March 1996 Omegaphone
Homecoming 1995 Update; What's Ahead for Omega Chapter
By Edward M. Brown '87, President, Theta Chi of Penn State, Inc,
Omega Chapter welcomed over 30 alumni for our 1995 Homecoming celebration. We were glad to see Howard IL Alter Jr., '41, a distinguished Omega and leader in the fraternity world, as well as a few faces not seen at the chapter house in some time, including Keith Williams '83, Randy Siegman '88, Rob Price '87, Tom Strauss '87, Chris Casciato '85, Louie Martini Jr. ’84, Anthony Panichelli '85, Scott Morton '92 and Andy Brey '95.
Preceding the Homecoming dinner was a corporation meeting highlighting the activities of both the alumni and undergraduate members of Theta Chi. A new side porch roof as well as the installation of smoke detectors has improved the appearance and safety of the chapter house. Elections were held to fill five positions on our Board of Directors. Brothers elected were James Stalder '62, Tim Boyd '83, Hugh Cadzow '83, Phil Katchur '88 and Scott Mayhew '90. Thanks to Donald Cadzow '57 for his contributions as a member of our Board of Directors.
Three events are upcoming. First, Founders' Day is nearly upon us. Please see the schedule at right for details. At the corporation meeting, we will be voting on two amendments to our bylaws. One provides for bonding of officers at the discretion of the Board of Directors, the other addresses the limitation of liability for officers and directors serving Theta Chi of Penn State, Inc. The second upcoming event is for the golfers among our ranks. Jim Stuhltrager is organizing a summer golf outing in the Philadelphia area. If you're interested in participating, please give Jim a call. Third is a summer corporation meeting to be held June 8, beginning at 1 p.m. in Philadelphia, Pa. Brother Bill Herron '90 will be hosting.
A winter workshop meeting was held February 10 in Holmes, Pa., at the residence of our vice president, Jim Stuhltrager. In addition to the alumni executive officers and Board of Director members Phil Katchur '88 and Scott Mayhew '90, we welcomed Bill Herron and Mike Stein '91. At the meeting, it was learned that Dave Schrader '91 has volunteered to perform an architectural assessment of the chapter house. This assessment is necessary to prioritize and put a price tag on the necessary repairs and renovations to the structure. Dave's helping hand is most appreciated; the expense of such an assessment has kept plans for our capital campaign stalled, Once the assessment is completed, plans for the campaign can move forward. Alumni Treasurer Richard Maltz '90 plans to relinquish his office at Homecoming to head up the organization of the fund drive.
Although Homecoming 1996 is still seven months away, planning will soon be underway. If you have any ideas for this year's event, please contact me. We are continually looking for ways to improve our alumni gatherings. In addition, elections for the two year offices of president, vice president and secretary of the alumni association will be held. An alumnus brother will be appointed to the office of treasurer for two years. Officers are expected to attend three corporation meetings a year, offer input regarding house repairs and event planning, and provide general guidance and assistance to the alumni association and undergraduate chapter. If you arc interested in serving in any of these offices, I would be glad to answer any questions you may have and to provide more detailed information on the particular responsibilities of each office.
I hope to see you at one or more of our upcoming events!
Notes, Ideas and Thoughts from Steve Martin ’88, Editor
Thanks to everyone who took time to vote in the Board of Directors elections. Your participation is appreciated.
Thanks to everyone who turned out at Homecoming ’95. Special thanks to the gang who made it down to the old bar late Saturday night.
Executive Offices will be elected in the fall at Homecoming/ If you are interested in running for any of the offices, contact Ed Brown ’87 or Jim Stuhltrager ’89. We need people to step feared and become candidates.
If you are interested in contributing to the Omegaphone, please contact Steve Martin ’99.
Help Wanted
Alumni Treasurer Richard Maltz ’90 and Alumni Secretary Steve Martin ’88 have announced their intentions to step down from their respective offices at the end of the current term. New officers will be elected at Homecoming. Additionally, Steve will step down from his position of Omegaphone editor.
If you have any questions about these positions, are interested in these positions or know of someone who is, please contact us.
Repairs at the House Continue
by Jim Stuhltrager ’89, Alumni VP
Repairs to the chapter house continued on a massive scale in 1995. The first and most obvious change was the repair to the side porch. Thank to the dedicated work of undergraduates and Mr. Jay Wedemeyer, the porch has once again been restored to its former condition.
In March, the house was hit with over eight pages of code violations. Although most were rather minor, the sheer volume of problems called for an enormous repair effort. Repairs commenced in the summer and were completed in the fall, Thanks to the effort of the undergraduates, alumni (and some contractors), the house has passed code and will continue to operate. A special thanks is owed to Joost Keesing fro assisting in the repairs and ensuring the contractors’ access to the house.
Joost Keesing, Anthony Nero, Marc Chrencik and Andrew Castaldi - Side Porch Repair - 1995
Side Porch Repair - 1995
Side Porch Repair - 1995
In all, these efforts cost over $11,000. Additionally, an emergency lighting system and repairs to the glass brinks in the bar still need to be completed. Other repairs, based on a pending survey, will hopefully be made over the summer as funds become available. In addition, in an effort to prevent an even further destruction of the physical plant, a comprehensive inventory will be taken to ensure no future deterioration of house assets.
Chapter President Paul Glace Jr. ’97 Recaps 1995
It has been a long time since we've been in touch with you and I feel there is more to share than will fit on the pages of this newsletter. My recap takes us all the way back to February 1995 when Theta Chi participated in IFC/Panhellenic Dance Marathon with Alpha Xi Delta. The total amount raised for the Four Diamonds Fund once again exceeded $1 million and Theta Chi/Alpha Xi Delta contributed over $21,000 to that total.
Last April we initiated 10 new members into our brotherhood. We are happy to say that five of those men are living in the house this year and are already very involved in the operation of our chapter. Just this past December we welcomed yet another 10 men into brotherhood. As a result of the very steady growth of our chapter, we expect a nearly full house next year. in the last issue of the Omegaphone, you may remember us telling you about our porch. At that time, the porch was in very bad shape and was in need of some immediate attention. We are proud to say that the need was met in April when Jay Wedemeyer (father of Sean Wedemeyer '95) was part of a brotherhood effort to repair the porch. Behind Mr. Wedemeyer’s lead and expertise, the brotherhood was able to repair the entire porch in one weekend and thereby avoid the much more expensive option of hiring a contractor.
This past summer, thanks to donations from Howard R. Alter Jr. '41 and the Alumni Corporation, Fall 1995 Undergraduate President Joseph Sass '97 and I attended the Theta Chi National Chapter Leadership Conference VI at the Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. We found the experience incredible. I know that I personally came back to the chapter house with many new ideas. The opportunity to meet with undergraduate members of other chapters from around the United States and Canada cannot be matched. Joe and I are very thankful for the experience.
In the fall of 1995 we also found ourselves busy with K.I.C.K.S., Greek Sing and Homecoming. We, along with Alpha Delta Pi, placed fifth in Greek Sing while capturing third place overall in Homecoming with Alpha Xi Delta. It was great to see many of you at Homecoming but we hope that many more of you will attend in the coming years. We were especially honored to have in attendance Howard Alter Jr. '41, Ex Officio of our Alumni Corporation's Board of Directors and past National President of Theta Chi Fraternity.
And Finally, I give you my most exciting announcement — especially for those of you who have found your way onto the world wide web. The undergraduate chapter is very happy to announce their world wide web home page on the Penn State Greek Life server. Those of you with the capabilities can now check occasionally for current announcements, keep up-to-date on address changes, explore pictures and history of our fraternity, and keep in touch with the undergraduate chapter.
We hope to see many of you on Blue/White Weekend April 19-21. Please keep in touch with us whether it's by mail or e-mail.
Welcome Fall 1995 Initiates
Matthew J. Bruce '99 - Hummelstown, Pa. Civil Engineering
David A. Demblowski '97 - Sewickley, Pa. Accounting
Joseph P, DeSimone '98 - Pittsburgh, Pa. English
Ryan G. Gibbens '99 - Reading, Pa. Finance and International Business
Westley J. Hinton '99 - Potomac, Md. Architectural Engineering
Matthew S. Keller '99 - Harrisburg, Pa. Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Jonathan A. Kraus '98 - Allison Park, Pa. Finance
Patrick J, Ross '99 - Bethel Park, Pa. Mechanical Engineering
Andrew M. Schmidt '99 - Fairview, Pa. English
Richard P. Sobiecki Jr. '99 - Mountain Top, Pa. Biology
Spring 1996 Pledges
Toryn Z. Howe - Harleysville, PA - Computer Science/Physics
Christopher Karaffa - Pittsburgh, PA - Film and Video
Erwin Ng — Eric, PA - Fiance and International Business
Jason R. Reid - Erie, PA - Environmental Resources Management
Steven L. Vazquez - Livingston, NJ - Communications
In our last issue, we reported seven initiates for fall 2994; however, there were only five. They Are:
Jim Kurek ’98
Jason W. Reifsnyder ’97
Bryne E. Remphrey ’98
Jason Shoot ’97
Eric Snyder ’98
We apologize for the error.
Once Again THON Goes Over the $1 Million Mark for Kids with Cancer The Team of Theta Chi and Alpha Xi Delta Raise $23,000
Madison Hurley (far left) with Byrne Remphrey, Joseph DeSimone, Andrew Castaldi and Jason Reifsnyder - THON 1996
By Andrew. Castoldi '97 and Aaron R. Early '96, 1996 Dance Marathon Chairmen
Dance Marathon 1996 was an overwhelming success, not only for Theta Chi, but for every Penn State organization involved. This year, Theta Chi and our partners, Alpha Xi Delta, raised over $23.000 for the Four Diamonds Fund and specifically for the Hurley family. This is the second year in a row that Theta Chi and Alpha Xi Delta have teamed up to raise money for Madison Hurley, just one of the many children from the Hershey Medical Center who benefits from the more than $1,200.000. raised this year by the philanthropy. Each fraternity/sorority team has anywhere from two to six couples that represent them in the event .Four of our brothers, Andrew Castaldi '97, Bryne Remphrey '93, Jason Reifsnyder '97 and Joseph DeSimone '93, represented us by staying awake and dancing for 48 straight hours.
Thanks to the many members of our two organizations that participated in the actual running of the event, our dancers were never alone and received much needed support throughout the entire 48 hours. We are very happy to have exceeded our 1995 total and hope that this trend continues. We have created quite a tradition not only with Alpha Xi Delta and the Hurley family, but as a consistent and growing contributor to the largest student-run philanthropy in the nation. We are recognized nor only for our monetary donations, but also for the Large number of members who are part of the many committees that work all year long to make Thon success. Thanks to everyone who contributed to our total and helped us to keep the tradition alive.
News from our Omega Brothers
William M. Dunlap '34 has a new address in Lansdale, PA.
Octogenarian William C. Ings ’36 still travels extensively and has built 3 new home in Union Grove, AL. He has three sons and two grandchildren.
Since retiring from White Yacht. Delivery Co., Thomas H. White ’36, has renewed his interest in football by officiating and becoming a clock operator for Eastern College Athletic Conference, He hopes to get back to State College for his 60-year reunion.
Retired accountant John H. Keely II '37 resides in Philadelphia, PA.
W. Allen Ramsey '39 was glad he attended the anniversary celebration and appreciates all the effort involved in the event. He was also on campus in March 1995 when his son, Bill was honored at Penn State as one of the outstanding alumni engineers.
In May 1995, Henry F. Pierce II '43 was inducted into The Mount Nittany Society.
For his work in rebuilding homes damaged by Hurricane Andrew, William A. Grim '47 was selected as Volunteer of the Year. He is retired from the Abington School District and teaches once a week at both the local prison and junior high school. While on a seven-day bike trip from Pittsburgh to Philadelphia last summer, William spent a night in State College.
Walter A. White ’48, is working part time at Lighthouse for the Blind and planning a trip to New Zealand and Australia in May. Still running, he completed two half-marathons recently and is looking forward to future races. Walter enjoyed a visit from Peg and Reid Staley '48.
George K. Wood '48, oil evaluator with the Board of Revision of Taxes, now lives in Philadelphia, PA.
After 46 years in New Jersey, George W. Chapman Jr. '49 has moved back to the Keystone State and into a new townhouse. He's glad to be "home” again.
With few worries and responsibilities, life is great for James L. Taylor '49. He's spending lots or time building and flying radio-controlled aircraft as he did in the 1930s, 'except now it's a lot more complicated and expensive.'
Phyllis and Joseph M. Jackson '59 have nine grandchildren between them - six from his children and three from hers.
"Omega was home to me for three years. It was a great way to live and grow up," writes William K. Elmore '53, sending his best to all the brothers. Bill, who is in real estate sales with Elmore Realty Associates, spent an enjoyable evening with Jack Richards '53 in Atlanta, Ga., last summer.
You can reach William A. Shomberg '53 in Corinth, NY.
Louis C. Brast '59 now lives in Butler, PA.
Last year, attorney Alexis Barron ’60 was elected managing partner of Synnestvedt & Lechner, a law firm specializing in intellectual property law, He serves as president of the board of trustees of Oak Lane Presbyterian Church, as vice president of the board of directors of Bach Festival of Philadelphia, on the board of Chorus America, and as a Montgomery County Republican committeeman.
Paul H. McConnaughey '60, managing director of Alcoa Chemicals Europe, has moved his office in Germany from Bad Homburg to Frankfurt.
“It was great joining up with James Nelligan '61 at the Rose Bowl festivities and meeting his superb family," writes Robert J. Sorisio '61. After over 30 years it was like we hardly missed a beat! Friendships at Theta Chi last a long time."
At Colorado Technical University, Mark M. Burroughs '63 is a professor of management. He is developing a cabin site, Gore Pass, Colo.
Ed Messmer '70 has a new job and address. He is vice president and general manager at American Standard and resides in Bedminster, NJ.
With USAir, William R. Weaves '70 is a customer service agent and getting in lots of travel. He went to Peru, Malta, Jamaica and The British Virgin Islands last year and worked at Frankfurt Airport in Germany for the month of August.
Robert N. Caruso '74 joined Pride Industries Inc. as CEO in the spring of 1995. When he wrote in October, he was on the mend from a mountain biking accident and getting ready for ski season.
George E. Hoffman Jr. '75 is now CFO and treasurer of St. Joseph Hospital in Lancaster and has moved to Lititz, PA.
James W. Nugent III '77 sends us a new address in Harleysville, PA.
With his wife, Mary Beth, Thomas W. Butch '78 has relocated from Pittsburgh to the Chicago area where he is a senior vice president in marketing and communications for Stein Roe & Farnham. He attended the April 1995 wedding of Todd Fortier ’77 and was looking forward to a weekend visit from Anne and Drew Tomlinson '79 for the PSU/ Northwestern game. Thomas hopes to get back to the fraternity for Homecoming 1996 which will mark the 20-year anniversary of his pledge class initiation. "Waz, Whitey, Toot, Mac, Larabie, Gumby — hope you can make it!"
Correspondence for Vincent P. Caggia Jr. '78, president of VPC Associates Inc., can be sent to Apex, NC.
At CGI Systems Inc., Chris A. Bagshaw '81 is a network consultant. You can reach him in Pennsburg„ PA.
Happy to be in the middle of Big Ten country, Rand D. Putterman '81 sees the Nits play football in East Lansing or Ann Arbor yearly. Anyone interested in going to Michigan for a game can give him a call.
Bradley K. Davy '82, a physical scientist with U.S Department of Energy. He and Jennie welcomed the arrival of their third child, Carolina, in August 1994,
Serving in the Army, Phillip H. Bender '83 was promoted to major last August and has moved to Augsburg, Germany, on a three to five year assignment. Phillip welcomed a new family member in September — first daughter, Kaitlin.
Chris G. Allocco '84 has established his own law practice. You can reach in Cobleskill, NY.
When he wrote in September, Paul E. Vassil '86 had begun medical practice with Mastropietro & Associates and passed the Family Practice Board Certification Exam. He was planning an October wedding with Maria Vakios.
For the Penn State/Iowa football game, Edward M. Brown '87 enjoyed a trip to Iowa with Chris Casciato '85 and Jim Derrah '87. Edward reports that Joyce and Owen Fishman '85 have a new baby boy, Max.
In July 1995, John E. Stagliano '87 married Stacy Kaminsky, sister of Theta Chi link sister Kristen. John has taken a new job as market maker with Punk, Ziegel, Knoell. a brokerage firm in New York City.
When we heard from him last fall, Thomas M. Strauss ’87 was looking forward to playing in the alumni Blue Band at Homecoming, with Randy Siegman ’88.
Mark B. Hoist '88 is now a computer applications consultant with Oracle and living in Denville, NJ.
Ina new position, James R. Koppersmith '88 is a systems engineer with Analytical Graphics Inc. He also spends a lot of time singing and playing guitar with a local rock and roll band, Hozzier Daddy
Through March of this year, Robert J. Scavello Jr. ’88 is working in the San Francisco Bay area, consulting to a major mutual fund company.
Physician Sean P. Tirney '88 and his wife, Linda. were in the midst of their residency training when we heard from them in October. The couple announce !he birth of their first child. Liam, in August.
With his wife, Cheryl, orthodontist Christopher J, Trentini '88 has relocated to Greensboro, NC and opened a practice in the area. The Trentini’s have a 2 year-old son, William.
Scott Taylor ’89 and Amy Lane were married in Annapolis, Md., in December 1995. The couple honeymooned in Thailand and spent New Year's Eve in Hong Kong. Attending the wedding were Erwin Les'Pere '90. Jim Smith '89, Bill Herron '90, Mark Woehrel ’90 and Steve Martin '88. Rob Scavello '88 served as a groomsman and Alan Lauder '90 served as best man.
A lot is new with Erwin M. Les'Pere ’90. He wed Melissa Harrison in July. has taken a job with Elkins-Sinn Inc. as a microbiologist, and now resides with his wife in Philadelphia, PA 19152.
Richard Maltz '90 was recently hired by Entertainment Weekly magazine as an assistant picture editor.
Scott C. Mayhew '90 and his wife, Jill, announce the birth of their first child, Emily Ann, on February 11.
An actor, Steven E. Sennett '90 spent the summer doing theater in LA and finished shooting his first independent film, "The Shy and the Naked," in the fail. This year's projects include a second independent film, a starring role in a North Hollywood play, and preparing for Television's pilot season this spring.
September, Shane Balcik '91 was married at Eisenhower Chapel on the Penn State campus. Mike Schwartz '92 and Richard Dubin '91 served in the wedding party and Erwin Les'Pere '90, Jim Smith '89, Ernesto Plotnicoff '94 and John McIntyre '91 were in attendance,
John G. Fischer ’91, now a field director at Northwestern Mutual Life. has a new address in Harrisburg, PA. He is on the membership committee of the Harrisburg chapter of Penn State Alumni Association.
At Schein Pharmaceutical Inc., Scott A. Kost '91 is a production planner. He now resides in Danbury, CT.
Kindergarten teacher John D. McIntyre Jr. '91 is now working at Good Shepherd Catholic School and has bought a house with Megan in Newark, DE.
The new address for Robert W. Kurek Jr. '92 is in Warrington, PA.
David Mikita ’92 is a quality engineer at Masland Industries and makes his home in Mechanicsburg, PA.
At Ligonier Valley High School, Jason P. Ross '92 teaches English and coaches football and track. This spring, he will receive his master's degree in adult education from Penn date.
Shawn M. Elliott '93, a structural engineer, is now working with the national architecture firm of Hansen Lind Moyer. He wan planning to marry Truc Anh Tran in October 1995.
Stephen P, Rozyckie ’93, a traffic engineer at Whitman Requardt & Associates, reports that Eric VanStone ’93 is with Cargill Chemical Co. in Dayton, Ohio, and Erie Rozyckie '95 is living in Orlando, Fla., and working for Disney World.
Civil engineer James M. Venture '93 is associated with The Gateway Engineers Inc. and has a new address in Sewickley, PA.
Bryan B. Cooley '94 also has a new address in Alexandria. VA.
Peter J. McCallum '95 is teaching English at Kennett High School and living in West Chester, PA.
Chapter Eternal
Since publication of our last issue, we have learned of the death of
Winfield F, Smith '20
Philip Patterson '30
urton E. Hall '34
R. Brooke Keely ’37
Walter A,. Coates '38
Edward W. George '45
Thomas Iezzi '48
Reinhold W. ‘Thieme '48
Arthur C. Bandorick '49
Lemmon C. Stoudnour ’53
Donald R. Thornley '57
Theta Chi mourns their passing and extends condolences to I heir families and friends.
Thank you to all those brothers that shared their news.
Checkout past issues of the Omegaphone by clicking here.