Alumni Notes

 

DELAWARE
Delta Eta

PJ Viloski ’90 married Stella Pavlantis on June 7, 2008. Brother Steve Slack ’90 served as best man, and at least a dozen Delta Eta brothers were in attendance. Viloski lives in West Chester, Pennsylvania, where he is the regional vice president with Crescent Solutions, a leading provider of technical and IT staff augmentation solutions. He may be reached at bigfatpj@hotmail.com.

EAST CAROLINA
Epsilon Mu

Taylor Keith ’03 and his wife, Shelley, announce the birth of their second child, Rainey Grace, on June 19, 2008. She joins her brother, Terry, at home in Winterville, North Carolina. Keith is a right of way agent with the North Carolina Department of Transportation and may be reached at taylorkeith@ecupirates.com.

Epsilon Mu Chapter at East Carolina University Celebrates 50th Anniversary On May 16 and 17, 2008, exactly 50 years after its original chartering, Epsilon Mu Chapter at East Carolina University celebrated its anniversary with a two-day event. On Friday night an informal gathering at the home of Bill Cox ’60 and his wife, Ilene, was hosted by Jeff Strickland ’58, Reid Parrott ’58, Charlie Paradee ’60, Al Greene ’58, Bill Cox, and their wives. On Saturday night, a dinner/dance was held at the Greenville Country Club. Mac Lancaster ’58, master of ceremonies, welcomed everyone. 1958 Chaplain Charlie Pugh ’58 gave the invocation. The Chapter’s history was presented by 1958 Historian Fred Robertson ’58. The guest speaker, Patrick F. Haynes (Delta Theta, Arkansas State ’81), Executive Director of the Pi Kappa Alpha Educational Foundation, shared an article from the 1958 Shield & Diamond regarding the establishment of Epsilon Mu Chapter. Brother Haynes is also one of two representatives from PI Kappa Alpha National Headquarters who was instrumental in recolonizing the chapter in 1985 after a silent period of approximately 10 years. Mementos were presented to the brothers present, which included a DVD, prepared by Dave Rock ’64, of photos from the past and present, and a photo of the “House on 5th Street” taken by Fred Robertson and distributed by Keith Hobbs ’59. Reid Parrott entertained with some closing remarks and invited everyone to dance. Thirteen of the original 34 charter members attended the events. Six brothers are in Chapter Eternal: Grady Austin, Michall Bailey, Howard Brewer, Richard Buckley, Donald Knight, and Bill Scott II.

EASTERN KENTUCKY
Zeta Tau

Brian Lindsay ’87 was elected to membership in the Huntington, West Virginia, law firm Jenkins Fenstermaker, PLLC in 2007. In August 2007, he and Janna Nuzum were married in Honolulu, Hawaii, and the couple resides in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. He may be reached at bslindsay@hotmail.com.

EMORY
Beta Kappa

Robert Certain ’67 serves as the rector at St. Peter & St. Paul Episcopal Church in Marietta, Georgia. He was appointed by the President to the Defense Health Board in 2007. In 2008 he published Spiritual Quest in English and La Busqueda Espiritual in Spanish. Rev. Certain may be reached at eagle@unchainedeagle.com.

FLORIDA
Alpha Eta

Jim Hetz ’88 is an associate professor of law at the Barkley School of Law, and he has been appointed as an instructor of law at Barry University School of Law in Orlando, Florida. He will be teaching Copyright Law for the fall 2008 semester. He may be reached at jimhetz@yahoo.com.

FLORIDA STATE
Delta Lambda

Scott Moore ’84 has relocated over the past few years with job opportunities previously taking him to Pennsylvania, but he now he resides in Scottsdale, Arizona. He would enjoy hearing from his Delta Lambda brothers at edgenaples2002@yahoo.com.

Charlie Park ’61 completed his second bicycle trip across the United States in April 2008. This cross country trip followed the Adventure Cycling Southern Tier Route from St. Augustine, Florida, to San Diego, California. The total distance was 3,045 miles and covered eight states, four mountain ranges, two deserts, and four time zones. He was able to observe first hand what a vibrant and diverse land we have with many wonderful characters as citizens. Park stated that the lessons he learned at Delta Lambda 44 years ago still serve him well today, especially on a trip like this one. When not cycling across the United States, Park resides in Yorktown, Virginia, and may be reached at 757-898-0890.

FRANCIS MARION
Theta Delta

Brian Kelley ’93 was named to the Francis Marion University Alumni Association Board of Directors. He graduated in 1996 with a double major in economics and political science, and served as president of the Student Government Association from 1995-1996. Kelley is vice president of marketing at Pee Dee Electric Cooperative where he is responsible for the development and administration of programs and the promotion of the cooperative’s public image. He serves on such boards as the Greater Florence Chamber of Commerce, Florence Regional Arts Alliance, Marion County Progress, Florence Career Center Advisory Committee, Florence Rotary Club and the Florence Education and Economic Development Task Force.

GEORGE WASHINGTON
Delta Alpha

Patrick Charles ’04 recently has his second book, Irreconcilable Grievances, published. The book is on the social events that shaped the Declaration of Independence. He may be reached at patrick.charles@law.csuohio.edu.

GEORGIA TECH
Alpha Delta

Malcolm Russo ’60 is the director of engineering for Interplan, LLC, an architectural and engineering firm providing full service program and design services to national clients in the hospitality, banking and retail development industry. Russo resides in Orlando, Florida, where the Engineering Division of the firm is located. He may be reached at jmrusso@cfl.rr.com.

HAMPDEN-SYDNEY
Iota

Douglas Banks ’97 resides in Richmond, Virginia, where he is the director of career and workforce development for the Virginia Foundation of Independent Colleges.

ILLINOIS Beta Eta Michael Tokarz ’68 serves as chairman of MVC Capital Inc. A group headed by Tokarz was one of the bidders for the Chicago Cubs baseball team in July 2008. As of July 18, 2008, there were ten potential owner groups approved to bid on the Cubs by Major League Baseball, which must approve any sale. It is expected that four or five bidders will make it to the next round, and a winner could be identified at or near the end of the baseball season. The Cubs, which have not won the World Series since 1908, are recognized nationally due to the team’s history as lovable losers as well as its national exposure on cable television. Tribune Co is selling the team and other assets to reduce its debt.

Pikes Promote Fatherhood, Responsibility The Illinois Fatherhood Initiative is the country’s first state-wide non-profit fatherhood organization whose mission is connecting children and fathers by promoting responsible fathering and helping equip men to become better fathers or father-figures. On June 12, 2008 the IFI held its Fathers Day Celebration Dinner. The Master of Ceremonies was NBC5 Anchorman Rob Elgas (Illinois, Beta Eta ’92). Other Pikes involved with IFI include IFI Board member Michael Hoadley (Illinois, Beta Eta ’88), and June Dinner Chairman John Sciacotta (Creighton, Theta Lambda ’81). Visit the Illinois Fatherhood Initiative website at www.4fathers.org for more information.

INDIANA
Delta Xi

David Thorne ’91 is the channel manager with Print Audit in Roswell, Georgia. He and his wife, Shelby, have three children, Jordan, Connor and Kendall. He may be reached at davidthorne@mindspring.com.

INDIANA STATE
Theta Omicron

George Amonette ’80 retired from the U.S. Army, as well as his work for several different companies. He is now beginning a second career as a second grade teacher for Clayton County Public Schools at Huie Elementary through a two year Alternative Teacher Preparation Program (TAPP) and Troops to Teachers (TTT) program. As a new Troops to Teachers member, he met and presented the Governor of Georgia, Sonny Perdue, with a Troops to Teachers shirt and coin. He and his wife, Sara, continue to live in Fayetteville, Georgia and can be reached at amonette516@comcast.net or 770-634-5437.  

Barry Bledsoe ’83 has been named the girls varsity volleyball head coach at Franklin Community High School. Bledsoe is the director of quality with Electro-Spec in Franklin, Indiana, where he may be reached at barry.bledsoe@comcast.net.

Kevin Bobos ’95 and his wife, Charity, announce the birth of their son, Wyatt, on March 1, 2008. The family resides in Riverview, Florida, where he is an occupational therapist. He may be reached at kevinbobos@hotmail.com.

David Clark ’95 has joined American Express as vice president and chief of staff on the Global Human Resources team. As a senior leader of the American Express HR organizations, Clark will be a partner and advisor on a broad array of topics, ranging from the work currently underway to foster an innovation-strategy for the company. He will play an important role on the HR Senior Team, working to shape the agenda and priorities for the organization. Heading into 2009, he will also lead a number of key HR projects and initiatives for the company. Clark has a unique background that includes both a strong track record leading large-scale strategic initiatives at the highest levels of the U.S. federal government as well as experience in critical public sector chief of staff and advisory roles. The leadership, strategic thinking, and results orientation demonstrated in these experiences position him to deliver tremendous value in this new senior-level role at American Express.

Mike Kelley ’84 has been in the education field for twenty-two years and currently serves as the assistant principal and athletic director at Brownstown Central Middle School in Seymour, Indiana. He and his wife, Janet, have been married for twenty years. Kelley has fond memories of his Theta Omicron brothers, as well as Ed Pease (Indiana, Delta Xi ’71) who served as the chapter advisor during that time. He may be reached at jamesmkelley@comcast.net.

IOWA
Gamma Nu

Eric Wulf ’93 was promoted to association executive with SmithBucklin, a large association management company. Wulf joined SmithBucklin in 2006 and currently serves as associate executive director and chief operating officer of the International Carwash Association (ICA). “Since Eric joined SmithBucklin, he has demonstrated strong leadership and exceptional people management skills while driving the growth of ICA,” said Carol McGury, vice president of client management for SmithBucklin’s business trade business unit. “Above all, his performance has demonstrated his commitment to exceptional client stewardship.” Wulf previously served as executive director of the Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. Prior to that, he worked in the financial services and information technology industries, and also served in committee and instructor roles for the Association Forum of Chicagoland and the American Society of Association Executives. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Iowa and an MBA from Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. He also holds the Certified Association Executive designation from the American Society of Association Executives.