Alumni Notes

Epsilon Iota Chapter Celebrates 50 Years At Southeast Missouri State University

On Saturday evening, April 26, 2008, Epsilon Iota Chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha celebrated its 50th anniversary at Southeast Missouri State University on the banks of the muddy Mississippi at the Cape Arena Building in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

The evening’s festivities capped a weekend full of events which had well over 400 attendees throughout. On Friday night, alumni and guests shared stories of Epsilon Iota lore at the recently refurbished Pike Memorial Lodge. The event was catered by alumnus Mike Kohlfeld (Epsilon Iota ’95). On Saturday, attendees had the option of partaking in a Southeast Missouri State University tour highlighting all of the additions and new developments which have taken place over the past several years. In addition, many other alumni participated in the annual Alumni Golf Classic at Cape Girardeau Country Club.

That evening, alumni, guests, and undergraduates took part in a black tie affair which was emceed by alums Robert Cox (Epsilon Iota ’64) and Justin Buck (Epsilon Iota ’96). Special guests in the audience included three founding members of the chapter: Dr. Sam Bishop (Epsilon Iota ’58)  and brothers Dr. Don and Dale Myers (Epsilon Iota ’58). The chapter also distributed its annual awards, including the crowning of its dream girl. Remarks were made by Director of Alumni Services and Development Jane Stacy who recounted the long and positive relationship SEMO has had with the Pikes for 50 years. Alumnus Ron Hahs (Epsilon Iota ’62) shared several stories of Pikes at Southeast Missouri from his long involvement with the chapter, and how their experiences helped shape them into the successful individuals they are today. The evening concluded with some very special remarks by International Historian and Past National President Dr. Jerry Reel (Tulane, Eta ’57). He commented on the role Epsilon Iota Chapter and individual members have played in the success of the International Fraternity, and how its successful run of 50 years has been achieved by very few within the long and storied history of Pi Kappa Alpha.
The weekend was a tremendous success and a special thank you must go out to brothers Kyle Vogt (Epsilon Iota ’95), Greg Gielow (Epsilon Iota ’69), current undergraduate Nick Vogt (Epsilon Iota ’04) and current Chapter President EJ Foreman (Epsilon Iota ’05) for their assistance in coordinating the weekend’s events. All alumni are encouraged to mark their calendar for next year’s alumni festivities, occurring April 24-26th.

Chapter History

Epsilon Iota Chapter was founded as the 129th chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha on May 3, 1958 when 40 members of the Mark Twain Society were initiated into the bonds of brotherhood. The chapter has gone on to experience an uninterrupted run of success for 50 years, a feat which only 55 out of the 280 chapters ever to bear the letters PKA have enjoyed. In 1963, Pi Kappa Alpha moved into its current residence on the Southeast Missouri campus in K Building, and purchased the Memorial Lodge in 1973, which has been host to numerous chapter meetings, alumni and social events. In addition, the SEMO Pikes have received numerous excellence and achievement awards from the International Fraternity over the years, including the coveted Smythe Award in 2000 and 2004.

TULANE
Eta

Robert Sanders ’96 was elected Commonwealth’s attorney for the 16th Judicial Circuit of Kentucky in 2006. He and his wife, Delana, reside in Covington, Kentucky, with their daughter, Anna Grace. He may be reached at erobertsanders@yahoo.com.

TULSA
Gamma Upsilon

Steve Brown ’70 was awarded the Association of University and College Counseling Center Director’s (AUCCCD) Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2007 annual conference. AUCCCD is the preeminent organization for university and college counseling center directors with international membership. The award is presented to individuals who have made significant contributions to their profession through their role as a counseling center director. Brown has served as president, elected member of the executive board, and as conference host for AUCCCD. He has also served as chair of the American College Personnel Association’s (ACPA) Commission VII on Counseling and Psychological Services as well as conference program chair for ACPA’s 75th annual convention. He served as president of the University System of Georgia’s College Counseling Directors Association for several years. He has received honors in the form of the Meritorious Service Award from the American College Counseling Association (ACCA) and the Advocacy for College Counseling award from the Georgia College Counseling Conference and has served as conference host several times for the Southeastern Conference of Counseling Center Personnel. Brown has made more than 65 professional presentations, has been published in several professional journals, and has co-authored a book. He worked at the University of Georgia for 20 years, serving as director of the Counseling and Testing Center for fifteen years until it was closed in 2002. He currently serves as director of the Counseling Center at East Tennessee State University. Brown received his BA from the University of Tulsa and his MA and PhD from Oklahoma State University.

David McCarthy ’00 and Blaze Bly were married on May 31, 2008. The couple resides in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where he works as a health and fitness instructor with Community Care College. He may be reached at dmccarthy13@hotmail.com.

UTAH
Alpha Tau

Skye Worthen ’02 served as chapter president twice and chapter treasurer twice prior to his 2007 graduation from the University of Utah. He is a financial analyst with Rio Tinto and is preparing for the GMAT so he can apply to get his MBA.

Stephen Ragland ’85 was appointed to the Board of Governors of the University of Tennessee’s Alumni Association. He is the past president of the Memphis/Shelby County alumni chapter. Ragland practices with Bass, Berry & Sims, PLC in Memphis.

News of Bygone Days

125 YEARS AGO – 1883
 At a time when dwindling membership was an issue, in 1883 the Sigma Nu Fraternity, which through reverses similar to Pi Kappa Alpha, had been reduced to three chapters, proposed to consolidate the two organizations.  The offer was rejected by both Alpha and Theta Chapters and they continued to uphold the banner of Pi Kappa Alpha.

100 YEARS AGO – 1908
In the Chapter Letters section of a 1908 Shield & Diamond, Alpha wrote, in part:
The University of Virginia entered upon the new session on Thursday, September 10th.  The enrollment, which is now about seven hundred men, is a trifle short of what it was at this time last year, owing largely to the rigid enforcement of strict entrance requirements and partly to the general financial depression now being felt throughout the Middle States.  The general condition of the university, however, is excellent, full of growth and vigor.  With the beginning of the session came the opening of the new university commons; an event eagerly anticipated and joyfully welcomed. The arrangement in the commons are most excellent in every respect, and the beautiful building, clean and efficient service, good food and low rates, constitute a boon indeed to many of our students.

75 YEARS AGO – 1933
From the April 1933 Shield & Diamond:
It is tea-time on the West Virginia campus and the Alpha Theta Chapter plays the host.  Serving to smoothe the surface bumps of pledges and making the chapter better known through the student body, both male and female, the weekly tea custom has become a social fixture.  Usually held on Sunday afternoons, and supplemented with dancing and light refreshments, the Alpha Theta teas have become a popular part of campus life at West Virginia. 

50 YEARS AGO – 1958
The convention gathered in Washington, D.C. to celebrate the ninetieth anniversary of the Founding.  Much of the convention was spent in remembering the Founders, but the great issue was still membership.  When the membership standards committee delivered its report, the spokesman eloquently spoke of the hard work of the committee, of its fidelity to Fraternity ideals and efforts to a keep sense of trust among the chapters.  This convention recommended that the “white clause” be stricken from the Fraternity’s constitution.

25 YEARS AGO – 1983
From the June 1983 Shield & Diamond:
Pikes at North Carolina State may make up less than on-quarter of one percent of the student population, but they control nearly a third of the student government.  Amazingly, of the fifty-two positions available, in recent campus elections, Pikes won sixteen slots.