July 1983 Omegaphone
Changing Times
Greetings to all our alumni from the actives of Omega. I'd like to inform all of you of our accomplishments of '83 and also advise you of some of our goals for '84.
In '83 we continued to improve the appearance of the chapter house. With the installation of our new dining room steps, our renovated side porch, and our refinished Chapter Room, the physical condition of the house is in terrific shape.
The year 1983 also featured the graduation of 16 active brothers. We are proud of this accomplishment and are looking forward to working with them as alumni {A brief profile on each of our recent graduates appears below.)
This large graduating class has resulted in our primary goal for '84: to fill the house with brothers by the end of spring term, To accomplish this, we are instituting a new type of rush program which is more in step with the times.
Some of the other changes that we are planning for the '83-84 school year revolve around the University's conversion from the current trimester system. To adapt to this change, we at Omega are making some changes of our own. The most important change will be in the length of our officers' terms. The offices of president, vice president and secretary will now be of one year's duration as compared to the old 15-week method. Also the term offices such as rush chairman, little sister chairman and social chairman will now be semester offices.
As for all our helpful alumni, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank all of you from the bottom of our hearts. We certainly appreciate your efforts in the past and are looking forward to working with you in the future. Homecoming is planned for October 22, with our worthy opponent being West Virginia. We'd love to see you come back to Omega and share this experience with us.
So, as we prepare ourselves for an exciting year at Omega, I'd like to wish all our brothers a happy and prosperous summer. Come back to the house whenever possible. Remember ... "Theta Chi For Life!"
Fraternally,
Michael Garrity, Chapter President
Let's Keep Omega Rolling!
I'm proud of all our Theta Chi brothers. You have helped make my term as alumni corporation president a very rewarding and memorable experience. And our fraternity has benefited greatly from your renewed enthusiasm.
It has been an exhilarating experience working with our younger generation and, indeed, the entire family of Theta Chi. Let's all give our full support to our next group of alumni corporation officers to keep our fantastic progress moving uphill. You can bet stay as active as possible and hope to have a beer with all of our alumni who return for Homecoming on October 22 and/or for Founder's Day.
I extend the ready hand of brotherhood to all members of Theta Chi.
Fraternally,
Louis Wm. Martini '54 Alumni Corporation President
This One's for YOU
It is a fact of fraternity life that the alumni are always being asked for something--be it in a material way, through annual dues or special contributions, or in a less tangible way, through gifts of time and effort.
Well, Omega Chapter has decided to turn the tables for a while and is giving something to you - the enclosed bumper sticker saluting Penn State's National Football Champions. It is our own, small way of thanking all our alumni for their continued help in keeping Omega strong and proud.
This does not mean, of course, that our requests for support will discontinue. As you know, without your help, the Omegaphone newsletter, and indeed Omega itself, would not be possible.
So, please accept this gift as a thank you (and perhaps a little reminder) for all you mean to Omega Chapter.
Congratulate the Graduates!
Omega culminated spring term with the graduation of 16 active members. Although these brothers will he greatly missed, we at Omega are proud to be graduating such a great group of men. The following is a brief profile of Omega's newest alumni and their plans for the future:
Timothy Boyd - Tim has received a degree in civil engineering and will be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corp. He will report for duty at Quantico, VA, sometime during the summer.
Ryan Wisiner - Ryan is the owner of a master's degree in public administration and plans to work for the government. He will reside in Philadelphia, PA.
Patrick O'Connor - Pat, who received a degree in political science, will also be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corp and will likewise report for duty in Quantico, VA, sometime during the summer.
Hugh Cadzow - Hugh has received a degree in landscape architecture and will be employed by the Dennis Duffy civil engineering firm in Absecon, NJ, as a landscape architect. Hugh has already changed the shape of his own life through his May 28th marriage to one of our Daughters of the Crossed Sword, Tracy Thomas. The newlyweds reside in Ocean City, NJ.
Michael Hyduchak - Mike received a degree in agricultural mechanization and plans to work in a mangement position for an agricultural firm.
Anthony D'Ippolito - Tony received his degree in animal nutrition and will continue his studies on the graduate Level at the Delaware Valley Agricultural College.
Robert Krauss - Rob received a degree in foreign service and will work in the U.S. Embassy in Australia.
William Clarke - The recipient of a master's degree in electrical engineering, Bill will be doing research and develop-ment work in his field.
Keith Williams - Keith has received a degree in accounting and will be working for the Coopers & Lybrand accounting firm in Pittsburgh.
Joseph Berger - Joe's degree in accounting will be put to good use in his accounting position for the Marriot Corporation in Washington, DC.
Daniel Emmett - Dan, also the recipient of a degree in accounting, will be working in that field for the Union Carbide Corporation. Dan is also a newlywed: he married Janet Rodichok, one of our Daughters of the Crossed Sword, in June.
Richard Panza - Rich received his degree in petroleum and natural gas engineering and will reside in Pittsburgh.
Daniel Wood - Dan received his master's in animal nutrition and is presently employed with Penn State's Deer Research and Development division.
Donald Whalen - Curt has received a degree in political science and will be commissioned as an ensign in the U.S. Navy. He will report to the Surface Warfare School in Newport, RI, and then to the USS LaSalle in Philadelphia, PA.
Timothy Dutcher - Tim has received a degree in business logistics and will reside in Pittsburgh.
John Cunningham - John received a degree in agricultural mechanization and will be commissioned an ensign in the U.S. Navy. His first duty station will be the Jacksonville Naval Air Station in Florida, to be followed by flight school in Pensacola beginning in November.
1983 Seniors
Row 1 Keith Williams, Bill Clark, Joe Berger, Rob Krauss and John Cunnigham
Row 2 Mike Kyduchak Tony D'Ippolito and Curt Whalen
Row 3 Tim Dutcher, Pat O'Connor, Ryan Wisemer, Rich Panza and Tim Boy
Homecoming Banquet Set for October 22
On October 22, Omega will be hosting a special Homecoming banquet to honor Howard Alter '41 upon the occasion of his upcoming resignation from our national fraternity.
The Homecoming '83 weekend will begin on Friday night with a Welcome Back Tap. Saturday's football festivities will begin with our tailgate at approximately 10:00 a.m., to be followed by the game against rising national powerhouse West Virginia at 1:30 pm. Immediately after the game, it's back to the chapter house for cocktails at 5:30 p.m. and for our banquet honoring Brother Alter. The chapter room will be the site for our alumni corporation meeting to be held thereafter, and a band party at the chapter house starting at approximately 10:00 p.m. will cap off Saturday evening's festivities.
So, purchase those football tickets, make your reservations, and plan now to attend this "special" Homecoming. We'd love to see you. Remember ... "Theta Chi For Life!"
Region Ill Assembly Hosted by Chapter
On March 25-27, the Omega Chapter hosted the 1983 Region III Assembly Conference at Penn State. The conference was one of the biggest and best ever held in the history of Region III, with a turnout of well over 200 active brothers and pledges.
There was also a large representation from National, with National President George Kilavos, National Vice President Dave Westol, and brothers Clack, Hicks and Kibbe of our Field Staff in attendance.
The Regional weekend proved to be a very enjoyable time and, more importantly, a healthy learning experience. We at Omega are extremely honored and proud to have hosted a "great" Region III Assembly!
Meetings in Minutes
Homecoming 1982 - October 16
The Homecoming meeting was marked by a resurgence in alumni attendance: 27 alumni joined 20 active brothers to fill the brothers' room. The meeting commenced with Alumni President Dr. Louis Martini's ('54) well deserved praise of the active chapter's warm reception of the alumni. The following matters were then discussed:
Brother Charlie Engelhardt's ('78) resignation as treasurer due to his move to North Carolina. Brother Todd Fortier '77 was suggested as a possible replacement. (Subsequently, Brother Fortier agreed to take over as treasurer. He is a certified public accountant with Arthur Young in Pittsburgh, PA.)
Brother Martini reported that the alumni corporation would end the year "about even." Major 1982 expenses were our alumni relations program (through the Stewart Hews Alumni--Ser-viceL; a State- Co-I-lege-leased f-i-rm) and expenditures for the fraternity house renovation, totaling $7,000.
Brother Gerry Kistler '76, financial advisor to the active chapter, reported that the current house bill is $725 - $20 less than dormitories on campus.
Founders' Day 1983 - May 7
The Founders' Day meeting was held at 11:00 a.m. (Afterwards, brothers headed for Beaver Stadium to tailgate, watch the Blue-White game, and revel in the afterglow of the Lions' first national championship.) The following matters were discussed:
Brother Martini initiated a discussion on whether to retain the Stewart Howe Alumni Service for alumni relations services, or whether to handle alumni relations without external counsel. The brotherhood voted to continue to retain Stewart Howe, based on the company's performance to date. Since we began using Stewart Howe, alumni contributions have increased and the dissemination of the Omegaphone, as well as other information, has been much more timely.
Brother Fortier reported that the fraternity is owed upwards of $12,000 in unpaid house bills from both active and alumni brothers. Some debts go back as far as five years. Steps are being taken to correct this situation.
The active chapter reported that all chapter officers will now serve full year terms per a change in the by-laws. In terms of membership, only 20 brothers will be returning for the fall semester; many of these brothers will graduate after that semester. As a result, there have been extensive revisions to the pledging program.
Brother Martini noted that alumni corporation elections will be held prior to the Homecoming meeting.
Thomas W. Butch '78 Alumni Corporation Secretary
Alumni News
FREDERICK T. VANSANT '20 is retired and lives at 6 Ashland Road, Summit, NJ 07901. "Van" tells us his son KEITH F. VANSANT '58 is a lieutenant colonel in the Army.
PETER H. MARVEL '29 has retired after 50 years as a practicing cardiologist and can be found at his home at 2216 Shore Road, Northfield, NJ 08225. Pete keeps in touch with BILL WINDLE '28.
"Congratulations to the editor of the Omegaphone!" writes ERNEST D. WILBY '34. Ernie enjoys spending time playing golf, fishing, traveling, working with his church, and being an active member of the Ft. Myers Beach Kiwanis Club.
Congratulations to ROBERT E. EBERLY SR. '39: Bob married Elouise R. Conn September 25, 1982!
GEORGE W. CHAPMAN '49, engineering director of Colgate-Palmolive, spends a considerable amount of time traveling around the world.
DAVID R. FRANKEN FIELD '49, yardmaster for Amtrak & Conrail, is recovering from a recent heart attack.
HAROLD N. WELLS '53 is a planning executive at Honeywell.
LAMONT SMITH '55 has retired from the U.S. Public Health Service after 26 years of service and is now in practice as a physical therapist in Wheaton, MD. "Smitty" also teaches part-time at the University of Maryland Physical Therapy School and lectures occasionally in the metropolitan Washington area.
THOMAS W. HERRACA '60 - The director of new business at the Hamilton Standard Division of UTC.
MICHAEL P. LAZORCHAK '61 reports that his current position in the Chief Support Inspection Division of the Pacific Air Forces requires extensive travel throughout the Far East. "Laz" expects to to stay in Hawaii for at least two more years. He also recommends that those who can should visit "paradise" on vacation!
DAVID G. BOWDEN '64 has been residing and working in South Florida for the past 14 years. He is presently the vice president/controller of Resorts International, Inc.
U.S. Navy Commander O. KEITH EVANS '65 can currently be contacted in Alexandria, VA, but he anticipates leaving the Washington, DC, area in the spring of 1984 for an assignment as commanding officer of a destroyer which will probably be homeported in Norfolk, VA. Keith also serves on the board of directors of the Penn State Club of Greater Washington.
ED MESSMER '70, regional manager for Armstrong, reports that he and his family are enjoying life in the Chicago-land area. Ed has recently been involved in coaching youth -soccer and would like to hear what's going on with brothers from "the good old days."
RODERICK W. DARE '73 announces that he and his wife Beth are expecting their first child! Rod is the field operations manager of Equity Meat Corporation.
Congratulations to THOMAS W. SCHREFFLER '73: Amanda Dianne joined brother Tom Jr. February 26, 1983! A civil engineer for Gilbert Associates.
Please note the new address for CPA BENNETT D. LAZAR '77: he can now be found Havertown, PA.
International underwriter PAUL V. BENDER '79 makes his home in Larchmont, NY.
PAUL M. BAKER '80 reports he is "slowly breaking into the freelance writing field" with news, feature and business articles which he writes for local newspapers and magazines.
Congratulations to DONALD A. SMITH '81: Don plans to marry Nancy Danneker, a Daughter of the Crossed Sword and 1982 PSU graduate! "Smirl" is now a traffic assistant at the Raytheon Service Company at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD.
Theta Chi Field Representative GARY HICKS '82 in Lebanon, PA.
We regret to inform you of the death of:
FRED F, BASTIAN '22
W. RANDALL SKILLEN JR. '34
Herraca Extends Helping Hand
Our appeal for alumni volunteers for our "Helping Hand" program has elicited a favorable response from brother Thomas W. Herraca '60. Tom is the director of the new business division of the Hamilton Standard Division of UTC and has offered to lend a helping hand to the undergraduates in his field.
We are still in the process of compiling a list of all "helpers," so it is not too late to add your name to the growing roll of alumni who wish to serve their chapter and the undergraduates through their gifts of time. If you can be of any help whatsoever, please so inform us on the enclosed newsform. Thank you.
Thank you to all those brothers that shared their news.
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