meaningful and thoughtful comments from the then-chapter president, Tom Nichols mom85: “Although the fire was quite a tragedy, the brothers have pulled together and helped each other through it. It takes some character to smile in the face of adversity as I have seen these men do. We are all going to be —Continued on next page 30
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—Continues from page 29
better people for this…I would like to take the time to thank each of you who have helped us so far. It is very heartening to see that the bonds of brotherhood are never broken.” The brotherhood at the Missouri Mines chapter of Triangle Fraternity remains intact to this day. The current active president is Wyatt Pickett mom17. “The brothers here are my go-to support. The network is really important to me. I can say with confidence that I would have dropped out of school if not for Triangle. The guys fill me up when I am empty, and catch me when I am falling. I think of them as friends who guide me.” Wyatt originally met one of the fraternity members through a friend, and the process of getting connected to the organization helped him get on track. He goes on to say, “During freshman boot camp in my first semester, I felt a strong sense of connection to Triangle. I actually had an ambition to become chapter president one day. Here I am!” 3 0
The story for Dakota Turlington mom18, current active treasurer, is similar. “I started my studies at this school during a spring term, which is always a bit of a cold start for a newcomer. I lived in the residence hall, kind of overwhelming. Then I met Wyatt in some of my classes. He invited me to come and study with the guys at the fraternity. It is a much different feeling at the house! Here it is more comfortable, there is no undue stress to compete, everyone is helping you succeed. It was an easy transition to pledge, initiate and move in pretty quickly. The biggest thing for me is the welcoming environment.” That “comfortable house” is indeed a treasure, both historically and architecturally. The main floor is a wonder of woodworking prowess and design creativity. The phrase “They don’t make them like this anymore!” comes to mind when a visitor tours the house. But as with any structure of this age, repairs and maintenance are a constant concern. Lang comments on the process: “It’s hard to keep up a house like this. The alumni have voted to maintain, rather than rebuild. The process is slow but steady. The furniture’s in bad shape, the roof is not so good, there’s no air conditioning in some areas. We’ve opted to payas-we-go and improve as we can. We also own the building next door and are evaluating what the next steps should be with that. We’d like to see recruitment ramp up and bring our membership to around 40. It’s a matter of time.” Other projects on the horizon are upgrades to the kitchen and eating area, landscaping, window replacements, roof shingling, and equipment for general house repairs. It would seem, however, that the needed property work does not diminish the public’s desire to check out the “Ol’ Rock House” as it is sometimes known. An open invitation to the local Greek community in 2017 resulted in a 45minute wait for people to tour the Triangle chapter house! The members turned the tour into an official party, and nearly 1000 visitors came to see the historic structure with its trademark sandstone façade. There is no doubt that the Faulkners’ dream home of 1914 has turned into a treasured local attraction over 100 years later. The Triangle house at Missouri Mines - it’s a keeper!
WWW.TRIANGLE.ORG
T
Eugene “Gene” Cummings nu64 Enters Chapter Eternal
CHAPTER ETERNAL LIST
Brother Eugene M. Cummings nu64 lost his long-fought battle with cancer on July 4, 2021. He was born on April 3, 1941, to Raymond and Marcella Cummings in Princeton, Illinois. Brother Cummings is an initiate of the Northwestern University Chapter, where he earned a B.S.E.E. degree in 1963. He then attended Law School at Loyola University and graduated with a J.D. degree in 1969.
Name
Chapter Date of Code Death
Kimball Nedved
ar48
1/14/20
Paul Bauer
ar49
11/29/16
Melvin Wysock
ar49
8/1/20
G. Harry Ashbridge
ar50
4/24/21
John McCall
cin48
3/3/21
F. Errol Davis Jr.
cin50
10/7/18
Following graduation, Cummings was employed by Zenith Radio Corporation first as a color television design engineer, then as a registered Patent Agent while attending Law School. Following graduation he accepted employment with United Airlines, where he served as a co-pilot on the Boeing 727 until he was furloughed two years later due to a downturn in airline flying. It would not be until eight years later that he would return to United, eventually becoming a Captain on the Boeing 727, while continuing to practice patent law. Gene retired from United Airlines in 2001.
Roger Thomas
cin55
9/18/20
Tristan Britt
csu16
5/15/21
Julian Spencer
ill28
12/26/00
Ronald Kareken
ill55
4/14/20
Michael Mallinger
is64
5/26/21
In 1973, Cummings left Zenith to join a Chicago-based patent law firm, becoming a partner in that firm three years later. During this time, he founded Telesonics Systems, Inc., for the purpose of developing a system for broadcasting stereo sound along with U.S. standard color television broadcasts. After extensive testing, the Telesonics system was selected over competing systems as the national standard, and after extensive litigation, was licensed to the consumer electronics industry.
Maximilian Marischen marq15
Cummings was first employed in the broadcast industry as a transmitter and station engineer at a commercial 5KW AM broadcast station while in high school, and as Chief Engineer of a commercial AM broadcast station while studying electrical engineering at Northwestern. His first involvement in aviation also began at that time when he obtained his commercial pilot license.
Brother Cummings founded Eugene M. Cummings P.C., a Chicago-based law firm engaged in the practice of intellectual property law, in 1981. The firm undertook a number of contingent fee licensing projects, including licensing DVD technology, to the consumer electronics industry.
LeRoy Weinstein
mich47 4/5/21
Eugene Cummings
nu59
7/4/21
Richard Chipman
os51
1/14/21
C. Vaughn Rotz
ps50
11/3/20
Frank Krempa
ps55
9/28/20
William Troutman, PhD ps55 Donald Long
ps58
12/22/20
Dale Lilly
ps66
4/14/20
John Wilson
pur27
Robert Massey
pur38 12/29/09
John Babcock
rit68
3/29/21
After selling Automark, Gene saw a need in the sump pump industry. He went on to found Beacon Technical Systems. Beacon manufactures systems that test your sump pump system under real-world conditions ensuring that when it rains, your sump pump system will work.
Michael Street
rit80
3/24/21
John Mercer
rose67 4/21/21
Rodger Casey
rose67 3/17/21
During his lifetime, Brother Cummings acquired over twenty U.S. Patents issued in his name.
Ernest Kautz
sdm49 2/21/21
Alvin Johnson
sdm51 4/19/21
Ronald Lievens
sdm59 6/8/21
Scott Green
sdm90 6/15/21
James Cotton
tol02
Donald Dowling
wis47 12/13/19
Alongside his flying and legal careers, Gene was also a successful inventor. He founded Automark Technical Systems, Inc., for the purpose of developing a voting machine having touchscreen and audio user interfaces to enable a blind or otherwise disabled voter to mark a pre-printed paper ballot. Over 50,000 Automark terminals were manufactured and sold to election jurisdictions in 37 states. Gene sold Automark to Election Systems & Software in 2008.
Gene was a strong supporter of Triangle, serving as Director of the Triangle Education Foundation from 2000 to 2014. He was honored at Triangle’s Centennial Celebration as one of Triangle’s Men of the Century. In 2011, Brother Cummings was inducted into the Triangle Wall of Fame, the highest honor bestowed on a Brother. The family requests donations be made to Triangle Education Foundation, 120 S. Center Street, Plainfield, IN 46168 or (317) 837-9641 in memory of Eugene. FALL 2021
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NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID BOLINGBROOK, IL PERMIT NO. 467 Triangle REVIEW | Vol 110, No.2 | FALL 2021 120 S. Center Street | Plainfield, Indiana 46168-1214