History
Much has been written about Psi U’s history both in Champaign and across campuses in the United States and Canada. The Omicron Chapter opened its doors on May 28, 1910 and moved into its current house at 313 East Armory Avenue in 1924. For nearly a century, Psi U’s have contributed to the life of the university. More may be read about our chapter’s history below, but Psi U International’s roots run much deeper – into the early 19th century to be specific – at Union College in Schenectady, New York.
November 24, 1833…in a quaint Dutch settlement on the banks of the Mohawk River
The Hon. William Taylor, Theta 1838, in The History of the Psi Upsilon Fraternity, describes the founding of Psi Upsilon in these words:
Several students of Union College, members of the Sophomore class of 1833 and belonging to the Delphian Institute…being desirous of a more close and friendly union than afforded by that association, determined to unite themselves into a club or secret society. The first record of their meeting is in the following words:
`We, the undersigned, having determined to form a secret society, and having some conversation on the subject, do now and hereby pledge our sacred honors that we will keep all that has been done and said a most profound secret and that, if we please, at or before the beginning of the next term, we will meet and form a society. `Signed: M. H. Stewart, R. Barnard, Sterling G. Hadley, Geo. W. Tuttle, Edw. Martindale, C. W. Harvey, Sam’l Goodale.'”
And so, on the evening of November 24th, 1833, in a quaint Dutch settlement on the banks of the Mohawk River, Psi Upsilon came into being.
In the early 1800’s, as at other schools, literary societies played an important role in the life of Union College. These groups were encouraged by the faculty; they presented debates and orations, produced plays and maintained libraries. They also provided forums for discussion and social interaction which could not be found in the classroom.
By the fall of 1833, the group of seven men had begun to meet regularly to read poetry and to exchange essays they had each written. It became a tradition to meet one night each week for these literary exercises. One night, after a particularly enjoyable session, Samuel Goodale said to Sterling Goodale Hadley, “Goodnight thine cordially.” In response, Hadley said, “Goodnight thine always.” This unique farewell was repeated at each session thereafter.
By November, the seven men realized that they had something special: a group of people, with common interests and aspirations, sharing special times. They wanted to somehow capture these moments and make them permanent. Following the examples of the organizations founded at Union and Hamilton, they decided to found Psi Upsilon. Our international’s complete history may be read at the Psi Upsilon International Fraternity website.
Our chapter at the University of Illinois was chartered on May 28, 1910 and has distinguished itself on campus since its earliest days. What follows is the history of the Omicron chapter as captured in the 1941 book The Annals of Psi Upsilon. Editor Peter Gabauer compiled the tale through interviews with our earliest brothers and a short history of the chapter which had been printed toward the end of the Great Depression.
History of the Omicron Chapter as described in The Annals of Psi Upsilon
Nearly eight years were to pass before Psi Upsilon added to its Chapter roll. From the Golden Gate the scene now shifts to the middlewest where the Iota, Phi, Omega, Mu and Rho were firmly planted. On May 28, 1910, at the University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois, which had been founded in 1868, the Omicron Chapter was born, the twenty-fourth jewel to be placed in the crown of our Order.
The beginning of the associations, which were to lead to the establishment of the Omicron, was in the spring of 1903. From Emmett L. Murphy ‘07, a bulwark of the Chapter as he has been of the Fraternity, we learn of these early days:
It was then that six men in the College of Engineering, Class of 1906, after several months acquaintance in class and shop, rooming-house and eating places, found themselves missing some of the greater freedom, regularity and comfort of the homes left some months earlier. They had seen the “home” advantages of organized houses, called fraternities and clubs, and there must be others of their acquaintance who felt the same need of a different college background.
If, in a fast growing university, they had not come to the attention of the existing organizations, then too, whatever glamour or social preferment they might represent held no great attraction. The objectives of any organization of theirs, then, would be a wider circle of intimate friends, with increasing good fellowship and mutual helpfulness. Ultimately there would be that ‘home” in which all this might be best accomplished and accommodated. This is dwelt upon as being the fundamental groundwork upon which the organization took form and the guiding spirit which culminated in the Omicron Chapter of Psi Upsilon. Who shall say that the idea of a fraternity connection was not in embryo but it was not thereby declaration.
Led by the energetic ability of Harmon V. Swart ‘06, those six freshmen each brought another friend into the circle so that by the close of the college year in 1903 there were twelve men of this one mind.
These six men were—Harmon V. Swart, W. K. Henning, George S. Pope, Dwayne C. Young, June I Freeman, and William L. Stanrad. All but the last two were to become members of our mystic band.
From the Aztec notes made by Justin W. Shrader ‘11, we read:
Each was for close loyalty and identical sympathies and feelings. True friendship was to be the aim of the organization. All summer they lived, dreamed, slept and talked ideas.
On reassembling the following autumn, the process of choosing new friends continued. They gathered about them men in whose hearts burned the same warm desire for friendship and whose shoulders were ready for the load of responsibility. Meetings were held in the various rooms of the group. In February of 1904, The Aztec Club was formally organized, officers elected and a constitution adopted. The records for February 8, 1904, contain the following entry:
The first meeting was held in the room of Pope, Cramer and Henning in the house on Daniel Street, second one east on the south side from Fourth Street.
Concerning the name of the Club, Emmett L. Murphy ‘07, has written:
The name Aztec proved to be an attractive one, but it was without significance. In fact it was a second choice. The name originally chosen, and again obviously without significance except to show how little the group knew, was “Archon.” Happily it was discovered that this was a title common in fraternity organizations before it ever became public as the name of the Club. The name Aztec perhaps can be said to be a literary or dictionary discovery. The Club needed a name, and the A to Z quest yielded it within the first letter of the alphabet. It might be noted in passing that there was a deliberate effort to avoid anything that smacked of aping the Greek letter designations.
By the end of May, 1904, nineteen men had been chosen who had signed the constitution and paid the initiation fees.
With the courage of youth and in experience, the new Club leased for five years a twenty room house at 606 East Green Street. But a few steps from the center of the campus on what was at the time the main thoroughfare for many students trekking to and from classes, as well as between Champaign and Urbana, the location of this house was to play an important part in bringing an other wise inconspicuous group to the attention of the college community. Thus The Aztec Club was ready to enter in the autumn of 1904 the organization life of the University of Illinois.
The group of nineteen which started the academic year of 1904—05, was made up of students in the classes of 1905, 1906, and 1907. During the first month six more were initiated. With twenty-five members, the house was comfortably filled and the financial operation well in hand. For some months internal operations and an effort to gain a definite place as an organization in university affairs were to occupy the group.
Almost immediately The Aztec Club began to attract attention well beyond the expectation and desires of the members. But in this way a morale was quickly built which under less public scrutiny might have taken much longer to establish. The members soon realized that Aztec faced comparison with the older clubs that were petitioning for Delta Kappa Epsilon, for Phi Kappa Psi, and for Delta Upsilon, and with three organizations of no earlier vintage than Aztec—Pi Theta, the Oax Club, and the Comus Club which were seeking Alpha Delta Phi, Theta Delta Chi, and Chi Psi respectively.
With the unheralded appearance of The Aztec Club at the opening of college in the autumn of 1904, there was an undercurrent of campus belief that it had been formed to secure a chapter of some fraternity, it is probable that due to the curiosity of outsiders gradually generating greater interest in the idea than had previously existed, the thought really began to take hold within the group. In the meantime, Professor Pickett of the Law School, who was the guiding Delta Kappa Epsilon director of the Sphinx petition, came directly to the point by suggesting that the Aztecs seek Psi Upsilon. The Sphinx petition was expected to be granted very soon, as was that of the group in quest of Phi Kappa Psi, while the Alpha Delta Phi and Delta Upsilon petitions were said to be well along.
The history of national fraternities at the University of Illinois goes back to the resolutions of the Board of Trustees in 1876, and 1881, forbidding a student to enter the University until he had pledged himself not to join a fraternity. No student could be graduated until he had certified that he had not belonged to any fraternity while in college. Later, however, in 1890, the Board of Trustees passed the following resolution:
That the pledge heretofore required for candidates for entry to the University in regard to college fraternities, he omitted, and the subject of these fraternities be referred to the Committee on Rules.
Since that date societies have had official sanction.
By 1903 eleven fraternities had been established. The next year chapters of Phi Kappa Psi and of Delta Kappa Epsilon were installed, which were to be followed in 1905 by Delta Upsilon, in 1908 by three others, and in 1909 by Zeta Psi. Not until 1911 was Alpha Delta Phi to have a chap ter at Illinois.
The setting seemed auspicious for a chapter of Psi Upsilon on the campus of this great State University where such remarkable progress was being made. In fact that possibility had already been discussed among the Aztecs. Indeed, there was already a determination on the part of several that if the young Club did not obtain a charter of Psi Upsilon it would continue to function as a local society. But matters progressed slowly and it was not until January, 1905, that the fraternity issue came to the fore.
By that time the Psi Upsilon endeavor had become crystallized. Dr. Charles M. Moss, Pi ‘77, a professor of Greek, who over the years had found that Greek letter men all too disinterested in the subject of his life work, was then the sole Psi U on the Illinois faculty. At first not too much encouragement was to be found within his sanctum, but before long he became an ardent, if conservative, supporter, contributing, as an act of faith and interest, a son who was one of the first petitioners, Charles T. Moss ‘07.
In January1905, two Aztecs journeyed to nearby Danville to seek the support of the next closest resident member of Psi Upsilon. Dr. Stephen C. Glidden, Phi ‘93. Emmett L. Murphy ‘07, one of the two, records:
A reception of warm encouragement and cooperation by a personality that left no doubt that the quest was worth while.
In February Dr. Glidden wrote to the Phi espousing in warm terms the Aztec cause and asking his Chapter to investigate its forthcoming petition.
It was while following the course suggested by Dr. Glidden that, through the good offices of Professor Pickett, the Aztec Club was brought to the attention of Dr. Augustus F. Nightingale, Xi ‘66, in the spring of 1905. Of him Emmett L. Murphy ‘07, writes:
Dr. Nightingale, an educator of high rank, had been President of the Board of Trustees, University of Illinois in 1901, and was still actively associated in its affairs. Of him much might be most deservedly written in connection with the success of the Aztec Club in seeking a chapter of Psi Upsilon. Of high repute as an educator, with an special University of Illinois background; beloved of Psi U men everywhere; he was unceasing advocate of the Aztec cause. How much he smoothed the path can be known but to a few. But he did more than that. A frequent visitor, he brought good advice for the conduct and living of the moment; told of the ideals men should have and how they had been given expression in Psi Upsilon; held out the goal that only through living up to these ideals could Psi U be gained; adjured that only by their observance could Psi Upsilon be maintained. With all due deference to the many Psi U friends of Aztec days, Dr. Nightingale unquestionably was its chief source of encouragement in the face of discouragement, its very inspiration. The debt of the Omicron is everlasting. Without him it might not have come to pass.
From this point, the history is one of steady expansion of Psi U acquaintance. Any petitioning body from the University of Illinois must from obvious necessity earn the confidence of the Psi U alumni in the middlewest, largely centered at that time in Chicago, as well as the comradeship of the middle-western Chapters. An interest in the growth of the Fraternity led not a few of its graduate members to visit the Aztecs to see for themselves whether the judgment of others who had been convinced that the petitioners merited a charter was correct. From time to tune the Aztecs sent visiting delegations as did the Chapters. Emmett L. Murphy ‘07, made a tour of the Phi, Omega, Iota, Mu, and Rho.
In the spring of 1906 and at the request of the petitioners the Psi Upsilon Alumni Association of the Northwest, with headquarters in Chicago, sent a committee of investigation composed of Frederick W. Mehlhop, Phi ‘88, Farlin LI. Ball, Rho ‘95, and Herbert P. Zimmerman, Omega ‘01. After a thorough canvas of the faculty and of the existing fraternities, this Committee’s report was such that the Association unanimously endorsed the establishment of a chapter at the University of Illinois, with the Aztec Club as the recipient.
In the interval the five mid Chapters—Iota, Phi, Omega, Mu, and Rho—had given their endorsement. The Aztec Club thereupon presented its first formal petition to Psi Upsilon at the 1906 Convention held with the Beta Beta. This petition, signed in twenty-four members of the local Club, contained a history of the group, the University, and was accompanied by letters from the several deans, and from Charles M. Moss, Pi ‘77, Harry T. Nightingale, Phi ‘95, the son of Augustus F. Nightingale, Xi ‘66, an instructor in History; Henry Wailer, Omega ‘04, a special student; and from other prominent mid-western alumni—Francis W. Kelsey, Upsilon ‘80, Luther L. Mills, Phi ‘69, Augustus F. Nightingale, Xi ‘66, Humphrey H. C. Miller, Phi ‘68, Judge Harry Higbee, Beta ‘75, Sidney C. Eastman, Phi ‘73, Frederick L. Bliss, Phi ‘77, Matthew Mills, Beta ‘00, President Herbert Welch, Xi’87, of Ohio Wesleyan University, and Dr. Stephen C. Glidden, Phi ‘93. It was stated:
The Club has recently purchased two very choice lots just across from the campus, upon which it intends to build a permanent club house upon the expiration of the lease on its present quarters.
The petitioners, prepared for unfavorable action, received more encouragement than they had dared expect. The Aztec Club was now before the entire Fraternity.
The 1907 petition was less formal, but no less sincere. By that time it was realized that the road leading to the diamond badge was not to be a short one. The mid-western Chapters, whose approval was vital, stood by their earlier judgments, but among the alumni in the same section there developed some doubt, if not opposition. This led to the appointment in February of 1908 by the Psi U Club of Chicago of a committee of three who were chosen because they were very definitely opposed to the Aztec petition. Josiah MacRoberts, Phi’86, William Beye, Rho ‘02, and John R. Bensley, Chi ‘00, representing the then Psi Upsilon Club of Chicago, according to the record,
Gave a very careful and thorough report, endorsed the petition unqualifiedly for immediate favorable action
which the Club voted unanimously.
In the early spring of 1908, Walter T. Collins, Iota ‘03, accompanied John H. Craig ‘07, on a visit to the Eastern Chapters in order to stimulate interest in the Aztec cause. In his History of the Omicron James F. Donahue, Jr., ‘38, writes:
In the history of any organization there always appear the names of a few individuals on whose shoulders has rested the greater part of the responsibility and through whose efforts the goal of the group has he reached. Of this type are John “Scrubby” Craig ‘07, and Walter T. Collins, Iota ‘03. Their trip to the Eastern Chapters which they made between the dates of February 8, 1908, and March 7, 1908, was the determining factor in the admission of the Aztec Club into Psi Upsilon.
In May the petition was presented to the 1908 Convention held with the Delta, the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Fraternity. It again failed, but by a narrower margin, being ratified by all but the Lambda and the Tau.
At the 1909 Convention held with the Omega in May of that year, the Aztec petition passed the Convention and all that was needed was ratification. This proceeded very slowly. But the confidence of the petitioners was growing as is indicated by circulars sent to their alumni. A special letter of November 8, 1909, suggested the organization of an Alumni Association:
believing that the influence of the alumni, which is at present greatly diversified, would be concentrated within a unit, which in turn would be instrumental in shaping the future policy and destiny of our fraternity; and that, by this means the preservation of our traditions would he insured. From the standpoint of the active chapter the benefits are self-evident.
A letter of February 23, 1910, records:
The vote of ratification has only recently been called for, and it is practically certain that we will receive a favorable vote from all except Columbia. Regarding the latter chapter a vote was to have been taken several days ago, the result of which we have not as yet learned.
And a little later:
Our fraternity campaign is progressing slowly but nicely. Mr. H. L. Bridgman and Walter T. Collins are, as usual, working hard for us, and with such men en listed in our cause, we fail to see anything before us but success.
Not until April 26, 1910, was The Aztec Club informed that all of the Chapters had voted favorably on its petition. At long last its goal was about to be achieved. On Saturday, May 28, 1910, Herbert L. Bridgman, Gamma ‘66, and Earl D. Babst, Iota-Phi ‘93, installed the Omicron Chapter and initiated the charter members. Following the initiatory rites was a faculty reception; and in the evening a memorable banquet. Brothers Bridgman and Babst wrote to the Executive Council as of May 31, 1910:
We respectfully report, that in accordance with the Constitution of the Fraternity and Resolution of the Council, May 16, 1910, we initiated at Champaign, Ill. Saturday, May 28, 1910, the 43 petitioners In the University of Illinois into the Fraternity. . . . We also record our conviction that in personnel and environment the new chapter is of exceptional promise and that the Fraternity may be congratulated on its acquisition.
In the archives of the Executive Council is a telegram sent to Herbert L. Bridgman by Charles T. Moss ‘07:
Following are names of charter members—George Fulton Daniel Zimmerman, William Alexander Pegram, Edwin Harris Waggoner, Richard Woleben Bardwell, Christian Harrison Solfisburg, Charles Wallace Graham, Max Wesley Kegley, Thomas Francis Hanley, Jr., Gerald Clark Smith, Harold Sydney Fielder, and Justin Winfred Shrader.
At that time many of the pioneers of the Psi Upsilon movement became privileged to wear the coveted diamond badge of our Order.
The Daily Illini for May 29, 1910, carries the following account:
A reception to President James and the Deans of the Colleges was held at the chapter house at four-thirty in the after noon. The installation banquet was held at the Beardsley in the evening. Among the visiting members of the fraternity present were Dr. A. F. Nightingale, Mr. S. R. Smith, and Mr. W. T. Collins of Chicago. The faculty members present were Professor C. M. Moss and Mr. H. T. Nightingale. The in who were initiated into the fraternity are J. A. Craig, A. C. Cromer, O. E. Staples, Jay Briggs, C. W. Bridenthal, L. H. Bremer, L. J. Dykes, H. E. Ercanbrach, C. P. Fletcher, F. L. Gibbs, R. S. Isaacson, N. H. Jacobson C. T. Moss, H. H. Morgan, R. R. McDowell, G. S. Pope, R. E. Taylor, H. E. Wilson, Frederick Green, F. H. Rankin, G. F. Zimmerman, W. A. Pegram, F. H. Waggoner. R. W. Bardwell, C. W. Graham, H. F. Gonnerman, H. S. Fielder, J. W. Shrader, C. H. Solfisburg, T. F. Hanley, Jr., M. W. Kegley, G. C. Smith, H. A. Acer, H. O. Bock, P. N. Chase, O. M. Henn., S. B. McFadden, F. X. McGrath, G. B. Richmond, R. C. Rottger, E. B. Shinn, B. C. Snider, and E. L. Murphy.
The Omicron born on May 28, 1910, has had four hundred and twenty members, of whom three hundred and eighty-one are alive today. This youthful Chapter, now but thirty-one years old, has held one memorable Convention of the Fraternity in 1931, has contributed Alfred Hammond Morton ‘19, to our Executive Council. The foundation was laid; the task remained of erecting thereon a structure that would be of credit to our great Fraternity.
The next two decades were years of steady advancement. The Chapter became more and more an important factor in the life of Illinois. The Omicron feels, and justly so, that it has contributed much to the development of Alma Mater—its sons have helped to build the great University of today.
From a letter of December 15, 1910, we learn that the first payment had been made on the lot in Urbana. February 12, 1911, President William Howard Taft, Beta ‘78, visited Urbana and Champaign. The records state:
Brother Charles W. Graham was introduced to the President while on the reviewing stand, and they exchanged the grip in hearty fashion.
A letter of January 30, 1911, by Brainerd C. Snyder ‘13, to Earl D. Babst Iota-Phi ‘93, who had aided in the installation of the Omicron, said:
Financially, we are in good shape. We have laid the foundation for a new Chapter house by acquiring desirable lots, and by establishing a fund with that portion of our income that was formerly devoted to obtaining a charter. . The future ahead of us is bright, and with Psi U ideals ever before us, it is our aim to strengthen the tie of the “diamond fetters” between ourselves and the other chapters.
Earl D. Babst, Iota-Phi’93, in the report to the Council of his visit to the Omicron, early in 1914, stated:
The Chapter itself has been incorporated under the laws of Illinois and holds in fee the two lots acquired for chapter house purposes. The Alumni, however, have a separate voluntary alumni association of which H. E. Wilson of Peoria, Ill., is President, O. E. Staples of Urbana, Ill., Treasurer, and C. W. Graham, of Urbana, Secretary.
The Alumni Association is devoting its efforts exclusively to a building fund and up to the present has not assumed any other relation to the chapter.
Each member during his freshman year signs ten notes of $10 each, to the order of the building fund, payable within the succeeding ten years, one note falling due annually.
The Chapter does not lack in the desirable talent of student-life, which is evident from the fact that it has not lost a bid during the rushing year.
Volume One, Number one of the Omicron Owl which appeared in July, 1919, carried the following account:
About the first of September 1918, the Psi Upsilon House was taken over by the University Trustees as cadet barracks for the student Army Training Corps of the U. S. Army.
During the time the house was occupied by the army, the chapter rented temporary headquarters in the Harvard apartments, used for meetings and a club suite and lounging headquarters. This arrangement proved satisfactory under the circumstances.
The Omicron Owl continues:
Articles of incorporation for the Alumni Association of the Omicron Chapter of Psi Upsilon were taken out July 9th. The directors include brothers N. Jacobson ‘08, E. L. Murphy ‘07, I B. Foster ‘17, W. B. Hayne ‘18, and N. Utley ‘18. The officers are E. L. Murphy, president, I A. Foster, secretary, and W. B. Hayne, treasurer.
In the autumn of 1924 the Omicron moved into its new home, 313 Armory Avenue, on the southwest corner of Fourth Street and Armory. At the time of the installation the Chapter House had been at 606 East Green Street. Later a move was made to 410 East Green Street. The Diamond for November, 1924, records:
The mass and outline of the building develop a natural, rather than contrive picturesqueness. The style shows the same spirit which animated the Sixteenth Century Englishman, when he built in native style and period. Precisely the same careful attention to line and proportion, and right adaptation of features to their purposes are apparent throughout the building.
The front is dominated by two large chimneys and centered between them on the axis of the lot and circle is the main entrance of stone. This feature rises to a height above the second story window sills, where it is topped by the Ancient Owl, and because it is symbolic, it becomes the main feature of the exterior of the building.
The materials used chiefly for the walls are a rough textured brick which will he treated with a special whitewash. The window lintels are of stone, as are also the porch piers of the living porch on the south.
The Committee of loyal alumni whose hard work has made possible this splendid and unique addition to our chapter houses deserve a very considerable expression of appreciation. Under their direction the funds were collected and the plans were drawn by an eminent architect of Chicago. The speed with which the house was completed is further testimony of the ability of this committee. We could not neglect to mention the generosity of the alumni of the Omicron who have made it possible to erect this fine new monument to Psi Upsilon. These tangible aspects of love for the fraternity give expression to those finer sentiments which most of the time do not appear to the public eye, and while Psi Upsilon does not advocate the building of unduly expensive chapter houses it does take pride in having its undergraduates well housed.
On May 3, 4, 1985, the Omicron celebrated its Silver Jubilee, marking twenty-five years as an integral part of Psi Upsilon, twenty-five years of which the Omicron can justly be proud. Eighty-three Psi U’s attended the ceremonies at which the President of the University spoke. The Omicron Alumni Association presented a bronze plaque to the Chapter which is affixed to the front out side wall of the house.
The Omicron is a young Chapter, but its foundations have been care fully laid. Today it stands at the head of the fraternities on the campus of the University of Illinois. Its sons have brought eminence and success to Psi Upsilon and the Omicron. Dean Fred H. Rankin ‘87, arid Professor Frederick Green ‘89, did much to build the Chapter of today. The pioneer work of Professor Charles M. Moss, Pi ‘77, and Dr. Augustus F. Nightingale, Xi ‘66, will always abide in the memory of the Omicron.
It is impossible here to mention all of the sons of the Omicron who through the years have been its de voted and loyal supporters. Emmett L. Murphy ‘07, Franklin T. Kegley ‘08, Harmon V. Swart ‘06, have been bulwarks of the Chapter. Roy E. Taylor ‘07, George S. Pope ‘06, Harrison F. Gonnerman ‘08, Hal E. Ercanbrach ‘09, Richard W. Bardwell ‘10, Charles W. Graham ‘10, Cyrus W. Bridenthal ‘11, Justin W. Shrader ‘11, Roger S. Isaacson ‘11, Harold S. Fielder ‘11, Thomas F. Hanley ‘12, Joseph H. Checkley ‘13, Russell C. Rottger ‘13, Harold H. Egan ‘14, Cassius P. Fletcher ‘14, prominent in diplomacy, Daniel F. Comstock ‘15, Burtis J. Dolan ‘15, John L. MeKeown ‘15, famous Olympic hurdler, were among the many early builders of the Omicron. They were followed by Vernon W. Behel, Jr., ‘16, Christian I Gross ‘17, prominent diplomat, Earl W. Anderson ‘18, of the faculty of Ohio State University, Francis C. Hardie ‘18, Nelson M. Utley ‘18, Alfred H. Morton ‘19, of the Radio Corporation of America, and many others.
The Omicron has had its share of scholars; C. Lyman Emrich ‘32, a lawyer in Chicago, who was a Rhodes Scholar; great athletes, such as John L. McKeown ‘15, John C. Depler ‘21, Charles R. Carney ‘22, and Tracy 5, Barrett ‘28, to name but a few.
The Omicron’s foundations have been well laid; its future is secure, a bright jewel in our fraternal crown.
No sadness e’er can enter here,
Joy smiles upon us all the year;
While hand in hand like brothers true,
We faithful stand to old Psi U.
Oscar Kuhns, Xi ‘85.
Material has been submitted and suggestions made by Frederick Green ‘89, Emmett L. Murphy ‘07, and James F. Donahue, Jr., ‘38. The latter in 1937 prepared a short History of the Omicron.
Text and/or pictures courtesy of The Psi Upsilon International Fraternity, the Distinguished Alumni section of the Xi Chapter’s website, www.xiofpsiu.org, which was compiled and written by Matt Tuccillo ’95 and constructed by Kenneth Andersen ’97, and Annals of Psi Upsilon; 1833-1941 Peter A. Gabauer, ed., (Executive Council of Psi Upsilon, New York, 1941).
Famous Alumni
Famous Alums
Famous Alums
“…All Who Wear the Emblem of the Chosen Few…”
From Ford, Rockefeller, and Vanderbilt to the author of The Da Vinci Code and father of the iPod – the roster of Psi U alumni across the nation reads like a “who’s who” of American life. Since its founding in 1833, Psi U has distinguished itself by attracting and molding a staggering number of leaders across a broad range of pursuits and fields. Psi Upsilon brothers have won Oscars and Tonys, the Heisman Trophy and Wimbledon, Pulitzer Prizes and the Nobel Peace Prize. Our ranks have included screenwriters and directors, Hall of Fame players and coaches, award winning playwrights and best selling authors, captains of industry and international statesmen, justices on the United States Supreme Court, Senators and Governors, FBI and CIA Directors, a Canadian Prime Minister, and two United States Presidents.
Prominent Brothers of the Omicron Chapter
| The Omicron Chapter of Psi U was founded May 28, 1910, and its brothers have left their mark on campus, in the professional world, and on Psi Upsilon fraternity ever since. If you know of someone who deserves mention and has been omitted in error, please email the alumni secretary, psiuoalumsec@gmail.com, with the proper information and he will update the website. Please note, professors are associated with their field of study where possible; otherwise they appear in the Education category. The introductory text was quoted in part from the Distinguished Alumni section of the Xi Chapter’s website, www.xiofpsiu.org, from Wesleyen Unversity which was compiled and written by Matt Tuccillo ’95 and constructed by Kenneth Andersen ’97. |
Agriculture
| Ted Funk ’27 Industry leader in agriculture and livestock Brother Ted Funk graduated from the College of Agriculture in 1927 but his roots in central Illinois come from one of its most prominent families. According to the ACES website at the University of Illinois, in 1824 young Isaac Funk built his first home on a stand of timber now known as Funk’s Grove, 10 miles southwest of Bloomington. He prospered by buying land and raising cattle, driving them to Chicago, which he helped establish as a cattle market. For 40 years Isaac worked at increasing his cattle herds, adding to his land holdings, and raising his eight sons and one daughter. He died shortly after the Civil War. Isaac’s grandson Eugene Duncan (E.D.) grew up interested in providing seed for his neighbors, and after studying agriculture in Europe, E.D. returned home determined to start a family seed business. Joined by 12 members of the extended Funk family, E.D. formed Funk Bros. Seed Company, Inc. in 1901. Since those humble beginnings in 1824, generations of the Funk family have worked for the betterment of agriculture. The Funk family’s vision for the College of ACES Library, Information and Alumni Center as a place of information sharing inspired others to invest in the dream. The Funks’ dedication to agriculture can be seen today throughout McLean County, the state of Illinois, the United States, and the world. Brother Funk was a director of Funk Brothers Seed Company, which eventually was bought out in 1974 by a company which eventually formed the basis of Syngenta – a multibillion dollar agribusiness. Brother Funk was managing trustee of Funk Farms from 1927 to 1975, president of Funk’s Grove Grain Company, vice president of the National Livestock Producers, and president of the Chicago Producers Commission Association. In 1977, Brother Funk was named Agriculturist of the Year by the McLean County Livestock Association. During the Eisenhower administration, he served on the advisory board of the Commodity Credit Corporation. In memory of his father, Brother Funk’s son has established the Theodore Funk Scholarships in the University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES). These scholarships are awarded yearly to Illinois resident junior or senior level students with a demonstrated commitment to, and career interests in, the beef cattle industry. | |
| R. Clayton “Doc” Ainsworth ’37 Hybrid Corn Breeder R. Clayton “Doc” Ainsworth ’37 was a hybrid corn breeder and loyal member of the chapter. He worked for Iowa State University and Funk Brothers Seed Company before founding Ainsworth Seed Company in 1941. He was the third generation of Ainsworths in seed corn production. He graduated from the University of Illinois with a bachelor’s degree in 1937 and received his master’s degree from the U of I in 1940. He was a founder and past president of Soybean Research Foundation, one of the first private soybean breeding organizations, and was a former director and past president of Illinois Foundation Seeds Inc. and Illinois Crop Improvement Association. Brother Ainsworth was a former director of Mason City National Bank and chairman of Mason City Drainage District. He was a member of the Mason City United Presbyterian Church, where he served as trustee and elder.He was also a member of the Mason City Rotary Club and Lincoln Elks Lodge 914. Information adapted from Brother Ainsworth’s obituary at http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2003/Nov/14/News_new/obit.shtml#Ainsworth | |
| Brent Langman ’87 American Shorthorn Association Director of Communications and Marketing Brother Brent Langman grew up in St. Anne, Illinois, learning all aspects of the agricultre industry at Langman Farms, his family’s livestock, grain and trucking operation. He took his B.S. from the University of Illinois in 1987, majoring in Animal Science with an emphasis in agricultural communications, and began his career developing several trade publications. In addition to being the American Shorthorn Association’s point person for communications and marketing, he worked in essentially the same capacity for the National Livestock and Meat Board, now the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association, in the early 1990s. Brother Langman was also editor at Stagnito Communications and Watt Publishing developing titles in the animal production and food processing fields. |
Architecture
| A. Richard Williams FAIA ’36 Professor at numerous universities, including University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (1946-1970+) Distinguished visiting professor, College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture – University of Arizona, Tucson Designer of U of I’s College of Education building Few Psi U’s have a more distinguished record than Professor Dick Williams. His curriculum vitae reflects 70 some odd years of service to the profession, clients, and students across the nation. His work has been published many times and his summer studio, “Singassin” – also seen here in a drawing by Brother Williams, is featured in the book Cottage by Taunton Press. Operating also out of his Winter Studio in Tucson, “Camaralta” , he has consulted with cities and architectural firms across the U.S. and world, including Harry Weese, Associates and Perkins & Will in Chicago, SOM of Denver, RSP of Minneapolis, General Design, Branson, MO, Brooks/Albanese of Tucson, and Arco Progetti in Florence, Italy. Brother Williams has taught, lectured, or served on juries at 30 plus universities, including the Universities of Illinois, Arizona, UIC, UW-Milwaukee, Notre Dame, and Oklahoma State. He also has worked abroad with the University of Illinois, Versailles, France from 1965-1999, Notre Dame University in Rome, Italy from 1978-2002, and with the American Academy in Rome, Italy from 1964-2002. After graduation from Champaign with a medal from the AIA, Brother Williams did his graduate work at MIT, receiving the MIT Medal in 1937. One of his earliest drawings associated with Psi U may be seen on the front page in the “Renovation Project” banner; the renderings are based off a drawing of the chapter house completed by Brother Williams in conjunction with a renovation project from the 1950s. In recent years, Brother Williams has designed the new St. Ignace Public Library, which was dedicated on June 18, 2005. He also completed a summer residence for the Wellman family on La Salle Island in the Les Chenneau Archipelago in Cedarville, Michigan. Brother Williams also has been very generous to the School of Architecture at the University of Arizona, Tucson, donating the “Archon Seminar” conference room as penthouse on top of the new CALA building, scheduled for completion in December ’06. The university website quotes Brother Williams on his donation: I wanted to foster a physical space in the new building that would embody and serve to host interdisciplinary projects that provoke future comprehensive imagery; intertwining technology, land ethic, energy and environmental husbandry, humanistic, aesthetic inhabitation and cultural advance all as a singulariaty. This is the Archon Seminar Room. His most recent work is the book Archipelago – Critiques of Contemporary Architecture and Education , published in 2009 by the University of Illinois Press. A small sampling of Brother Williams’ awards include: AIA Honor Awards: U. of Illinois College of Education Urbana/Champaign Concordia College Library, Springfield Own Residence, Champaign 2nd Appellate Court, Elgin Other Honors: Illinois Medal – U of I School of Architecture University of Illinois Faculty Award: Hon. Phi Kappa Phi: 1960 AIA State of Illinois Education Medal: 1986 ACSA Distinguished Professor Award: 1986 Fellow AIA: 1971 Fellow ARC, Art, Religion and Contemporary Culture: 2001 University of Arizona, Architecture Alumni Award: 1996 |
In April 1958 the Omicron Arrow published the following article about Brother Williams’ work:
PSI U ARCHITECT BUILDS OWN HOME BRINGING ORIENTAL FLAVOR TO C-U
One of the most difficult things for an architect to do is design and build his own home. But difficult or not, many of them do it … and Brother A. Richard Williams ’36 is no exception. “Dick” is a professor of the University of Illinois architecture faculty, with his office at 103 Architecture Building.
For Brother Williams, whose drawing of the Omicron house appears in the fund raising brochure of the Omicron building fund, the process of designing and building his home is a continuing one.
Begins Remodeling
He built his compact but roomy contemporary bachelor home at 1411 W. University Ave., Champaign, about eight years ago. Recently he started an extensive remodeling project that will change just about everything but the ground on which it stands.
Brother Williams summed up the architect’s problem by saying, “You see so many things that you like. And you obviously can’t use them all in one house or clutter up the effect.”
So it becomes a “boiling down” process—a sorting out of a few ideas that will go well together and building the plans around these few.
Theme Is Oriental
Oriental art and design always have fascinated Dick. He has spent some time in the Far East and picked up many architectural ideas there. So it was natural for him to use this theme in his home. What he wanted from the start was a house and garden that would | tie into each other in such a way that it would be difficult to see where one ended and the other began.
Idea Too New
But when he started his plans he realized that this idea was too new and unfamiliar to fit into the housing patterns of the Midwest. So he settled for a modified oriental theme, and built the entire home himself. Now he is going ahead with his original plans. He feels the final effect will be accepted now because the Eastern influence has be come so popular in recent years.
The present house is a low structure with no side windows and just one on the front, at the kitchen end. But the back of the house, with exposure to the south, is a solid wall of windows, looking out onto the garden.
House Is L-Shaped
The house is shaped in an L, with a study projected toward the back at the southeast corner. The living area, bath and bedroom are in the lower part of the L, across the front.
The kitchen and living room are separated by a central work unit core. On one side is a fireplace and a speaker for the radio and hi-fi set. The compact kitchen is backed against the other side and the center is used for storage.
The core has no structural importance and will be moved when the remodeling gets underway. The Oriental influence in the room is obvious. The floor is covered with rice straw matting and furniture consists of low cushions, two flush to the floor and two set up on short legs. Chairs are of the low, floor-hugging variety.
Low Ceiling Unnoticed
Brother Williams pointed out that even the ceiling is lower than normal, but this is difficult to notice because everything else is in the same perspective. The fact that the window wall at the back of the room extends from floor to ceiling helps to heighten the room.
The front wall is finished in rough-textured Chicago common brick, as is the floor of the study, two steps down. The study is set on a slab, but the rest of the house has a crawl space beneath for plumbing and heating.
Blend Home, Garden
The purpose of Brother Williams remodeling project is to enclose the garden and make it seem more like a part of the house. About the only thing that will be left as it is will be the plumbing and heating. The side walls will be extended to the back of the lot where they will turn in to form a bracing effect. The space beyond, which will contain a carport, will be backed up by a wooden fence.
Dick hopes the area between the brick wings and the fence will give the idea of a stage.
The final product, expected to be finished by the end of the summer, will provide more space, both real and imagined.
| Paul H. Johnston AIA ‘71.5 Oculus, Inc. – Director, Dallas Office Brother Johnston ‘71.5 is the Director of the Dallas branch of Oculus , a full service architectural, strategic facility planning, interior design, and move management firm with offices in St. Louis, Dallas, and Chicago. He serves as the main point of contact for their Texas-based clients. He is a licensed architect with over 30 years of national and international experience designing and managing projects ranging from $1 million to over $500 million. Prior to joining Oculus Inc., he managed the design of several large scale theme parks from London to Kuala Lumpur and managed the programming, design, construction documents, construction administration, and move services for the national portfolio of Lincoln Financial Advisors, which consisted of over 50 locations. He has significant experience with retail “roll-out” including the following clients: Successories, PrimeCo (now known as Verizon), InMotion Pictures, SBC, Steak & Ale, Bennigans, Brandywine Collectables, 7-Eleven, and Bank of America through The Trammell Crow Company. Currently, Paul is managing several projects with Henry S. Miller Commercial, one of Texas’s oldest and most respected real estate firms. Brother Johnston has a Bachelor of Architecture degree from the University of Illinois and is a member of the American Institute of Architects. He has lived and practiced in the Dallas area for over 26 years and is very active in the community through church functions and the Dallas Hearts and Hammers Program. Information courtesy of Brother Johnston and the Oculus website. |
Illini Athletics
| The Omicron’s Most Accomplished Athletes | |
| Charles Carney ’22 Member of the U of I’s “All Century” basketball team Member – College Football Hall of Fame Varsity “I” Man of the Year, 1979 Chuck Carney became the first Big Ten athlete to be named a football (1920) and basketball (1920 & 1922) All-American. Carney was a two-time All-American in basketball and was named Helms Foundation National Player of the Year in 1922. He set the Western Conference basketball scoring record that stood for 22 years. The following article by Loren Tate attests to Brother Carney’s athletic legacy. “Only Grange was Worth More than ‘I-Man’ Carney” By Loren Tate – The News-Gazette, Friday, August 24, 1979 How good was Chuck Carney? That’s a tough question after 58 years. But Chuck will be here to explain that he “did pretty good in my day” when he is the honored guest at the Varsity-I banquet September 14 [1979]. Carney, who’ll be 79 tomorrow, stands as the only Fighting Illini athlete in history to make consensus All-America in both football and basketball. Since he enrolled in the war year 1918, he earned four football letters and played on two Big Ten champions. He helped to popularize the forward pass from his end position and was named to Walter Camp’s A-A team in 1920. According to former I-Man of the Year George Halas (who offered him $300 per game to play in Chicago), only the immortal Red Grange was worth more during that period. At 6-1½ and 190, Carney was one of the Big Ten’s tallest basketball performers and earned first-team A-A honors with the Helms Foundation in 1920 and 1922. According to the Big Ten record book, the UI’s only other consensus All-Americans were Pick Dehner (1938-39), Bill Hapac (1940), Andy Phillip (1943), Walt Kirk (1945), Bill Erickson (1949), Don Sunderlage (1951) and Rod Fletcher (1952). Carney was clearly ahead of his time in basketball. The record of Illini scoring in the first half-century, from Edward Ryan’s 8.5 average in 1907 to Wally Osterkorn’s 15.1 in 1950, shows only one superior point producer — Whiz Kid Andy Phillip with 16.9 in 1943. Carney averaged 16.5 in 1920, doubling such successors as the late Wally Roetger (8.6 in 1923) and Dr. Leland Stilwell (7.6 in 1924). Years later, when Lou Boudreau and Harry Combes were leading the Illini in 1936-37, they did not attain double figures. “It was a different school, a different game then,” said Carney Thursday from his Manchester, Massachusette home. “The university only had about 5,000 students, and the stadium wasn’t even built yet. There were no scholarships and no one was paid to play, although, Walter Cragle worked in the gym for $1 an hour. I didn’t need a scholarship because my dad could support me and did.” Hailing from Evanston, Carney never intended to make athletics more than an avocation. He helped coach at Northwestern and Wisconsin and later at Harvard, and he played some post-college basketball, but his interest was in stock brokerage and he never deviated. “If I knew professional football was out when I injured my knee” (midway in the 1921 season),” he said. “I could have played with the pros. Our quarterback, Larry Walquist, only weighed about 160 and he stuck with the Bears for 10 years.” Walquist and Carney were the central figures in 1919 of what George Huff called “the greatest series of football plays I’ve ever seen.” It was against Ohio State in the final game, with Illinois seeking its second straight Big Ten title. Behind 7-6 with five minutes left, Illinois moved the ball from the Illini 20 to the Buckeye 20 on three Carney pass receptions. “Our regular kicker, Ralph Fletcher, was hurt,” recalled Carney. “So his younger brother, Bobby, who had never kicked a field goal, said he could do it. His kick hit the crossbar and bounced over, and we won 9-7. It was the only game Chick Harley (Ohio State All-American) ever lost.” A check of the records shows Carney’s memory is keen, and he reports his health good. “I’ve had some surgeries — the knee and a double hernia — but I’m doing fine. Nothing seriously wrong. My older brother is 83, and going strong. “But I’m not kidding myself. I want to get back one more time to see the university. It’s been 10 or 12 years since I was there. I can remember it before Memorial Stadium was built. I returned as an alum to see Red Grange run wild in the dedication game against Michigan. I knew how good he was from scrimmaging against him when he was a freshman (Carney was a senior). Honored with Carney in three weeks will be 16 teams enjoying reunions, from the 1919 championship football team to the 1974 championship fencing team. They will be feted September 14 at the Ramada Inn and again with a luncheon at 11 a.m. September 15 in the Varsity Room prior to the UI-Missouri contest. | |
| John L. “Laddy” McKeown ‘15 Illini & Olympian hurdler Famous Olympic hurdler, “Laddy” McKeown was 1914 conference champion in the 120 yard hurdles with a time of 15.8 seconds. He won three varsity letters as a member of the track team. Brother McKeown was a veteran of World War I, returning as a casualty after an airplane accident abroad. His Illio entry from that era reports the following: “Laddy” McKeown is destined to become one of the most talked-about athletes who ever wore an Orange and Blue track suit. For when ardent admirers of Coach Gill seek to drive home his efficacy, they point to McKeown as a tangible example. The art of high hurdling is perhaps the most difficult track event to master, yet Gill took “Laddy”, who never before had leaped a high stick, and in one season developed him into the undisputed champion of the Middle West. | |
| John C. Depler ’21 All-American center on the football team Coach at Illinois and Columbia Pioneer in the pro game Part of the Illini’s National Championship football team in 1919, Brother Depler was a three-time All American at center and team captain in 1920. Brother Depler was an assistant coach at Illinois for two seasons and was on the coaching staff at Columbia from 1922-1929. He was a pioneer in professional football, having founded the Brooklyn Dodgers and served as a player or coach for several teams. Later he became head of the New York Illini Club for 1931 & 1932 and headed the same club from 1959-1963. Later in his career, Brother Depler turned his professional attention to writing, authoring a column in the Lewistown newspaper and composing a book entitled The Years that Were, which was a collection of his columns about the Lewistown, Fulton County and Spoon River Areas. | |
| Eugene S. Kwas (a.k.a. Kwasniewski) ’46 Football – Letterwinner at halfback in 1945 and 1946 Played in the Illini’s 1947 Rose Bowl victory over UCLA As it states on fightingillini.com, “In the first Rose Bowl under the Big Ten-Pac 10 agreement, unheralded Illinois routed highly ranked UCLA, 45-14. Illinois running backs Julius Rykovich and Claude “Buddy” Young rushed for 103 yards apiece. During the course of the game, six different Illinois players scored touchdowns as the Fighting Illini racked up their first Bowl victory.” Psi U was represented on the field that day by Brother Eugene S. Kwas (a.k.a. Kwasniewski) ’46. Brother Kwas writes though his contribution on the field was minor, “it was a great experience and a memory I still treasure.” The Omicron Arrow of February 1946 reported the following about Brother “Kwas”: “When Illinois played Northwestern in football last fall, it was homecoming for Gene Kwasniewski, Illini right halfback and Omicron member. Playing against the Wildcats in Evanston had long been an ambition of this grinning sophomore, a dream that was delayed for three years while Kwasniewski was over in England and continental Europe dropping bombs on Axis nations for the U. S. army air forces. Gene was a brilliant athlete at Evanston township high school. He competed in four sports and had a total of 10 letters when he was graduated in June, 1942, three in football, three in basketball, two in track, and two in baseball. He entered Illinois that fall and was a member of one of the finest Illini freshman grid teams in history. With him in the backfield were Lou Levanti, Dike Eddleman, Julie Rykovich, and other top-notch collegiate prospects. The 1943 game with Northwestern at Evanston was to be a great one for “Kwas.” But a war call came and Gene was off to become a bombardier. Kwasniewski returned in October and began to bid for a job on the football team. He was slow rounding into shape. ‘Sitting in an airplane for years doesn’t help your legs,’ he said. But he began to perform in collegiate fashion within a few weeks and was a consistent ground gainer for the Illini during the season.” Brother Kwas served in the US Air Force during the years 1943-45. He writes, “I completed my training while in Big Spring, Texas and received my commission as a Bombardier in 1944. I was assigned to the European Theater of operation and stationed in Foggia, Italy. I was assigned to a B-17 Bombing Group and completed 25 bombing missions. I was awarded an Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters.” After his military and undergraduate days were over, Brother Kwas turned his attention to law school and beyond: “To bring you up to date, after graduating fro Law School in 1950, I joined the FBI as an agent for a period of five years. My next career move was to join Allstate Insurance where I worked for 28 years. I retired in 1984 as Vice President and Director of Security. My wife, Lillian, to whom I have been married for 56 years, and I chose to retire in Austin, Texas. While I attempted to practice law, I quickly succumbed to a life of leisure and devoted most of my time to playing golf, travel, some charity work, etc.” | |
| Richard S. “Dick Kewpie” Barrett ’28 Professional baseball player for the Chicago Cubs, Boston Braves, Philadelphia A’s and Phillies, and the PCL’s Seattle Indians and Seattle Rainiers Three sport Illini athlete Strikeout king of the PCL One of the chapter’s most colorful members and accomplished athletes is Richard S. Barrett ’28, better known by the pseudonym under which he played professional ball, “Dick Kewpie”. According to baseballlibrary.com, “This [Brother Barrett] roly-poly wartime big leaguer was a Pacific Coast League standout, with seven 20-win seasons, 234 wins, and the league’s most career strikeouts. After an 0-4 start with the Cubs in 1943, he was sold to the Phillies and responded with a 14-inning, 1-0 blanking of Cincinnati. His 20 losses led the NL in 1945.” Brother Barrett played baseball well into his 40s and Seattle’s fans affectionately called him their “Little Round Man”. Brother Barrett was a three sport athlete for Illinois, playing football, basketball, and baseball, but baseball was his love. He chose to leave school in the first semester of his senior year to pursue a pro baseball career under the assumed name “Dick Oliver”. When word of his summer pro ball exploits got out, he was stripped of his varsity letters and never returned to Champaign, though he always thought fondly of his time as an Illini and maintained his love for the Orange and Blue. His most successful years were clearly in Seattle, and according to HistoryLink, the online Washington State history website, was a legendary pitcher for Seattle’s PCL teams. The following is excerpted from Ron Richardson’s article Seattle Indians: A Forgotten Chapter in Seattle Baseball on the HistoryLink website: “…Perhaps the most memorable performance of the day was not second baseman Eddie Fernandes, “Wee” Coyle, or assorted law officers. The man of the day was roly poly “Kewpie” Dick Barrett (1906-1966), Seattle Indians’ pitcher. His contract included a $250 dollar bonus if he won 20 games in the 1937 season. He had 18 wins when he took the mound for the first game of the season ending doubleheader. Barrett shut down Sacramento on four hits and won his 19th game, 4 to 1. Leo Lassen reported the clubhouse drama for the P-I. Indians’ owner Bill Klepper appeared in the clubhouse between games and ordered the Indians manager, Johnny Bassler (1895-1979) to pitch Marion Oppelt in the second game. Klepper wanted assurance that he would not have to pay Barrett the $250 bonus. Bassler’s answer was “I’m running this ball club and Barrett is going to pitch!” “This will cost you plenty” was Klepper’s reply. The team held a short meeting and assured Barrett that they would win number 20 for him (Lassen). Barrett had been injured in the first game when a line drive cracked off his foot, yet he took the mound for the second game. Barrett held Sacramento to two hits and won 11 to 2. “Kewpie Dick” had become an Iron Man that day earning his bonus. If anyone was deserving of a bonus it was “Kewpie” Dick Barrett. Starting in 1935 Barrett was a 20-game winner in seven of the next eight seasons. He was often the Pacific Coast League leader in wins, strikeouts, and innings pitched. He also set the minor league career record for walks at 2,096. As legendary Seattle broadcaster Leo Lassen put it, ‘Roses are red, violets are blue. Barrett is pitching, it’s three and two.'” Information from the University of Illinois Biographical Archives, http://www.historylink.org/ and http://www.baseballlibrary.com/ | |
| Park Brown ’41 Cross Country and Track – Team Captain and Five-Time Letterwinner Brother Brown was a five-time letterwinner for track in ’39-’40-’41 and cross country in ’38 and ’40. He was team captain and record holder in the half mile. Brother Brown was awarded the Big 10 conference medal for athletics and scholarship and was president of the Tribe of Illini for the spring term of 1941. | |
| Norman Lewis ’38 Swimming – All American Two-time letterwinner in 1936 and ’37, Brother Lewis was an All-American and team captain during his time in Champaign. He held the Big 10 record in the 220 yard freestyle in his day and also was team captain of the water polo team. | |
| Herschel G. “Bucky” Benson ’44 Hockey – Starter at left wing for two Big 10 Championship Teams Herschel, or “Bucky” as he was better known, played left wing for the Illini hockey team from 1942-43. He lettered each of those two years and was a starter on two Big Ten championship teams. Herschel had 24 goals and 18 assists throughout his Illini career. He also had one career “hat trick” in which he scored three goals all in one period. Information adapted from http://fightingillini.cstv.com/sports/varsity/spec-rel/081000aao.html | |
| George O. Hoffman ’27 Baseball – Three time letterwinner Three-time letterwinner 1925, 26, and 27, Brother Hoffman led the Illini in hitting in ’26 batting fifth in the lineup. He played first base, right field, and was also a pitcher at times. | |
| George T. Webster ’30 Swimming and Water Polo – Team Captain Captain of the water polo team, Brother Webster was a three-time letterwinner for the Illini swimming program. | |
| Jason Van Swol ’04 Track – All American and Five-time Big 10 Champ at 800 meters Brother Van Swol’s profile at fightingillini.com reads like a walk through of the U. of I. track record book. He was Big 10 champ at 800 meters a total of five times and garnered All American honors at that distance. He competed at the Olympic Trials, the Drake Relays, and at the NCAA Championships, where he finished 8th in 2001. Brother Van Swol was Big 10 Freshman of the Year and still holds some of the fastest times in Illini track history. According to Brother Tom Fox ’00, “[Jason] used to work at White Horse and was friends with a couple guys in the chapter house who got him to join his senior year. He graduated in ’02 I think and was a part of our 2004 class. He now teaches high school and coaches track and/or cross country.” Information adapted from http://fightingillini.cstv.com/sports/m-track/mtt/vanswol_jason01.html | |
| Baseball | |
| John C. “Jack” Hester ’54 | Letterwinner in 1952 |
| Richard S. “Dick Kewpie” Barrett ’28 | See listing above |
| George Hoffman ’27 | Three-time letterwinner 1925, 26, and 27, Brother Hoffman led the Illini in hitting in ’26 batting fifth in the lineup. He played first base, right field, and was also a pitcher at times. |
| Charles Carney ’22 | See listing above |
| Basketball | |
| Gene T. McCarthy ’49 | Two year starter for the U of I while at Navy Pier |
| Harry Martin ’41 | |
| Richard S. “Dick Kewpie” Barrett ’28 | See listing above |
| Charles Carney ’22 | See listing above |
| Earl W. Anderson ’18 | Captain of the basketball team, Brother Anderson also lettered in track. He was Big 10 All-Conference in basketball 1918 and a member of the Tribe of Illini. |
| Billiards | |
| John Scott (pledge class?) | First place Union Billiards Tournament, 1937 |
| Cheerleading | |
| F.F. “Bud” Webster ’27 | |
| Russ Hughes ’26 | |
| Foosball | |
| Chris Jones ’90 | Campus champions, 1990 |
| Dean Marinakis ’90 | |
| Football | |
| Marshall “Mush” Smith ‘51 | According to Brother Gene McCarthy ’49, Mush Smith was one of the finest ends of his day, but injuries cut short a career which had pro potential. He was a letterwinner in 1948. |
| Eugene S. Kwas, a.k.a. Kwasniewski ’46 | Letterwinner in 1945 and 1946 – see entry above |
| Kelly Cox ‘43 | First athletic director of Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, Illinois, he was inducted into the Lake County High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2004, Played one year of football at Illinois. |
| Edward Roozen ’39 | |
| Mark B. Swanson ’33 | Letterwinner in 1930 |
| Charles “Chuck” Hall ’30 | Two time letterwinner in both 1928 and ’30, Brother Hall was a starting halfback. |
| Richard S. “Dick Kewpie” Barrett ’28 | See listing above |
| Charles Carney ’22 | See listing above |
| John C. Depler ’21 | See listing above |
| Golf | |
| George S. Culp ’50 | Captain of the team according to the November 1949 Omicron Arrow (unconfirmed) |
| John D. Culp Jr. ’44 | Two time letterwinner in 1947 and 1949 |
| Paul F. Cockrell ’30 | Letterwinner in 1927 |
| Charles M. Fish ’28 | Captain of the 1928 Big 10 championship team; letterwinner 1927 and 1928 |
| Jack Cullen’27 | |
| Bill Mason class? | Letterwinner in 1926 |
| Chick Speakman class? | |
| David Swank ’28? | Illini coach |
| Gymnastics | |
| Robert W. Murray ’52 | Letterwinner in 1951 |
| Hockey | |
| Matt Wienke ’97 | |
| Thomas J. Karakas ’45 | Letterwinner in 1943 |
| Lacrosse | |
| Peter Witkowski ‘08.5 | Participated his freshman year; sophomore year he sat out with a jaw injury. |
| Jason Ornduff ’93 | Played all four years while in the house, 1989-1993 |
| Naser Shams ’91 | Played 1990-1991 |
| Polo | |
| Tom Cunningham ’43 | Letterwinner in 1941 |
| Selim Tideman Jr. ’37 | Unconfirmed |
| Joseph Bode Mountjoy ’37 | Unconfirmed |
| Edward Roozen ’39 | Unconfirmed |
| Grable B. Weber ’37 | Unconfirmed |
| Rugby | |
| John Szwast ‘02 | |
| Swimming | |
| Harry Madsen ’51 – Letterwinner in 1950 and 1951 | |
| Gene T. McCarthy ’49 | Also active on the water polo team |
| Norman Lewis ’38 | See listing above |
| George A. Webster ’30 | See listing above |
| Tennis | |
| William E. McCoy ’39 | Two-time letterwinner in 1937 and 1938, Brother McCoy was team captain and played first singles his senior year. |
| Aubrey O. Cookman ’35 | |
| W. Robert Brown ’32 | |
| Track and Cross Country | |
| Jason Van Swol ’04 | See listing above |
| Jeff Van Echaute ’80 | Hurdler (unconfirmed) |
| Steve Childs ’77 | Javelin (unconfirmed) |
| Charles “Tony” Cram ’45 | Unconfirmed |
| Henry Diettrich ’44 | Two-time letterwinner: CC in 1941 and Track in 1942 |
| Everett G. “Red” Andrews ’43 | Team member for two years, specializing in the quarter mile, and while in the Army during WWII, he participated in the Military Olympics in Germany. |
| Art Wood ’43 | Three-time letterwinner: CC in 1940 and 1942, Track in 1941; also a member of the Tribe of Illini. Brother Wood captained the Cross Country team in 1942 and ran in the prestigious Drake Relays two times. On an interesting side note, it was Brother Wood and Brother Jess Hammer ’43 who did the inventory on the chapter house as it closed down during WWII and was handed over to the Navy WAVES. |
| Park Brown ’41 | See entry above |
| John Barth ’35 | |
| Earl W. Anderson ’18 | |
| John D. Culp ’16 | Three-time letterwinner in 1914, 1915, and 1916 |
| John L. “Laddy” McKeown ’15 | See listing above |
| Water Polo | |
| Norman Lewis ’38 | See listing above |
| George A. Webster ’30 | Team captain, see entry under the swim team |
| Herb Hall ’30 | |
| Wrestling | |
| Naser Shams ’91 |
Business
| Shigeki Makino ’87 Former Chief Investment Officer Putnam Investments Global Core Equity Fund Brother “Shagg” Makino, as those who knew him back in the day, writes: I graduated from the University of Chicago in 1990 with an MBA. At that time, I wrapped up my small investment management firm, Machtel, which I had started in college while at Psi U. Always had an avid interest in stocks since high school, and my MBA gave me an opportunity to pursue a career picking stocks with Fidelity Investments. So, I threw away the keys to my computer engineering degree from the U of I and my experience gained interning repeatedly at IBM and Andersen Consulting, and joined the Boston based firm. Fido, as it is referred to, gave me a list of companies, a phone, and said, “have at it!” Luckily for me, I was given responsibility for Cisco, immediately after its IPO and Microsoft right after the launch of Windows 3.0, and the rest is history. A monkey would have gotten those stocks right, and I did. I wasn’t long for the US, and with a fiance already working in Japan, I successfully planned a wedding in Chicago, a honeymoon en-route to Tokyo where I began work as an analyst for Fidelity covering technology. All the shine from Cisco and Microsoft lasted long enough to enable me to become a fund manager after three years, quite a short tenure for the vaunted leap to fund manager. I managed Fidelity’s first onshore mutual fund in 1995, but moved with Fido to Hong Kong in 1996. I went on to manage a top ranked Pacific Basin mutual fund while maintaining my Japan Fund duties. After the handover in Hong Kong, my family and I headed to London where I became Director of Research for European equities. There I coached and mentored about 50 analysts. Reuters named Fido’s European Research tops in Europe during my stay. All along, I had aspirations to run global money, and in 2000, I returned to Boston with Putnam investments. In 2004, I became Chief Investment Officer for Global Core Equity where I am responsible for managing global equity portfolios. The family and I enjoy traveling in search of history, culture, good food, and new experiences. We have been to roughly 70 countries in search of the above with Myanmar and Malawi two of our favorites. |
| Larry Rakers ’86 Vice President and Portfolio Manager for Fidelity Investments Brother Rakers is a vice president and portfolio manager for Fidelity Investments, the largest mutual fund company in the United States, the No. 1 provider of workplace retirement savings plans and a leading online brokerage firm. He manages Fidelity Balanced Fund, Fidelity Advisor Balanced Fund and VIP: Balanced Portfolio. In total, these funds have over $20 billion in assets. Brother Rakers notes, “I have managed the Fidelity Balanced Fund since Early 2002 and have done a pretty good job. I have beaten about 99% of my peers (as defined by Lipper). Morningstar gives the fund its highest rating (5 stars) and in an August 2006 issue of Baron’s I was mentioned in their listing of Top 100 Fund managers.” Traditionally Fidelity has developed their diversified Fund managers by hiring graduates from business school and having them work as analysts and portfolio managers in a variety of different industries. This helps to explain his career path at Fidelity. Mr. Rakers joined Fidelity as an equity research analyst in 1993, and followed the restaurant, precious metals and coal industries. Mr. Rakers managed Fidelity Select Gold Portfolio from 1995 to 1997 and managed Fidelity Select Precious Metals and Minerals Portfolio and Fidelity Select Paper and Forest Products Portfolio from 1996 to 1997. He managed Fidelity Select Energy Portfolio, Fidelity Select Natural Resources Portfolio and Fidelity Advisor Natural Resources Fund, and served as sector leader of Fidelity’s natural resources equity research group from 1997 to 1999. Mr. Rakers managed Fidelity Select Computers Portfolio and Fidelity Advisor Technology Portfolio from January 2000 and Fidelity Select Technology Portfolio from February 2000 until June 2001. He was also technology sector leader from January 2000 to June 2001. Mr. Rakers also managed Fidelity Convertible Securities Fund from June 2001 until February 2002, when he assumed management responsibility for Fidelity Balanced Fund. He began managing Fidelity Advisor Balanced Fund and VIP: Balanced Portfolio in June 2005.Before joining Fidelity, Mr. Rakers was a project engineer for Loral Corporation in Lexington, Massachusetts, from 1986 to 1993. Born in 1963, Mr. Rakers received bachelor of science (Bronze Tablet) and master of science degrees in metallurgical engineering from the University of Illinois in 1985 and 1987 respectively. He also received an MBA from Northeastern University in 1993. Brother Rakers also notes: “Brother Shigeki Makino played an instrumental role in helping me get my first job at Fidelity. Shagg called me in May of 1990, looking for a place to stay during a summer internship he had at Fidelity. I was an engineer in the Boston area at the time (and happened to have an extra bedroom in my apartment). Shagg was fortunate enough to get the Communication equipment stocks as his summer assignment. He would come home late at night and tell me stories about working with Peter Lynch and other fund managers. His favorite stock at the time was Cisco Systems (which has appreciated 40x since then). It was pretty clear to me that Shagg had found a special career and a special place to work. Anyway he ended up getting a full time job at Fidelity and told me when I completed my MBA he would try to help me get an interview. Shagg did indeed help me get that first interview and I have tried to make the most of that good fortune.” |
| Michael Mikhail Ph.D. ’86 Associate Professor of Accountancy Arizona State University – W.P. Carey School of Business Brother Mikhail received his BS and MAS degrees from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and an MBA and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago. He previously taught at MIT’s Sloan School of Management where he was the inaugural holder of the Theodore T. Miller Chair and at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business where he received the Executive MBA Program’s Excellence in Teaching Award. Professor Mikhail’s research interests are in the use of financial information by capital market participants, primarily securities analysts. His work examines the forecast accuracy of securities analysts and explores the determinants of analysts’ forecasting ability, stock recommendation profitability, and the job consequences of poor performance. Professor Mikhail has also studied the effects of earnings quality on market participants’ reactions to other information provided by the firm and to the cost of capital. His research has appeared in the Journal of Accounting Research, The Accounting Review, the Journal of Accounting and Economics, the Journal of Financial Economics and the Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Finance. He currently serves as a member of The Accounting Review’s Editorial Advisory and Review Board and as an ad-hoc reviewer for several other academic journals. Prior to becoming an academic, he was a Senior Consultant with Arthur Andersen’s Tax and Corporate Finance Practice in Chicago. Professor Mikhail and his wife Sheila have a daughter in high school. |
| J. Eric Smith ’79 President and CEO Swiss Re Americas J. Eric Smith is the President and CEO of Swiss Re Americas, responsible for leading the company’s Property and Casualty (P&C;) and Life and Health (L&H;) reinsurance businesses in the US, Canada, Latin America and the Caribbean. Prior to this, Brother Smith was President of USAA Life Insurance Company, a Fortune 250 financial services company located in San Antonio, TX. Eric joined USAA in January 2010 and oversees product development, strategic marketing and member service solutions for USAA’s Life Insurance Company. USAA Life Insurance Company, which has the highest ratings from A.M. Best and Standard & Poor’s, has $17.4 billion in assets under management and $306 billion in life insurance in force as of Dec. 31, 2009. Prior to joining USAA, he was President of Allstate Financial Services, LLC, and was a member of the Allstate Financial Executive Committee. While at Allstate, Eric was responsible for the distribution of all financial products through the Allstate Agency channel, a $3.5B business, which was the largest within the Allstate Financial group. Eric also spent more than 20 years with Country Insurance and Financial Services. His positions there included Corporate Vice President of Marketing, Regional Vice President of Agency, and Director of Agency Development. Eric graduated with a degree in Finance and holds an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Business. He also holds the designations of Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and Chartered Financial consultant (ChFC) from the American College. Eric currently serves on the ACLI Executive Committee, and the GAMA executive leadership council. He is also a trustee of the American College. |
| Michael W. Kanzler ’76 CFO OPTIMA, inc. |
| Marshall F. “Marsh” Smith ’51 President and Chief Operating Officer, Member of the Board of Directors – Indian Head, Inc. President – TBG, U.S. Division President and CEO – Commodore Computers Brother Smith was the chief executive at Indian Head, Inc., a former textile firm which grew to be a conglomerate with diversified industrial holdings that included acontainers company, metal and automotive technology manufacturing plants, construction products and textile companies. Thyssen-Bornemisza Group N.V. (TBG, an international holdings company, purchased a controlling interest in the company, and Marshall became president of the U.S. division of TBG. He retired from TBG in 1986 and then served two years as president and chief executive officer of Commodore Computers. During his career he served on several advisory boards, including the University of Illinois, Clarkson University School of Business, Manufacturers-Hanover Bank, and was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the Board of the Young Astronauts Program. Born in Chicago, Illinois Brother Smith took his degree in accounting from the U of I and later did graduate work at the University of Chicago and Northwestern Universities. Prior to taking the helm at Indian Head, he worked for the United States Steel Corporation for sixteen years, rising to Comptroller of the U.S. Steel Products Division. During his undergraduate days, Brother Smith was an end for the football team, earning a varsity letter in 1948. Brother Gene McCarthy reports that “Mush” was a feared pass rusher and had pro potential before injuries pushed him in another direction. |
| Frederick A. Nichols ’29 President and Director Tribune Company Brother Nichols, who began his career during the Depression selling classified advertising for the Chicago Tribune and rose to become president of Tribune Company – the only company he ever worked for. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, the legendary Colonel Robert McCormick assembled a team which was to lead the Tribune after his tenure, of which Brother Nichols was an integral part. He was influential in Tribune Co.’s acquisitions of newspapers in Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando, Florida, and in Van Nuys, California, and was chairman of the board for the Florida newspapers. On April 6, 1972, Mr. Nichols was elected president of Tribune Company by the board of directors, and he served in that job until December, 1974. He remained with the company as a member of the board of directors until he retired in 1977, when special tribute was paid to him at a stockholders’ meeting. “Fred Nichols was a man of great integrity who left his mark on Tribune Co. for years to come,†said Stanton R. Cook, president and chief executive officer of Tribune Co. As Brother John Stewart ’69 remembers, “Fred Nichols was a great man who was a big help to the house, and as I remember, very down to earth and unassuming.†A native Chicagoan, Mr. Nichols attended Parker High School before attending the University of Illinois. He served at various times as president of the National Epilepsy League, trustee of the Illinois Children’s Home and Aid Society and trustee of the Robert R. McCormick Charitable Trust. |
| Rexford S. Blazer ’28 Chairman of the Board Ashland Oil and Refining Company Recipiant University of Illinois Alumni Achievement Award Rex Blazer was Chairman of the Board – Ashland Oil and Refining Company, now known as the Ashland Inc., Founded in 1924 as a small eastern Kentucky refinery, Ashland Inc. has grown into a worldwide, multi-industry company. With sales and operating revenues of $9.3 billion in fiscal 2005, Ashland ranks among the nation’s top 500 companies based on revenues. In 1968, Brother Blazer was awarded the highest honor possible by the U of I Alumni Association, its Alumni Achievement Award, and like all illustrious winners of this honor, his portrait hangs in the Illini Union along its east corridor. Blazer was the feature of a Time magazine feature from November of 1967 entitled Outworking the Competition His church, says Rexford Blazer, 60, chairman of Ashland Oil & Refining Co., is convenient as well as a comfort. His company’s seven-story headquarters in the eastern Kentucky hill town of Ashland is directly across the street from Calvary Episcopal Church. On Sunday mornings, while other businessmen are still abed, Blazer works until church time, returns to his desk after services to work until dinnertime. Blazer, along with President Orin Atkins, 43, and other Ashland executives, follows what is more or less jocularly called the “Ashland Workweek.” It begins around 8 a.m., lasts ordinarily until midnight, runs seven days a week with only occasional breaks and brief vacations. “I don’t think we’re any smarter than the competition,” explains Blazer, “but I think we outwork them.” As a result, in the past five years Ashland has almost tripled sales to $805 million. This week Ashland will regroup 13 small chemical companies acquired since 1963 into a subsidiary with $300 million in sales to be known as Ashland Chemical Co. Expanding Backward Even in a business with more mavericks than most, Ashland is a curious operation. Organized in 1924 by Paul Blazer, late uncle of the present chairman, it expanded backward. Rather than develop crude-oil supplies first and then build refineries and markets, Ashland built its markets in the south-central states, expanded its refineries as the markets grew. Ashland still buys most of its crude oil, hauls its purchases with its own barge fleet, one of the Ohio River’s largest, or by means of 5,000 miles of Ashland-owned pipeline. Critics accuse the company of being oil-shy, but Rexford Blazer denies the charge. “We have never run short one barrel of crude oil in our life,” says he, pointing out that Ashland currently receives 40,000 barrels a day more than it n eeds, sells the surplus to other refineries. Founder Blazer kept his company flexible, bragged that an Ashland refinery could be converted from one kind of refining to another “by supper-time.” He also kept his work force lean, refused to hire his own nephew after Rex Blazer graduated from the University of Illinois (’28). “If you are as good as you think you are,” said Uncle Paul, “you won’t get any credit for it because you are my nephew. If you aren’t that good, I’ll have to fire you, and the family already has enough trouble.” Paul Blazer loaned his nephew $20 for one-way fare to Cleveland, where Rex got a job with Allied Oil Co. By the time that Allied was acquired by Ashland in 1948, Rex Blazer was its president. He succeeded his uncle as Ashland’s boss after the older Blazer retired in 1957. Executive Fords Since taking over, Blazer and Atkins have expanded with such acquisitions as United Carbon Co. of Houston, the O.K. Tire and Rubber Co., Valvoline Oil, the $96 million chemical operations of Archer Daniels Midland Co., and Warren Brothers Co. of Cambridge, Mass., the nation’s largest asphalt-paving company. Meanwhile, Ashland executives including the chairman continue to occupy modest offices and drive low-priced cars. Says Blazer proudly: “We have probably the only executive parking lot in the country filled only with Fords, Chevrolets and Plymouths.” Ashland’s finance committee has never met, there is no table of organization, and younger executives are simply too overworked to think up any make-work projects or write lengthy memorandums. The lone extravagance is a corporate jet that links isolated Ashland (pop. 32,700) with Wall Street and the world. |
| Alvord L. “Al” Boeck ’27 Professor and Director of the School of Business Texas Christian University The Omicron Arrow from April 1938 reports the following about Alvord L. “Al” Boeck ’27: ” We were glad to hear recently from Alvord L. “Al” Boeck ’27, who is professor and director of the School of Business Administration of Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas. The Boeck home is located there at 2803 Greene Street. Besides taking work at the University, Brother Boeck attended Southern California, receiving his MA degree in 1930, and his Ph.D. degree in 1933, and Southwestern Law School from 1933-34. He is the author of “Economic Essentials of World Peace” published by the University of Southern California Press. Married, Al has a daughter, Mary Jean, six years old. Mrs. Boeck is a Tri-Delt from Southern California.” Roger L Rainwater, the Special Collections Librarian at TCU’s Mary Couts Burnett Library, writes: “In addition to being head of business school, Boeck was appointed Director of the Evening College in May, 1936, a position he held until 1942. In October, 1936, he was elected president of the Texas Association of University Instructors in Accounting. In 1939, he was appointed an advisor for the National Association of College and University Chambers of Commerce. Boeck was elected vice president of the Association of Evening Colleges in 1940 and president of the same organization in 1941. He became a Chartered Life Underwriter in September, 1940. In May of 1942 he was appointed principal price specialist of the Office of Price Administration in the regional office in Dallas, Texas. He resigned from the faculty at that time, although he was listed as ” on leave of absence” in September 1942. He did not return to TCU after the was and there were no other mentions of him after 1942.” Information courtesy of TCU’s Mary Couts Burnett Library |
| Everett Wells ’26 President Ashland Oil and Refining Company No sooner did Brother Blazer take over the top spot at Ashland Oil, than Brother Everett Wells became his right hand man as the company’s president in 1957. Under the two of their leadership, Ashland continued its rise to the top of its industry. |
| F. Olney “Ollie” Brown ’25 President Squire Dingee Co. A past President of the National Pickle Packers Association, Brother Brown was president of the Squire Dingee Co., which marketed Ma Brown pickles and preserves, when it was merged with Beatrice Foods in 1958. He remained a consultant with Beatrice Foods until 1965. Brother Brown was an avid booster of the chapter. Brother Brown’s grand-daughter Cathy Brown Dougherty sends in the following clip from a newspaper: “The Road to Success” Sketch of F. Olney Brown, President of Squire Dingee Company by Philip Hampson There are many person living in this locality who watch the weather reports with more than passin gattention. Among them are the bosses of air lines and shipping lines whose operations are affected by winds and other elements. But we are concerned this morning with an individual whose interest lies in a gustatory-no pun intended-field; the making of pickles. Our weather watcher is F. Olney Brown who converts pickle cucumbers from many farms in the middle west into pickles of as many varieties as you can imagine. He is president of Squire Dingee company, which makes the Ma Brown line of pickles and preserves. His company is the second or third largest pickles producer in the country. Browns first weather worry is about moisture – weather there will be the right amount of rain to assure a good crop. Then he worries whether the farmers will have weather which will be right for harvesting their crops which are grown on more than 6,000 acres. The harvest is important because he uses about 1 million bushels of pickle cucumbers annually. Click here to download a larger image. |
| Delmar L. Kroehler ’24 Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Kroehler Manufacturing Company In 1902, Peter E. Kroehler bought the Naperville Lounge Co., a maker of wooden lounge chairs and upholstered furniture. Kroehler built a new factory in Naperville in 1913 after the original facility was destroyed by a tornado. Soon thereafter, he renamed the company Kroehler Manufacturing Co. This enterprise soon operated across the country and employed several hundred men and women in the Chicago area. By the middle of the 1940s, with over $20 million in annual sales, Kroehler was the second-largest furniture maker in the United States. Brother Kroehler joined the firm in 1922 as a mill machine operator, was named vice president of production in 1927 and became president upon his father’s illness in 1938. From 1951 until his retirement in 1967, he was chairman and chief executive officer of the company. Kroehler became the world’s largest manufacturer of furniture specializing in upholstered furniture for the mass market. Its headquarters remained in Naperville, but plants were built throughout the country. During the 1960s, when the company employed close to 8,000 people around the country, annual revenues passed $100 million. The company struggled during the 1970s, closing its historic Naperville factory in 1978 and ending its operations in the area. In 1981 Kroehler was acquired by the ATR Group of Northbrook, which put the company up for sale. By the early 2000s, furniture was still manufactured under the Kroehler name by two unrelated companies, one in North Carolina and the other in Ontario, Canada. The above was retrieved in part from the Encyclopedia’s Dictionary of Leading Chicago Businesses (1820-2000) that was prepared by Mark R. Wilson, with additional contributions from Steven R. Porter and Janice L. Reiff available here and from his Tribune obituary. |
| Alfred H. Morton ’19 Pioneering radio and television executive Director – Voice of America First full time Executive Director of Psi Upsilon Fraternity Born in Chicago on October 5, 1897, Brother Alfred “Doc” Morton studied engineering at the University of Illinois, where he received his degree in 1919 after service in World War I. He later did graduate work at Columbia, after which he joined the General Electric Company as an assistant to Owen O. Young, who later became board chairman of General Electric and of R.C.A. Mr. Morton took part in forming RCA in 1919 and in 1921 he moved to that company, opening and managing its first office in Washington. Three years later he returned to New York City as commercial manager of RCA Communications and in 1929 was named European manager for RCA at its headquarters in Paris. He began the first broadcasts from the Continent to the United States, and the French Government made him a chevalier of the Legion of Honor for his contributions to French-American relations. The National Order of the Legion of Honor, founded by Napoleon Bonaparte, recognizes eminent service to the Republic of France. The Order has five ranks: Chevalier, Officier, Commandeur, Grand Officier, and Grand Croix. Recipients of this honor are named by decree signed by the President of the Republic. Upon his return to the United States in 1935, he joined the National Broadcasting Company as manager of the program department and then became vice president of its radio stations. He added the title of vice president in charge of television when NBC began regular, program service. With the outbreak of World War II, Mr. Morton became president of the National Concert and Artists Corporation. As NBC Artists Service, this had been a major NBC operating department. Early in 1942 the Department of Justice ordered NBC to divest itself of one of its two networks and its artists unit. NBC kept the Red Network. Its Blue Network became the American Broadcasting Company and the artists group became a new corporation with Mr. Morton as the head. In 1952 at the height of the nation’s Red Scare, Brother Morton became the director of Voice of America, the State Department’s broadcasting service to listeners abroad. While in this position, Brother Morton went head to head with infamous Red-baiter, Senator Joseph McCarthy of Wisconsin, eventually leaving the position after fighting a public battle defending himself against Sen. McCarthy’s charges. After he left the Voice of America, Mr. Morton formed Television Consultants, an organization concerned with helping applicants for television-station ownership prepare license applications. By 1963, Psi Upsilon called Brother Morton to service, becoming its first full-time Executive Director in 1963. |
Computer Science
| Chris Jones ’90 Processor architect – NVIDIA Corporation |
The following interview with Brother Jones appeared in the summer 2008 Arrow:
Q: Why did you join Psi Upsilon?
A: I spent much of the Fall of ‘86 living in “temporary housing” in the dorms. With a little encouragement from a few sophomores I knew, I decided to rush to see what it was all about. The first thing I noticed about Psi U was the cool house. The next thing I was that the guys living there were a lot more interesting than many of the other houses I had vis- ited. I remember talking with Brian Hughes ‘89.5 for quite a while and sud- denly realizing that I felt like I was al- ready part of the house. I pledged right away and moved in-house the next se- mester.
Q: What was your nickname?
A: “Plaz,” which is short for Plastic Man. Matt Petersen ‘89 gave me the name. Might have had something to do with my ability to reach across the din- ner table to grab whatever food was left before anybody else could get to it!
Q: What do you do for a living?
A: I design microprocessors.
I worked at Intel for my first eleven years out of school working on the 486 DX2, Pentium Pro, Pentium II, Pentium III, and Pentium 4 designs. In 2002 I switched to working on high speed serial communication chips for a start-up com- pany which was subsequently purchased by Synopsys. I was one of the founders for another start-up company called Stexar Corporation in 2004, and am cur- rently a processor architect at NVIDIA Corporation.
Q: What hobbies do you enjoy?
A: I received my private pilot certificate a little over two years ago and enjoy flying around the Northwest. The Cas- cade Mountains, the Columbia River Gorge, and the Pacific Coast offer some amazing scenery and are even more spectacular from a few thousand feet in the air. My wife and I try to get in one SCUBA trip each year.
Q: Tell us about your family?
A: When I graduated, I landed a job with Intel in Oregon. Intel sent a crew of movers to my house in Moline, IL to pack up my dorm-room sized belongings and my slick new Mitsubishi Eclipse. After packing up my stuff they went over to pack up the next person on their list, who happened to be Barb Dierickx from Bettendorf, IA. The packers were mainly older women and one of them mentioned my name to Barb who was also moving to Portland. A week later, on my first day of work I was sitting in orientation class with ten other new Intel employees including, of course, Barb Dierickx. As a good mid-western girl, she was nice enough to come up and introduce herself during a short break. I thought Intel provided a pretty nice relo- cation package—moving expenses, good benefits, and a girlfriend. What a great place to work! We just celebrated our 15 year wedding anniversary. Barb is now a software product manager at Nike, which means we get 40-50% employee discounts on Nike gear and end up buy- ing five times as many shoes as we would otherwise.
Q: What is your favorite memory from your fraternity days?
A: Hmmm….some of it is a little fuzzy. I guess my favorite memories include Walk Out to the University of Michigan and screaming myself hoarse at various Illini football games with Boyd Bach’s (‘91) family. Of course the topper would have to be winning the DX All Campus Foosball Tournament cham- pionship trophy with my partner and Minister of Defense, Dean Marinakis ‘90.
Q: Did you live in the house?
A: I lived in-house until my senior year, when I moved out to an apartment closer to the engineering campus. My room- mates in the house included Sam Lim ‘87; Joseph P. Fagan, Jr. ‘91; and Mark Simek ‘92.5.
Q: What other organizations are you involved with?
A: Barb and I are long-time supporters of the Carter Center, which provides health services and infrastructure to some of the poorest nations on Earth, and which also promotes democracy and peace processes throughout the world. Having met former president Jimmy Carter a few times, I am still in awe at how much he has managed to accom- plish even after he turned 80 years old a few years back.
Q: What affiliations do you currently have and/or public service do you par- ticipate in?
A: Having no children of our own, Barb and I have managed to find the time and energy to support a few kid-oriented organizations. I am a Big Brother to a great kid named Corey, and we get to- gether about once a week for activities such as bowling or bicycling. I am also the youth director for a church in down- town Portland. Spending lots of time with kids keeps you feeling young, but sleeping on the floor during lock-in events reminds you that maybe you’re not as young as you might think! Work- ing with the youth group gets us in- volved in other community service pro- jects such as the helping out the Oregon Food Bank, feeding groups at local shel- ters, and volunteering at the Oregon Hu- mane Society.
Q: Who from the house would you most like to find?
A: Rob Auw ‘89 and Todd Ginestra ‘88.
Q: What advice would you give to an undergraduate brother?
A: Enjoy it while you can! Seriously, take advantage of every opportunity you have while you are there. Join clubs, play intramural sports, take a year abroad, and study hard. Some of these opportunities may not come again. You can catch up on your sleep when you are done with school.�
Brothers may visit the Jones Family website at vandogh.org.
Diplomacy-Public Service
| Dave Rank ’86 State Department Diplomat – Afghanistan, China, Taiwan, Greece, D.C., and Mauritius In late 2009 Brother Rank wrote to the alumni association, “I am finishing six years of overseas assignments (Athens, Beijing and now Taiwan) with the US State Department next summer and will return to the Washington area. I’ll study Dari for a year, getting ready for a job as head of the political affairs section at the US Embassy in Kabul. My family will stay behind, including my oldest kid, who starts college next fall. Unlikely she’ll be a Psi U, though, unless she ends up at a school in the northeast” Prior to this note, he earlier reported: “I have been through a couple of jobs at State since I updated my entry. From 2004 until this past summer, I was the head of the Political/Military Affairs office at our embassy in Athens, Greece. We (my wife, three kids, and I) left at the start of the summer to return to Beijing. I’ll be here until 2008, working to establish a series of one-officer foreign service posts in major Chinese cities where we now have no presence. Since there are more than 200 cities in China with more than 1 million people, we have a lot of work ahead of us. In 2008 (likely right after the Olympics), we leave Beijing for Taiwan, where I will head the Political Affairs section at our unofficial liaison office there. (Since we do not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, we use this informal channel to manage our ties.) When we finish there, my family will have spent more than a decade in China – and 15 years overseas – will be ready for a bit of time back in the States.” Brother Rank was highlighted in the News-Gazette in 2002 in the following article: Incidents involving China kept UI graduate busy By J. Philip Bloomer, The News-Gazette – Published online March 29, 2002 URBANA – After three tumultuous years as a diplomat in the U.S. Embassy in Beijing, David Rank returned to Washington last summer expecting something of a respite. But 12 years in the State Department has taught him not to get too comfortable. “We came back to the States thinking things would be a little slower. I had an office overlooking the Mall in Washington. Things were going well,” Rank said. “I was there a little over a month when I watched a plane crash into the Pentagon. Things haven’t been the same since.” Rank, a 1986 liberal arts graduate of the University of Illinois, returned to campus this week in between assignments to visit family and his alma mater. A native of South Bend, Ind., Rank and his wife Dana, also a UI graduate and Indiana native, haven’t done too much of that in recent years. His State Department postings began in Shanghai in 1990, then took him to Port Louis, Mauritius, then to Washington in the State Department Office of Korean Affairs, then to Beijing. In China, he helped coordinate President Clinton’s visit in 1998. He also participated in negotiations between the United States and Beijing after the accidental NATO bombing of the Chinese embassy in Belgrade in 1999. Rank was holed up with his wife and three children for two days in their apartment a block away from the embassy during two days of heavy rioting. “It was a horrible set of circumstances,” Rank said. “The bottom line is, it was our fault.” Three Chinese journalists were killed and 20 embassy staffers wounded. NATO said outdated intelligence information sent missiles to a building mistakenly believed to be a Yugoslavian army supply facility. The aftertaste of that incident didn’t make it any easier to deal with the collision of a Chinese jet fighter with a U.S. surveillance plane last spring. Rank credits the presence of Joseph Prueher, the U.S. ambassador to China, a four-star admiral and former commander-in-chief of the Pacific, with resolving the standoff between the countries. The U.S. plane’s 24-man crew was held in China for 11 days. Once they were home, the United States released a videotape of the Chinese fighter pilot’s actions and blamed his aggressive tactics for causing the crash. “He was the best we could have had there,” Rank said. “It’s hard to argue with someone who flew fighter jets.” Rank emphasized that the bulk of his job isn’t always reactionary. In the case of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, he said the groundwork laid in establishing relationships with countries around the world allowed for a swift military and diplomatic response from allies. “Sept. 12 the NATO charter was invoked. It wasn’t an issue of getting people to sign on but organizing in the nuts and bolts of support,” Rank said. His own job involved organizing fly routes, overfly zones, refueling and landing logistics. “There’s an awful lot of grunt work done by the State Department and the FBI and many others that pays off in attacks not executed,” Rank said. “How much harm has been avoided because they didn’t have the money because of the millions in terrorist assets we were able to freeze? It’s hard to quantify, but it’s substantial.” Rank, 37, said that while he is a strong believer in the value of the foreign service, it’s not a career he deliberately pursued. A history major at the UI, he received his undergraduate degree but had little idea of what he would do immediately. “I needed a marketable skill. China was the up-and-coming country, so I went there to study. It was a fairly mercenary decision. I thought I’d find a job with a company hoping to expand markets in China,” Rank said. He returned to the United States in May 1989, just after the Tiananmen Square massacre. U.S. business interest in China quickly took a nose dive. Fortunately, Rank said he had taken the foreign service exam while in Taiwan. With his knowledge of Chinese, the State Department offered him a job a few months later. Rank is currently special adviser in the Office of the Undersecretary for Political Affairs, where he is responsible for Asian and Pacific political/military affairs. He also will be teaching at Georgetown University next school year and is scheduled to move to Singapore in 2004. “It’s a real blessing to live in a place where freedoms are rights,” Rank said. “In China, more and more political freedoms are being allowed. But the key word is allowed. “It was tough watching some of the clearly misguided protests here after Sept. 11. So many of our freedoms are taken for granted.” |
| James W. Baker ’69 Dedicated School Board Member Brother Baker served 13+ years on the Northborough Southborough Massachusetts School Committee. For this public service, he received a certificate of appreciation from the Massachusetts Legislature. Brother Baker writes, “as a Class of 1969 member, I was chosen for Skull and Crescent and as an MBA [student] from the Class of 1972, I was chosed for Sigma Iota Epsilon.” However he lists his most important accomplishment as being a husband to Lindy, father to Jennifer and Andrew, and grandfather to twins Kevan and Brendan Flanagan and their sister Ainsleigh, as well as grandfather to Molly Rose Baker. In a more recent note of March 2009, he writes: After many years on the vendor side of the computer business at the following companies: Burroughs (in Indianapolis … just after MBA school), Datapoint (San Antonio), Data General (Westbrough, MA), Honeywell/Bull Worldwide Computer (Billerica, MA), Data General redux (Westborough), IPL Systems (Maynard, MA), and EMC (Hopkinton, MA), I am now a Research Manager at IDC (Framingham, MA) writing insights about the industry that was so good to me. You can find me at this link . Just click on the analysts tab and find me alphabetically. You may even see some of my musings and a mugshot. Tis great fun getting to ask the questions I never wanted asked of me when I was a product manager kind of guy on the vendor side. On the personal side I still keep in touch with some Psi Us at Christmas time… Mike Summers, John Stewart, Pat Gilmore, and Howie Jung, to name a few. Wife Lindy and I have been married for almost 39 years and have been blessed with two children and 5 grandchildren. We all live within a 7 mile triangle of each other in central Mass. This means we can all share each other’s lives up close and personal. I won’t bore you with life’s health and medical challenges but as Jimmy Stewart would say “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Part of that joy has been (and continues to be) identifying myself as a Psi U from the Omicron Chapter at the University of Illinois (at Urbana-Champaign). I can’t get used to the “at Urbana-Champaign” part because it will always be the U of I (aka the Big U) to me just like it was when I arrived as a nervous freshman in 1965 at 313 East Armory, Champaign. Psi U changed my life by making me the Man I was meant to be. And by giving this Only Child so many Brothers that I cannot count them. |
| C. Lyman Emrich ’32 Rhodes Scholar and eminent trademark and copyright attorney Brother Emrich’s record at the Omicron is well known as one of our most outstanding brothers. He served as President of the Omicron Alumni Association and on our Board of Directors for many years. His fully biography falls under our Law category, as this was his career. However, Brother Emrich was very active in Evanston civic life. For six years in the 1950s, Mr. Emrich was an alderman in Evanston’s 2nd Ward. In the 1960s, he served for eight years as 1st Ward alderman. He also was a trustee of Evanston-Skokie School District 65. |
| Christian I. Gross ’17 Chargé d’Affaires – Haiti ’26-27 Brother Gross served in the United States Army from 1917-1920, earning the rank of lieutenant. The record also suggests he worked in the American Field Service in France during WWI, possibly as an ambulance driver attached to the French Army; only one source makes note of this work. What can be confirmed is Brother Gross’ service across the Caribbean for the State Department. Though he served for a bit in Paris in 1924, he was transferred to Port-au-Prince in 1926 and led the U.S. embassy there through 1929. He was then assigned to Havana, Cuba and later transferred to Ottawa, Canada before his retirement at an early age in 1932. Brother Gross passed away soon thereafter; any information about his all-too-soon passing should be forward to Omicron Secretary, Dave Komie. |
| Cassius Paul Fletcher ’14 Eminent U.S. Diplomat Consul General – Casablanca, Morocco ’47-49 Brother Fletcher’s service in the State Department lasted over twenty five years after time at West Point and duty in the Army from 1917-1919. Between WWI and entrance into the foreign service, he worked as an engineer on various projects, including highway construction overseas. He retired from the American Foreign Service in 1950. It was during WWII where Brother Fletcher’s career took him truly around the globe, being posted to Alexandria, Egypt, Basra, Iraq, and Gibralter before landing in Casablanca after the end of hostilities. When in Morocco, his home was the villa where Winston Churchill stayed during the North African Conference of 1943. In the October 1955 Omicron Arrow, Brother Fletcher reported a very interesting tale: Since my retirement in 1950 from the American Foreign Service, Mrs. Fletcher and I have been leading a simple and pleaseful life in sunny Southern California. On a motor trip to Washington D.C. last fall to visit a daughter, the wife of a navy officer, I had the opportunity to make a brief but interesting visit to the chapter house. Mrs. Fletcher and I flew TWA to Paris in December to spend Christmas with our daughter, her husband, and her son. Last week (early June) I flew to West Point, NY to attend the 40th reunion of my USMA class of 1915. At the end of the three-day affair the President [Eisenhower] very kindly invited me to accompany him from West Point to Washington on the COLUMBINE (Ike was USMA-1915). It was a unique experience and I am now thoroughly sold on Constellations as a means of transportation. |
Education
| Joseph B. Mountjoy Ph.D. ’63 Professor of Anthropology University of North Carolina at Greensboro At his UNC-Greensboro website, Professor Mountjoy writes: “Since 2001 I have been excavating selected valleys in the western highlands of Jalisco, Mexico, between Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta. This research has focused on the registration rocks with petroglyphs, burial sites, and one ceremonial site where a copper/bronze bell with a figure of an Aztec God of Death (Mictlantecuhtli) was unearthed by looters in 1961. Several spectacular petroglyph sites have been registered, including one canyon (the photograph) which appears to record the kind of sacred deer hunt carried on by the nearby Huichol Indians in modern times.” “In 2001 I began excavating a burial site dated to ca. 800 B.C. in western Jalisco, funded by the National Geographic Society. To date (2003) remains of over 130 individuals have been recovered, along with about 300 burial offerings. Some of the offerings show distant relationships with places such as Guatemala and Peru.” |
| Kelly Cox ’43 First Athletic Director Stevenson High School, Lincolnshire, IL As Robert Channick wrote in his Tribune obituary of August 2005, Brother Cox was an important figure in Illinois high school athletics. Lauded athletic director – U. of I. alumnus was Stevenson High School’s 1-man athletic department when it opened in the 1960s When Kelly Cox was hired 40 years ago as the inaugural athletic director for Stevenson High School, the playing field was far from level for the fledgling program. “It wasn’t an athletic field, it was just a field,” said Harold Banser, 77, the school’s first superintendent. From grading the earth to painting the lines, Mr. Cox planted the seeds that would take the Lincolnshire school’s teams from undermanned newcomers to perennial state contenders. Mr. Cox was an accomplished athlete himself, playing football, basketball and tennis at Hoopeston High School, from which he graduated in 1938. He went to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and played football for a year before enlisting in the Army Air Forces in 1943. Mr. Cox served in Okinawa during World War II. His brother Wilbur, an Air Forces pilot, was shot down and killed over Europe during the war. After Mr. Cox’s discharge, he returned to school, graduating in 1947. He began his career as head football and basketball coach at Cullom High School near Kankakee. Other stops included Libertyville and Milford High Schools. A coach at Ela-Vernon High School in Lake Zurich when it spun off about 500 students to start Stevenson in 1965, Mr. Cox went to the new school as a one-man athletic department. “I was happy that he agreed to come with me when we opened Stevenson, and he never let me down,” Banser said. In addition to his duties as athletic director, Mr. Cox also served as a multisport coach and physical education teacher. “Stevenson was a pretty tiny school then, and some of our classes had 10 students, so if there was a softball game or touch football game or soccer game, the two of us usually played because we didn’t have enough kids to play,” said George Griffith, 70, who joined Mr. Cox the following year. Lacking traditional rivals and a conference affiliation, early Stevenson teams traveled great distances to play Kankakee Eastridge, Hebron and St. John’s Military Academy in Delafield, Wis., among others. “We just played absolutely all over, and Kelly knew people at all those places,” Griffith said. “Without him, we probably would have had a hard time getting a schedule going.” In 1973, Mr. Cox began working as guidance counselor at the school and continued until he retired in 1985. His wife of 50 years, Kathleen, died in 1998. Many former colleagues and students stayed close with Mr. Cox in recent years. “He touched a lot of lives,” said his son, Wilbur. “He was invited to reunions at almost every school he worked at. Time doesn’t seem to fade these relationships.” Mr. Cox was inducted into the Lake County High School Sports Hall of Fame last year. “He was so good at coaching anything,” Griffith said. “Kelly was pretty much of a legend around the area.” |
| John B. Lord, Sr., Ph.D. ’39 Professor of English Washington State University Brother Lord was a member of the English Department at Washington State from 1951 to 1981, having graduated from Illinois with not only his bachelor’s, but also his MA and Ph.D. According to a class notes entry he made in the Evanston High School “Keep In Touch” Newsletter, Professor Lord, “published many books and articles in scholarly publications, mostly on the linguistic structure of poetry.” Some of these titles include: The paragraph: structure and style – Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1964 Experiments in diction, rhetoric, and style – Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1955 Upon his passing in 2002, a memorial to his life wrote, “he is remembered by those of us who loved him as a lover of language, biblical scholar, and willing Professor of Shakespeare. Foremost among his other talents and hobbies, he was a bountiful baker of bread, artful embroiderer extarodinare, watcher of birds, fabricator of fabulous fudge, lithe tongued limerist, beloved father, and fine friend.” |
| Alvord L. “Al” Boeck ’27 Professor and Director of the School of Business Texas Christian University The Omicron Arrow from April 1938 reports the following about Alvord L. “Al” Boeck ’27: “We were glad to hear recently from Alvord L. “Al” Boeck ’27, who is professor and director of the School of Business Administration of Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, Texas. The Boeck home is located there at 2803 Greene Street. Besides taking work at the University, Brother Boeck attended Southern California, receiving his MA degree in 1930, and his Ph.D. degree in 1933, and Southwestern Law School from 1933-34. He is the author of “Economic Essentials of World Peace” published by the University of Southern California Press. Married, Al has a daughter, Mary Jean, six years old. Mrs. Boeck is a Tri-Delt from Southern California.” Roger L Rainwater, the Special Collections Librarian at TCU’s Mary Couts Burnett Library, writes: “In addition to being head of business school, Boeck was appointed Director of the Evening College in May, 1936, a position he held until 1942. In October, 1936, he was elected president of the Texas Association of University Instructors in Accounting. In 1939, he was appointed an advisor for the National Association of College and University Chambers of Commerce. Boeck was elected vice president of the Association of Evening Colleges in 1940 and president of the same organization in 1941. He became a Chartered Life Underwriter in September, 1940. In May of 1942 he was appointed principal price specialist of the Office of Price Administration in the regional office in Dallas, Texas. He resigned from the faculty at that time, although he was listed as “on leave of absence” in September 1942. He did not return to TCU after the was and there were no other mentions of him after 1942.” Information courtesy of TCU’s Mary Couts Burnett Library |
| Earl W. Anderson Ph.D. ’18 Professor and Chairman, Department of Education The Ohio State University Member of the class of 1918, Brother Anderson was a fixture on the Ohio State faculty for 35 years and upon his death in 1965, the university’s Board of Trustees made a resolution noting he was a “significant contributor to teacher education and higher education.” Today, Brother Anderson’s legacy lives on in the form of an annual scholarship given at Ohio State. While a Psi U, he was captain of University of Illinois basketball team, earning All-Conference honors his senior year. Brother Anderson lettered in track as well as basketball and was a member of the Tribe of Illini. After Brother Anderson took is bachelor’s degree from Champaign, he took his master’s and doctoral degrees from Teacher’s College, Columbia University in 1926 and 1927 respectively. He did post-doctoral work also at Columbia in the mid 20s and 30s, fitting in a job as Superintendant of Schools in Charleston, Illinois from 1919-24. His university teaching career began as an Associate Professor of Education at the University of Kansas in 1926-27 before he began his long association with the Buckeyes. At Ohio State University he was Associate Professor of Education from 1927-33; Professor of Education from 1933-62; and Chair of the Department of Education from 1956-62. As his university biography noted: Professor Anderson’s specialization was in the fields of higher education and teacher education. He was president of the Association for High Education in 1951 and served on its executive committee in several capacities. In 1937 he was elected president of the National Institute of Teacher Placement. He was active in local and state professional organizations and served as president of the Ohio Council on Education in 1950. In the same year he was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Pedagogy from Eastern Illinois State College [now university]. Brother Anderson was author or contributor to six books and penned over 180 scholarly articles over his career. He was called upon by the states of Oregon, Washington, Michigan, Ohio, and West Virginia to help improve their school systems at various times, and he was a frequent speaker to professional and civic groups throughout the nation. Information courtesy of The Ohio State University Archive, Biographical Files. |
Engineering
| Scott Olson ’93 Ph.D. Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign According to his departmental biography: Professor Olson holds a B.S. (University of Illinois 1993), M.S. (University of Illinois 1995), and Ph.D. (University of Illinois 2001), all in civil engineering. From 1995 through 1997, Scott worked in private practice for Woodward-Clyde Consultants. After completing his Ph.D., Dr. Olson returned to private practice with URS Corporation and also taught geotechnical earthquake engineering courses at the University of Missouri-Rolla. Scott joined the faculty of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois in August 2004. Dr. Olson currently teaches an undergraduate course in geotechnical engineering and a graduate course on insitu testing and field measurements. His research interests include: liquefaction of level and sloping ground, paleoseismology and paleoliquefaction, soft ground engineering, in situ testing, geosynthetics, and instrumentation. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, Canadian Geotechnical Society, and the North American Geosynthetics Society. Dr. Olson previously was a member of the governor-appointed Missouri Seismic Safety Commission and currently serves on a review board for the National Highway Cooperative Research Program. Dr. Olson is a licensed professional engineer and continues to participate in consulting projects with industry. Dr. Olson has received several honors and awards for his research, practice-related, and teaching accomplishments. In 2003, the Canadian Geotechnical Society awarded Scott the R.M. Quigley Award for the best paper in the 2002 Canadian Geotechnical Journal. In 2004, the American Society of Civil Engineers awarded Scott the Arthur Casagrande Award for his work on the residual strength of liquefied soils. The Casagrande Award was established to provide professional development opportunities for outstanding, young (under 35) practitioners, researchers, and teachers of geotechnical engineering. Dr. Olson was the first practicioner to receive this award. |
| Alan Hope ’89 Head – Astrodynamics and Space Navigation section Naval Center for Space Technology Brother Hope has worked at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC since 1991. He is currently the head of the Astrodynamics and Space Navigation section at the Naval Center for Space Technology. He has been married to Thresa since 1998. They have a son, Elijah, born in 2004, and a daughter, Kiera, born in 2007 and live in Alexandria, Virginia. “Hoper,” as he is affectionately known to many in the house, is a former Archon of the Omicrom and “Psi U of the Year”. On campus he was a member of Ma-Wan-Da, Sigma Gamma Tau, and Tau Beta Pi honoraries while playing sousaphone from 1985-89 in the Marching Illini. Hoper also famously starred as “Superman” during a Homecoming halftime show before the crowd at Memorial Stadium, but was killed off with “kryptonite” after the first three minutes. His brother, Tom, is a member of the ‘83.5 Omicron pledge class and is a distinguished scientist working on the Northwestern University faculty. |
| Dan Wojnowski Ph.D. ‘81.5 Principal Engineer Engineering Systems Inc. Brother Wojnowski is a civil and metallurgical engineer with Engineering Systems Inc. (ESI), a professional engineering consulting firm and laboratory headquartered in Aurora, Illinois. ESI is a multi-disciplinary company which provides professional engineering services to industrial, legal and insurance firms, government agencies and trade organizations, and provides consultants to other engineering firms. The laboratory capabilities are supplemented by cooperative agreements with other recognized facilities to provide a wide range of technical support capabilities, including metallurgical, materials, aeronautical, mechanical, structural, electrical, safety, automotive and audio/visual services. Projects ranging from simple failure investigations to complex engineering studies are undertaken. With a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Chicago, Dr. Wojnowski specializes in the areas of inspection and evaluation of distressed, failed and fire damaged structures and failure analysis of mechanical components. His structural and metallurgical background allows for an all encompassing investigation when structural materials, components and systems are involved. He is versed in the use of metals, wood, masonry and roofing materials used in the construction industry. His experience includes involvement in commercial and residential buildings, bridges, industrial plants, mobile and stationary cranes, fire suppression systems, and machinery. Prior to his association with ESI, Dr. Wojnowski was the principal engineering instructor and administrator for the engineering department at Triton College and was associated with Packer Engineering Associates, Inc. as a senior staff engineer in both the metallurgical and structural engineering departments. His professional affiliations include American Society of Civil Engineers, Structural Engineering Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers, Illinois Society of Professional Engineers, National Society of Professional Engineers, Building Officials Code Association, American Society for Metals International, and the American Welding Society Brother Wojnowski has been also honored for his work at Ground Zero in the aftermath of 9/11 by the City of New York and the State of Illinois. You can read more about his work at Ground Zero here. |
| H. Charles “Chuck” Buchanan ’65 Brother Buchanan earned a BS Degree in General Engineering and holds over 60 US patents relating to developments achieved during his engineering career which spanned 38 years beginning with GM Delco Products Division (today known as Delphi Automotive Systems, Inc.). GM sold its Wipers, Motors and Actuators Business Unit to ITT, Inc. in 1994. ITT then sold the business to Valeo, Inc. in 1998. Buchanan, who recently retired from Valeo also held the chairmanship of Valeo’s Worldwide Creativity Team. He is past president of the Engineers Club and among other honors, is a 1998 recipient of the Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement for Dayton by the Engineering and Science Foundation and Affiliate Society Council of Dayton. He is the past president of the Engineers Club of Dayton and recipient of the Award for Outstanding Professional Achievement for Dayton by the Engineering and Science Foundation and Affiliate Society Council of Dayton in 1998. In 2005 Brother Buchanan was named Managing Director of Innovation Ohio Systems, LLC, which provides Ohio’s K-12 education system with a unique knowledge-based inventive problem-solving methodology called Ideation-TRIZ (I-TRIZ). IOS was recently established by Ideation International, a world leader in innovation systems with the Engineers Club of Dayton. Information was retrieved from the IEEE page at Wright State University. |
| Richard H. “Dick” Lance Ph.D. ’54 Professor Emeritus – Theoretical and Applied Mechanics Cornell University As it notes on the Cornell site: Brother Lance joined the Cornell faculty in 1962 after receiving his doctorate from Brown University and master’s from Illinois Institute of Technology. He was a visiting professor at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1968, and a Senior Scientist at the Hughes Aircraft Company at Los Angeles, in 1986 and 1989. During his tenure with Cornell’s College of Engineering, Lance served as Associate Dean for Outreach, Co-Director of the Engineering Cooperative Program and Associate Dean for Undergraduate Affairs. He also served as acting director of the Department of Theoretical and Applied Mechanics. In 1994 he created and became faculty director of a study-abroad program for engineering students – in cooperation with the Technische Universität Hamburg-Harburg (TUHH), in Hamburg, Germany. During the three years of operation of the program he served as faculty member in residence, in the second year. In 1998 Lance retired from the University and moved to Chestertown, Maryland. In his first year of retirement Lance served as visiting professor of engineering at the TUHH, teaching basic engineering mechanics courses in English to international students in an Engineering Science degree program begun there in 1998. In Chestertown, in addition to keeping up a 1985 Chris Craft motor cruiser, he continues to be active in teaching ‘active adults’ in the Chestertown region, as well as undergraduates at Washington College. In an email correspondence from September 2007, Brother Lance recounts the following about his military service: “Drafted into the US Army in November ’54 during the final weeks of the Korean War. Given basic training at Camp (now Fort) Chaffee, Arkansas and transfered to Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland for reassignment as – possibly – engineer. Indeed, I did join an engineering unit, the 19th Engineering Battalion (Combat – Army) at Fort Meade, Maryland, just a stone’s throw from Aberdeen. There I was trained to type and was assigned as Officers’ Clerk in Battalion Headquarters, until I learned of new regulations that permitted engineering degree holders (I was BSME from Illinois in January ’54) to request reassignment to positions where their training might be made use of. Transferred to Fort Knox, KY, Tank Development Unit and was discharged as a Spec 2 (Specialist Second Class) in September ’56 before doing anything really useful. Total time in service: 21 months, out of an original commitment of 24 months. Greatest benefit: Korean GI Bill, which helped me to complete a PhD at Brown University in ’62, in engineering mechanics.” |
Law
| L. Scott Beall Ph.D. ‘92.5 Associate – Leydig, Voit & Mayer Dr. Beall received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Illinois in 1991. He was awarded a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry in 1996 from Imperial College of Science Technology and Medicine, London. After spending two years as an N.I.H. postdoctoral research fellow at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, Brother Beall began working as a research chemist for the RW Johnson Pharmaceutical Research Institute (now Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development) in Raritan, New Jersey. Mr. Beall completed his J.D. degree in 2003 from Rutgers University School of Law – Newark and he is currently involved in all phases of intellectual property practice with an emphasis in patent law. Known affectionately as the “Kaiser” during his days at 313 E. Armory Avenue, Brother Beall was a transfer student from Northwestern University where he worked out with the swim team and was known for his talents at the card table among his more scholarly pursuits. | |
 | The Honorable John H. Squires ’68 Judge – United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Illinois The Honorable Brother Squires writes of his career and time in Champaign, “I was a member of the Omicron Class of ’68 and graduated after 4 years in the house where I served as Secretary and Vice President. I went to Illinois’ law school and graduated in ’71 and served on the school’s law review as a notes and comments editor. After graduation I went to work for the Springfield law firm of Brown, Hay & Stephens from then until the end of ’87 as an associate for about 5 years and a partner for 11. That firm had Abraham Lincoln as one of the deceased former partners. I was appointed on the Chicago bankruptcy bench with an effective beginning date on duty starting January 1, 1988; served my original 14 year term and have been reappointed to a second term in which I am now serving. My employment career has thus only involved 2 jobs which I am obviously satisfied with and plan to end my career at my present post which I still greatly enjoy and find both interesting and challenging.” |
 | Steve Sward ’63 Attorney at Law Brother Sward sent in the following circa 2006 : “I graduated from the University of Illinois College of Law in June, 1965. Immediately thereafter, I started my legal career with the Chicago law firm then known as Stevenson, Conaghan, Hackbert, Rooks and Pitts which consisted of 18 lawyers. Office technology was primarily telephones (rotary dial), typewriters and carbon paper. I shared a small office with another young lawyer and the starting salary was $7500 per year. My work assignments were interesting and varied but over time I took on more litigation related assignments and somewhat to my surprise discovered that I enjoyed courtroom practice. Assisting Harlan Hackbert (a leading railroad trial lawyer) and Henry Pitts (trial lawyer for United States Steel in several major cases and president of the Illinois State Bar Association) was a great learning experience. The firm grew steadily over the years and this provided a variety of trial and appellate work in state and federal courts. My practice included product liability, construction claims, insurance coverage disputes and a variety of business and commercial matters. Many of these cases involved extensive travel here and abroad and brought me in contact with numerous interesting (and occasionally well known) lawyers and non-lawyers. I became active in several trial lawyer groups including the Society of Trial Lawyers and the American College of Trial Lawyers and also served as president of the Board of Visitors of the College of Law. Prior to retiring in 2003, I served as managing partner of our firm and negotiated a merger with a Detroit based firm, Dykema Gossett. The combined firms have over 400 lawyers with offices in major cities around the country. Marilyn (a 1963 U. of I. graduate) and I have two children (one of whom graduated from the U. of I. in 1989) and have an apartment in Evanston where we have lived since 1972. However, most of the time we are at our homes near Eagle River, Wisconsin or on Upper Captiva Island, Florida. For many years, Bob Root (Omicron 1964) had a home near Eagle River and we have frequently seen Guy Fraker (Omicron 1960) who still practices law in Bloomington, Il. Bob Pfeiffer (Omicron 1961) who unfortunately passed away earlier this year also lived near Eagle River and was a close friend. We shall miss him very much. I would enjoy hearing from any of the brothers from the early 1960s and particularly the class of 1963.” (Editor’s note: our condolences to the Sward family on the passing of Mrs. Sward in August 2008) |
 | Guy C. Fraker ’60 Attorney at Law Brother Fraker ‘60, father of Matthew Fraker D.V.M ’89, has long been one of Psi U’s and the U of I’s favorite sons, having served both university and chapter for years. Past president of the U of I Library Friends Board of Directors, Fraker received the university’s William E. Winter Award for Outstanding Advocate Leadership. Brother Fraker is also an accomplished historian and author, concentrating on Abraham Lincoln. In early 2009 Brother Fraker sent along the following note: “I am working on a book with SIU Press on Lincoln and the Circuit. I also was the consultant on a documentary on the subject by WILL that will be shown all over the state on 2/9/09 or thereabouts entitled Abraham Lincoln: Prelude to the Presidency.” Take a look at the companion website for this documentary . As this site notes: As a lawyer traveling Illinois’ Eighth Judicial Circuit, Abraham Lincoln made two simultaneous journeys. He gained respect as a skilled attorney and mesmerizing speaker, but he also built a political base and refined his views on the important issues of the day, many of which he would face in the White House. His experiences from 1837 to 1860 on muddy roads, in homes of friends and in courtrooms on the circuit guided him when he became president. WILL-TV’s Lincoln: Prelude to the Presidency tells the story of the cases he tried and people he met during this critical period of his life. “That’s where he really got a sense of the various kinds of problems people faced,” said historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, one of the experts featured in the documentary. “He got a sense of the exuberance of their dreams and their hopes. In a certain sense, I think it was the root of his political education.” As this article from the Bloomington Pantagraph attests, Brother Fraker has been an advocate for nature as well. “Lawyer linked to nature” by Scott Richardson, Bloomington Pantagraph – Saturday, March 12, 2005 It didn’t seem like a big request. Guy Fraker certainly didn’t think his answer would change his life. The year was 1967, and Loring Merwin, then publisher of The Pantagraph, was asking Fraker, a new lawyer in the Twin Cities, to handle legal work for the newly formed ParkLands Foundation. Merwin’s goal was to obtain land and restore it to resemble the high density prairie that once blanketed much of Illinois. Fraker said yes. His life would never be the same. Fraker, 66, became a leading advocate for conservation and restoration of natural habitat in the state. In addition to his work with the ParkLands Foundation, Fraker rose to statewide prominence as the chairman of the Illinois chapter of The Nature Conservancy. He was land protection director for The Nature Conservancy in the mid-1990s. Former Gov. Jim Edgar appointed him to the Nature Preserves Commission that oversees natural areas in Illinois. He maintains a seat on the Nature Conservancy board. Fraker, a Republican, classes himself not as an environmentalist, but as a conservationist in the sense of former Republican President Theodore Roosevelt, the father of our national park system. “I feel God gave us the capability to do good things or do bad things to nature,” said Fraker. “With that capability comes responsibility to preserve other species that don’t have the power to do it themselves. It’s our duty to steward the natural world. …I know of no higher calling.” Fraker was born in White Plains, N.Y., the son of parents who hailed from Peoria and Champaign. That connection brought him to Illinois to attend the University of Illinois in Urbana as an undergraduate majoring in history. He stayed to finish law school there before moving to Bloomington-Normal to start his law practice. He was taken by the community’s stability and its ability to keep its young people coming back to live for generations. That impressed a boy who came from a place where few residents were natives, he said. Fraker also was a self-taught Lincoln scholar, who fell under the spell of the president from the Prairie State while on a trip with his great aunt to visit New Salem. He was 10. The chance to return and live in Illinois one day appealed to him. Through ParkLands and his work with the TNC and the Nature Preserves Commission, Fraker became convinced of the need to conserve open spaces in a state second only to Iowa for having an altered landscape. Lincoln couldn’t recognize the place. Fraker believed it was left to Lincoln’s fellow Republicans, indeed all residents of Illinois, to preserve what they could. Among recent actions, he was among leaders of the successful fight last year to save money in the state budget designated to acquire new natural areas when Gov. Rod Blagojevich wanted to transfer the funds to the state general fund to ease a fiscal crisis. Fraker doesn’t merely oppose Blagojevich because he is a Democrat. Fraker also speaks out against what he sees as anti-conservation policies of President George Bush, whose record Fraker calls, “an embarrassment.” Still, Fraker is cautiously optimistic about the future. “There is an awareness that didn’t exist before,” he said, noting a survey taken in the past few years where respondents called preservation of open spaces Illinois’ first environmental priority. Fraker said conservation organizations must acknowledge the importance of involving agriculture in its efforts. “The challenge is to make conservation, by that I mean habitat protection and species protection, compatible with agriculture. Clearly, you can’t make it work without agriculture,” he said. |
 | John P. “Jack” Rooney ’53 Professor Emeritus Thomas M. Cooley Law School Professor Rooney worked as an associate for law firms in Illinois and California and subsequently entered private practice in San Francisco, specializing in real estate law. He is admitted to practice in Michigan and before the U.S. Tax Court. He taught estate and gift taxation at San Francisco Law School before joining the Thomas Cooley faculty in 1975. Since joining the Thomas Cooley faculty, Professor Rooney has authored a casebook on property law. He has also published several articles on legal philosophy and has participated in international conventions of legal scholars. Professor Rooney is a member of the Federal Tax Problems Committee and the Title Insurance Committee in the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section of the American Bar Association. He is a former member of the Michigan Land Title Standards Committee. Professor Rooney is a member of Phi Beta Kappa, belongs to Scribes, and is a Fellow of the State Bar of Michigan Foundation. A charter member of the Cooley Legal Authors Society, he is the first winner of the Stanley E. Beattie Teaching Award. He has been listed in Who’s Who in American Law and in Who’s Who in America. Professor Rooney teaches Modern Real Estate Transactions and has taught Property and Jurisprudence. In a recent correspondence with the chapter, Brother Rooney writes: I was pleased to read George Fearheiley’s reminiscences in the latest issue of the Arrow received here in East Lansing today. I moved to EL about thirty years ago to teach at Cooley Law School in Lansing. One of Bill “Spider” Stevens’ relatives attended Cooley 20 or 30 yeqrs ago. Spider was a memorable member and a pretty good bridge player. Approximately a year ago I had the sad duty to attend the funeral of Kirk Kandle about whom George spoke. Kirk lived in the Lansing area for many years. Jack Hester phoned me a couple of years ago. Jack played baseball at Illinois. His parents were great hosts when Hugh Dolby and I were stationed at Fort Devens Mass, then the HQ for the Army Security Agency. I was at the fraternity and the University from early 1951 to June, 1953. I was a math major. Earlier today I looked up the math dept’s offerings. They are largely the same today as they were 55 years ago. One of the courses I was lucky enough to take exposed me to the use of the computer, viz., the Illiac. So when I was in the Army I was assigned to the National Security Agency as a computer programmer. After the Army I went to Harvard Law School. I worked summers as a computer programmer, in 1956 at Argonne Lab and in 1957 at IIT Research. One of my tasks at IIT involved calculating how fast the South Side would melt if we pulled the rods on our nuclear reactor. The man who assigned me the task was a fraternity bro who was a physicist. This pulling the rods is what happened at Chernobyl many years later. I lived and worked in the San Francisco area for fifteen years before moving to Lansing. Brothers Joe Kenston and Bill Luthi were there and later Art Molin, a clean water expert. Joe was one of my students at San Francisco Law School. I was glad to see a letter from Roe Mallstrom whom George mentioned. Bob Rollins too. One correction for George’s memories: I never was any good at chess. I was OK but not good at bridge. Brother Rooney’s earliest claim to fame was as a “Quiz Kid”. He writes: As it happens I was more famous when I was in high school than at any time since. I was on the Quiz Kids radio show and then after my QK days were over I asked the questions on a local quiz show, I think called Quizdown, which pitted rival public school, Lutheran school, and Catholic school sixth graders against one another. Each Sunday I had my picture in the Sun-Times with a little story about the quiz show. Usually we had a Hollywood personality on the show who got a little publicity out of the appearance. |
| Lawrence “Bud” Hatch ’34 Attorney – Hatch Law Firm Brother Lawrence “Bud” Hatch, 94, of Urbana, graduated from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1937 and joined the H.I. Green law offices, where he had worked before becoming a lawyer. As an associate, he became a widely recognized authority on mineral law in the development of gas and oil fields in southern Illinois. He has long been involved in drainage law, real estate, trust and probate law. In 2006 he was recognized as one of eight attorneys selected as the first class of the Champaign County Bar Association’s “Pillars of the Bar.” This elite group of lawyers, all alums of the U of I law school, were honored at a dinner for their devotion to the Bar. Hatch’s nomination said that “probably no one in the local bar has a greater recollection of the history of farmland ownership, soil types and identity of the farmers on Champaign County farms than he, usually because he represented a party in either the sale or purchase or drafted the lease. He will seldom be seen without having his plat book nearby.” His son, Bill Hatch, also of the firm now known as the Hatch Law Firm in Champaign, has practiced with his father for 39 years, where Brother Hatch still practices. Hatch also has two grandsons who are attorneys. Four lawyers from his firm have gone on to be state and federal judges. You can read the full text of the News-Gazette article documenting Hatch’s award here. |
 | C. Lyman Emrich ’32 Rhodes Scholar and eminent trademark and copyright attorney Brother Emrich’s record at the Omicron is well known as one of our most outstanding brothers. He served as President of the Omicron Alumni Association and on our Board of Directors for many years. Upon his passing in February 2005 the Chicago Tribune wrote: Whether speaking at a social gathering or on the political dais, C. Lyman Emrich Jr. captivated audiences. “Lyman had a wonderful reputation,” said Frank Hoover, who served with Mr. Emrich on the Evanston City Council in the 1960s. “Whenever he stood up to talk, people knew they were going to hear words of wisdom, well expressed in a gentlemanly demeanor.” Mr. Emrich also regaled audiences at the annual Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race Dinner in Chicago, where he gave an account of the annual rowing race between the historic rivals–a favorite sporting event for Mr. Emrich and other former Rhodes scholars. “For many, many years, he gave the report of the boat race, and he was very highly respected and much appreciated in that role,” said John H. Morrison, president of the American Association of Rhodes Scholars. “He was amusing–very amusing–and very thorough.” He graduated with honors from Evanston Township High School in 1928 and received a legislative scholarship to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1932. He was editor of the “Illio,” the school’s yearbook and was named to Phi Beta Kappa. In 1934, he got his law degree from the University of Illinois College of Law and became a Rhodes scholar. In 1938, he graduated from Exeter College at Oxford University with a doctorate of philosophy in jurisprudence. He started practicing law in Chicago and in 1941, he joined the firm of Brown, Jackson, Boettcher and Dienner. As a young lawyer, Mr. Emrich was invited to the White House wedding of the daughter of Henry Morgenthau Jr., treasury secretary under President Franklin Roosevelt. At the wedding, Mr. Emrich danced with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. “He was absolutely enchanted,” said his son Jeffrey. When World War II broke out, Mr. Emrich received a commission in the U.S. Navy Reserves. Before leaving Chicago, he married Barbara Mary Boettcher. He was assigned as a lieutenant junior grade to work in the Department of Naval Intelligence in Washington, D.C. In 1945, then-Lt. Cmdr. Emrich was on the Pacific Ocean en route to Japan when the war ended. Soon afterward, he returned to his Chicago law firm. An international trademark and copyright attorney until about 1990, he became a senior partner at his firm. After a merger, the firm became Emrich & Dithmar LLC. For six years in the 1950s, Mr. Emrich was an alderman in Evanston’s 2nd Ward. In the 1960s, he served for eight years as 1st Ward alderman. He also was a trustee of Evanston-Skokie School District 65. |
 | Frederick Green ’89 Professor, University of Illinois College of Law Professor Green time at the University of Illinois College of Law spanned over thirty plus years. To honor his illustrious service to the university, the College of Law holds an annual moot court competition in his name – The Frederick Green Moot Court Competition Brother Green was also the father of the Honorable Fred Green, a distinguished member of the bar and bench, decorated veteran, and champion Illini athlete. Ann Ribstein of the Jenner Law Library discovered in “Who Was Who in America” vol. 3 the following data on his life: He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Feb. 28, 1868 and took three degrees at Harvard, A.B. in 1889, A.M. in 1893, and LL.B., 1893. Brother Green married Lois Shepherd, Sept. 7, 1920 and they had two children-Cornelia and Frederick Shepherd. He practiced in New York City 1893-1900 and became professor of law at the University of Illinois in September 1904. The Greens made their home at 805 W. Green St., Urbana. He passed away July 27, 1956 and is buried at Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Brother Green’s time at Illinois is also documented in the book Law in the Grand Manner, 1897-1967 – A Popular History of the College of Law at the University of Illinois “Frederick Green retired from the faculty in 1936 after thirty-two years of service to Illinois, although he was called back for another year of teaching in 1938-39. He was counselor to four deans, and his example set the standard for academics at the College soon after its founding. A man of great dignity and reserve, he did not marry until he was fifty-four. He was beloved by the students for the benevolent interest he took in them, often providing lemonade during the hot June days of exam week. An oil portrait was dedicated in his honor and now hangs in the Law Building as a silent exhortation to aspiring advocates in the Frederick Green Moot Court Competition, which was named for him when he retired.” The Law School where he finished his career was quite different from the one he started at near the turn of the century. According to Law in the Grand Mannerthe college took over the old chemistry building in 1903 and called it home for the next twenty-four years. Brother Green remarked: And there the Law School lived for some years, if not precisely in the odor of sanctity, very decidedly in the odor of chamistry. But the smells that came from the chemicals that soaked the floors were mitigated, alleviated, and at times completely overwhelmed by the smells that came from the taxidermist’s shop in the basement. So while strange beasts and rare birds were manufactured in the basement, the upper stories of the building were engaged in producing and sending forth a multitude of lawyers. Law in the Grand Manner, 1897-1967 – A Popular History of the College of Law at the University of Illinois continues at length about Professor Green’s introduction to central Illinois on page fifteen: “The circumstances of his arrival in Urbana might have frightened a lesser man away, according to his later description: ‘Some piece of literature which I gut with my appointment said that every member of the faculty was expected to be at the University on September I and to stay until July 1, and not to leave town without permission. So I came at the stated time and the first thing I learned about the University was that you couldn’t take it at its word. The campus was empty. So was the Law Building. I went to the Library and as that was locked up, climbed to the upper floor where the Dean of Men had his office in the East end, the President in the middle and the Registrar and Bursar in die West end where the safe is still. I asked where the clerk in the Registrar’s Office where California Street was, but he said I had no right to come into the room because it was between twelve and one o’clock and out of office hours, but if I would come back at one o’clock he would tell me.’ “ “Frederick Green fortunately had the wit and wisdom to perceive the situation in its proper perspective. In the following description of the provincial community he captures the true flavor of life in those early years at the University: ‘Dr. Draper had not prepared me for what was a state of mind then widely prevalent which was manifested by a real, or sometimes a professed, devotion to ultra-puritan standards, that far outdid my boyhood recollections of New England, combined with a conscious effort at dignity. . . . No golf or tennis was allowed on Sunday, no library or museum was open Sunday afternoon, and though some members of the faculty had to have access lo university buildings on Sunday to feed experimental white mice or keep apparatus running, they were urged not to click typewriters so loud that they could be heard on the outside. Under the pretence of danger from fire, smoking was prohibited in faculty offices, and under pretence of danger to growing trees, the forestry was closed up after dark. . . . The campus was treated as a possession of the board of trustees which students and teachers were required to resort to periodically, but which they were given every incentive to leave as soon as they could. Even for the few minutes between classes students were forced to banish themselves to the nearest curb for a smoke… In 1904 Champaign-Urbana was said to have 17,000 people, nine churches, twenty-eight saloons, and twenty-odd miles of brick paved streets. Green and Wright Streets were paved. Mathews Street was being paved. John Street was mud mitigated by ashes, with a streetcar track down the middle, resting on cross tics that stuck out of the mud and had to be bumped over by the two-horse hacks, in which socially prominent students look their girls to dances. I have been told that when the mud was very bad it took four horses to pull a hack through it. And I remember reading in the local paper of a boy that got stuck in the mud while walking to school a short way outside of town, and they had to hitch a mule to him to pull him out. … To get a book, a haircut, or a soda, you must go to Urbana or Champaign. . . . The two towns literally boasted four automobiles. Morgan Brooks was the only faculty man who had one. . . . Saturday afternoon … tethered to racks around the court house square were lines of horses and mules hitched to mud-bespattered vehicles that had brought families from the farms into town for their weekly shopping and sight-seeing. Such of the men as weren’t in saloons, lined up on the curb and spat into the gutter, while the women and children stood around in silence looking each other over and waiting for the men to be ready to go home.’ ” “… Professor Green himself had two rooms costing $15 a month, and ate in the most fashionable boarding house in Urbana for four dollars a week., while being paid $2,000 salary for the school year. ‘Those were the halcyon days of law teaching,’ he reminisced. ‘Only two or three law reviews to be read, and none to edit … a student body half eager to learn, the other half immune to learning, and all alike invariably passing the bar examination with colors flying.’ ” |
Loyal Service to Psi U
| G. Cameron Brown ’37 Insurance and Underwriting Executive, WWII Veteran, Long time active member of the Omicron Alumni Association The Summer 2005 Arrow featured Brother Brown; what follows is the text of that article: Q: Why did you join Psi Upsilon? A: When I graduated from New Trier High School in 1932, in the middle of the Great Depression, my father had severe financial problems and could not afford to send me to college. I worked for a year as a clerk-typist in an insurance office. A high school friend, Bob Knauer ’36, had joined Psi U at Illinois and suggested I come down and have a look in the fall of 1933. The tuition was $35 a semester, which I could afford. Bob invited me to stay in the house and I never left. Psi U offered me a meal job and a promise of being house treasurer in my junior/senior years, all of which happened. This cut down the house bill by over half and almost to zero as treasurer. In addition, I had a dry cleaning service which added a few more dollars to a modest allowance from my father. Q: Did you live in the house? Who were your roommates? A: Yes, all four years! Like I said, I never left the house. In my freshman year I roomed with Bob Collett; the last three were with Selim Tideman Jr. ’37 whom I had known in high school. Q: What do you do for a living? A: I have been involved in insurance and underwriting for many years and have held many positions of leadership with various companies, including president for Cameron Brown Ltd., since 1976; vice president R.B. Jones & Sons, Inc., 1938-41; director George F. Brown & Sons, Inc., Chicago, 1947-79, vice president, 1947-50, executive vice president, 1950-53, president, 1953-64, chairman, chief executive officer, 1964-76; director Interstate National Corp., 1968-79, president, 1968- 74, chairman, 1970-76; director National Student Marketing Corp., 1970-76, president 1970-72, chairman 1970-75; director Interstate Fire & Casualty Co., 1952-79, executive vice president, 1953-56, president, 1956-74, chairman 1970-76; director Chicago Insurance Co., 1957-79, president, 1957-74, chairman, 1970-76; director Interstate Reins. Corp., 1957-79; Underwriting member Lloyd’s of London, 1971-95; and secretary, director Illinois Insurance Info. Svc., 1967-76. Q: Tell us about your family. Do you have children? A: I have three children, Reid, Deborah and Sophia. All are married with children. Q: What hobbies or activities do you enjoy? A: I am an avid golfer and wine connoisseur. I spend my winters in Santa Barbara, CA, and take advantage of the weather and region in pursuit of both activities. I play a lot of bridge which I originally learned in the Psi U card room, having cut quite a few classes in the process. Q: What other organizations are you involved with? A: I have been involved with many organizations over the years, including contributing author for the Property and Liability Handbook, 1965; president Chicago area Planned Parenthood Association, 1969-72; board of directors Planned Parenthood Federation America, 1976-79; active with John Evans Club, Northwestern University, University of Illinois President’s Club, University of Illinois Foundation, and University of Chicago President’s Club. In World War II, I served in the Army as a Lt. Col. General Staff Corps and received a Bronze Star medal with oak leaf cluster. Q: What are your goals for the next few years? A: At 90 years old, the main goals are to stay healthy and not fall down. Q: What are your favorite memories from your fraternity days? A: Big band music was very popular. Ray Noble was a great favorite and was on the radio on Thursday nights. The brothers would fill up the chairs, or lie on the rug, in the living room – no one saying a word – and listen to the broadcast. Q: With whom from the chapter do you stay in contact? A: Selim Tideman is the only one from my class that I am still in touch with. But I would very much welcome having news of any ’37 classmates who are still around. Q: What other activities or organizations were you involved with during your college days? A: When I was in college, I worked on the Daily Illini as a freshman, was president of my class as a sophomore, on the student senate as a sophomore and junior, and president of it in my senior year. Q: What are some of the things you’re working on now for Psi Upsilon? A: Before the war, I was active in Psi U alumni affairs, but much less so afterwards. It’s been at least 25 years since I last returned to the campus for Homecoming and to see a football game. | |
 | George Fearheiley ’54 Motorola Corporation – Employee Compensation, Enthusiastic and Generous Benefactor of the Chapter The Summer 2006 Arrow featured Brother Fearheiley; what follows is the text of that article: Q: Why did you join Psi Upsilon? A: I rushed informally my first semester. There were four Omicron alumni living in my hometown of Bloomington- Normal, IL. They were all successful and highly regarded individuals. When I visited the house, the chapter and its members impressed me. The house was a dichotomy: immature freshmen and sophomores, mature juniors and seniors, many on the G.I. Bill. I initially flunked out but re-pledged the next fall and was initiated in 1952. I attended three summers, graduating in August 1954 in LAS. Q: What positions did you hold while in the house? A: I was a co-rushing chairman and the editor of The Arrow. Q: What do you do for a living? A: I worked for four companies, retiring in 1995 after thirtyseven years at Motorola, Inc. I worked in employee compensation, concentrating in engineering and executive compensation. Q: Tell us about your family. A: I have been married to my wife, Nancy, for forty-three years! Our son and daughter are college graduates and professionals. We moved from Illinois to California in 2002 to be near our kids and grandkids. Q: What is your favorite memory from your fraternity days? A: I remember Kirk Kandle ’51 who educated me in the culture of the south-side of Chicago; Marshall Smith ’51 who played on the football team and tried to teach me to study by understanding; treasurer Dick Rowe ’54 who “cooked the books” (just kidding) and who kept a bottle of the worst rotgut whiskey in his desk drawer that ever entered the house; Jimmy Lee ’52 who kept fixing me up with coeds who invariably had steady boyfriends at home or at other colleges; president Jack Rooney ’53 who played chess or bridge while studying languages and conversing with several brothers; Roe Mallstrom ’51 who served fifteen cent martinis in the big “blue room” across from the dorm door before Sunday dinner; the huge elm tree out front of the house; the chapter house and red rooms; the airplane propeller in the card room; Mother’s & Father’s Days at the house; and Psi U songs, history, ritual and ceremony. Q: Any other memories you’d like to share? A: One of the brothers was quite a lover boy. He pinned one girl and then decided to also pin another! He told the second one that he lost his badge but would get her a sweetheart pin. In the meantime, he borrowed another Brother’s badge (guess whose?) to pin the second girl. When she discovered the ruse, she is reported to have thrown my badge halfway across the quad. Perhaps someday Brother Russ Scheibel ’51, an archeologists, will organize a dig to retrieve it. Q: Who were your roommates while living in the house? A: Besides Kirk Kandle ’51 and Marshall Smith ‘51, my other roommates were Bob Fairbanks ’53, Harry Maden ’51, Bob Rollins ’54 and Dick Underwood ’53. Q: What kind of influence has the fraternity had on your life since graduation? A: Friends and family seem amazed by my concern and support for old Psi U. “Grow up, George. That was then, this is now,” they tell me. But then I cite our mission statement. End of conversation. If those ideals and goals were good enough for me then, they are even more applicable today. I know that many Brothers essentially leave the fraternity when they leave school, but Psi U will always be an important part of who I am. She took me back when I once failed and I cannot fail her now. The members ate together, slept in the same dorm, sang the same songs, and wore the same pin. But the guys were very diverse depending on their backgrounds, experiences and aspirations. I learned to tolerate, accept and compromise. I was only significant in relationship to a larger group with whom I had to function. Psi U helped to define me; helped to re-invent myself. The experience served me well after graduation. |
 | Charles Fish ’28 Insurance Executive, Scratch Golfer, Generous Benefactor of the Chapter Stewart Fish, son of the late Brother Fish, relates the following about his father: My father was very close to Psi U. Although he did not participate in elder functions, he always read THE DIAMOND with interest. He was captain of the Illinois Golf Team of 1928 which won the Big 10. When he was inducted into the Tribe of Illini, the university’s letterman association, he had to run the gauntlet and he was fast – the only two who got a paddle on him were Red Grange and Butch Novak. He was also a member of Kappa Beta Phi, which during Prohibition was an honorary drinking fraternity. He used to regale us with the initiation which consisted of a large glass of beer with pure grain alcohol floated on top. They had to chug-a-lug it. He said he was drunk for two days after that. He was President of the Freeport Insurance Company of Freeport, Illinois, and retired at the age of 55 and moved to Florida where he was an avid golfer. He began shooting his age at 64 and did it some 1500 time until at the age of 94 he had to give up the big course and play a par 3 course. He won the club championship at every club he belonged to: ROCKFORD (IL) CC; FREEPORT (IL) CC – this one he won for ten straight years – JOLIET (IL) CC; COUNTRY CLUB OF FLORIDA; DELRAY DUNES CC; AND THE LITTLE CLUB. Editor’s note: A loyal supporter of Psi Upsilon International and our chapter for many years, Brother Fish graciously provided for a $5,000 bequest in his will for the benefit of our Omicron chapter. The funds were used towards sorely needed remodeling of the Little Sister Room and adjoining bathroom of the chapter house, which we commemorated during 2005 homecoming weekend. We thank Brother Fish for his benevolence in helping shape the bright future of our chapter house in the years ahead. |
 | William P. King, Jr. ’73 Attorney at Law, Former President of the Omicron Alumni Association, and Active Participant at Many Psi U Conventions |
 | Robert D. Llewellyn ’44 Marketing and Advertising Executive, WWII Veteran, Flyer and Avid Photographer, Loyal Supporter of the Omicron The Summer 2006 edition of the Omicron Arrow featured Brother Llewellyn: Q: Why did you join Psi Upsilon? A: Jim Cook ’43, the rush chairman who was a year ahead of me at Evanston Township High School, and Chuck Huwen ’43, recruited me. They heard that I was attending Illinois in the fall and came over to my house. Not only did they impress me, but also my Dad. They handled it so well that I after they left I said to myself, ‘Boy that sounds like a real nice group of men that I want to join.’ I ended up pledging my freshman year. Q: Did you live in the house? Who were your roommates? A: I lived in the house all the time. It was $32 per month. Tuition was $35 for the semester. I lived mostly on the 3rd floor. I recall my first roommate was Charles “Wayne” Hotze ’41 who was the president of the house and lived in Northfield, IL. Wayne was the casino champ – a card game played in the house – and would wear a crown when he played. Wayne was my hero, a real nice man. Q: What do you do for a living? A: I was a liberal arts major and then got into advertising and journalism. Before retiring, my career was in marketing and advertising, ending up as a marketing manager with Chicagobased Tootie Roll, a 300 million dollar conglomerate of several candy brands. Q: What positions did you hold while in the house? A: On Jim Cook’s (’43) recommendation, I became rush chairman. Believe it or not, we had a small expense account. I used to drive around the State and talk to potential recruits about coming to Illinois and joining Psi U. We had a pledge class of 30 or 31. But due to our lax attitude towards grades, only about a dozen would initiate. In fact, only about 1/3 of all students on campus would graduate. Key to rush was prerushing… meeting with various recruits and writing letters to them encouraging them to check out Psi U. We would obtain a list of high school seniors from the University and would target solid, active guys. Q: What is your favorite memory from your fraternity days? A: I was there at the beginning of the Red Room. First off, it was never red. It was knotty pine. There was a secret door to access the back of the room that was reserved for the seniors. I recall once when Charles “Tony” D. Cram ’45, who was from Wilmette and attended New Trier High School and was on Illinois’ track team, did his best John Wayne impression and announced, “I’m calling for a clean sweep,” and pushed down all the bottles and glasses to the floor. Needless to say, I along with the other brothers were not pleased with Tony about that. Q: What did you after leaving school? A: After college, my first job as a copywriter for an ad agency brought me to New York City. I had a list of 150 different places I wanted to see. One time, I rented a plane and took a date on a tour of the city. We flew by the Empire State Building and Statute of Liberty. I also let her fly the plane! We also saw Lena Horne sing at the legendary Copa Cabaña. At their tables they had postcards, which they would mail for free for you saying, “We’re having a great time Copa Cabaña.” Q: Tell us about your family. A: My wife, Marilyn, passed away. We have three children – Robert, Jr., Kim, and John – and four grandkids. Kim is an artist and collaborated with author Shel Silverstein and his famous children’s books “Where the Sidewalk Ends” and “A Light in the Attic.” Q: Tell us about WWII and its affect on the house. A: I vividly remember when I heard about Pearl Harbor during my sophomore year. I was at the Kappa Kappa Gamma house when we heard the broadcast on the radio. Next day, the President of the University spoke to the students at Huff Gym and urged us to stay in school and study hard so that when we were called up, we could serve our country better. Most ignored the advice and immediately enlisted. I later signed up with the Navy and trained to be a fighter pilot, and later as a torpedo bomber. Afterwards, I joined the active reserve and stayed in 13 more years flying jets and antsubmarine planes. Like other fraternities on campus, we had a number of brothers who unfortunately did not make it back from the War, including Jim Latham ’44 from Alton, IL – a marine captain, a real hero; Pete Blackford ’43 from Oak Park, IL; and Johnny Austin ’43 also from Oak Park. Due to the war, the house lost membership and was rented out as a women’s boarding house from June 43 thru January 1946. Only with the help of our outstanding alumni were we able to organize to get our house back and reestablish Psi U on campus. Thanks to the GI bill, we had plenty of men on campus from which to recruit. But many of these men were veterans and were unwilling to go through the type of pledgeship we had previously gone through. One day, we almost had a mutiny with the new pledges. We all had a meeting and agreed to modify the rules for the pledges. We had two other fraternities living with us as the time, Deke’s & Xi Phi’s, who did not have their houses back as early as we did. The Dekes told their motley crew of undisciplined pledges that they had better shape up or they would be treated like the Psi U pledges! In all seriousness, I am happy that the house has become more serious getting high GPA’s and more conscientious about charity work. Q: Any other memories you’d like to share? A: We sang a lot when I was in the house. One of our favorites was the “Slap Back” song. Tom “Moon” McCracken, Iota- Omicron ’44 wrote “Sweetheart of Old Psi U” and “To Old Psi U.” I wonder if they are still sung? Q: With whom from the chapter do you stay in contact? A: I keep in touch with Art Wood ’43 who lives our in California; I visit Don Johnson ’45 every winter at his house in Laguna Woods, CA; and I see Henry “Henie” Diettrich ’44 who owns a horse farm in Kenosha, WI. Q: What hobbies do you enjoy? A: I become involved with photography from my days at Evanston High School when I joined their camera club. While in college, I would take many pictures of the guys and the house. I also love to travel and take pictures of the places I’ve been. Highlights include visiting Japan, Greece, Europe, Hong Kong, Hawaii and Rio. My favorite place was Greece. No doubt. I never saw such photographic opportunities in my life. Those windmills, the white marble houses with the Aegean Sea in the background…just gorgeous. Q: What kind of influence has the fraternity had on your life since graduation? A: As I meet various fraternity men over the years since I left school, I realized that my Psi U experience meant more to me than their fraternities meant to them. My closest pals are Psi U’s even after all these years. “In the bonds” meant just that. |
 | Gene McCarthy ’49 Insurance Executive, Expert Sailor, Longtime member of the Omicron’s Board of Directors The Summer 2005 Arrow featured Brother McCarthy; what follows is the text of that article: Q: Why did you join Psi Upsilon? A: My brother, Jack, is a Psi U from the University of Chicago, Omega Chapter, and was attending medical school there when I graduated from South Shore High School in Chicago. Times were tight and my family had a tough time supporting my brother’s education. By working summers delivering milk and lifeguarding, along with working as a waiter in the chapter house, I was able to attend college and join Psi U. Q: What other activities or organizations were you involved with during your college days? A: I attended both the Champaign-Urbana and Navy Pier campuses and was active in sports. In Champaign I was on the swim team and played water polo in intramural competition with A. J. Del Vento ’51. At Navy Pier I started every basketball game for U of I for two seasons. Q: Tell us a little bit about your work history. A: After leaving the University 14 hours shy of achieving my degree in chemistry with a math minor, I felt confident to enter the work force because of the incredible life experiences I had gone through with Psi Upsilon. Many of the brothers had just returned home after WWII and were very mature. I started working as an ironworker helping to build Chicago’s skyscrapers for about one and a half years. One day, working with a coworker on the 28th floor of a new building, we were preparing to board the “cage”(elevator). The operator (on the ground) brought the cage to our floor and failed to set the brake when we attempted to board. The cage free fell to the ground. I was able to turn and grab the deck and hold on. My co-worker fell to his death. After that near death experience I decided I needed a new career. I went into training to be a marine insurance underwriter. As luck would have it, I was walking in the loop one day when I ran into Park Brown ’41, a fellow Omicron. Park arranged interviews with his father’s insurance agency, George F. Brown and Sons, and I began to work along side of Park, his brother Cameron ’37 and their father for the next 20 years. I was recruited by a firm and joined them rising to the presidency of Starkweather & Shepley, Inc. I was specialized and became recognized as an expert in the marine insurance field. I opened my own insurance brokerage and consulting firm where I originated a new form of insurance for yacht clubs called Regatta Liability. Over 1,000 clubs became members of this program. I sold my business in the middle ‘80s to Myers-Briggs, Inc. and have remained in semi-retirement as a vice president and consultant. My son, Glenn, continues this business. Q: What hobbies and activities do you enjoy? A: Growing up near Lake Michigan, which I consider Chicago’s greatest natural treasure, I’ve always had a profound affection for the water. I was a lifeguard for the City of Chicago and achieved Captain. When this newsletter is read I will have sailed my 52nd Chicago to Mackinac sailboat race and my 25th Port Huron to Mackinac race. Q: What are some of your favorite memories from your years as an active? A: Around l946 or l947, Linell Bock ’46 and I excavated the area underneath the dining room of the chapter house in what would become known as the “Red Room”. The walls were painted red with normal white lighting. Back then, the University prohibited girls from being in the chapter houses. A false wall concealed the room and the lighting was connected to a switch at the front entrance to the house. If and when University officials (campus cops) came to the door, our porter would hit the switch back and forth to flicker the lights to let us know to close the wall and be quiet until they left. You have to realize this was right after WWII and the campus was flooded with returning veterans. There were approximately 14,000 men and 3,500 girls….and we needed to do something like this to get a leg up on the competition. It worked! Later, an addition was added to the Red Room that we called the Zebra Room. I have great memories of Robert Llewellyn ’44 entertaining us and our guests in the Red Room with his great sense of humor. Morgan Jones ’54 composed and wrote “Psi U Lady” that the brothers and I sang to my wife to be, Barbara Hunding, at the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority on the thrilling night that I pinned her. Although I haven’t stayed in contact with him, I will always respect Warren Alcock, Jr. ’46 for what he did for me at initiation time into the fraternity. I also recall Herbert Jackson, Jr. ’48 and his sandwich business that he operated while at school. Herb would prepare the sandwiches at our kitchen and go to other fraternities to sell them. He would sell 200-300 on a given night and he made good money doing so. Q: What was your favorite room when you lived in the chapter house? A: The room located across from the dorm roof (next to the penthouse). When I lived at the house, everyone slept in the dorm as the rooms were for study and personal belongings. It was crazy in the mornings trying to sleep in when so many of the alarms went off at various times. Q: What brothers do you stay in contact with? A: I see many of the post WWII brothers at the alumni association board meetings a few times a year. I do see my fellow roomy Arthur Andrew ’55 in St. Thomas, VI when I vacation there. Q: Tell us about your family. A: I was married for 47 years to my wife, Barbara, whom I met at Navy Pier branch of U of I. The Good Lord called her in 1997. We have three children– Gail, Glenn and Vince. Gail and Glenn each have two children. In l998 I was fortunate to meet another wonderful lady, Mary Murphy, whom I have been with ever since. My son, Vince, was born developmentally challenged. After many years of hard work by Barbara and I, Vince has been able to become independent and now works for Best Buy. I take great satisfaction in Vince’s accomplishments and, of course, the successes of both Gail and Glenn. Q: What other organizations are you involved with? A: I am a past president of Lake Michigan Sail Racing Federation, Lake Michigan Yachting Association and Yacht Racing Union of the Great Lakes. I served on the board and was Rear Commodore of Jackson Park Yacht Club. I served on the board of directors of United States Sailing Association; the national governing body of the sport of sail boat racing. I currently serve on three of their committees. |
 | Robert E. McIntire ’68 Faithful board member, Attorney at Law – Public Defender, Vermilion County Both the Omicron and the University have had few alumni as dedicated and loyal as Brother Bob McIntire. The Omicron’s unofficial singer, Brother McIntire is a repository of chapter history and wisdom which he has graciously shared with a generation of Psi U’s. Often seen carrying around his beloved guitar at Homecoming and wearing his badge with pride, Bob is married to Cheryl, and they have a son, Jeff, and a daughter, Mindy, who was a Pi Phi at Illinois and Panhel President. |
 | Dean Marinakis ’90 Attorney at Law and Former President of the Omicron Alumni Association When the name “Dean” is uttered at 313 E. Armory Avenue, everyone from the newest pledge to the venerable alumnus in knows you’re talking about the incomparable Dean C. Marinakis ’90. Brother Marinakis’s legacy can be seen in every aspect of chapter life: its finances, organization, communications, physical plant, programming, Homecoming, scholarships, and more. He brought together the myriad talents of Omicrons across the generations to improve the quality of life for our undergraduate brothers, placing the chapter on a solid foundation well into the 21st century. His tenure as Alumni President saw the completion of Phase One of the Chapter House Renovation Project and an unprecedented rise in donations with the “10/10” program. Thanks to his leadership, undergraduates have access to the “Active Active” grant awards, and we awarded the first Psi U Scholarship Grants to freshmen in the fall of 2007. He also revitalized The Omicron Arrow, which has set the standard in all of Psi U for alumni communications, and helped maintain our great Homecoming tradition. He also put together Phase Two of the Chapter House Renovation Project which debuted in 2008. Dean has done all this and more. Hailing originally from Lincolnwood, Brother Marinakis graduated from Niles West High School and became an in-house pledge after meeting Brother Shigeki Makino ’87 and others during formal rush. Brother Marinakis soon moved into the Beta Chi and took on various responsibilities in the chapter, from pledge educator to enthusiastic Atius cast member. Known for his tenacious defense, Dean was a talented foosball athlete, teaming with Chris Jones ’90 to win the campus championship as an undergrad. He lists his proudest achievement while in the house as rushing David P. Komie ‘92.5, our current alumni association secretary extraordinaire. Brother Marinakis took a BS in Business Administration with High Honors in 1990 and earned a JD at Loyola University of Chicago in 1993. He is a trial attorney in Chicago and enjoys running, reading (Mark Twain is a favorite) and is very concerned about global warming. |
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| Dean Marinakis ’90 with house sweethearts, Bryana Yergler and Ashley Mondul, at Homecoming 2007. | |
 | Roe Mallstrom ’51 Served our country and served Psi UThe Summer 2007 featured Brother Mallstrom – the following is the text of that article: Q: Why did you join Psi Upsilon? A: I rushed Psi Upsilon in spring of 1948. My first impression of the brothers and pledges was excellent. Not only were they fraternal brothers but there were also many blood brothers: Bill ‘50 and Jim Lee ‘52, Dick ’50 and Chuck Machamer ‘51, Bruce ’49 and Ken Macdonald ‘52, Grant ’46 and Don Nelson ’51, Tom ’49 and Marshall Smith ‘51, Tony ’46 and Ken Cram ‘50. My brother Roy pledged Psi U in 1949 (class of ’53). The portraits lining the second floor hall included athletes Chuck Carney ‘22, John Depler ‘21, Amos Alonzo Stagg (Beta ‘88), Bud Wilkinson (Mu ’34), and Jay Berwanger (Omega ’36); government leaders Bob Taft (Beta ’10) and Nelson Rockefeller (Zeta ’30); brothers from the world of music (Deems Taylor, Delta ‘06), acting (Robert Ryan, Zeta ‘31) and Broadway production (George Abbott, Upsilon ‘11). Today the tradition continues in the DIAMOND which recently recognized Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin (Nu ’61) and Dan Brown (Gamma ’86) author of the ‘Da Vinci Code.’ The gallery also displayed pictures of Psi U Chapter Houses across the US and Canada. The unique architecture of the Omicron matched its campus location. A combination of brotherhood and prestige drew me to Psi Upsilon like a magnet. Q: What positions did you hold while in the house? A: In 1950 I was elected Chapter President. Q: What do you do for a living? A: I retired in 1990. Prior to that I had two employers: The U. S. Navy and United Airlines. The Korean conflict was still in progress when I graduated. Brother Ken Reimer ’51 LT U.S. Army was killed there. I remember the chapter gathering in the living room to hear General MacArthur’s address to Congress on the radio. After graduation I enlisted in the Navy and after boot camp at Great Lakes I was sent to OCS in Newport, RI. After receiving my commission I was assigned to the Cruiser USS Des Moines as Radio Officer. One of our assignments was as Flagship for Commander Sixth Fleet. Our homeport for that assignment was Villefranche sur Mer, a suburb of Nice. That assignment took me back and forth from Gibraltar to Beirut. My next assignment was as Radio Officer on the Staff of Commander Battleship Cruiser Force Atlantic Fleet onboard the Battleship USS Iowa. I caught the travel bug and selected United Airlines as my next and final employer. I worked at both Midway and O’Hare first in Passenger Service, next Regional Customer Service and finally Stewardess Service which became Inflight Service and now Onboard Service. My early retirement gave more time for travel. We crossed the Atlantic twice in the Concorde. I went around the world on United in 1994. This was an echo of Brother Aub Cookeman’s ‘35 same circumnavigation on the British Comet. Q: What are you favorite memories of your fraternity days? A: Choir practice led by Dave Pyle ’50 on Sunday nights to prepare for Sachem Sing and sorority serenades after a brother pinned his sweetheart, Friday night beer exchanges, the Triad Formals with the Dekes and the Alpha Delts, band concerts on the quad, Chief Illiniwek, Spring Carnival, and Li Bock’s ’46 burgers. The new blood we received when Jack Draper ’51 transferred from the Rho, Joe Reinhardt ’51 and Lyman White ’51 from the Iota’ Tom Hull ’53 from the XI and Bob Cornell ‘52 from the Beta Beta. Q: What were your favorite classes? A: A Journalism class based on weekly reading of the NEW YORK TIMES conducted by ABC correspondent Quincy Howe, the first computer science class which was located in the Philosophy Department disguised as Symbolic Logic, English Literature class conducted by Professor Bob Rogers (Phi ’36) who later became Dean of LAS. In order to return to business, I received my MBA from the University of Chicago in 1969. The Omega welcomed my family and me to the Omega Chapter House before and after the commencement service. Q: Tell us about your family. A: Brother Don Nelson ‘51 introduced me to the love of my life, Lillian Zalga (NU 1954). We were married in 1960 and have been traveling together ever since. We recently visited Bob (’54) and Barbara Fairbanks when we were in San Francisco to establish a museum/memorial site for the USS Iowa. We also see Gene McCarthy ‘49 and his friend Mary Murphy in Acapulco each winter. We see Dick (’54) and Kay Carlson when they come to Chicago from Colorado for business or a Chicago Symphony concert. Q: What is next? A: The success of the recent pledge class is outstanding. The Active Chapter and the Alumni Association deserve our gratitude and admiration. Today’s Omicron brothers are recognizing many important benefits and values in fraternity life. Attaining leadership and teamwork should involve a full term of four years or as many as is available for skills to grow and mature. I have been fortunate to attend many Psi U Conventions starting with my first at the Pi 56 years ago. I look forward to the celebration of the Omicron Centennial at the 2010 Convention. |
 | Joe Miller ’57 Chapter Advisor (1965 to 2008), Retired Accountant and Associate Director of Housing for Business Affairs – University of Illinois Chapter advisor to the Omicron from 1965 to 2008, Brother Miller is our chapter’s only member to be awarded Psi Upsilon’s Distinguished Alumni Service Award. The Distinguished Alumni Service Award recognizes those alumni whose contributions to this fraternity are marked by great generosity and selflessness and whose service have brought honor to Psi U. These characteristics fit Brother Miller to a “T”. Born in Leland, Illinois, Brother Miller lived and farmed there until drafted into the Army in January 1952. He served in the Army for two years, then enrolled at the University of Illinois where he graduated with a BS in Accounting in 1957. His first job after college was as accountant at All-Steel Equipment Co, Aurora, for three years until he moved back to Champaign to work as accountant at the U of I’s Housing Division. Brother Miller retired in 1996 as Associate Director of Housing for Business Affairs after 36 years and has remained in Champaign since retirement. His affiliation with the Omicron started in spring 1954 when he pledged. Living in the house from fall ’54 to spring ’56, he served as house treasurer those two years before getting married and moving to an apartment his last year in school. While in the house he was a member of the Varsity Men’s Glee Club. Brother Miller was on the Skull & Crescent honor roll and received the pledge scholarship achievement award. About 1965 he was recruited by a member of the Psi U National office to be Chapter Advisor to the Omicron, a duty he has faithfully performed ever since. Brother Miller received the Omicron Alumnus of the Year award twice – most recently in 2005 and received the Psi Upsilon Distinguished Alumni Service Award at the Psi Upsilon 162d National Convention in June 2005. In April 2002 he received the Fred H. Turner Award for outstanding contributions to the sorority and fraternity community and the University at large. |
 | Timothy T. “Tim” Miller ’80 Chief Administrative Officer, General Counsel and Secretary of Crane Plastics Company, Columbus, Ohio Former President of the Omicron Alumni Association One of Psi U’s favorite sons is Tim Miller ’80. Brother Miller faithfully served the chapter as Alumni President during the late 80s and early 90s before handing over the reins to J.P. Fagan ’91 and taking his place on the Omicron’s Board. In addition to being a top executive at Crane Plastics, Brother Miller was an attorney for the law firm of Rosenthal and Schanfield from 1987-1992 and a senior accountant for the law firm of Jenner & Block from 1983-1992. Prior to this, he was a staff accountant for the public accounting firm of Touche Ross & Company (now Deloitte & Touche) from 1980-1983. The Summer 2005 Omicron Arrow featured Brother Miller, the text of which is reprinted below: Q: Why did you join Psi Upsilon? A: I went through rush, and I liked the guys. I was looking for a medium size house. I was probably a little intimidated by the larger houses. I really wanted to strike out on my own and several of the guys from my high school were doing the traditional Champaign thing, pledging Betas, SAE, etc. Q: What was your nickname, and how did you get it? A: “T. Taylor”. My name is Timothy Taylor Miller, and one day a pledge brother just started calling me that. Q: What do you do for a living? A: Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel for Crane Plastics Company in Columbus, Ohio. Q: What kind of influence has the fraternity had on your life since graduation? A: I went into accounting because one of the older brothers in the house convinced me it was a good profession. My first job was with Touche Ross in Chicago, and I probably got that job because the managing partner at the time was a Psi U from Wisconsin (Rho Chapter) who I met at a dinner. I was convinced to go into law school by a friend of mine who I indirectly met through the fraternity. The real irony now that I live in Columbus is that we have a lot of Amherst Gamma Chapter Psi U alums or people who went to school at Amherst and know of the Psi U house. My networking skills and recognition that not everyone is the same all came from my days spent living in the house. Q: Tell us about your family. Have you married? Do you have children? A: Married to my wife, Jamie, a Chi Omega from Indiana, with two children, a 12 year old son, Taylor, and a 9 year old daughter, Hailey. Q: What hobbies or activities do you enjoy? A: Reading, traveling, working out, golfing, spending time with the kids. Q: What are your goals for the next few years? A: Eventually, I might like to get into teaching law at one of the local universities, probably on an adjunct part-time basis. Q: What are your favorite memories from your fraternity days? A: As far as general memories, dinnertime and hallway talks (“RF” sessions) late at night were the best. I still maintain to this day I got my best nights of deep sleep in the cold air dorm. I remember waking up on cold mornings and seeing everyone’s breath coming out from under the EBs (electric blankets), and one morning I woke up to find a snow drift at the foot of my bed and Willie’s Thick & Cheesy Pizza was a standard, at least one to two nights a week – I still have my mug club card. As far as a specific event, during the fall of 1978 John Belushi’s movie Animal House was popular. That semester’s pledge dance had a Toga theme, and everyone came draped in sheets. Things were rocking, and at about 10 p.m. the doors to the fraternity burst open and a film crew from the CBS affiliate in Chicago came waltzing in with cameras a blazing. Apparently, they were on campus to film the Animal House phenomena that was sweeping the nation. Everyone got pretty excited about being on television and whooped it up, until the Chicago kids (who comprised a substantial portion of the house) realized that their parents would probably be seeing them on the evening news the next night. All of a sudden people started to disappear! Q: Why did you originally join the fraternity? A: Friendship, camaraderie mostly, wanted to live on campus. I lived in Champaign and did not want to live at home. It didn’t make any sense to live in the dorms. Growing up in Champaign, it always seemed like the fraternity guys were having the most fun on campus. So to tell you the truth, I never really thought about not joining a house. Q: Did you live in the house? Who were your roommates? A: I lived in the house for 3.5 years, moving out my final semester to study for the CPA exam. Roommates included Jeff ”Chico” Chicoine ’78, Robert DalSanto ’79 (who is coming up from Cincinnati to attend the OSU Illinois basketball game in March), Scott “Nips” Templeton ’80, Brian Deavers ’80, Robert Takamoto ’80, Steve “Hogi” Hougsted ’82, Eric Smith ’79, Jeff ”Wurtzie” Wurtz ’82, and Kevin Chandler ’83. When I graduated I moved to Chicago and lived for a time with Mark Moore and John Bloomfield ’79. Q: What influence has your undergraduate fraternity experience had on you since graduating? A: Rush taught me how to meet, greet and talk with new people. Serving as a chairman of committees and as an officer taught me how to deal with all of the different types of people. Q: With whom from the chapter do you stay in contact? A: Timothy Evans ’76, John Bloomfield ’79, Doug Glidewell ’81, Matthew Hower ’79, Martin Hower ’80, Robert Petersen ’68, Dan Wojnowski ’81, Joe Hudson ’88, Robert DalSanto ’79, and Kim Wells ’81. Evans, Bloomfield, Glidewell, Hower, Hower, Petersen and Wojnowski and I all go on a four-day Psi U golf outing in early November of each year. We’ve been doing this now for more than 10 years running. Q: Whom would you most like to see at Homecoming? A: My pledge brothers, such as Tom Burns ’80. Tom went to work for Intel straight out of school, headed overseas, and I haven’t seen nor heard from him since. Dennis Van Dyke (a.k.a. FDLMESQ) and Glen Livingston haven’t been back for a while, at least that I know of. They always kept things interesting. Q: What are you working on now for Psi Upsilon? A: Just waiting to see what happens with the architectural report (referring to the master plan restoration for the chapter house). Other than that I try to attend the Chicago board meetings. Southwest Airlines has dirt-cheap tickets to Chicago, and it’s fun to get back for the meetings. Q: What other organizations are you involved with? A: I work on issues involving the homeless/housing for low-income individuals and families. I also do some work on projects looking to improve the Columbus Public School System. Q: What else were you involved with during your college days? A: Just the usual honorary fraternities, e.g., Beta Alpha Psi (accounting honorary). I was pretty much a booker. |
 | The Morgan family: Horace Morgan ’06, Cliff Morgan ’32, and David Morgan ’59 The Omicron’s “First Family” Psi U has had several illustrious father-son combinations in the house, as well as brothers who have “worn the emblem of the chosen few.” However the Morgans are unique – they are the first “direct line” 3 generation family (grandfather – father – son) of the Omicron. Not only are they a three generation family of the chapter, Horace Healy Morgan ’06 was an original member of the Aztec Club that petitioned Psi Upsilon for membership in 1906. The photo at left (which was graciously provided by Brother David) shows from left to right: Cliff Morgan ’32, David Morgan ’59, and Horace Morgan ’06 in Groton, CT in 1941 at the graveyard where their 18th generation ancestor, James Morgan is buried. The Omicron Arrow of October 1937 notes:: Cliff Morgan ’32 sends us his questionnaire to annouce a new arrival in the Morgan household – a son, David, born early in May. Cliss if connected with the Eastern Michigan Trucking Trucking Co., 1234 St. Subin, Detroit and lives in nearby Royal Oak at 317 Potawatomi Blvd. Mrs. Morgan is the former Jeane McLean, Michigan Pi Phi. The same issue notes their unique lineage – though it mysteriously refers to other “third generation” families, no evidence as of yet supports this assertion. Brother Cliff Morgan ’32 passed away April 28, 2008 having lived in Winter Haven, FL for the final 40+ years of his life. His hobby was documenting college football win, loss, tie statistics and game scores, and he had a complete historical record of this information for 261 college teams from 1869 through to 2005. His father Horace was a mechanical engineer for the Palmer-Bee Company of Detroit, MI and later in his career was a sales representative for the Weller Manufacturing Company of Chicago, IL before his death in 1952. Brother Morgan was very helpful with much of the historical data which appears on this website, and for that, the Omicron is very grateful.David Morgan ’59 went to University of Florida and then Pratt Inst. in New York after Champaign and also served in U.S. Coast Guard as radioman. He married an actress; and their daughter, an actress, married an actor; two grandchildren, so far, just acting up. He does architectural design and illustration across the globe – Florida, Bahamas, Cuba, Philadelphia, New York City, and San Francisco and has done archaeological reconstruction illustrations of Maya sites in Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, and Honduras. His drawings have appeared in National Geographic, Archeology, etc. during past 25 years. As of the 2005 Arrow , he was working on four sites in Guatemala and now lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. A hearty “Psi, Psi, Psi” goes out to the Morgan family – may all the brothers be inspired by their example. |
 | John R. Parker ’28 “Mr. Psi U” For many brothers, the name John Parker ’28 is synonymous with the Omicron chapter. John Stewart ‘69 recalls the following about this gentleman from Lincoln: John R. Parker was a good friend of Harry Martin, Jeff Martin ‘72’s dad and also my dad (who was an AGR, not a Psi U). I grew up in Lincoln, and John Parker was one of our closest family friends. He and my dad were also involved in a few business deals. When it came time for me to choose a fraternity at Illinois, John Parker and Joseph Checkley (another old Lincoln friend and Class of ’13) gave Psi U a great recommendation. This coupled with me liking the men in the house made Psi U my overwhelming choice, which obviously I’ve never regretted one bit. Brother Parker, as I now was calling him, let me know he was willing to be an active alum in his old house. We had an initiation practice back then (which you may not have kept) where our pledges had to appear before a dignified and stern alum, who grilled each man on what it meant to be a Psi U, while dropping less than subtle hints that the particular candidate might not have what it took to carry on this fine tradition. We had a regular Champaign alum for this job, but he was unavailable for the Fall 1966 initiation, so I called on Brother Parker. He was so masterful that the Champaign man lost his job permanently. From this point Brother Parker went on to become a member of the alumni board, where he did a great job of recruiting his friends to join the board and also make financial contributions. Most of these friends were also Class of ’28, and I can remember at least some of them. Perhaps foremost was Rexford Blazer, who was Chairman of the Board of Ashland Oil. Another was Fred Nichols, who held the same job at the Chicago Tribune. A slightly older alum was F. Olney “Ollie” Brown, who came from a prominent Chicago family and had been John Parker’s pledge father. The two had an ongoing banter about how the sophisticated Brown took on the daunting task of turning the small town “hayseed” Parker into a good Psi U. I believe Brother Parker also recruited Chicago businessman Aubrey Cookman, a longtime board member. Other persons he encouraged to became active alumni incuded Bob McCormick and Clark Brubaker of Bloomington, Lincoln mayor Ed Malerich and businessman Bill Gossett, Harry Martin of course, and a host of others I will eventually think of. Few who knew him when I did could believe that Brother Parker had ever been a hayseed. He was incredibly suave, with a great laugh and smile. He had inherited his family’s successful title company in Lincoln, Logan County Title Company, and built his own real estate and insurance business. This must have been easy, for Brother Parker was highly intelligent and a super salesman. He used that sales ability to successfully promote the Omicron Chapter, both locally and nationally. He would gather his “gang”of fellow classmen and head off to a Psi U national convention, where they could hold there own against anyone the Ivy League had to offer. One story has it that when a rich Easterner bragged that he owned the yacht on which they were cruising, Brother Parker replied, “That’s OK, I own the ocean.” I left Illinois for Colorado in 1980. I last saw Brother Parker at my dad’s funeral in 1989, and he only lived about one more month. His charming wife Dorothy died shortly after this. Their son Brewster, who had taken over the title company, died about ten years ago. His wife and sons still own Logan County Title. Brother Parker had human faults, of course. He made no secret of the fact he was an alcoholic, but helped others by being very active in AA. He had a large ego to match his accomplishments, and loved to be in charge, where he usually performed quite well. Nonetheless, on at least a few occasions I can remember both undergrads and alumni being somewhat rankled that Brother Parker was taking too much charge and claiming credit for their own accomplishments. All this aside, I think it comes down to the events in the Fall 1966, when he drove over from Lincoln to help us. At the time the house had low membership, low alumni involvement, low morale, and faced the danger of going out of existence. All that changed in a short period of time. My involvement has regretably been minimal since 1980, but it looks like all of you have continued to make the Omicron of Psi U a strong house and meaningful experience for young persons coming to the large U of I. Many Omicrons, both alum and undergrad, deserve credit for the turn-around in the late 1960s, which made all of this possible, but the name John R. Parker ’28 should appear at or near the top of the list. |
Media
 | Frank Markus ’86 Motor Trend magazine – Technical Director Brother Markus writes: I graduated in mechanical engineering, never taking a single English or writing class at the U of I, but after six years in engineering at Chrysler I went to work writing for Car and Driver magazine as a technical editor. After 13 years there, I recently made the move to Motor Trend magazine. As technical director, I oversee all testing and other numbers generation, and I edit the entire magazine for technical accuracy. I also write several articles per month, including a monthly column. I recently received an International Wheel Award for best product review, in recognition of my Ford Mustang road test from 2004. According to his biography at Motor Trend, “his main duties include covering the Detroit automotive beat and serving as a fine-screen filter to ensure technical or numerical accuracy in our text and specifications charts. Frank’s auto enthusiasm runs the gamut, but he favors British and Italian sports cars with garage space (he owns a 1967 Sunbeam Alpine and a 1967 Maserati Ghibli).” |
 | Aubrey O. Cookman ’35 Editor –Popular Mechanics magazine Reporter – Chicago Daily News PR Executive – Burson Marsteller Republican Party leader, avid balloonist Brother Cookman was a former Republican Party leader, civic activist and the only American passenger on the first commercial jet flight. Republican leaders praised Cookman for his dedication, leadership and character. “He was just an absolutely great American,” said Edward Lujan, who served as state Republican chairman from 1983-88. “I really, truly looked up to him a lot. He was the kind of person that I would strive to be like.” His brother, former Interior Secretary and Congressman Manuel Lujan, said Cookman was known as a kind, conciliatory person. “He was a guy that brought people together,” said Manuel Lujan, calling that the trait of a good political leader. Cookman was a close friend of former President George H.W. Bush. Edward Lujan said the two men often played tennis together. Cookman was state chairman of Bush’s presidential campaign in 1980 when Bush and Ronald Reagan vied for the nomination. Cookman and Colin McMillan were co-chairmen for Bush when he ran successfully for president in 1988. Edward Lujan said Cookman was “a charming man, very dedicated to the party and very dedicated to his family. There aren’t enough words to express my admiration for him.” Born in Chicago, Cookman was a reporter at the Chicago Daily News. He was in the Army Air Corps during World War II and eventually became a colonel in the reserves. Later, his position as aviation editor for Popular Mechanics Magazine gave him the opportunity to be the only American passenger on the first jet flight in 1952. Brother Cookman’s next career move was in the field of public relations, working in the Chicago offices of Burson Marsteller. According to the BM website, Brother Cookman was there at the beginning of their business in Chicago: Our second hire was Aubrey Cookman, a well known Chicago news reporter and a retired Air Force colonel. Cookman, whom Bill Marsteller had known for many years, was general manager. Although he had managed an Air Force public information unit, Cookman had never worked for a public relations firm. He headed the office six years and left to join our client Universal Oil Products. After retiring from the public relations job, he and his wife came to Albuquerque in 1974. He volunteered to help plan the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, serving eight years as media director. Known for his infectious smile and engaging personality, Cookman eventually became chairman of the Bernalillo County Republican Party and served from 1983-85. He also was on the Open Space Advisory Board, helping determine the best public use for thousands of acres, including land in Petroglyph National Monument and Elena Gallegos Park. Cookman, who served on numerous committees, was honored for his civic work by being inducted in the Hot Air Balloon Hall of Fame and the Senior Citizens’ Hall of Fame. “He dabbled in all kinds of things,” said Cookman’s wife. “His main first love was the balloon fiesta. Then he took a political position and that became his big love.” |
| Willis Brown ’31 Executive – Minneapolis Star Tribune Willis Brown spent 34 years as an executive for newspapers in the Minneapolis Star and Tribune Co. before retiring to Scottsdale in 1968. In 1974 he began a one-year stint as acting publisher of the Scottsdale Progress when publisher Jonathan Marshall campaigned unsuccessfully to unseat then Sen. Barry Goldwater, R-Ariz. Mr Marshall stated, “I stayed out of the paper pretty much for the whole year. Willis had been the publisher of the Rapid City, South Dakota newspaper, and I had gotten to know him after he came down here. He was an experienced newspaper guy and I figured if I was going to run I had to have someone who could handle the paper while I was away. “He was very popular and everyone liked him – he was a real gentleman of the old school.” Marshall said. In 1987 Brown was a consultant in the sale of the Progress to Cowles communications, parent company of the Star and Tribune. The newspaper was resold in 1993, becoming part of the East Valley Tribune family. Brown taught journalism for a year at Arizona State University. He is also credited with working with Jack Stewart, founder of the Camelback Inn, to design the promotional and advertising campaign for a holiday football game that became the Fiesta Bowl in 1971. In 1988 he was named to a national advisory board that worked to revamp the Navajo Times at Window Rock, where he was interim publisher for three months. |
Medicine and Life Science
 | David Chen M.D. ‘83.5 Director of the Spinal Cord Injury Program at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and assistant professor at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine The Omicron Arrow of 2005 did a feature article on Dr. Chen. Here is the text of that interview: Q: Why did you join Psi Upsilon? A: I joined Psi U because I was involved in a lot of different activities in high school and I wanted to continue that in college. When I went through fall rush, I really liked the idea of joining a group of men who I knew that I would get to know for the next several years and participate in different activities like sports, dances, community service, etc. I was drawn to Psi U because it was just the right size and the brothers came from different backgrounds, cities and interests. Q: What was your nickname, and how did you get it? A: Believe it or not, I really can’t remember (I think they call it selective memory!) I do remember during my senior year when I was Archon having the nickname “Emperor.” Q: What do you do for a living? A: I am a physician specializing in spinal cord injury rehabilitation. I am Director of the Spinal Cord Injury Program at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and an assistant professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. My work involves providing medical care to persons with spinal cord injuries, administrative oversight over the program and I also do clinical research. Q: What kind of influence has the fraternity had on your life since graduation? A: First and foremost, being part of Psi U taught me responsibility – living with 40 guys and being President constantly reminded me of the importance of respecting other’s opinions, perspectives and ideas; identifying people’s strengths and engaging them to work as a whole; and personally, the importance of setting priorities – as it was while I was in the House, life is busy so being able to prioritize house activities and academics was the key to survival! Q: Tell us about your family. Have you married? Do you have children? A: I am married – I met my wife, Mary Susan, when I was in medical school at U of I at Chicago, where she was a physical therapy student. We have two fantastic children – Mike (’09), who is a freshman and a fellow Psi U – it means so much to me that Mike chose to join the Psi U; and Amanda, who is a junior at Fenwick High School. Q: What hobbies or activities do you enjoy? A: I enjoy doing lots of different things – our family loves to travel and we all enjoy outdoor activities, especially skiing. My favorite activity is running which I really did not take up seriously until I was in residency following medical school. In 1995, I ran my first marathon in Neenah, WI and since then, I have run 7 more marathons – 6 Chicago Marathons and this past spring, I qualified for and completed the Boston Marathon. My personal best time is 3:22:08. I love running because it is terrific physical activity and it is a great way to work out the emotional and mental stress that comes with work and life. Q: What is your favorite memory from your fraternity days? A: There are so many great memories I have from my years in the House – spring break trip to South Padre Island, going to the Liberty Bowl, waking up in the dorm freezing and seeing my breath in the morning, intense foosball games, etc. – but the ones that really standout were around our participation in the Mom’s Weekend Atius-Sachem Show – taking a bunch of guys with little musical talent and working with a sorority to put on a show – all the practices and work – and then making the show was so much fun. Another lasting memory I have is having my brother, Charlie ’86, in the House as a freshman when I was a senior. Q: Did you live in the house? Who were your roommates? A: I lived in the House from my sophomore thru senior years and I strongly believe that one should live in the House the entire time they are an undergrad. Living with upperclassmen brothers taught me so much about school and life and I’d like to think that I handed something down to the underclassmen when I was a junior and senior. My roommates were Karl Langhammer ’82, Chris Rank ’84 and Craig Novak ’85. Editor’s Note: Although not mentioned by him, Brother Chen was awarded the Bronze Tablet, the highest academic honor, by the University of Illinois. Not surprisingly, his place of employment, the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, has been recognized as the “Best Rehabilitation Hospital in America” since 1991 by U.S. News & World Report. No other specialty hospital has been consecutively ranked the “Best” by U.S. News & World Report for so long. |
 | Charles Sentman Ph.D. ’85 Associate Professor of Microbiology and Immunology Dartmouth Medical School Brother Sentman was featured in the summer 2008 Arrow. The following is the interview from this issue. Q: Why did you join Psi Upsilon? A: Both my father and grandfather were in fraternities at the U of I, so I decided to have a look. The brothers at Psi U were really friendly, and it seemed like a good group to join. The food was pretty good too. When we got a cook who would read and follow the recipes, it got even better! Q: What do you do for a living? A: I finished a B.S. in biochemistry at Illinois, and then I did a Ph.D. in Immu- nology at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. After two years of postdoctoral training at Washington Uni- versity in St. Louis, I received an Ameri- can Cancer Society fellowship to go to the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden. I moved over to Sweden in 1992 and stayed there for over 9 years. I held positions in both academia and the pharmaceutical industry while in Swe- den. In 2001, I accepted a job on the faculty at Dartmouth Medical School in New Hampshire. I conduct research on how the immune system works in re- sponse to cancer and infection. I also teach medical and graduate students about immunology and tumor biology. Q: What are your goals for the next few years? A: One of our latest projects is the de- velopment of a new immunotherapy for cancer, called chimeric NK cell recep- tors. We put these novel receptors in a pa- tient’s blood cells and this allows the cells to recognize and attack their own tumor cells. Because these engineered cells now recognize molecules common to cancers but not normal cells, they have the potential to be used against a wide variety of cancers, including ovar- ian, breast, prostate, colon, liver, kidney, lymphoma, and myeloma. We have had good success using samples from ovar- ian cancer and myeloma patients, and we have found long-term, tumor-free survival in animal tumor models. One important aspect of this approach is that the cells not only attack the tumor, but they induce the rest of the immune sys- tem to recognize and attack the tumor cells in a specific manner. This results in the complete eradication of the tumor. We are currently investigating the de- tails of how these receptors work, and we are looking forward to conducting a phase I clinical trial at some point in the future. However, as the government has cut back on research funding during these past years, it has become more challenging to keep moving forward and test new ideas. Q: Tell us about your family? A: In Sweden, I met and married a won- derful woman, Mia. We now have three daughters; they are eight years, five years, and nine months old. Fortunately, the girls all look a lot like their mother! We really like small town New England life. This town gets six feet of annual snowfall, and there are plenty of oppor- tunities for skiing, skating and hiking in the nearby White and Green mountains. Q: What are some of your favorite memories from your fraternity days? A: There was a lot of Foosball, and we played backgammon too. During finals week, we sometimes rented a VCR along with movies like “Raiders of the Lost Ark” or “Caddyshack.” OK, maybe it wasn’t the best thing for the house GPA, but it was nice to take a break from studying now and then. Q: What positions did you hold while in the house? A: I was Rush chairman together with Larry Rakers ‘86. We did really well with informal Rush, better than the more formal Rush weekend. As candidates came over and had time to meet with the guys in a regular setting, they really liked who they met and many of them decided to pledge Psi U. Membership went up and down, but the house was mostly full during the time I was there. Q: With whom from the chapter do you stay in contact? A: I have stayed in contact with Frank Markus ‘86 and Fermin Návar ‘87.5 over the years. When I moved to Swe- den, I sort of dropped off the radar screen and didn’t travel through the U.S. much during that time. A few people have found me via the Internet, and it is nice to hear from them again. Q: What rooms did you live in the house? A: I lived in the Beta Chi, in the room above the Owl, and in the third floor facing the Armory. |
 | Tom Hope Ph.D. ‘83.5 Professor – Department of Cell and Molecular Biology Northwestern University – Feinberg School of Medicine |
 | Raul Mirande M.D. ’86 Director of the Southern Oregon Center for Obesity Surgery and Adjunctive Professor of Surgery Oregon Health Science University Brother Mirande graduated from the University of Illinois and then attended the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine where he received his Doctor of Medicine degree. He received his residency and internship at Foster McGaw Hospital, Loyola Medical Center, Maywood, Illinois where he received his initial bariatric training. He is a Board Certified General Surgeon, Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and is a member of the American Society for Bariatric Surgery. Dr. Mirande specializes in general surgery, laparoscopic surgery and bariatric surgery. |
 | Glen Carlson M.D. ’94 Internal Medicine and Pediatrics After graduating from Illinois, Brother Carlson attended the Stritch Medical School at Loyola University, Chicago, earning his MD in 1998. He headed to the University of Minnesota for his residency in Medicine/Pediatrics Residency and is board certified by both the American Board of Pediatrics and the American Board of Internal Medicine. |
 | Bill Cowden M.D. ‘00.5 Surgical Resident Synergy Medical Education Alliance Brother Cowden graduated from the Univeristy of Illinois Medical school in 2004 and is currently halfway through his surgical residency in Michigan. |
Veterinary Medicine
 | Anthony T. Kremer D.V.M. ’89 Dr. Anthony T. Kremer graduated from the University of Illinois in 1990. He has owned hospitals in the Illinois suburbs of Plainfield, Naperville, Streamwood, Minooka, and Channahon as well as Columbus, Ohio. In conjunction with his wife, Meg, he co-founded the Humane Society of Plainfield, a shared dream to save countless dogs and cats from euthanasia. (The Humane Society of Plainfield places approximately 700 animals per year in loving homes and can be found on the web at plainfieldhumane.com). Dr. Kremer has a special interest in surgery and has done post-graduate study at The Ohio State University in Total Hip Replacement and fracture fixation. He is an Executive Board member for the Chicago Veterinary Medical Association and he appears as a guest on the NBC channel 5 morning news once a month and periodically is on ABC news and WGN radio. He has 3 cats and 2 dogs; the dogs China and Boots are certified in animal assisted therapy at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and have appeared on Animal Planet for their work with patients at the hospital. Brother Kremer reports the following: I got my first taste of what would be my life’s work when a neighbor who happened to be a veterinarian gave me a job. I loved just being around all the animals and workered there for the next 13 years. At the beginning, I performed the jobs nobody typically wants such as, cleaning cages, feeding and watering, this gave me an appreciation for the care pets need especially when they are sick. As time went on, I took on more tasks such as grooming pets, and even assisting in surgery and treatments. During these experiences, I realized that I wanted to be able to look at something as helpless as sick animal and help it get well; I wanted to be a Veterinarian. I attended University of Illinois in Urbana, Illinois where I graduated with a degree in Veterinary Medicine in 1990. I met my wife, Meg while we were both at college and we were married in 1992. Soon after I graduated, I went back and began work at the same clinic where it all started. I loved working at the clinic but I knew that I always wanted to accomplish more, so when I received an offer to start my own clinic, I was overwhelmed. Soon after graduation, an opportunity to own and manage a vet hospital arose at the Animal Care Center of Plainfield, a beautiful brand new full service facility. The potential for growth and partnership was amazing. I jumped at the opportunity. Through the years, we added more associates as our clinic grew and added two more hospitals to the area to meet the demands of our clients and our expanding community. It was also during that time, I was able to explore areas of interest such as, Orthopedic Surgery and Behavior. I attended post-graduate course work with some of the best orthopedic surgeons at the Ohio State University. We brought some of these professors to our hospitals to teach are associate veterinarians to be their best. We also taught our clients to only expect the best. We also added externship programs through several veterinary schools, allowing students to come and explore our hospitals. We provide the students with options for surgery, aftercare, communication and education. The future of veterinary medicine is in the students and we have been to have many who return to our hospitals as partners and associates. In 2002, we founded “Help Save Pets – Humane Society of Plainfield”, a dream shared with my wife Meg, to save countless dogs and cats from euthanasia. When we first opened, our top priority was to increase adoptions and create positive awareness through education. The organization now places approximately 700 animals per year in loving homes. Meg works as Director; she has a special touch with baby animals and often raises young orphans at home. Throughout these years, the role and the importance of the media increased. I began to comprehend how we as veterinarians could educate through the media. We now had the ability to reach and inform many more. Since our treatment and care of animals 20 years ago was certainly not what it was today why should our way of educating our clients be? In 1996, through our local veterinary association, I was invited to appear on television. I eagerly agreed to appear knowing that this was a great opportunity to educate people across Chicago about animals. I have been a regular guest ever since. I have appeared on numerous radio and television shows and the animal friends I bring with me are all my own. Many are involved in my other interest, Chenny Troupe, an animal assisted therapy. The Troupe requires that all canine volunteers pass a very difficult obedience and temperament test before they can work in any of the programs. Many of Chenny Troupe clients cannot be reached by traditional forms of therapy and each volunteer works in collaboration with the physicians, psychotherapists, counselors, and rehabilitation therapists on staff at the site so that each program is responsive to the needs of the patient population in the therapeutic environment. I have always had pets since I was a young boy. Today we have 3 cats, 2 dogs and a quarter horse named Tango. |
 | Kerry Lancaster D.V.M. ’94 After taking his BS in both Animal Science and Veterinary Science, Brother Lancaster earned his DVM at the University of Illinois College of Veterinary Medicine. Dr. Lancaster writes: I have always loved animals and early on knew that I wanted to be a veterinarian. I grew up in this area, spending most of my childhood in West Chicago. In high school I worked part-time at a veterinary clinic in Bartlett as a kennel worker and veterinary assistant. I spent many a day including Sundays and holidays, cleaning cages and bathing animals. It was not exactly glamorous, but I learned a lot. After veterinary school, I moved with my wife Elaine, also a veterinarian, to New Jersey, where we spent two years before moving back to the Wheaton area in 2000 and joined the staff of Wheaton Animal Hospital. I enjoy the variety of patients we see here. The most rewarding part of my job is I get to know my patients and their families, seeing them through puppyhood to adulthood, and beyond. A great benefit of my job is I get to bring my dog to work. My dog Lucas is my partner in crime. He is a very energetic German Shorthair Pointer who I think relies on his looks more than his brain to get himself out of trouble. He loves coming in with me as he gets to play all day with Dr. Rubendall’s dog, Haelo! |
 | Matthew Fraker D.V.M. ’89 |
Brothers on the UIUC Campus
In the Annals of Psi Upsilon several promiment faculty members and university administrators are cited for helping the Aztec dream of becoming a Psi U chapter come true. The text notes:
The Omicron is a young Chapter, but its foundations have been care fully laid. Today it stands at the head of the fraternities on the campus of the University of Illinois. Its sons have brought eminence and success to Psi Upsilon and the Omicron. Dean Fred H. Rankin ‘87, and Professor Frederick Green ‘89, did much to build the Chapter of today. The pioneer work of Professor Charles M. Moss, Pi ‘77, and Dr. Augustus F. Nightingale, Xi ‘66, will always abide in the memory of the Omicron.
 | Frederick Green ’89 Professor, College of Law Professor Green time at the University of Illinois College of Law spanned over thirty plus years. To honor his illustrious service to the university, the College of Law holds an annual moot court competition in his name – The Frederick Green Moot Court CompetitionBrother Green was also the father of the Honorable Fred Green, a distinguished member of the bar and bench, decorated veteran, and champion Illini athlete. Ann Ribstein of the Jenner Law Library discovered in “Who Was Who in America” vol. 3 the following data on his life: He was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Feb. 28, 1868 and took three degrees at Harvard, A.B. in 1889, A.M. in 1893, and LL.B., 1893. Brother Green married Lois Shepherd, Sept. 7, 1920 and they had two children-Cornelia and Frederick Shepherd. He practiced in New York City 1893-1900 and became professor of law at the University of Illinois in September 1904. The Greens made their home at 805 W. Green St., Urbana. He passed away July 27, 1956 and is buried at Mt. Auburn Cemetery, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Brother Green’s time at Illinois is also documented in the book Law in the Grand Manner, 1897-1967 – A Popular History of the College of Law at the University of Illinois “Frederick Green retired from the faculty in 1936 after thirty-two years of service to Illinois, although he was called back for another year of teaching in 1938-39. He was counselor to four deans, and his example set the standard for academics at the College soon after its founding. A man of great dignity and reserve, he did not marry until he was fifty-four. He was beloved by the students for the benevolent interest he took in them, often providing lemonade during the hot June days of exam week. An oil portrait was dedicated in his honor and now hangs in the Law Building as a silent exhortation to aspiring advocates in the Frederick Green Moot Court Competition, which was named for him when he retired.” The Law School where he finished his career was quite different from the one he started at near the turn of the century. According to Law in the Grand Mannerthe college took over the old chemistry building in 1903 and called it home for the next twenty-four years. Brother Green remarked: And there the Law School lived for some years, if not precisely in the odor of sanctity, very decidedly in the odor of chamistry. But the smells that came from the chemicals that soaked the floors were mitigated, alleviated, and at times completely overwhelmed by the smells that came from the taxidermist’s shop in the basement. So while strange beasts and rare birds were manufactured in the basement, the upper stories of the building were engaged in producing and sending forth a multitude of lawyers. Law in the Grand Manner, 1897-1967 – A Popular History of the College of Law at the University of Illinois continues at length about Professor Green’s introduction to central Illinois on page fifteen: “The circumstances of his arrival in Urbana might have frightened a lesser man away, according to his later description: ‘Some piece of literature which I gut with my appointment said that every member of the faculty was expected to be at the University on September I and to stay until July 1, and not to leave town without permission. So I came at the stated time and the first thing I learned about the University was that you couldn’t take it at its word. The campus was empty. So was the Law Building. I went to the Library and as that was locked up, climbed to the upper floor where the Dean of Men had his office in the East end, the President in the middle and the Registrar and Bursar in die West end where the safe is still. I asked where the clerk in the Registrar’s Office where California Street was, but he said I had no right to come into the room because it was between twelve and one o’clock and out of office hours, but if I would come back at one o’clock he would tell me.’ “ “Frederick Green fortunately had the wit and wisdom to perceive the situation in its proper perspective. In the following description of the provincial community he captures the true flavor of life in those early years at the University: ‘Dr. Draper had not prepared me for what was a state of mind then widely prevalent which was manifested by a real, or sometimes a professed, devotion to ultra-puritan standards, that far outdid my boyhood recollections of New England, combined with a conscious effort at dignity. . . . No golf or tennis was allowed on Sunday, no library or museum was open Sunday afternoon, and though some members of the faculty had to have access lo university buildings on Sunday to feed experimental white mice or keep apparatus running, they were urged not to click typewriters so loud that they could be heard on the outside. Under the pretence of danger from fire, smoking was prohibited in faculty offices, and under pretence of danger to growing trees, the forestry was closed up after dark. . . . The campus was treated as a possession of the board of trustees which students and teachers were required to resort to periodically, but which they were given every incentive to leave as soon as they could. Even for the few minutes between classes students were forced to banish themselves to the nearest curb for a smoke… In 1904 Champaign-Urbana was said to have 17,000 people, nine churches, twenty-eight saloons, and twenty-odd miles of brick paved streets. Green and Wright Streets were paved. Mathews Street was being paved. John Street was mud mitigated by ashes, with a streetcar track down the middle, resting on cross tics that stuck out of the mud and had to be bumped over by the two-horse hacks, in which socially prominent students look their girls to dances. I have been told that when the mud was very bad it took four horses to pull a hack through it. And I remember reading in the local paper of a boy that got stuck in the mud while walking to school a short way outside of town, and they had to hitch a mule to him to pull him out. … To get a book, a haircut, or a soda, you must go to Urbana or Champaign. . . . The two towns literally boasted four automobiles. Morgan Brooks was the only faculty man who had one. . . . Saturday afternoon … tethered to racks around the court house square were lines of horses and mules hitched to mud-bespattered vehicles that had brought families from the farms into town for their weekly shopping and sight-seeing. Such of the men as weren’t in saloons, lined up on the curb and spat into the gutter, while the women and children stood around in silence looking each other over and waiting for the men to be ready to go home.’ ” “… Professor Green himself had two rooms costing $15 a month, and ate in the most fashionable boarding house in Urbana for four dollars a week., while being paid $2,000 salary for the school year. ‘Those were the halcyon days of law teaching,’ he reminisced. ‘Only two or three law reviews to be read, and none to edit … a student body half eager to learn, the other half immune to learning, and all alike invariably passing the bar examination with colors flying.’ ” |
 | Fred H. Rankin ’87 Assistant Dean, College of Agriculture, and Superintendent for the Agricultural Extension Service According to Chris Prom, Assistant University Archivist at the University of Illinois, Dean Rankin’s biographical file notes: He was born in 1865, He attended Illinois College in Jacksonville, and left in 1887 but did not graduate. He was asst. dean of the college of agriculture, a member of the Presbyterian Church, a 33rd degree Mason, and member of Red Cross of Constantine, Kiwanis, Psi Upsilon, Alpha Gamma Rho and Alpha Zeta fraternities. He died on July 13, 1958, in Winter Haven Florida, where he owned a citrus grove after his retirement. He married Bertha M. Harper, who was an assistant to the dean of the college of law at the University. She was a graduate of the University (1907) He was hired at the University as a Superintendent for the Agricultural Extension service in 1905. |
 | Pat Patterson ’80 Controller for the University of Illinois System One Psi U playing a major role at the U of I is Brother Pat Patterson ’80. Of his career and family life, he writes: In August 2006, I was named as Controller for the University of Illinois. In this role, I am now responsible for accounting, financial reporting, payroll and related functions for the 3 UI campuses (UIUC, UIC and UIS). Prior to this, I was Assistant to the Head and Director of Budget & Resource Planning for the Department of Computer Science at UIUC (10 years), Prior to that, I spent 14 years with 7-Eleven, Inc. in various accounting management roles. Prior to that, I spent 2 years in public accounting (Ernst & Young). [His wife] Linda and I live in Urbana. We have 3 boys: Patrick Jr, Stephen and John. My brother Mike (Omicron ’79) lives in Los Angeles and directs television commercials. |
 | Mark Netter ’69 Director of the Office of Facility Management and Scheduling |
 | Scott Olson ’93 Assistant Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering According to his departmental biography: Scott M. Olson holds a B.S. (University of Illinois 1993), M.S. (University of Illinois 1995), and Ph.D. (University of Illinois 2001), all in civil engineering. From 1995 through 1997, Scott worked in private practice for Woodward-Clyde Consultants. After completing his Ph.D., Dr. Olson returned to private practice with URS Corporation and also taught geotechnical earthquake engineering courses at the University of Missouri-Rolla. Scott joined the faculty of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois in August 2004. Dr. Olson currently teaches an undergraduate course in geotechnical engineering and a graduate course on insitu testing and field measurements. His research interests include: liquefaction of level and sloping ground, paleoseismology and paleoliquefaction, soft ground engineering, in situ testing, geosynthetics, and instrumentation. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, Canadian Geotechnical Society, and the North American Geosynthetics Society. Dr. Olson previously was a member of the governor-appointed Missouri Seismic Safety Commission and currently serves on a review board for the National Highway Cooperative Research Program. Dr. Olson is a licensed professional engineer and continues to participate in consulting projects with industry. Dr. Olson has received several honors and awards for his research, practice-related, and teaching accomplishments. In 2003, the Canadian Geotechnical Society awarded Scott the R.M. Quigley Award for the best paper in the 2002 Canadian Geotechnical Journal. In 2004, the American Society of Civil Engineers awarded Scott the Arthur Casagrande Award for his work on the residual strength of liquefied soils. The Casagrande Award was established to provide professional development opportunities for outstanding, young (under 35) practitioners, researchers, and teachers of geotechnical engineering. Dr. Olson was the first practicioner to receive this award. |
 | Garth Wemmer ’97 Guest Instructor – LA 336, Design Workshop Studio College of Landscape Architecture (’06-07) Brother Wemmer reports the following about his experience on the UIUC campus: Yes it is true I was teaching down at Champaign, however it wasn’t just me so I can’t take all of the credit. The full story is that the company I work for, Hitchcock Design Group , was approached to teach a six week long studio on therapeutic garden design for the LA 336 class in the College of Landscape Architecture . Due to our internal project workloads and schedules, we had to split up the course work between a few of us, so [I] only ended up teaching 5 or 6 of the days. It was quite a bit of fun, but the commute every other day was kind of a pain. However, it was fun to see some of the same professors that threatened to fail me when I was enrolled and see the looks on their face when I explained that I was going to teach a class! It was truly a priceless experience for me. |
United States Armed Forces
Many of our brothers have served the nation in the armed forces; what follows is an alphabetical listing of each brother and his known service. This information was pulled from the Omicron Arrow issues from November 1939 through March 1961 and the Summers of 2005 and 2006; pledge class information was often taken from the Psi U International records. With the gap in Arrow issues and the fact that the international records pledge class information differently than the Omicron, the list is INCOMPLETE. The Alumni Association asks for your help in seeking out more information to make this as complete as possible to properly honor those Omicrons who faithfully served their country. We apologize for any errors and will change the record as correct information comes in. Please email Alumni Secretary Dave Komie with any corrections or additions.
The Gold Star Plaque
The chapter’s Solarium has served as a sitting room, television area, foosball arena, and now pocket billiards parlor, but its significance relates to something far more serious, for on its north wall is the chapter’s “Gold Star” plaque. This bronze honors our brothers who gave their lives in the service of the nation during World War II.
- Robert Edward Allen ’39 – 2nd Lieutenant U.S. Air Force killed in Germany, March 24, 1945
- John Kenneth Austin ’43 – The Omicron Arrow of May 1942 carried the following story:
“[The]Omicron’s first casualty of World War II occurred on May 8 when a plane piloted by John Austin ’43 crashed in mid-air at 5,000 feet over a residential section of Phoenix, Arizona. Austin was a student in the instruction school at Luke Field and was engaged in instrument flying. Another plane approached from beneath and was not observed by Austin until just before the collision. Members of the Omicron wore their badges in mourning and attended the funeral, held in Chicago.” - George Newton “Pete” Blackford ’43 – Lieutenant, served as a “shavetail” in the Army Air Corps, flying B-17s, Brother Blackford was killed in Africa, July 16, 1943.
- Stafford William Drake ’40 – Lieutenant, U.S. Marine Corps, killed in the South Pacific, November 20, 1943.
- Edward Clarke Garvey ’45 – Lieutenant, U.S. Army, killed in action over Vienna, February 7, 1945.
- James Knight Latham ’43 – Marine captain, killed during the invasion of Okinawa, May 16, 1945.
- William Alexander Patrick Sullivan, Jr. ’37 – Brother Sullivan was commander of a squadron of B-24s in the Army Air Corps according to Cam Brown in March ’43. The documentary record does not indicate any further information.
Other brothers who fell while in the service of the nation
Lt. Kenneth F. Reimer was killed in action in Korea on June 11, 1953. Brother Reimer was a member of the Class of ’52. In his memory, an award was established honoring the outstanding member of each pledge class. This Reimer award was given for several years in the 1950s, but was discontinued at some point between then and today. The record does not reflect why this happened.
Army
- Charles Allen ’52
- Robert E. Allen ’37 – Served with the 12th Air Army in North Africa as of May 1943.
- Everett G. “Red” Andrews ’43 – The Omicron Arrow featured Brother Andrews in its Summer 2007 issue as follows:
Q: Why did you originally join the fraternity?
A: In August 1939, I enrolled in the University and went to the employment office to see what they could do for me to help support my way through college. They sent me over to the Psi U house where I was interviewed by Hal Cunningham ‘41, a senior at that time, for a waiter position. While working at the house, I thought that they were such great guys who really enjoyed each other’s company, and I ended up pledging the second semester of my sophomore year.
Q: What was your nickname, and how did you get it?
A: “Red.” I had bright, red hair. I had the nickname before joining the house, and friends continue calling me Red today even though my hair is as grey as can be!
Q: What was your major in school?
A: I was in the College of Agriculture thinking that I would go on to work for International Harvester like my Dad. While in college, I enjoyed the ROTC, which was mandatory at that time, and went on to join the advanced ROTC along with Tom Cunningham ’43, both serving in the horse artillery.
Q: What do you do for a living?
A: I retired from the military in July 1963. After completing four years of college, in February 1943 I received officers’ training at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and took specialized paratroop training at Fort Benning, George. Following D-Day, I was sent to England to help reinforce the 101st Airborne Division, which was cited for valor by General Eisenhower. I received the Purple Heart for wounds received in action at Bastonge (the Battle of the Bulge). Our division commander was General Maxwell D. Taylor, who later became Chief of Staff for the Army as well as Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs. In January 1946, I participated in the Victory Parade in New York City.
I was later assigned to Korea as a member of the Korean Military Advisory Group as an artillery advisor. While in Korea, I found myself behind enemy lines when the Chinese forces crossed the border. Fortunately for me, a kind Korean family hid me in the attic of their farmhouse for eleven days with Chinese army regulars living down below me before I was able to move out. In 1997, Margaret and I returned to Korea to participate in a ceremony awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to the survivors of that family. It was an experience I will never forget. While serving in Korea, I was awarded another Purple Heart and the Silver Star.
In April-May 1951 while recuperating at Percy Jones Army Hospital in Battle Creek, Michigan, I visited the Epsilon Nu chapter at Michigan State. They were competing in the annual Inter-Fraternity Sing competition. They had won each of the previous two years and did win the third time which gave them permanent possession of the trophy. We had a memorable celebration following the event. Later, I split time between Fort Bragg, North Carolina and overseas duty, eventually retiring and living near Fort Bragg.
Q: Tell us about your family. Have you married? Do you have children?
A: When I was stationed in England, I met a very beautiful girl in London named Margaret. We were married back home in Kankakee on her birthday the 1st of June in 1946. She had “Hollywood Beautiful” looks, as my family would say, and was chosen by our wedding photographer as his “Bride of the Year.” Margaret passed away January of 2000. We had three children: Suzanne, Everett II we call “Rett” and Stuart.
Q: What other activities or organizations were you involved with during your college days?
A: At school, I was on the track team for two years and ran the quarter mile. While in the Army, I also ran track and participated in the Military Olympics in Germany.
Q: Tell us about some of brothers from your time in the house.
A: Herschel G. “Bucky” Benson ’44 was a hockey player and played for the University’s team. Kelly Cox ’43, a pledge brother, was very muscular and played football. In the summer of 1941, Art Wood ’43 stayed with my family and me in Kankakee while we worked for Stone & Webster engineering firm that built The Elmwood Ordnance Plant for the Army. James Bryan ‘43, who also waited tables with me at the house, was a real brain enrolled at the electric engineering school. I recall that James had a hard time getting up in the morning. He liked to sleep in! Tom Cunningham ’43 was an excellent horseman and played with the polo team.
Q: What are some of your favorite memories from your fraternity days?
A: We did a considerable amount of singing when I was there. We would meet around the piano in the living room and Bob Lee ‘43, who was an accomplished pianist, would play for us. For our formal dances, Bob would always play the “Flight of the Bumble Bee.”
Q: Any other memories you’d like to share?
A: In 1958 my sister quite ill would need heart surgery. This required 25 pints of blood. I didn’t know how I was going to be able to get that amount. I met with James Cooke ‘43, and he was able to make some phone calls and round up 25 volunteers who showed up the next morning to donate blood. He had an amazing ability to do such things. I’ll never forget that and the kindness James showed to our family.
Q: What hobbies or activities do you enjoy?
A: I enjoy traveling. One of my favorite places to visit was New Zealand. I also enjoy the community and people around Fort Bragg, many of whom also served in the military. I read books on military history and am currently reading “The Wild Blue” about bomber pilots and features the politician/pilot George McGovern and his exploits in the war.
Q: With whom from the chapter do you stay in contact?
A: Not anyone for years, until recently Art Wood ’43 called me. We had quite a conversation talking about life in the house and the summer in spent with me working at the ordnance plant. Art gave me Bob Llewellyn’s (’44) number, and I called him to catch up. I greatly enjoyed reading Bob’s profile in the 2006 Arrow.
Q: What other organizations are you involved with?
A: Other than the Retired Officers Association, that’s about it. We have monthly meetings and many activities that I participate in.
Q: What advice would you give to an undergraduate member?
A: Study! Concentrate on your books and make sure you get the most out of your studies that you can. I am afraid in my day, the War took front seat and we slacked off on our grades and got into the military atmosphere too much.
Q: What influence has your undergraduate fraternity experience had you since graduating?
A: Being able to get along with people. I don’t recall any enmity or arguments during my time at the house. We really enjoyed each other’s company, and it was a lesson that I will never forget and tried to apply in my years since college.
I keep the tape of Psi U songs made by the Lambda Sigma chapter at Pepperdine in my car so that I can have an off-key sing fest while driving. I keep my owl in a hallowed spot on the fireplace hearth.
Q: What do you think of the changes with the Alumni Association?
A: I enjoy reading The Arrow. It brings back a lot of memories. It’s a great feeling to be associated back with the house and members. I’d like to see the house full since that’s the only way we can keep going. (Editor’s Note: Amen!)
The Omicron Arrow of May 1945 reported the following:
“Lt. E. Gerald “Red” Andrews, son of Mrs. E. N. Andrews, recently received the Purple Heart for wounds received in action at Bastonge, Jan. 3, according to latest word received by his mother.
‘After spending two months in hospitals in France and England, Lt. Andrews is back with his outfit, the 101st Airborne division, which was cited tor valor recently by Gen. Eisenhower.
‘Red received officers’ training at Fort Sill, Okla. He took specialized parataroop training at Fort McCall, N. C., and Fort Benning, Ga.
‘He entered service in June, 1943 went overseas in July, 1944.
In addition to the above information, Mrs. Andrews, his mother, writes:
‘Right now ‘Red’ is in Germany. I’ve enjoyed reading The Omicron Arrow, which I am sending on to him, seeing some of the news of the boys I have met at the house in Champaign and I know the boys just ‘scrape the bottom’ looking for news from home and school.’ Red’s home address is 609 North Dearborn, Kankakee, 111., and is with Hq. Btry of a Proht-F.A. Bn., A.P.O. 472. Care Postmaster, New York, N. Y.” - Rob Barnes ’00 – Currently stationed in Iraq
- Greg Barr ’86 – Brother Jim Yale ’86 wrote the following in the Spring of 2007: For the record, Bill [Major William B. (Bill) Kelly, ’85], Greg Barr ’86, and myself all served in the US Army Reserve in the same unit at one time or another:the 12th Special Forces Group (Airborne) in Arlington Heights, Illinois. As a result of our actions, Arlington Heights was never successfully invaded by foreign or hostile domestic forces.
- Herschel G. “Bucky” Benson ‘44
- Linell Bock ’46
- Doug Britton ’98 – Sergeant, 10th Special Forces Group – Airborne
- G. Cameron Brown ’37 – In the Summer 2005 Omicron Arrow, Brother Brown reported, “In World War II, I served in the Army as a Lt. Col. General Staff Corps and received a Bronze Star medal with oak leaf cluster.”
- Park L. Brown ’41 – The Omicron Arrow of late 1945 reported the following:
“This letter from Capt. Park L. Brown ’41, written Aug. 27, arrived just too late to be included in our September Arrow:
‘I just received the July edition of The Arrow—still a mighty potent piece … It certainly bridges the gap of those that helped in V-E and those that brought in V-J. Soon will be trickling home, and in my case, it will be a mighty slow trickle. Many of us here in the ETO are settling down to a long winter’s nap—hoping THAT boat will be along soon.
‘My brother, Cam, managed to flag an early ride home and soon should be carrying his army career around on a lapel button.
‘Thanks to the few places that the air corps forgot to bomb, we here are trying to enjoy ourselves by splashing around in swimming pools, or taking up baseball, basketball, track, football, and what have you. Under the last item I might include the education program that I am associated with here. The combination of school work and athletics isn’t such a far cry from those school days we all enjoyed around or about 313 Armory.” - Douglas G. Brown ’55
- Harry A. Chetham ’32 – The Omicron Arrow of May 1945 reported the following:
“Capt. Harry A. Chetham ’32, 0-464863, with a Heavy Bomb group, A.P.O. 264, San Fransico, Calif., writes this note as of April 10:
‘Hello, gang! I’ve been away from the States for so long I’ve lost contact with all the old gang. I’ve been based all over the Pacific and am now operating from the Palau Islands. I am an intelligence officer for the bomb group and as such I get in my share of flying and mission time.
‘! spent some time in the Philippines on the ground, but plenty of time over the Islands. All I’m concerned about right now is getting back home to a darling wife to whom I have been married for 10 perfect years. She is at present living in Rockford, 111.
‘My sincere regards to you all and I would certainly enjoy letters from and of the class of ’30, ’31, and good old ’32.
‘The Omicron Arrow is a great little paper and to a fellow who has lost contact for so long, it is great to read about all the gang!” - Peter Collyer ’40 – Army Air Corps
- Aubrey O. Cookman ‘35 – Army Air Corps, eventually earning the rank of colonel in the reserves.
- Kelly Cox ’43 – Enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1943, Brother Cox served in Okinawa in World War II.
- Charles D. “Tony” Cram ‘45 – Army Air Corps
- Roger Creaden ’57
- Jim Cummins ’40
- Hal Cunningham ’41 – Served as a captain as of May 1943, and by November 1945 the Omicron Arrow reported Brother Cunningham was a major who spent 26 months overseas in Italy.
- Ken Derby ’57
- F. Jack Draper ’51
- Robert J. Durin ’37 – Lieutenant at Fort Sheridan as of May 1942, and by February 1946 a lieutenant colonel at the 8th Army HQ.
- Joseph L. Ecoppi ’55 – Brigadier General
- Richmond D. Fitzgerald ’41
- Cassius Paul Fletcher ’14 – Brother Fletcher attended the United States Military Academy at West Point from 1911-12 before earning his degree at Champaign. He served as a captain in the Army from 1917-1919. Brother Fletcher’s career in the foreign service during WWII took him truly around the globe, being posted to Alexandria, Egypt, Basra, Iraq, and Gibralter before landing in Casablanca after the end of hostilities. When in Morocco, his home was the villa where Winston Churchill stayed during the North African Conference of 1943. In the October 1955 Omicron Arrow, Brother Fletcher reported a very interesting tale:
Since my retirement in 1950 from the American Foreign Service, Mrs. Fletcher and I have been leading a simple and pleaseful life in sunny Southern California. On a motor trip to Washington D.C. last fall to visit a daughter, the wife of a navy officer, I had the opportunity to make a brief but interesting visit to the chapter house. Mrs. Fletcher and I flew TWA to Paris in December to spend Christmas with our daughter, her husband, and her son. Last week (early June) I flew to West Point, NY to attend the 40th reunion of my USMA class of 1915. At the end of the three-day affair the President [Eisenhower] very kindly invited me to accompany him from West Point to Washington on the COLUMBINE (Ike was USMA-1915). It was a unique experience and I am now thoroughly sold on Constellations as a means of transportation. - Bro. Friend ’45 – The Omicron Arrow of May 1945 reported:
“Lt. Bro. Friend ’45 is with an armored F. A. Bn., A. P. 0. 251, Care Postmaster, New York, N. Y., as an artillery liaison pilot in Italy with the First Armored Division (Major Gen. Vernon E. Pritchard, Commanding) flying Piper Cubs. He had 60 missions to his credit when he wrote to us on March 16th.” - Bill Gossett ’45
- Jesse L. Gary Jr. ’46 – Served as a second lieutenant
- John Gill ’59
- John C. Grable ’39
- Robert M. Gray ’42
- Christian Gross ’17 – Brother Gross served in the United States Army from 1917-1920, earning the rank of lieutenant. The record also suggests he worked in the American Field Service in France during WWI, possibly as an ambulance driver attached to the French Army; only one source makes note of this work.
- Jesse Hammer ’43
- J. Tobias “Toby” Harryman ‘93.5
- George Hebson ’44
- John C. Hester ’54
- Art Holstein ’33 – The Omicron Arrow of late 1945 reported the following:
“Capt. Art Holstein ’33, commanding officer of the Ohio River Ordnance works, Henderson, Ky., writes:
‘Many months have passed since I last dropped a note to the Arrow, although I still find myself at the same location. Good friends came my way in the way of promotion to commanding officer of the Ohio River Ordnance works, one of the ammonia plants in the ammunition division of the ordnance department.
‘Although the work is not nearly as romantic as that of the other brothers who have done such an excellent job in all theaters of war, I’ve found my work most interesting and valuable experience.
‘Although my twin brother John, who is also captain in the ordnance department and who has been in ordnance development for some time, has not advised me of his recent citation, I was advised and received a copy from other channels that he was cited for his administrative and engineering services as chief of all anti-aircraft development design, the product of which is the new famous Sky-Sweeper, the gun which is claimed will revolutionize all anti-aircraft design.
‘Unfortunately I cannot give you certain operating facts that make the gun almost human.
‘I am hoping to get to Champaign for a football game this fall. Enjoy each new issue of The Arrow better than the last.”
In May 1945, Brother Holstein wrote:
“Just this morning I received the February issue of The Omicron Arrow and enjoyed it so much that I am taking this means of assuring myself against loss of future issues. This was the first issue I had received in months and after three years in the service, it was grand to hear from 30 many at one time by means of The Arrow.
“As my brother John told you in the February issue, I am now an administrative officer at the Ohio Rive Ordnance works, Henderson, Ky., and although I am not as prolific as he has been, I do boast two sons, A. G. Ill, five and a halt; and Edward, a year and a half. I have been most fortunate in being able to have my wife Harriett and my sons with me a fair share of the time dur.ing my travels from one Ordnance works to another.
“I too, have been fortunate in that during my stretch thus far in the army I have been able to continue use of my chemical industrial experience in the manufacturing of explosives.
“Unfortunately during my wanderings I have not run across any of the brothers to write about, but this is quite understandable after reading in the Arrow that so many of them are overseas. Has anyone any news on Mark Swanson, Jerry Owings, Jimmy Hodge?” - John Holstein ’33
- John M. Holzer ’40 – The Omicron Arrow of late 1945 reported the following:
“Major John M. Holzer ’40, 55 Bn., A.P.O. 318, Care Postmaster, Frisco, wrote Oct. 29:
‘My Theta wife (Helen Henry *40) and son, John M. Jr., age Wt, are living in Bloomington, 111., and have been there since I started overseas last April.
‘Have met only two Psi Us since coming over. We are set up here on Leyte to ship the men home. Hope to be there myself next summer. Glad to get The Arrow and learn of what everyone is doing. See you all at Homecoming, 1946!” Thanks for the Pesos, John! In a prior Arrow, Brother Holzer was described as a military instructor at the U of I with offices in the Armory as of October 1941 - Charles Wayne Hotze ’41 – Served as a lieutenant during World War II
- Herbert Jackson ’43 – Army Air Corps
- Don Johnson ’45 – The May 1945 Omicron Arrow reported:
“Have arrived back in the good old U. S. A. after spending a year in Calcutta, India. Contracted malaria while on a trip to Burma last November, and have been hospitalized ever since. Am feeling swell now, and hope to be in Evanston on furlough shortly. Hope to see some of the brothers then.” - Morgan Jones ’57
- Kirk Kandle ’51
- Frank F. Kelley Jr. ’39 – Lieutenant in the Army Air Corps, serving as the first pilot on a B-17. The Omicron Arrow in late 1945 reported the following:
Frank Kelley ’39 Back Held Prisoner 21 Months
Our efforts to get news of Frank Kelley ’39, 1444 Jarvis avenue, Chicago, 111., as evidenced in the September issue of The Arrow were fruitful, as we have this letter from Frank, himself and in person, written Oct. 11:
“The first Omicron Arrow I’ve seen in over three years caught up with me here in San Antonio the other day and I got more enjoyment out of getting the news on all the boys than any other publication ever gave me.
“To summarize a bit: I was flying a B-17 on a raid to Kassel, Germany, July 30, 1943, when I was shot down about 15 miles from our target. Fortunately all my crew, members are alive although some were wounded, but I got off very lucky with only breaking the bone in one of my fingers. That happened when my ‘chute dropped me in some trees. I was captured immediately but was fortunate enough to break out of solitary confinement that night. However, my good fortune did not last long as I was recaptured soon and spent 21 months as a POW.
“Our camp was liberated by Patton’s 3rd army April 29 of this year; we landed in the states on June 3 and have since enjoyed one of those unheard of pleasures: a 90-day leave.” - William B. “Bill” Kelly ’86 – Brother Jim Yale ’86 wrote the following in the Spring of 2007: We should extend birthday wishes to Major William B. (Bill) Kelly, ’85, who is currently serving at FOB Loyalty in Iraq. Bill’s birthday is May 30th (I believe), and he is on his second tour in Iraq. For the record, Bill, Greg Barr ’86, and myself all served in the US Army Reserve in the same unit at one time or another:the 12th Special Forces Group (Airborne) in Arlington Heights, Illinois. As a result of our actions, Arlington Heights was never successfully invaded by foreign or hostile domestic forces.
- Joseph C. Kentson ’54
- Mike Klesowitch ’96 – He writes of his service,
“My name is SSG Mike Klesowitch Omicron 96. I just saw the Armed Forces Section of the website and noticed my information was incomplete. I am currently in the Army stationed at Fort Huachuca, Arizona. I just celebrated my 9 year anniversary. I am currently an instructor at the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Defense Strategic Debriefers Course.
“I have been stationed in Iraq twice: OIF I, I was with The Joint Special Operations Task Force North (JSOTF-N) and in OIF II, I was assigned to the Joint Interrogation and Debriefing Center. Previously I served in Kosovo and was deployed jointly with the United States Navy in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
“I hope this can update your records. Thank you very much for acknowledging the Psi U brothers that serve/served.” - Harry Latimer ’44 – The May 1945 Omicron Arrow reported:
“Our good friend Lt. Harry Latimer can get mail in care of Hospital Plant 4128, A. P. 0. 298. Care Postmaster, New York, N. Y. He writes: ‘This writing finds me in a hospital in England after a tour of scenic and beautiful Belgium. I was with the 75th Division of the First Army.’ Harry would like to hear from Jack Gulp, J. R. Pierce, Jess Hammer, Larry Fisher and Al Kirk.
‘This night nurse,’ Harry says, ‘is raising hell about lights being on so late, so will have to wind up. Here’s to the day when Psi U can again grace the Illini campus.'” - Richard Lance ’54 – From an email correspondence from September 2007, Brother Lance recounts the following: “Drafted into the US Army in November ’54 during the final weeks of the Korean War. Given basic training at Camp (now Fort) Chaffee, Arkansas and transfered to Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland for reassignment as – possibly – engineer. Indeed, I did join an engineering unit, the 19th Engineering Battalion (Combat – Army) at Fort Meade, Maryland, just a stone’s throw from Aberdeen. There I was trained to type and was assigned as Officers’ Clerk in Battalion Headquarters, until I learned of new regulations that permitted engineering degree holders (I was BSME from Illinois in January ’54) to request reassignment to positions where their training might be made use of. Transferred to Fort Knox, KY, Tank Development Unit and was discharged as a Spec 2 (Specialist Second Class) in September ’56 before doing anything really useful. Total time in service: 21 months, out of an original commitment of 24 months. Greatest benefit: Korean GI Bill, which helped me to complete a PhD at Brown University in ’62, in engineering mechanics.”
- Jim Lee ’52
- Robert H. Lee ’43
- John B. Lord ’39
- Joseph A. Miller ’57 – Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army, January 1952 to January 1954
- Joseph Miller Jr. ’59
- Don Millett ’39 – Army captain who served during WWII, was stationed in New Zeland as of December 1946.
- John C. “Jack” Millett ’41 – The Omicron Arrow of May 1945 reported he was “wounded while on reconnaissance. A mortar shell landed right behind him.”
- Chuck Morrill ’41 – Major in the Army Air Corps
- Alfred H. Morton ’18 – World War I veteran
- Will Murrell ’02
- Donald K. Nelson ’51 – Sgt. from 1952-54
- Marvin Pearce – The Omicron Arrow of May 1945 reported:
“Cpl. Marvin J. Pearce ’44, 160-61257, is with a Bomb Group, A.P.O. 237, care Postmaster, San Francisco, Calif., and is an armorer for B-29s headed for Tokyo. He writes as of March 21:
‘Just received the Arrow this evening and was quite interested in Jack Stout’s letter printed therein. I got busy and found that Bud is on rest leave, but is located here on the same Island with me in the Marianas and has been my next door neighbor for quite some time without my knowing it. He’s supposed to be back the end of this week and I’m looking forward to a big reunion. He’s the first Psi U I’ve been able to contact since I left school.
‘Was glad to hear about Burt Caruthers marriage and wish him all the happiness in the world.
‘You’ve all been reading about what’s been going on out this way so there’s no need to tell you they’re keeping us mighty busy. Hope it will all be over soon as we can all get back and have our big reunion which we all write so much about.
‘I would be glad to hear from any of the brothers and if there are any out this way I’d like them to drop in.'” - Theodore A. Pearse ’39
- V.T. “Red” Penn ’32
- Robert Pfeiffer ’61 – Served for two years with the rank of lieutenant
- Art Pratt ’44
- Edward C. Pritchard ’45 – The Omicron Arrow of late 1945 reported:
“Pvt. Edward C. Pritchard ’45, Co. C, 803rd Repl. Bn., Camp Shel-by. Miss., writes: ‘Nothing much doing down here where I am except that it is still hot as h~. I saw Brother Don Joh-son up in Evanston last June. He has received his discharge from the army after a long time overseas. According to the information that I could get from him, he was going to start at Northwestern this fall.
‘As for my personal life, I have broken my engagement after two years of being strictly true and now I am playing the field and enjoying myself very much.
‘Has anybody heard about LI Bock, Dan Dieffenbacher, or Al Mueller? I haven’t seen or heard anything about these brothers since before I left to go into the service.
‘Let’s all start planning for that big reunion of the Brothers in the fall of ’46.'” - Barney C. Quandt ’56
- Frank Ragler ’02 – Brother Ragler writes in November 2007: “Came across the listing for Psi Upsilon brothers with military service and thought I’d give me some updates on me, Frank Ragler, pledge class ’02. I’m currently in the army serving at Landstuhl Regional Medical center in Landstuhl, Germany. I just graduated from the nuring program for the military and working as an Army Nurse. Before that I was sationed in Fort Irwin, CA for about three years and after that I was at Fort Sam Houston, TX for a year. Thanks for keep the website going. YITB, Frank”
- Jack Roberts ’37 – Army Air Corps, served in India as of March ’43
- John P. “Jack” Rooney ’53 – Brother Rooney writes about his time in the Army:
“I was on active duty with the Army Security Agency from 9-11-1953 to June 10, 1955. The Korean GI Bill helped me pay for law school. My status as a veteran enabled me to buy a house for nothing down. I was in the last line of defense at Arlington Hall Station. The ASA was only to be found at Illinois, MIT, and Texas A & M. Because of ROTC I was a lieutenant.” - Edward C. Roozen ’39 – Lieutenant in the Army Air Corps
- Joseph Schaefer ’37
- Russ Scheibel ’51
- Burt Schwind ’35 – Army Air Corps
- George P. Seneff ’38 – United States Military Academy at West Point, Company K, Brother Seneff achieved the rank of major by February 1941. He became a National Guard instructor and was formerly connected with Princeton University. By November 1949 he was a lieutenant colonel at the Armored School, Ft. Knox, Kentucky.
- Maurice J. Shroyer ’36 – Major with the 44th Infantry Division
- Thomas E. Smith ’49
- Jim Snider ’40
- Neil Sorensen ’55
- Edmond K. Thompson ’40
- Selilm Tideman ’37 – Served in the office of Division Engineer, Pacific Division as of May 1943. The Omicron Arrow in 1946 had the following entry:
Major S. N. Tideman Jr. ’37, 1025 Linden avenue, Wilmette, 111., wrote August 9 from the Philippines: “I’m sitting here on one of these nice tropical islands that I used to see in the movies. It’s raining harder than h—1 and the mosquitoes are over in the corner deciding which one will try and carry me home first. Several weeks ago I bumped into Grable Weber (Major) on an air strip here. I think I was the only guy getting off and he was the only guy getting on. I learned that Bob Durin (Lt. Col. now) was nearby at 8th Army Hq. and subsequently I have seen him several times. I understand some of the guys like Cam Brown have already got back from the ETO. Well, we all like it over here so much that we wouldn’t leave before 10 minutes from now unless they wanted us to hurry. I hope we all get home soon and I can wear a white shirt again. After almost 5 years in the army, it gets a little boring. I sure would like to see my wife and 2 children, Carol, 31/2, and Gail, 2 years, again soon. We shall all see each other at Homecoming some day!” - Leo Varty ’32 – Served as a captain in the Army Corps of Engineers as of May 1943
- Grable Weber ’36
- James Forrest Yale ’86 – Brother Jim Yale ’86 wrote the following in the Spring of 2007: For the record, Bill [Major William B. (Bill) Kelly, ’85], Greg Barr ’86, and myself all served in the US Army Reserve in the same unit at one time or another:the 12th Special Forces Group (Airborne) in Arlington Heights, Illinois. As a result of our actions, Arlington Heights was never successfully invaded by foreign or hostile domestic forces.
- Oscar R. (Bob) Zipf ’16 – The Omicron Arrow of May 1945 reported the following:
“We were pleased to get the following letter from Charles B. Zipf, 608 State Bank building, Freeport, 111., brother of Lt. Col. Oscar R. (Bob) Zipf ’16, with the Fourteenth Air Force, A. P. 0. 627, Care Postmaster, New York, N. Y.:
‘The Arrow is dutifully mailed to my brother. Although his vintage is too ancient to recognize the majority of the names, some are even ‘familiar to me who spent many a happy day at 410 E. Green.
‘At the moment Bob is in China. His letters occasionally make some crack about a ‘party that the Psi U’s In their palmiest day would have been glad to have thrown.’ He has some combat experience and was in the Salween River campaign last spring. He was cited by the CBI ‘Round-Up’ for his ability to keep up despite his age—51 years. At the moment his only claim to fame is that he is the only constipated soldier in China.'”
Navy
- John Acton ’01.5
- Warren Alcock class? – Navy Air Corps
- Stephen H. Ambrose ’28 – The Omicron Arrow of late 1945 reported the following:
“Lt. Comdr. Stephen H. Ambrose ’28, NAAS, Sautley, Field, Dispensary, Pensacola, Fla., writes: ‘Returned to the states Sept. 1, 1945. Moved the family and dog to Pensacola two days before points were lowered for medical officers, hence will be here until next June 1, or have asked to be, rather.'” - Art Andrew ’55 – Lieutenant(UDT). Brother Roe Mallstrom ’51 writes, “UDT stands for Underwater Demolition Team otherwise known as Navy Frogmen. Art was in training at Little Creek, VA when we both were living in bachelor pads on Virginia Beach. At the time I was on the Staff, Commander Battleship-Cruiser Force Atlantic Fleet.”
- Dr. Richard D. Calhoun ’33
- Jim Cooke ’43 – The Omicron Arrow of 1943 reported:
“Thanks to Jim Cooke ’43, former chapter rushing chairman, for sending us excellent news about himself and his work in the Naval Air Corps. Jim is in Class 2A-43C (c), U.S.N.A.S., Corpus Christi, Texas. He writes:
‘I’m in instruments and with luck will leave soon for my advanced squadron …
‘There are a lot of Psi U men down here from almost every chapter and they’re all d—n good men . . . keep the old Omicron blazing with spirit, ’cause I’ll sure as h—1 make that my first stop when this scrap’s over.'” - John Culp ’79 – According to Brother Pat Gilmore ’69, Brother John Culp ’79 flew F-4s in the USN. “I met him for the first and only time at the 1989 Omicron Homecoming party,” said Brother Gilmore. “He is currently a captain with Delta Airlines in Atlanta, GA.”
- Tom Cunningham ’43
- Andrew Dahlberg Jr. ’34 – Lieutenant on the USS Fulton as of October 1941
- C. Lyman Emrich ’32 – When World War II broke out, Mr. Emrich received a commission in the U.S. Navy Reserves. He was assigned as a lieutenant junior grade to work in the Department of Naval Intelligence in Washington, D.C. In 1945, then-Lt. Cmdr. Emrich was on the Pacific Ocean en route to Japan when the war ended.
- Richmond D. Fitzgerald ’41 – naval aviator (?)
- Wallace C. Gruenberg ’58
- Sheldon Hauck ’58
- Stephen C. Hogan ’37 – on an aircraft carrier as of March 1942, Navy Cross at Guadalcanal, reported March 1943. In the May 1943 Arrow, the following article appeared:
Lt. Steve Hogan On First Leave From Battle Zone
“Lt. Stephen Hogan ’37,” says a newspaper story sent to the chapter recently, “27 years old, 7303 Luella ave., came home last week from the Pacific war area and saw his blond, blue-eyed four-months-old son, Stephen III, for the first time. He brought the baby a rattle made from a piece of a wrecked Jap Zero plane, and for young Stephen’s mother, the lieutenant’s bride of two years ago, he brought rattan purses and other souvenirs of the South Sea islands.
Home on 30-Day Leave
“Lieutenant Hogan, son of Dr. and Mrs. Stephen Hogan Sr., 6746 Cregier ave., is home on a 30-day leave which will end March 1. It’s his first leave in 13 months.
“He has been in the navy three years. Since his graduation in 1941 from the Pensacola naval training station, he has been based on a carrier as a dive bomber pilot. He saw action on the Wasp, which was sunk, on the Enterprise, participated in the Gilbert and Marshall Island battles, the Coral Sea battle and the battles of Midway Island and Guadalcanal. He has two Jap planes to his credit and was awarded the navy cross for bravery and extraordinary heroism above the call of duty.
Never Wounded
“He was never wounded in any of the battles but his radiomen were not so fortunate. The Jap planes got two of them. One of his narrowest escapes from death occurred when there wasn’t even a battle in progress. Flying above Pearl Harbor, his plane collided in mid-air with another and he was forced to parachute to safety. He landed in the ocean and was picked up by a destroyer.” - Bill Hutchings ’49
- Alfred C. Johnson ’52 – As of May 1955 he was with the 6th Fleet in the Mediterranean Sea, flying off the USS Coral Sea. Brother Roe Mallstrom reports that Brother Johnson eventually earned the rank of captain.
- Frank Kegley ’08 – The Omicron Arrow of November 1945 reported the following:
The November 1945 Omicron Arrow reported the following about Brother Kegley:
“The Navy Department has appointed Frank Kegley ’08 as Supervisor of Shipbuilding in the Chicago area. Commander Kegley, on September 10th was placed at the head of this important naval activity which, since early 1942, has directed the construction of 600 million dollars worth of ships in thirteen yards located from Kalamazoo to Kansas City and from Milwaukee to St. Louis.
With the defeat of Japan shipbuilding at many yards was halted and the interest of the Supervisor’s office has turned to Contract Termination and Settlement, and the Disposition of Materials. Shipbuilding will continue until December; it is expected that contract termination can be completed early in 1946.
Commander Kegley began his war service in March, 1942, as Special Assistant to the Supervisor of Shipbuilding, directing the design and construction of the Chicago Bridge and Iron Co. shipyard at Calumet Harbor, on Chicago’s South Side. In August, 1942, he was commissioned in the Naval Reserve and assigned to the same office as Officer in Charge of Technical and Construction matters in the Shipbuilding program. In 1944 he was advanced to the rank of Commander and to the position of Executive Officer in the office which he now heads. He is a partner in the firm of Walton and Kegley, Architects, and resides in Evanston.” - Robert D. Llewellyn ’44 – In the Summer 2006 Omicron Arrow, Brother Llewellyn reported: “I vividly remember when I heard about Pearl Harbor during my sophomore year. I was at the Kappa Kappa Gamma house when we heard the broadcast on the radio. Next day, the President of the University spoke to the students at Huff Gym and urged us to stay in school and study hard so that when we were called up, we could serve our country better. Most ignored the advice and immediately enlisted. I later signed up with the Navy and trained to be a fighter pilot, and later as a torpedo bomber. Afterwards, I joined the active reserve and stayed in 13 more years flying jets and antsubmarine planes.
Like other fraternities on campus, we had a number of brothers who unfortunately did not make it back from the War, including Jim Latham ’44 from Alton, IL – a marine captain, a real hero; Pete Blackford ’43 from Oak Park, IL; and Johnny Austin ’43 also from Oak Park.
Due to the war, the house lost membership and was rented out as a women’s boarding house from June 43 thru January 1946. Only with the help of our outstanding alumni were we able to organize to get our house back and reestablish Psi U on campus. Thanks to the GI bill, we had plenty of men on campus from which to recruit. But many of these men were veterans and were unwilling to go through the type of pledgeship we had previously gone through. One day, we almost had a mutiny with the new pledges. We all had a meeting and agreed to modify the rules for the pledges.
We had two other fraternities living with us as the time, Deke’s & Xi Phi’s, who did not have their houses back as early as we did. The Dekes told their motley crew of undisciplined pledges that they had better shape up or they would be treated like the Psi U pledges! In all seriousness, I am happy that the house has become more serious getting high GPA’s and more conscientious about charity work.”
The Omicron Arrow of late 1945 reported the following from Brother Llewellyn:
“I just finished operation training in torpedo bombers at Fort Lauderdale (pronounced Liquor-dale). After my carrier checkout in the Atlantic I was granted a 37-day leave before reporting to NAS, Grosse Isle, which is only 14 miles outside of Detroit. No discharge is in the offing, but Detroit is good duty, so I won’t mind. Don Johnson ’45 is attending Wisconsin now. The Psi U house is going strong there.
“Heinie Diettrich ’44 is doing part-time chief cook and bottle washer duties at a Chicago hotel while he attends dental school. He graduates in June and all the brothers are invited to bring in their aching jaws.” - William E. McCoy ’39 – Lieutenant in the Navy
- J.J. McHugh Jr. ’39 – Served as an ensign on the USS Palomas as of May 1943.
- Charles McNair ’39
- Roe Mallstrom ’51 – The Omicron Arrow of Summer 2007 reported:
“The Korean conflict was still in progress when I graduated. Brother Ken Reimer ’51 LT U.S. Army was killed there. I remember the chapter gathering in the living room to hear General MacArthur’s address to Congress on the radio. After graduation I enlisted in the Navy and after boot camp at Great Lakes I was sent to OCS in Newport, RI. After receiving my commission I was assigned to the Cruiser USS Des Moines as Radio Officer. One of our assignments was as Flagship for Commander Sixth Fleet. Our homeport for that assignment was Villefranche sur Mer, a suburb of Nice. That assignment took me back and forth from Gibraltar to Beirut. My next assignment was as Radio Officer on the Staff of Commander Battleship Cruiser Force Atlantic Fleet onboard the Battleship USS Iowa.” - Thomas N. Martin ’42 – The Omicron Arrow of May 1945 reported:
“Lt. (Jg) Thomas N. Martin ’42, is boat officer aboard a destroyer transport, Fleet Post Office, San Francisco, Calif., and writes:
‘Still sailing the same ocean on the same ship as I have been for the last two years. I was lucky enough to get home a few days last tall, and really enjoyed those few days. As yet I haven’t seen any of the brothers out here, but thanks to The Arrow, I can keep up with many of them. Very happy to see that Jimmy Reed was home for a well-deserved rest.
‘I’ understand that Jim Latham, Jack Scott and Tommy Cunning-ham are around some place out here—I’ll be checking the Officers Clubs from here to Tokyo.'” - Don Murphy ’52
- John Culver Nichols ’32 – Lieutenant stationed at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii in late 1937, later posted to the submarine base at New London, Connecticut. By 1941 he was on the US Sub S-29 out of Key West, Florida and in the early 50s he was a commander at the Bureau of Naval Personnel in Washington DC. In the mid 1950s it was Captain Nichols and he was part of the staff at CincPacFlt.
- Richard E. Otis ’33 – Lieutenant Commander, Brother Otis served on the USS Siboney as of October 1946.
- Gilman Paynter M.D. ’40 – Lieutenant as of May 1943 and the May 1945 Omicron Arrow reported:
“Lt. (jg) Gilman C. Paynter ’40, MC, USN, is with an Escort Division, Care Fleet Post Office, San Francisco, Calif., fills out his News Blank thusly:
‘There IS an addition to the family. When last seen it resembled a bawling brisket of beef but recent photos indicate that it is a baby. I am also married.
‘Occupation as noted. Officially it’s medical officer to a bunch oL. destroyer escorts. This is a fascinating job—oh! yes, fascinating! We treat jungle rot, a rare tropical disease like lackaliquor. Treatment is painting with mesthiolate. Treatment of sore throats is also painting with mesthiolate. Athlete’s foot?—paint it with merthiolate. Redundant prepuce?—paint it with —pops!
‘Haven’t seen the bent elbow of one Psi U since I’ve been out here. Whereinell is everybody?
‘Anyway, the Arrow is still blooming and it’s a pleasure to receive it. Any news of Corky Steward ’41, Jim Reed ’40, or Jim Snider ’40 would be, I think, a feather in your cap, but if you have their addresses, I’d like to write them.'” - Myric Rogers ’57
- Charles Schroeder ’42 – Served as an lieutenant, instructing at U.S. Naval base in Pensacola, Florida, and as of May 1943 he reported, (insert clip). By November 1952, the Arrow reported Brother Schroeder was officer in charge of the night fighter unit on the carrier “Bon Homme Richard” while that ship was operating in Korea. In that same time period, he was again Officer in Charge of a carrier based outfit and was flying the all-weather jet known as the “Banshee”. Add in October 1955 Arrow item.
- John V. Scott ’40 – Chief petty officer later promoted to lieutenant, stationed at the Glenview Naval Air Base as of March 1942. The Omicron Arrow of late 1945 reported the following:
“Lt. (jg) J. V. (Scottie) Scott ’40 made good use of the reverse side of his subscription blank to send us this news:
‘Am still out here in the Philippines, but expect discharge on points within a few weeks as my orders and relief have already been requested by my commanding officer. While I had quite a lengthy tour of duty in the States, it will be great getting back again—especially now that I’ll soon be a civilian again. Enjoyed the last issue of The Arrow as much as any others I’ve received these past four years. The Class of ’40 was well represented in the news.'”
In May 1945, Brother Scott wrote to the Omicron Arrow:
“At present I am stationed at SCTC Terminal Island, San Pedro, Calif., going to school and taking care of last minute details before putting a refrigerator ship into commission. As executive officer aboard I find plenty to do and have little spare time on my hands. My wife, Marianne (Illinois ’42) is here with me and will remain until I leave the states.
“Haven’t seen any of the brothers except Malerich ’38, who is out here on a PCE, for some time but probably will run into some drinking beer on some island out in the Pacific.
“Keep the Omicron going while I’m away so we can have a good blow-out when this mess is over.” - Roy J. Solfisburg Jr. ’38 – Served four years during WWII, three years of which were overseas.
- Steve Speltz ’55 – Navy
- Clark Steward ’41 – Naval Air Corps, Illini Squadron as of October 1941
- Damon P. Tunnicliff ’43 – The May 1945 Arrow reported the following:
“Lt. (jg) Damon Tunnicliff ’43 Everglades BOQ 704, Miami, Fla., writes:
‘Received the December issue of The Arrow today (Apr. 13) after it had traveled across the Pacific twice and around the States a few times. So decided it is time to give you my latest address and a contribution for this 4.0 publication.
‘! got back last January after roaming around the Pacific for 14 months on a PT boat. Was a boat skipper and had considerable ‘fun’ playing tag with the Japs . . . also trying to find Bro. Tom Martin’s APO.
‘At present I am going again to school at N.T.C., Miami. This time to learn what makes the bigger ships run. Hope to be assigned to a destroyer after the nine-weeks course at Miami. Would like to hear from any of the ‘0’ Brothers in this area. Should be some as Florida appears to be 98 per cent military activities. Keep up the good work on the Arrow. It is our only contact with the old gang from ‘313.’” - George Warfel ’42
- James R. Wiggins ’44 – U.S. Naval Academy as of March 1942
- A. Richard Williams ’36 – Served on the USS Y.M.S. 336 as of May 1943
- Robert I. Zearing ’33 – Served as a lieutenant in a gunnery unit as of May 1943
Air Force
- Robert D. Bohnsack ’93 – chaplain in the United States Air Force Reserve
- Thomas R. Butler ’70 – According to Pat Gilmore ’69, “Brother Tom Butler ’70 flew F-4 fighter aircraft with the USAF, was with the California Air Guard at March AFB, CA, and retired from the Air Guard as a Lieutenant Colonel. He is also a captain for America West Airlines out of Phoenix, AZ, which just recently merged with US Air.”
- John M. Carmen ’70 – Captain, USAF
- Robert Cornell ’52 – Air Force
- Charles P. “Pat” Gilmore ’69 – In the Summer 2006 Omicron Arrow, Brother Gilmore writes, “After a 35 year career of flying intercontinental jet transports for the USAF and large passenger jets for the airlines, a career which took me to all fifty states and to six of the world’s seven continents, I decided to take early retirement from Delta Airlines in the Spring of 2005.” Brother Gilmore continued in an email of 2006, “To clear up a few muddy areas, I served active duty in the USAF from 1970-1977 and in the USAF Reserve from 1977-1990, flew C-141 jet transports the entire time for the Military Airlift Command out of Norton AFB, CA, served in Vietnam, Israel, the Gulf War (and everything in between), and retired as a Major in the USAF Reserve in December 1990. Between 1977 and 2005 I also flew for Western Airlines, Jet America Airlines, and Delta Airlines, retiring as a B-767 captain in May 2005.”
- Pat M. Godfrey ’96 -Major. See Brother Godfrey’s profile in the Summer 2007 edition of the Arrow
- Eugene S. Kwas ’46 – Brother Kwas (a.k.a. Kwasniewski) served in the US Air Force during the years 1943-45. He writes, “I completed my training while in Big Spring, Texas and received my commission as a Bombardier in 1944. I was assigned to the European Theater of operation and stationed in Foggia, Italy. I was assigned to a B-17 Bombing Group and completed 25 bombing missions. I was awarded an Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters.”
- John B. Moelmann ’63 – Colonel (ret.)
- Robert C. Newth ’56
Marines
- Jack Culp Jr. ’44 – The Omicron Arrow of late 1945 reports the following:
“Lt. Jack Culp Jr. ’44, USMCR, Co. B., 1st Bn., 22nd Marines, 6th Marine Division, F.M.F., Care Fleet Post Office, Frisco, wrote Oct. 18:
‘Arrived in Tsingtoo (Chingtoo) China the first of this month and though it’s quite decent, I’ve had my fill and am ready for home, never to rove again! A great per cent of this city is of German and Russian population, and as such, most of the construction has a European influence. It seems awful strange to look out over a scene that could be found in any of our suburban areas and yet realize that I’m on the other side of the world. Expect to be in the States by spring and wish speedy returns to all brothers for a happy reunion in the fall of ’46—best of luck to one and all.'”
The Omicron Arrow of May 1945 wrote:
“Jack Culp Jr. ’44, Pfc, with Co. G, 58th O.C.S., M.B., Quantico, Va., writes:
‘Haven’t seen a good liberty pass nor a brother for months . . . both are necessary essentials to that overworked term—morale! I am, however, much better off than many of the Psi U men that are mentioned in the Arrow—in fact, I’m not bad off at all.
‘Left V-12 and Purdue July 1 and since then have been through Parris Island, South Carolina and Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, New River, and am now here at Quantico in the first stages of Officer Candidate School. Will be here about 17 more weeks, getting my commission in seven weeks and then getting 10 weeks of further training.
‘Would appreciate it very much it you would get me in touch with Harry Latimer and Larry Fischer, both Omicron ’44. Lost contact with them when I left V-12.
‘Would also appreciate it very much if you would again allow me to be a regular Omicron Arrow reader. Dad sent me the last one, and it’s the best mail I’ve received yet.” - Jack Draper ’51 – Lieutenant
- Ron Gruenberg ’60
- Steve Kammerer ‘82.5 – Larry I. Perlin ’82 writes, “[Brother Kammerer] was enlisted in the Marines for a while after graduating. He became a pilot and flew the large helicopters with the dual rotors, but never saw active combat duty. He was stationed at Camp Pendleton in SoCal at one point back in the ’80’s and occasionally flew up to the SF Bay Area near where I live. He’s since discharged from the Corps and is now a pilot for Max Factor or Revlon or one of those other cosmetics companies in Chicago for which he flies corporate execs to Europe and back. I last saw him and his wife at the Chicago convention two years ago.”
- Art Koester ’55
- James Reed ’40 – Lieutenant serving in the Pacific islands as of May 1943
- Jack Stout ’43 – Captain in the Marine Air Corps, served at Saipan, Iwo Jima, and Okinawa, earning five battle stars and the Distinguished Flying Cross.
- Pledges in WWII who had to leave the chapter as of March 1943 – Steve Boettcher, Bill Galt, Slick Hackman
Coast Guard
- James F. Donahue Jr. ’38
- David McLean Morgan ’59
Brothers who served, but the documents on hand don’t indicated the particular branch or show their pledge class year
- Burt Caruthers class?
- Chuck Cockrell ’32 – branch?
- Robert R. Compton ’76 – branch?
- Arthur P. Davenport class? and branch?
- Thomas Davis class? – Army
- Dan Dieffenbacher class?
- Jon Drew ’01 – Tom Fox ’00 writes, “I believe his was in the Navy.”
- Robert Eirich class? – Navy
- John Feagan class?
- Ted Garvey class? – Army Air Corps
- Wallace Hanlon class? – Army
- Wells Hugo-Smith ’41 – branch?
- John Laird class? – Army ski patrol
- J.J. McHugh class?mille
- Lawrence Olds class? – Army Air Corps
- Tom Perry class? – Army
- Pete Peterson class? – Army
- Frank Ragler ‘02 – branch?
- Don Swett class? – Navy Air Corps
- Pledges in WWII who had to leave the chapter for the Army as of March 1943 – Edward Pritchard and Arthur Webber. The record does not indicate their class nor if they ever intiated.
Attributions
| The introductory text was quoted in part from the Distinguished Alumni section of the Xi Chapter’s website, www.xiofpsiu.org, which was compiled and written by Matt Tuccillo ’95 and constructed by Kenneth Andersen ’97. |
| Many thanks to Tom Fox ’00, Director of Chapter Services at Psi Upsilon Fraternity, for his help and guidance in this process. Psi U has also graciously given permission for quotations from all their various publications and use of images. |
| Thank you to the faculty and staff at the University of Illinois Library, Archives and the Student Life and Culture Collection, including Ellen D. Swain, Archivist for Student Life and Culture, and Chris D’Arpa, graduate student, both of the Archives Research Center; Ann Ribstein, Reference Librarian, Alfred E. Jenner, Jr. Memorial Law Library; Mary Miller, Reference and Operations Specialist, University Archives; Linda Stahnke, Archival Operations and Reference Specialist, University Archives; Christopher J. Prom, Assistant University Archivist |
| Thanks to Tamar Chute, The Ohio State University Archives, for information on Earl W. Anderson ’18; For John B. Lord, Sr. ’39, material was retrieved from here and http://www.sandsmuseum.com/misc/jigsaw/jbcolor.html, as well as from contacts with retired Professor Nicolas Kiessling of WSU and Lawrence R. Stark, Manuscripts, Archives, and Special Collections Washington State University Libraries; Information on C. Lyman Emrich ’32 was retrieved from here. |
| From the University of Illinois’ website, permission is pending to quote from http://cee.uiuc.edu/Faculty/olson.htm and http://www.news.uiuc.edu/ii/04/0401/renumber.html. Permisson was obtained to quote and use the image from http://www.cs.uiuc.edu/directory/directory.php?name=patterson. |
| Each individual has been contacted to secure quotes and/or permission to use text and images. Every attempt has been made to otherwise get these permissions; please inform Dave Komie, Secretary of the Omicron Alumni Association, if you have further citation data. |
Campus Activities
The Omicron’s brothers have been very involved in the university’s life, both as undergraduates and as alumni. The list below is based on research conducted in the Fall of 2006 – if you have any additions or corrections, please email alumni secretary, psiuoalumsec@gmail.com. Thanks very much to all the brothers who contributed information to this list – it simply wouldn’t have been possible to compile without everyones’ efforts.
Alumni Association’s Illini Clubs
Chicago
Lou Margaglione ‘91.5 – president
Howard L. “Tad” Huntington ‘95.5 – board member
Orange County, California
Lew Finkelstein ’83 – president – 1992 – ?
Chief Illiniwek
David H. Naour M.D. ’89 – Finalist
Concert Band
John “Jay” B. McManus, ’89 – Clarinet
Jack Cooper ’40 – Clarinet
The Daily Illini: The DI is an independent, student-run newspaper published for the community of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The newspaper was founded in 1874. Twenty-thousand copies are produced each weekday during the university’s fall and spring semesters and distributed free at more than 250 locations throughout Champaign-Urbana.
H. Chuck Buchanan ‘65
Gary Hufford ‘64
Dan Collins ‘63
Deane Haning ‘60
Sheldon J. Hauck ’58
Wally Gruenberg ‘58
Sidney J. Hormel ’57 – editor
Ken Derby ’57
Barney Quandt ’56 – advertising manager
Park L. Brown ‘41
Wells Hugo-Smith ‘41
Jim Paynter ’40?
Clyde Criswell ’40
Kenneth L. Sears ‘40
G. Cameron Brown ‘37
Selim Tideman Jr. ‘37
George Miller ‘36
Howard Emrich ‘34
Roy E. Taylor ‘32
Jim McEdwards ‘31
Bob Hoff ‘30
Harold J. Orr ’20
Homecoming Court
Glen Carlson ’94
Mark Baker ’09
Illio – The university’s venerated yearbook
Bob Grosse ‘71
Fred Drummond ‘71
Bob Dallach ‘63
John Calamos ‘63
Martin Lower ‘63
Bob Strauss ‘63
Steve Sward ‘63
Tom Westhoff ‘63
Phil Wilken ‘63
Tom Sykes ‘61
Ken Derby ’57
Jack Stumpf class?
Steve Speltz ‘55
Chuck Huwen ‘43
William R. Lyon ‘34
C. Lyman Emrich, Jr. ’32 – Editor in Chief
Leo B. Varty ‘32F.A. Stevenson class?
Harold J. Orr ’20 – Editor in Chief
Illini Union: Built in 1939 with a grant from the Public Works Administration, the Illini Union is located on the north end of the Quad at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign – right at the heart of campus. It functions as a community center for students, faculty, staff and guests.
Tom Tomko ‘71
Dick Johnson ‘61
Sheldon J. Hauck ’58 – President Illini Union from 1957-58
Kenneth L. Sears ‘40
Selim Tideman Jr. ‘37
Bob Knauer ’36
John Holstein ‘33
Interfraternity Council
Meng Song ’11 – J Board
Andrew Chapello ’10 – VP of Standards, Judicial Board
Mark Baker ’09 – Executive Vice PresidentMark Bittner ’86 – J Board
Matthew Cajda ’03 – VP, Recruitment for the 2001 calendar year and IFC President for 2002
Henry W. “Trey” Meers III ’01 – VP of Judicial Affairs
Mike Orsi ’99
Michael P. Anichini ’95 – VP for Public Affairs
J. Eric Smith ’79 – Judicial Board
John Hutchens ‘’69 – Rush Chairman
John Stewart ’69 – Rush Chairman
Joe Barfuss ‘68
Ray Fairchild ’68 – Judicial Committee
Jim Barkley ‘65
Don Best ‘63
Bob Dallach ‘63
Ron Vogel ‘57
Bob Llewellyn ’44 – IFC Treasurer
Selim Tideman Jr. ’37
C. Lyman Emrich, Jr. ‘32
Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) College Council: This group’s mission is simply to serve the students of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. LAS Council gives all undergraduates opportunities to discuss and gain insight into campus and college issues, attain leadership experiences, and connect with students across a wide array of disciplines. Moreover, they work closely with faculty, administration, and alumni in order to coordinate and implement various events such as the LAS Career Night and College Advising Awards.
Jack Rooney ’53
Marching Illini: The University of Illinois Marching Illini is proud to be the nation’s premiere college marching band. This close-knit organization annually includes approximately 350 of the University of Illinois’ finest and most dedicated students.
James Columbo, Jr. ’01 – Graduate assistant from 2005-06, he was also the conductor for U of I Concert Band II. In addition, Jim performed at Carnegie Hall in New York with the U of I Wind Symphony (he plays the French Horn).
Jason Borucki ’98
Howard L. “Tad” Huntington ‘95.5 – Trombone
Alan S. Hope ’89 – Sousaphone from 1985-89, he also famously starred as “Superman” during a Homecoming halftime show before the crowd at Memorial Stadium, but was killed off with “kryptonite” after the first three minutes.
David H. Naour M.D. ’89 – Alto Saxophone 1984-87
John Ball ’81 – Trombone
John Stewart ’69 – Trumpet from 1965-66
Joe Barfuss ’68 – Clarinet
Ray Fairchild ’68 – Trumpet
Jim Hopwood ’68 – Saxophone
Tom Sykes ‘61
Morgan Jones ’57 – Glockenspiel
Orange Krush: Started early in Coach Lou Henson’s tenure at the U of I, the Orange Krush is the student cheering section for the University of Illinois Men’s Basketball team. In 1998, the organization established a charitable organization known as the Orange Krush Foundation which annually donates thousands of dollars to charity.
William Mathers ’76
William “Boyd” Bach ’91
Kevin Clancy ‘90.5
David Komie ’92.5
Matt Nimrick ’08
Matt Buckles ’08
Matt Turk ‘08.5
Mark Baker ’09
Scarab Architecture Fraternity
A. Richard Williams ‘36
Alfred E. Kirk ‘36
Grable B. Weber ‘36
Star Course: Originated in 1896, Star Course is a live-concert organization run completely by students dedicated to the promotion and production of entertainment events for both the students of the University of Illinois and the Champaign-Urbana community. These events often include bands of various genres, but Star Course has also presented orchestras, comedy acts, and a variety of talented individuals.
Fred Drummond ‘71
Ed May ‘60
Jim Archer ‘57
Roland Block class?
Chuck Off class?
John B. Lord, Sr. ’39
Student Senate: The Student Senate serves as the “official voice of the student body” at the U of I, representing the views and needs of the student body to the campus administration, local, state, and federal governments.
Ben Dillon ‘02
Justin D. Clark ‘01
Thomas J. Fox ’00 – Member during junior & senior years, member of Board of Student Discipline during senior year.
Martin Lower ‘63
Sidney J. Hormel ’57
Steve Speltz ‘55
G. Cameron Brown ’37 – Member sophomore and junior years, President for his senior year
Jim Paynter ’40? – Class VP
Aubrey O. Cookman ’35 – VP of his senior class
John H. Holstein ’33 – President of his sophomore class
Teaching Assistants:
Andrew Chapello ’10 – TA in the College of BusinessKevin Sanchez ’10 – Lab assistant in GE 101
Peter Witkowski ‘08.5 – undergraduate research and teaching assistant for the College of Engineering
Matt Plavcan ‘97.5 – undergrad instructor for ECE
Todd Stone ’95 – teaching assistant for FN240, a quantity food production and service course
Alan S. Hope ’89 – teaching assistant (graduate student) for a 300 level aerospace course
Robert S. Petersen, Jr. ’68 – TA in the business school from 1969-70
Ken Fairbanks ’55 – While studying for his masters degree, he taught two classes of electrical engineering
Bruce Macdonald ’50 – Assistant in the entomology department
David Pyle ’50 – Taught several architecture classes
WPGU – Known by generations of Illini students for its radio broadcasts at 107.1, WPGU is owned by Illini Media Company, a non-profit organization which has been the heart of communication for students at the University of Illinois for more than 80 years. Operating The Daily Illini, Buzz, the Illio yearbook, Technograph (a quarterly engineering magazine), WPGU-FM and all of their corresponding internet operations, Illini Media offers students a wide range of opportunities to gain professional media experience.
Gary Olson ’63 – staff announcer
Don Larson ‘58
Sidney J. Hormel ’57 – news commentator
Jim Archer ‘57
Rick Hudson class?
Campus Distinctions
Bronze Tablet, Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Phi, Ma-Wan-Da, and the Rhodes Scholarship – these are a sampling of the honors earned by our Omicron brothers over the years. The list below is based on research conducted in the Fall of 2006 – if you have any additions or corrections, please email alumni secretary, psiuoalumsec@gmail.com. Thanks very much to all the brothers who contributed information to this list – it simply wouldn’t have been possible to compile without everyones’ efforts.
Alumni Achievement Award: The Alumni Achievement Award was established in 1957 to recognize alumni of the University of Illinois who have attained outstanding success and national or international distinction in their chosen business, profession or life’s work, and whose accomplishments reflect admirably on or bring honor to the institution.
Rexford S. Blazer ’28, Chairman of the Board – Ashland Oil and Refining Company (honored in 1968)
Beta Alpha Psi: Founded in 1919 at the U of I, it is the premier professional business information fraternity, recognizing academic excellence and complementing members’ formal education by providing interaction between students, faculty, and professionals.
Timothy T. Miller ’80
Beta Gamma Sigma: eta Gamma Sigma is the honor society serving business programs accredited by AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. Membership in Beta Gamma Sigma is the highest recognition a business student anywhere in the world can receive in a business program accredited by AACSB International.
Peter Jensen ’54
Bronze Tablet: Since 1925, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign has recognized the academic achievement of a select group of undergraduate students by inscribing their names on bronze tablets, which are prominently displayed on the first floor of the Main Library. Only the top 3% of undergraduate students receive this highly coveted award.Brock Booton ’11
Birton Cowden ‘05.5
Shawn E. Goodman ‘91.5
Brian D. Hughes ‘89.5
Mark G. Johnston ’87
Lawrence D. Rakers ’86
David Chen, M.D. ‘83.5
Jim Archer ’57
Ken Derby ’57
Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering Machine Design Award: This award was established to honor a senior who has displayed outstanding interest and proficiency in the area of machine design. Faculty nominations are made to the Awards Committee, which selects the recipient whose name resides on a bronze plaque within the Mechanical Engineering Building.
Martin J. Hower ’80
Eagle Scouts: The Omicron Chapter as of late has recruited more than its fair share of Eagle Scouts. The Boy Scout rank of Eagle Scout has always carried with it a special significance, not only in Scouting but also in higher education, business or industry, and community service. To earn the award, the highest advancement rank in Scouting, a Boy Scout must fulfill requirements in the areas of leadership, service, and outdoor skills; only about 2 percent of all Boy Scouts do so. Though this award primarily is earned before coming to campus, it is earned so close to one’s undergradute days and is such a rare honor, we’ve included it as well.
Kevin Sanchez ’10
Nathan Kuehlthau ’07
Scott Nellis ’06
Michael Warden ’06
Frank Bieszcat ’04
Justin Kuehlthau ‘03.5
Patrick Zurek ‘03.5
Justin D. Clark ’01
Henry W. “Trey” Meers III ’01
Chris Monroe ’01
Adam Boyko ’99
Chris Tierney ’99
Matthew Plavcan ‘97.5
Howard L. “Tad” Huntington ‘95.5
Rob Bohnsack ’93
John “Jay” B. McManus, Jr. ’89
Eta Kappa Nu Eta Kappa Nu is a unique membership organization dedicated to encouraging and recognizing excellence in the electrical and computer engineering field. Founded at the University of Illinois in 1904, members consist of students, alumni, and other professionals who have demonstrated exceptional academic and professional accomplishments.
Ken Fairbanks ’55
Chuck Morrill ’41
Golden Key Golden Key is an academic honour society which recognizes and encourages scholastic achievement and excellence among college and university students from all academic disciplines. The Society awards its members over $400,000 annually through 17 different scholarship and award programs.
Matt Buckles ’08
Ma-Wan-Da: This is a selective senior honor society which recognizes the dedication to the University of Illinois, service to the community, scholarship, and outstanding leadership of its members. Each Ma-Wan-Da class is limited to a maximum membership of 40.
Alan S. Hope ’89
Tom Sykes ’61
Sheldon J. Hauck ’58
Howard Emrich ’34
C. Lyman Emrich, Jr. ’32
George O. Hoffman ’27
Everett F. Wells ’26
Harold J. Orr ’20
National Society of Collegiate Scholars: The National Society of Collegiate Scholars is the nation’s premiere honor organization for high achieving students. Founded in 1994 at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., NSCS recognizes outstanding academic achievement among first- and second-year college students. Membership is based on grade point average and class standing, and is by invitation only. NSCS aims to honor, inspire and engage its members, and offers benefits including scholarships, leadership development, travel opportunities and career resources.
Mark Baker ’09
Matt Buckles ’08
Order of Omega: The Order of Omega is a National Honorary Greek Leadership Society. Members display excellence in academics, community service, and leadership within the Greek community, and participation in campus activities. The members represent the top 3% of all Greeks on campus by possessing these qualities.
Matthew Cajda ’03
Matthew DalSanto ’03
Thomas J. Fox ’00
Adam Boyko ’99
Rob Bohnsack ’93
Phi Alpha Theta: The History honor society whose mission is to promote the study of history through the encouragement of research, good teaching, publication and the exchange of learning and ideas among historians.Matt Buckles ’08David Komie ‘92.5
Tom Sykes ’61
Jim Archer ’57
Phi Beta Kappa: This esteemed honorary was founded on December 5, 1776, at the College of William and Mary. Since then, Phi Beta Kappa has evolved to become the nation’s leading advocate for the liberal arts and sciences at the undergraduate level. The Society’s distinctive emblem, a golden key, is widely recognized as a symbol of academic achievement.Matt Buckles ’08Kevin J. Clancy ‘90.5
Jim Archer ’57
Jack Rooney ’53
Dick Woods ’35
C. Lyman Emrich, Jr. ’32
Richard B. Ainsworth ’31
Hugh Graham ’31
Phi Eta Sigma: Founded in 1923 at the University of Illinois, Phi Eta Sigma is the nation’s oldest and largest honor society for first-year college and university students in all disciplines. Inspired by the past and dedicated to the future, the Society’s mission is to encourage and reward academic excellence among freshmen in institutions of higher learning.
Andrew Chapello ’10
Mark Baker ’09
Matt Buckles ’08
Matthew Cajda ’03
Dave Komie ‘92.5
Bob Strauss ’63
Larry Weller ’63
Jon Hinrichs ’60
George Pease ’60
Robert Stiven ’58
Jim Archer ’57
Ken Derby ’57
C. Lyman Emrich, Jr. ’32
William M. Rice ’32
Richard B. Ainsworth ’31
Phi Chi Theta: Phi Chi Theta is a National coeducational Professional Fraternity in Business and Economics. Founded on June 16, 1924 in Chicago, Illinois, the fraternity’s mission is: “To promote the cause of higher business education and training for all individuals, to foster high ideals for everyone pursuing a career in business; to encourage fraternity and cooperation among people preparing for such careers; and to stimulate the spirit of sacrifice and unselfish devotion to the attainment of such ends.”
Andrew Chapello ’10
Phi Kappa Phi: Founded in 1897 at the University of Maine, Phi Kappa Phi is the nation’s oldest, largest, and most selective honor society for all academic disciplines. Its chapters are on nearly 300 campuses in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines.Matt Buckles ’08Jim Archer ’57
Peter Jensen ’54
Jack Rooney ’53
Pi Mu Epsilon: This honorary is dedicated to the promotion of mathematics and recognition of students who successfully pursue mathematical understanding.
Jack Rooney ’53
Rhodes Scholars: The Rhodes Scholarships, the oldest international fellowships, were initiated after the death of Cecil Rhodes in 1902, and bring outstanding students from many countries around the world to study at the University of Oxford. Only a handful of individuals in the entire history of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have earned this most prestigious of honors.
C. Lyman Emrich, Jr. ’32
Senior 100: Student Alumni Ambassadors and the University of Illinois Alumni Association recognize outstanding seniors through the Senior 100 Honorary. Undergraduate students are selected based on their academic standing and their involvement, initiative and leadership in both campus and community activities.Andrew Chapello ’10Alex Florea ’10
Matthew R. DalSanto ’04
Dean C. Marinakis ’90
E.L. Anderson ’83
Sachem: The U of I’s Junior Activities Honorary Society
Howard L. “Tad” Huntington ‘95.5
Howard Emrich ’34
C. Lyman Emrich, Jr. ’32
Jim McEdwards ’31Everett F. Wells ’26 Ralph Carlson ’20
Harold J. Orr ’20
Sigma Gamma Tau: Sigma Gamma Tau’s mission is “to offer appropriate recognition to persons of superior scholarship, outstanding character, and professional achievement in the field of Aeronautical Engineering.
Alan S. Hope ’89
Sigma Iota Epsilon: This management fraternity is dedicated to stimulating interest, scholarship, and achievement in the field of management and to facilitate contacts between students and practicing managers. It also seeks to recognize persons who have made contributions to the field of management and gain recognition of the contribution and value of scholastic achievement in the management discipline.
James W. Baker ’69
Skull & Crescent: Sophomore honorary society to recognize service to the University and the student body.
Tom Butler ’70
Mike Bracken ’70
Pat Gilmore ’69
James W. Baker ’69
Terry Stringer ’63
Sid Frisch ’62
Bob Pfeiffer ’61
John Bergstrom ’60
Deana Haning ’60
Rick Hudson ’59
Joe Miller ’59
Sheldon J. Hauck ’58
Sidney J. Hormel ’57
Ken Derby ’57
Barney Quandt ’56
John G. Knox ’50
Linell Bock ’46
Tom Davis ’46
Philip Dieffenbacher ’45
John F. Feagan ’44
Henry Diettrich ’44
John Austin ’43
Damon Tunnicliff ’43
Charles Schroeder ’42
Thomas Martin ’42
Park L. Brown ’41
Clark Zim Steward ’41
Kenneth L. Sears ’40
Gilman Paynter M.D. ’40
Charles McNair ’39
William McCoy ’39
Norman Lewis ’38
Roy J. Solfisburg Jr. ’38
G. Cameron Brown ’37
Selim Tideman Jr. ’37
Robert O. Lewis ’35
John Barth ’35
W. Howard P. Emrich ’34
John R. Clements ’34
John H. Holstein ’33
A. Holstein Jr. (class uncertain – probably ’32?)
Leo B. Varty ’32
John C. Nichols ’32
Wilbur McEdwards ’31
E. Willis Brown ’31
Frederick Blayney ’30
George Webster ’30
A Elliott (class uncertain – probably ’29)
Frederick A. Nichols ’29
Stephen Ambrose ’28
Walter Rogan ’28
John W. Cullen, Jr. ’27
Alvord L. “Al” Boeck ’27
Everett F. Wells ’26
John Howe ’25
Albert Eyclestymer ’25
F. Olney Brown ’25
Delmar L. Kroehler, Jr. ’24
Donald Huckins ’24
J. Russell Scott ’23
Arthur Humphries ’23 (possibly Humphrey)
Donald Warren ’22
H. H. Evans ’22
John Tredwell Jr ’21
Rodney Mason ’21
John Guthrie ’20
George Koch ’20
R. Carbon (class uncertain – probably ’19)
John Cook ’18Walter Hayne ’18
Richard Foster ’17
Christian Gross ’17
Oscar R. Zipf ’16
Dudley Crane ’16
J. Reber (class uncertain – probably ’15)
D. F. Comstock ’15
William Fielder ’14
H. Egan (class uncertain – probably ’13 or ’14)
P. N. Chase ’13
G. Richmond (class uncertain – probably ’12 or ’13)
Tau Beta Pi: Tau Beta Pi is a national engineering honor society for those who have conferred honor upon their Alma Mater by distinguished scholarship and exemplary character as undergraduates in engineering.. and to foster a spirit of liberal culture in engineering colleges.
Alan S. Hope ’89
Mike Summers ’69
Ken Derby ’57, President
Ken Fairbanks ’55
Gene Lewis ’55
University of Illinois Presidents Council
Sheldon J. Hauck ’58
John W. Healey ’58
G. Cameron Brown ’37
William E. Winter Award for Outstanding Advocate Leadership for the Urbana-Champaign campus: This award was established by the university to recognize individuals who understand, support, and promote the development efforts of the University of Illinois.
Guy Fraker ’60 – Recipient in 2005 and past president of the U of I Library Friends Board of Directors
Centennial Print
100 years! Since May 28, 1910 members of the Omicron chapter have proudly worn the diamond badge of Psi U on the University of Illinois campus. Through war, depression, prosperity, and the myriad experiences of the past century, Omicron brothers have shaped life not only in Champaign-Urbana but across the country and world. To honor our centennial anniversary, the Alumni Association commissioned a series of three commemorative prints drawn by artist Peter Jablokow, http://www.peterillustrator.com, and featured below.
Previously, for $100 you could own a piece of Psi U history. Each print, including a modest white mat, measures 11 x 14″ for easy framing and is produced on high-quality paper to best capture the shading and detail of the original. All proceeds benefit the Omicron chapter. These prints are not currently available, but we have thought about bringing them back. Please email us if you are interested, psiuoalumexternalvp@gmail.com.
Third Edition – Honoring The Late 70s Through 2010
1. The Alma Mater – Designed by famed U of I graduate Lorado Taft, this famed campus symbol debuted in 1929 and for years stood behind Foellinger Auditorium until its move to its present location in 1962.
2. and 3. Loyal supporters of the chapter, Tom Hope Ph.D. ‘83.5 and Jim Yale ’86 enjoying our golf outing at Cog Hill. Older brother of Brother Alan ’89, Dr. Hope is a professor of cell and molecular biology at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine, while Brother Yale is an expert in the wine industry.
4. Mark Tallungan ’00 – Generous host for several golf outings BBQs, “Marky T” is a beloved fixture at our annual Homecoming celebrations and legacy to Brother Stephen ’01.
5. Tom McCaffer ’77 – Loyal benefactor of the chapter, he helped establish the William P. “Bill” King, Jr. ’73 Award at the Foundation.
6. Joe Hudson ’88 – Board member and longtime president of the Omicron Alumni Association.
7. Tom Bochula ’10 holding up our replacement Founder’s Plaque, recast courtesy of Chuck and Lynn Werner, Omega ’55 and ’08(H), and our own Dean Marinakis ’90. Brother Bochula was a dedicated house manager and a legacy of Brother Tim ’08
8. Salvatore “Sam” L. Biardo ’02 – Late brother is the inspiration behind his namesake annual chapter award and scholarship at the Psi U Foundation.
9. and 10. Scratch golfer Kevin Lannert ’93 receiving the first Omicron golf trophy from the event organizer and longtime dedicated board member Andrew Haning ’00.
11. Former alumni president, current secretary, and legacy to Brother Nathan ’07, Justin Kuehlthau ‘03.5 enjoying his wedding day in front of the chapter house. Alongside are board member, longtime participant at International, and son of Bob ’79, Matt DalSanto ’04 Ph.D., and current alumni president Andres Cuadra ’04.
12. Formal 2010 – Ace recruiter Brad Dizonno ‘11.5 and his date enjoying the company of Active Actives winner Kevin Sanchez ’10 with his date, former house sweetheart Abby Hall.
13. Illio image from the late 1970s featuring loyal brothers and Omicron benefactors Matt Hower ‘79.5, Tim Evans ’76, and Tim T. Miller ’80. Brother Hower is one of three from his family at the Omicron, including brother Marty ’80 and nephew/son Dan ’08. Brother Evans was alumni vice president back in the day, and for Brother Miller see entry 15.
14. Larry Rakers ’86 – Loyal Omicron and International benefactor, Brother Rakers is portfolio manager of the Fidelity Dividend Growth Fund.
15. Tim T. Miller ’80 – Former alumni association president and prominent businessman, attorney, and accountant, Brother Miller is a dedicated member of our Board of Directors and chapter benefactor.
16. The Fenwick Connection – Loyal brothers Mark Baker ’09, Paul Palamattam ’10, and Craig Lichtenberg ’10. Brother Baker was on Homecoming Court in addition to being archon, Active Active, and a scholarship winner. Brother Palamattam was archon and helped establish the SGP program, while Brother Lichtenberg ’10 was internal v.p. and an Active Actives & scholarship winner as well.
17. Jay McManus ’89 – Former archon and alumni association president and treasurer, Brother McManus was also instrumental in the creation of our website.
18. “ILL-INI!” – Former archon Erik Sundquist ’94 and loyal board member & Marching Illini vet Howard L. “Tad” Huntington ‘95.5 enjoying an Illini victory at the Big House.
19. Dave Komie ‘92.5 – Former alumni secretary and designer of the Centennial Prints, website, new sign, and the current Arrow, Brother Komie was honored in part by the establishment of the “Dean and Dave Award” for outstanding GPA while serving the chapter.
20. Shigeki Makino ’87 – Former archon and loyal benefactor of the Omicron, Brother Makino, or “Shagg,” is chief investment officer of the Putnam Global Equity Fund.
21. Tom Fox ’00 – Director of Chapter Services at International for many years, Brother Fox directed the 167th Psi U convention in Champaign-Urbana which we celebrated in tandem with our Centennial anniversary.
22. “The Current Guys” – Internal v.p. Nathan Nimrick ’12, Centennial Banquet speaker Paul Palamattam ’10, former treasurer and SGP winner Mike Berkemeyer ’12, and house manager J.C. Hintz ’12
23. “Sylin’ and Profilin'” – Loyal benefactor Jay “Wilbur” Steinhilber ‘92.5 alongside longtime alumni treasurer and dedicated Omicron alum William “Boyd” Bach ’91.
24. Joseph P. Fagan, Jr. ’91 – Geophysicist and President of Centennial Geoscience, Brother Fagan, or “J.P.,” is a loyal chapter benefactor and former president of the alumni association.
25. Dean C. Marinakis ’90 – Former alumni president and longtime Arrow editor, Brother Marinakis was the force behind the chapter renovation project, Centennial Grill, and the SGP, PP&I, Phired Up, Active Actives, and “10/10” initiatives. For this dedicated service, Brother Marinakis was honored in part by the establishment of the “Dean and Dave Award” for outstanding GPA while serving the chapter.
26. “Hangin’ at the Portals” – Brothers Mike Kalitowski ’89, Clancy Foley ’90, Scott Shafer ’90, Jun Yoshitani ‘90.5, Bill Hansen ’90 (former alumni treasurer), Brian Hughes ‘89.5, Alan Hope ’89, Jay McManus ’89 (see entry 17), and Tom Slattery ’89 enjoying either “Dress Up Dinner” or an initiation.
27. Namesake of our Alumnus of the Year Honor, Joe Miller ’57 next to Matt DalSanto Ph.D. ’04 (see entry 11), and Lew Finkelstein ’83, dedicated treasurer for the Psi U Foundation, together enjoying convention in Chicago.
28. Former SGP chair and Convention liaison Rafael Gnatek ’12 enjoying Homecoming with a friend.
29. Brother Jeff Wargin ’91 and former alumni v.p. Dave DiPrima ’89 at Homecoming.
30. “The Chen Family Dynasty” – Loyal brothers and Omicron benefators, David Chen M.D. ‘83.5 Charlie Chen ’86, and David’s son, Mike Chen ’09 at Homecoming. Dr. Chen is Medical Director, Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Program at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago and and an associate professor at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. Mike is a former archon, rush dynamo, and Active Actives and is just starting his career, while Charlie is Vice President of Investor Relations and Treasury at Sybase.
31. “The Beta Chi” – William “Boyd” Bach ’91, Kevin Clancy ‘90.5, Shawn Goodman ‘91.5, Dean Marinakis ’90, Eric Vallejo ‘92.5, Dave Ko ‘92.5, Dave Komie ‘92.5, and Brian Woytek ‘92.5 enjoying “Dress-Up Dinner.”
32. “The 81s Initiation” – Brent Lanman, Mark Lunquist, Doug (Carl) Glidewell, Kim Wells, Scott Templeton and Tim Miller enjoying this great Omicron tradition.
33. “The 86s at Spring Formal” – Clockwise, Jim Yale, Greg Barr, Charlie Chen, Raul Mirande, Eric Anderson, Frank Markus, Larry Rakers, Dave Rank and Mark Bittner.
34. Chris Jones ’90 and Dean Marinakis ’90 celebrating with their campus foosball championship trophy.
35. “The New Sign” – Brothers in the photo (l to r) Tom Scriba ’13, Rafael Gnatek ’12, Dave Komie ‘92.5, Sean Brody ‘12.5, Steven Toepfer ’13, Justin Kuehlthau ‘03.5, Pat Doherty ’13, Mark Baker ’09, Marcin Matuzik ’05, Vlad Iordache ’13 (back), Andres Cuadra ’04, Joe Ackerman ’04, Dan Thorne ’06, Nico Guzman ’13, Mike Ehrenreich ‘11.5, Nick Hauri ’03, Hadrien Brisard ’13, Unidentified brother (back), Bob DalSanto ’79, Matthew Cajda ’03, Bob McIntire ’68, Tom Fox ’00, Scott Nellis ’06, Unidentified brother, Chris Plencner ’06, Michael Stewart ’12, (in front) Dean Marinakis ’90, Paul Palamattam ’10
36. Mark “Bitty” Bittner ’86 – From the 2009 Arrow, “Another favorite memory was when we won the Fraternity Orange football championship over Beta Sigma Psi in fall 1984. We had a really good team that year with guys playing their correct positions and got on a roll. Greg Barr ’86 played linebacker, Charlie Chen ’86 was our center, Dan Lehman ’87 was one of our guards, and both the Rank boys were on the team—Jim ’85 & Dave ’86—and I played quarterback. We ran the table that year, including victories over larger Blue division teams in some tournaments that we participated in after the championship game. It was a magical season for our house.”
37. The Annual Champagne Party at FB’s farm – Along with our “Little Sisters” the brothers in this image are from the classes of ’78 through ’81-’82.
Second Edition – Honoring WWII through the Mid 1970s
**Need Images**
1. The Frakers – Guy ’60 and his son, Dr. Matt ’89, both loyal chapter supporters
2. Brad Corner ’72 – Member of Psi U’s Executive Council, Brothers Corner and King were long fixtures at Convention
3. Bill King ’73 – Former president of the alumni association, Brother King’s service has been honored by the establishment of a foundation scholarship in his name
4. Mark Lammers ’73, John Bailey ’73, Scott Beauprie ’71, Bill Kelly ’72, George Duffey ’70 enjoying our annual Golf Outing
5. Mark Netter ’69, Bob Petersen ’68, John Stewart ’69, Bob McIntire ’68 at Homecoming
6. Roe Mallstrom ’51 – See Brother Mallstrom’s story in the 2007 Arrow
7. The Fifties – Bill “Spider” Stevens ’53, Unidentified brother, Bill Cofel ’53, Kirk Kandle ’51, Jack Rooney ’53, Joe Kenston ’53, Dave Johnson ’52, Morgan Jones ’57, Bob Maxey ’52, Norm Finley (class unknown) – Inset are Brothers Kandle and Rooney
8. Joe Miller ’57 – Chapter advisor to the Omicron from 1965 to 2008, Brother Miller is our chapterÂ’s only member to be awarded Psi UpsilonÂ’s Distinguished Alumni Service Award.
9. The Sixties – the Omicron during fall 1964, with an inset of Rick Walsh ’68. Thanks to Brothers McIntire and Petersen with this photo’s info.
10. Composite from 1970, including Brother Bob Rhinehart ’72 who first conceived of the print idea 11. Top row Art Molin, George Fearheiley ’54, Norm Finley; Middle row: Dick Lance ’54, Russell Scheibel ’54, Morgan Jones ’57; Bottom row: Fred Heim, Jack Ponting (other classes unknown)
12. The Seventies – Our Orange IFC football team from fall 1973, top inset is Dave Slager ’76, Scott Connell ’77, and Tim Evans ’76 with bottom inset of Mike Stephenson, Bob Beatty ’76, Walt Boylan ’75, Mike Bennett ’76. Thanks to Brothers Evans, Boylan, and Dave Slack ’75 for help with this photo’s details.
13. The Forties – Chapter gathered for a song circa 1942
14. The Clarks – Alumni board members Chris ’70, son Justin ’01 and Justin’s wife, Sarah Konsky
15. Eugene S. Kwas (a.k.a. Kwasniewski) ’46 – Letterwinner at halfback in 1945 and 1946, played in the Illini’s 1947 Rose Bowl victory over UCLA
16. Art Wood ’43 – Three-time letterwinner, Cross Country and Track 1940-1942; Member of the Tribe of Illini and track specialist in the mile and two mile. Brother Wood captained the Cross Country team in 1942 and ran in the prestigious Drake Relays two times.
17. Jack Hester ’54 – Baseball letterwinner at catcher
18. Herschel G. “Bucky” Benson Â’44 – Starter at left wing for two Big 10 Championship Teams
19. Mark Baker ’09 and LTC Everett G. “Red” Andrews USA (Ret.) 1943 – Taken at Homecoming, former Archon Baker with Brother “Red” whose 2007 Arrow feature chronicles his fascinating life story
20. The McCarthys – Gene ’49 and his dear late wife, Barb, circa 1952 enjoying a dance at the chapter house
21. The Zebra Room in 1947 – from left Don Johnson ’45, Bob Llewellyn ’44, Ray Peterson ’45, and Frank Fisher ’48. Many thanks to Brothers Wood and Llewellyn for help with the Forties photos.
First Edition – Honoring our Founding to the Eve of WWII
1. C. Lyman Emrich ’32 – Rhodes scholar, distinguished attorney, civic leader, WWII vet
2. Frederick A. Nichols ’29 – President and Director of the Tribune Company, philanthropic leader
3. John C. Depler ’21 – Three time All-American football player, pioneer in the pro game
4. Frederick Green ’89 – Early chapter supporter and Professor, University of Illinois College of Law
5. John R. Parker ’28 – Mr. Psi U
6. A. Richard Williams ’36 – Distinguished architecture professor at the U of I and U of Arizona, designer of the U of I’s College of Education building
7. Rexford S. Blazer ’28 – Chairman of the Board, Ashland Oil, recipient of the University of Illinois’ Alumni Achievement Award
8. Alfred H. “Doc” Morton ’19 – Pioneering radio and television executive, Psi U International’s first full-time executive director
9. 410 E. Green — the Omicron’s second home in its history
10. Charles Fish ’28 – Loyal and generous chapter benefactor, successful insurance executive
11. The Owl of Old Psi U
12. The Class of ’35 – See the photo gallery for more info on this image
13. Selim Tideman ’37 – Loyal chapter supporter and successful real estate executive, WWII vet
14. Park Brown ’41 – Big 10 Medal of Honor, five-time letter winner, team captain of the track & cross country team, President of the Tribe of Illini
15. G. Cameron Brown ’37 – Loyal chapter supporter, successful insurance executive, WWII vet
16. Chapter installation ceremony – May 28, 1910, 606 East Green
17. Charles Carney ’22 – College football Hall of Fame, member of all-century Illini basketball team – his jersey hangs from the Assembly Hall rafters, Varsity I Man of the Year, first Big 10 athlete to be named All American in both basketball and football
Family Connections
As our song “Welcome Brothers” proudly annouces, Psi U is made up of “all who wear the emblem of the chosen few.” Well for the Omicron chapter, this “chosen few” include many brothers who are in fact, brothers…and fathers, sons, cousins, and so forth. The list below is based on research conducted in the Fall of 2006 – if you have any additions or corrections, please email alumni secretary, Dave Komie.
Morgan – The Omicron’s “First Family”: Horace Morgan Aztec ’06, Cliff Morgan ’32, David Morgan ’59. The Morgans are our only true link of three generations back to the Aztec Club with this father, son, and grandson combination.
Acer – Donald W. Acer ’14 and his son, Donald Jr. ’50 (connection to Herbert A. Acer ’12 is unknown)
Ainsworth – Richard B. Ainsworth ’31 and Ralph C. Ainsworth ’37 (connection uncertain)
Alcock – Warren J. “Scotty” Alcock ’18 and his sons, Warren J. Alcock Jr. ’46 and Gordon B. class?
Anichini – Brothers Michael ’95.5, Jim ’95.5 and Tom ‘88
Austin – John ’43 and his brother, Robert ‘38
Bardwell – Robert C. ’09 and his brothers, R.W. ’10 and C.M. Jr. ’20. Their father, C.M. Bardwell Sr. ’83 was an inspiration and aid to the Aztecs as they petitioned for a chapter.
Barr – Joe ’83 and brother Greg (“Boom”) ’86
Beugelsdijk – Brothers Alex and Andy, both ‘12.5s
Blayney – Frederick A. Blayney ’30 and his son, Frederick H. “Fritz” Blayney ’59 (they are referred to as a three generation family in the July 1956 Arrow)
Bochula – Tim ’08 and Tom ‘10
Bock – Li Bock ’46 and H. O. Bock, Aztec (connection uncertain)
Brown – Park L. ’41 and his brother, G. Cameron ‘37
Buchanan – Brothers Chuck ’65 and Jon ‘76
Chen – Brothers David Chen M.D. ‘83.5 Charlie Chen ’86, and David’s son, Mike Chen ‘09
Clark – Chris ’70 and his son, Justin ‘01
Collett – Richard ’44 and his brother, Bob ‘35
Cowden – Birton ‘05.5 and his brother, William J. M.D. ‘00.5
Craig – Palmer G. ’21 and John H. ’07 (connection uncertain)
Cram – Tony ’46 and his brother, Ken Cram ’50
Culp – John D. Culp ‘16 and his sons, George S. Culp ’50 and John D. Culp Jr. ’44 Omicron-Omega and John D. Culp, III, ‘77
Cunningham – Tom ’43 and his brother, Hal ‘40
DalSanto – Bob ’75 and his son, Matt ‘04
Dewey – Richard P. ’15, charter member of the Omicron, and his son, John ’44
Doenitz – Brothers Matt ’93 and Tom ‘96
Drake – Gene F. ’42 and his brother, Stafford ‘41
Emrich – Howard Emrich ’34 and his brother C. Lyman Emrich, Jr. ‘32
Emrick – John J. Emrick ‘’22 and Edward Emrick Jr. ’31 (connection uncertain)
Emrick – J.J. Emrick ’22 and his son, Thomas L. ‘50
Fairbanks – Brothers Robert E. ’54 and Kenneth E. ’55
Faricy – Brothers George A. ’28 and Leo B. ‘30
Fielder – Brothers Harold S. “Dowie” ’11 and Bill ‘14
Fischer – Lawrence W. ’44 and his brother Fred A. ‘50
Fish – Allen ’34 and his brother, Charles M. ‘28
Fitz – Fred ‘87 and his grandfather, Lewis Alva Tompkins, who was a Psi U at the Chi chapter at Cornell University
Fraker – Guy C. ’60 and his son, Matt ‘89
Gonnerman – Harrison F. ’08 and Arthur William ’11 (connection uncertain)
Haning – Brothers Duane ’62 and Deane Haning ’60 and Deane’s sons, Will ‘98.5 and Drew ’00
Herrera/Navar – Brothers Lucio ’01 and Gil Herrera ’96, and their cousin Fermin Navar ‘88.5
Hoblit – Brothers Alex, Frank ‘36, and Joseph ’43 (John A. ’34? and John ’04? – connection uncertain)
Holzer-Clarno – Joseph Clarno ’43 and his brother, John Holzer ‘36
Holstein – John H. “Twin” ’33 and his brother, Arthur G. ‘33
Hope – Alan ’89 and his brother, Tom ‘83.5
Horn – M. Brooks Horn ‘41 and his brother, Burson F. “Bus” Horn ‘27
Hower – Brothers Martin ’80 and Matt ’79, and nephew/son, Dan ‘08
Huckins – Donald S. ’24 and his brother George ‘25
Hughes – David ’31 and his brother, Russell ‘26
Ingwerson – Timothy B. ’29 and Phillip A. ’22 (connection uncertain)
Jacobson – Walter ’15 and his brother, Noah H. ‘06
Jelm – Steve ‘75.5 and Jeff ‘78
Kanzler – David ’82 and his brother, Michael ‘76
Kegley – Frank T. Kegley ’08, Max Kegley ’11, and Robert B. Kegley ’20 (connection uncertain)
Kirk – Al ’36 and his nephew, James ‘64
Knauer – Bob Knauer ‘36 and Warren L. Knauer, Jr. ‘68 (connection uncertain)
Koch – Brothers George ‘20 and Bob ‘26
Kuehlthau – Nathan ’07 and his brother, Justin ‘03.5
Lewis – Brothers Norman ’38 and Richard ‘45
Langman – Brent Robert Langman ’64 (transferred to SIU after 1st semester) and his son, Brent Allen Langman ‘87
Lee – Brothers Jim ’52, William J. ’50, and Robert H. ’44
Loges – Mark ‘93 and Brian ‘93
McKeown – John L. ’15 and Thomas S ’22 (connection uncertain)
Machamer – Walter E. Aztec ’04 and his sons, Richard E. ‘50 and Chuck ’51
Macdonald – Bruce ‘49 and his brother Ken Macdonald ’52
Madland – Robert J. “Bob” ‘88, Eric ’89; and Michael ’91 (uninitiated)
Malerich – Brothers Edward ’38 and James ’44 (Thomas ’74 – connection uncertain)
Mallstrom – Brothers Roy L. ‘53 and Roe ‘51
Millet – Jack C. ‘41 and Donald ‘39
Mountjoy – Joseph Bode Mountjoy ’37 and his son, Joseph B. Mountjoy ’63
Munaretto – Alex and Nick, both from the class of ’12
Murphy – Emmett L ’07 and his son, Robert M. ‘32
Naour – David M.D. ’89 and Jeff M.D. ‘90
Nelson – Don ’51 and his brother Grant ‘46
Nimrick – Matt ’08 and his brother Nathan ’12
Olson – Gary A. Olson ’63 and his son, Jeff Olson ‘91
Paynter – Jim Paynter ‘40? and Gilman C. ’40 – or are they the same person?
Pearce – John, Bill and Marvin J. ‘44 (class and connection unknown)
Pegram – William ’10 and his son Bill Jr. ‘38
Rank – Brothers Chris ‘84, Jim ‘85, and Dave ‘86
Reed – Robert “Zach” Reed ’10 and his brother, Josh Reed ‘03
Schmidt – James W. ’50 and his brother Robert G. ’49 (transferred to Northwestern)
Sears – Gerald W. ’43 and Ken ‘40
Slack – Dave ’75 and his brother, Dan ‘84
Solfisburg – CH Solfisburg ’11 and Roy J. Solfisburg Jr. ’38 (connection uncertain)
Soneson – Carl S. Soneson ’63 and his brother, Nils ‘61
Spahr – Scott ’95 and his brother, Pat ‘94
Smith – Marshall E. Smith ’25 and his sons, Marshall F. “Mush” Smith ’51 and Thomas E. Smith ‘49
Smith – Byron B. ’26 and his brother, Paul A. ‘34
Smith – Brothers Dan ’02 and Dave ’06
Snider – Brainerd C. Snider ’13 and his son James O. Snider ‘40
Swank – David L ’28 and his brother, Richard C. ‘29
Tallungan – Mark Gerard ’00 and his brother Stephen Paul ’01
Taylor – Roy E. Taylor ’08 and his sons, Roy E. Taylor Jr. ’32 and George E. Taylor ‘35
Tunnicliff – Damon P. ’43 and his brother, Robert P. class?
Webster – George T. Webster ’30 and Frederick F. “Bud” Webster ’27
Yeast – Roland Yeast ’62 and his brother, Ron ‘58
Young – Bill Young ’70 and his son, Stefan ’06
Youngren – Jeremy ’98 and his brother, Chris ‘94
Omicron Involvement and Honors
Omicron Chapter Advisors:
Joe Miller ’57 – From 1965 to ?
| OMICRON CHAPTER ARCHONS – LISTED BY DECADE | ||
| 2000s | Matt Hamielec ‘14.5, Jan Lumibao ’13, Nick Munaretto ’12, Paul Palamattam ’10; Mike Chen ’09; Mark Baker ’09; Matt Nimrick ’08; Matt Martinez ’07; Frank Bieszczat ’04; Justin Kuehlthau ‘03.5; Dan Thorne ’06; Andrew Haning ’00; Justin Clark ’01; Justin Jindra ’02; Justin Geiss ’02; Adam Boyko ’99; Mike Santoro ’03; Matt DalSanto ’04 | |
| 1990s | John B. McLean ‘90.5; Kevin J. Clancy ‘90.5 (resigned) Joseph P. Fagan, Jr. ’91; David Komie ‘92.5, William J. Cornfield ’93; Jason P. Stone ’93; Jason Hill ’95; Erik Sundquist ’94; Todd Stone ’95; David Youngdahl ’99; Adam Boyko ’99; Paul Repmann ‘98.5, Mike Orsi ’99, Ben Koczur ’99; Doug Britton ’98 | |
| 1980s | John “Jay” B. McManus, ’89; Alan S. Hope ’89; Brian D. Hughes ‘89.5; Robert J. Lies ’88; David Chen M.D. ‘83.5; Marc Miller ’83; Mike McEnerny ’84; Randy Renn ’84; Eric Ruttencutter ‘85.5; Tom Phillips ‘86.5; Charlie Chen ’86; Mark Bittner ’86; Shigeki Makino ’87; Bob Madland ’88; Dave McNeela ‘88.5; Dan Wojonowski ‘81.5; Peter Manhard ’81; Gerald Murray ‘82.5; Karl Langhammer ’82; Larry I. Perlin ’82 | |
| 1970s | Tom Burns ’79; Mark Moore ’79; Matthew Hower ’79; C. Douglas Glidwell ‘80.5; William Mathers ’76; Walt Boylan ‘75.5; Eric Larson ’73 | |
| 1960s | Bob Pfeiffer ’61, Deane Haning ’60; Roland Yeast ’62 | |
| 1950s | Sheldon J. Hauck ’58; Bob Klecka ’58; Bob Maxey ’55; Ken Derby ’57; Bill Ambrose ’57; Jim Archer ’57; Jack Rooney ’53, Bill Manning ’55; Kirk Kandle ’51; Russell Scheibel ’54; Ron Vogel ’57; Morgan Jones ’57; Bernard Wahle ’53; Roe Mallstrom ’51 | |
| 1940s | Jack Scott ’40; Charles Wayne Hotze ’41; Park L. Brown ’41; Tom Martin ’42; Robert Murray Gray ’42; Tom Cunningham ’43; Damon P. Tunnicliff ’43; Kelly Cox ’43 (interim); John Pearce; Jack Stout ’43; John D. Culp Jr. ’44 | |
| 1930s | C. Lyman Emrich, Jr. ’32; Hugh Graham ’31; Frederick A. Blayney ’30; Aubrey O. Cookman ’35; Bayard Biossat ’36; Selim Tideman Jr. ’37; James Logan 30s; John Hoblit ’34; Joseph Bode Mountjoy ’37; Roy J. Solfisburg Jr. ’38; Donald H. Millet ’39; William E. McCoy ’39 | |
| 1920s | A.W. Bosworth ’26 | |
| 1910s | No data available |
| PSI U OF THE YEARGiven out annually by the undergraduate chapter to the brother who most embodies our ideals and has gone above and beyond the call of duty. There seems not to have been such an honor prior to the mid-1970s, and the data we have is incomplete. Send along and details if you have them. | ||
| 2000s | Matt Hamielec ‘14.5, Nico Guzman ’13, Paul Palamattam ’10, Craig Lichtenberg ’10, Matt Turk ‘08.5, Andrew Chapello ’10 | |
| 1990s | Dean C Marinakis ’90, Brian D. Hughes ‘89.5, Edward Whetter ’92 | |
| 1980s | Douglas Glidewell ’81, Gerald Murray ‘82.5, John Snowder ‘83.5, David Chen ‘83.5, Marc Miller ‘83.5, Randy Renn ’84, Thomas Phillips ‘86.5, David H. Rank ’86, Brent A. Langman ’87, Douglas P. Truskowski ’89, John B McManus ’89 | |
| 1970s | Daniel King ’76, Matt Ciotti ’79, Tom Burns ’80, Matthew Hower ‘79.5 |
| KENNETH F. REIMER ’51 PLEDGESHIP ACHIEVEMENT AWARD:Given each semester to the outstanding pledge in memoriam of Brother Kenneth F. Reimer ’51, who gave his life in the service of his country in Korea on June 11, 1953. Data is incomplete – please send in any further details if you have them. | ||
| 2000s | Robert Bansfield ‘15.5, Matt Hamielec ‘14.5, Bob Chain ’13, Rafael Gnatek ’12, Chris Schauer ’11; All the 10’s and 10.5’s for 2006-07 | |
| 1990s | John Sulko ’90, Jeffrey R. Zahren ‘91.5, Stephen M. Rand ’92, Cary D. Hansing ’93, Daniel B. Gorajczyk ’94 | |
| 1980s | C. Douglas Glidewell ’81, Dan Wojnowski ‘81.5, Larry Perlin ’86, Mark Schermann Moore ’80, Eric Frystak ’83, Christopher Scott ’84, James J.H. Rank ’85, Frank Marcus ’86, James Cunningham ’87, Robert J. Madland ’88, David Yang ’89 | |
| 1970s | Steven James Onischuk ’70, Glenn David Wollschlager ’71, Charles Patrick Askew ’72, Eric Alden Larson ’73, Thomas Scott Jones ’74 | |
| 1960s | John Carl Bergstrom ’60, Nils Albert Soneson ’61, Douglas Phillip Pfuetze ’62, Joseph Bode Mountjoy ’63, Earl Ross Genzel ’64, James Bruce Legner ’66, Thomas Roth Jones ’67, Gary Kenneth Schwerdtfeger ’68, James William Baker ’69 | |
| 1950s | Donald Eugene Miller ’58, Robert Chrles Newth ’59 |
| “ACTIVE ACTIVE” AWARDSSponsored by the chapter alumni association and first conceived by Brother Dean C. Marinakis ’90, this program seeks to recognize juniors and seniors for their active participation in house activities by rewarding each with a monetary deduction off their housing contract. | ||
| 2000s | Brandon Burd ‘13.5, Nico Guzman ’13, Jan Lumibao ’13, Alex Munaretto ’12, Nick Munaretto ’12, Meng Song ’11, Craig Lichtenberg ’10, Kevin Sanchez ’10, Mark Baker ’09, Mike Chen ’09, Alex Florea ’10, Andrew Chapello ’10, Matt Buckles ’08, Matt Nimrick ’08, Mike Smith ‘08.5, Nathan Kuehlthau ’07 |
DEAN MARINAKIS ‘92.5 AND DAVE KOMIE ‘92.5: OUTSTANDING GPA WHILE SERVING THE OMICRON AWARD
When the names Dean or Dave are uttered at the Omicron Chapter House, there is never any question as to who is being referred to. Dean Marinakis and Dave Komie are two of the most widely recognized as alumni that the undergraduate simply could not succeed without. As the two began to take a step back from their very hands-on leadership of the alumni executive board, VP Internal Craig Lichtenberg ’10 and Archon Paul Palamattam ’10 wanted to create some method of immortalizing Dean and Dave’s names past the impenetrable legacy that the undergrads would pass on. Realizing that there was not an award to recognize undergraduate brothers who succeeded academically while still supporting the house in its endeavors, the Dean Maranakis ’90 and Dave Komie ‘92.5: Outstanding GPA While Serving the Omicron Award was created. This award seeks to congratulate those brothers who find the time to carry their candles high in all respects, especially academics, and serves as a memorial to Dean and Dave, who have certainly carried their candles far past anyone could have ever expected and to whom the Omicron will forever be indebted2012: Arnaud Brisard ‘142011: Alex Munaretto ’12 (ex post facto)2010: Kyle Deger ’12
Joe Miller ’57 Psi U Alumnus of the Year: This award is presented annually to the outstanding alumnus of our chapter whose service and dedication during the past year inspired the highest moral, intellectual, and social excellence among the undergraduate chapter. In the summer of 2007, the alumni association voted to name the award in honor of Brother Joe Miller ’57. All Omicrons are indebted to Joe for his many years of faithful service; read his biography in our famous alums section to read further about his dedication to the chapter.
James Archer ’57; Rexford S. Blazer ’28; Clark Brubaker ’32; C. Lyman Emrich, Jr ’32; Guy C. Fraker, III ’60; Ted Funk ’27; Robert Graham ’71; R. Kevin Graham ’78; Alan S. Hope ’89; Joseph Hudson ’88; William P. King ’73; David P. Komie ‘92.5; Justin Kuehlthau ‘03.5 ; Thomas W. McCaffer ’77; Lou Margaglione ‘91.5; Dean C. Marinakis ’90; Joseph A. Miller ’57 (multiple times); Timothy T. Miller ’80; John R. Parker ’28; Robert Pfeiffer ’62; Mark Rewerts ’83; Steven Sward ’63;Mark Tallungan ’00; W. Scott Templeton ’80
Omicron Alumni Association Presidents
Mark Tallungan ’00
Andres Cuadra ’04
Justin Kuehlthau ‘03.5
Dean Marinakis ’90
Chris Clark ’70
John “Jay” B. McManus, Jr. ’89
Joe Hudson ’88
Joseph P. Fagan, Jr. ’91
Timothy T. Miller ’80
Steve Sward ’63
John R. Parker ’28
Charles Wayne Hotze ’41 (mid 1950s)
C. Lyman Emrich ’32 (1950s as well)
W. K. “Bill” Burris ’48
Hal Cunningham ’40
Chuck Mount ’30
Frederick F. “Bud” Webster ’27
F. Olney “Ollie” Brown ’25
J. Russell Scott ’23
Franklin B. “Bob” Evans ’16
Hugh E. Wilson ’09
Frank Kegley ’08
Emmett L. Murphy ’07
Omicron Alumni Association current and past executive officers
Vice President
Bret Coale ‘01.5
Dan Thorne ’06
Frank Bieszczat ’04
David DiPrima ’89
Louis A. Margaglione ‘91.5
Joe Hudson ’88
Clark Brubaker ’32
Marshall E. Smith ’26
Frederick F. “Bud” Webster ’27
Treasurer
Matt Cajda ’03
William “Boyd” Bach ’91
Cameron Kennedy ’99
Gilbert Herrera ’96
William S. Hansen ’90
Randy Stotler ’63
Chester D. Speakman ’27
W. B. Hayne ’18
O. E. Staples class?
Frank Kegley ’08
W. B. Townsend ’26
Secretary
Dan Rubel ’10
Justin Kuehlthau ‘03.5
David Komie ‘92.5
John “Jay” B. McManus, Jr. ’89
Douglas P. Truskowski ’89
Mark Rewerts ’83
John Stewart ’69
Hugh Dolby ’53
David K. Pyle ’50
I A. Foster ’17
C. W. Graham class?
Frederick F. “Bud” Webster ’27
George A. Webster ’30
G. Cameron Brown ’37
C. I. Hopkins Jr. ’49
Chester D. Speakman ’27
Secretary and Treasurer
Aubrey O. Cookman ’35
G. Cameron Brown ’37
James F. Cooke ’43
Robert K. Belt ’27
Past Members of the Omicron Board of Directors, Board of Governors, or Omicron Building Fund Committee
Frank T. Kegley ’08
Warren J. “Scotty” Alcock ’18
Nelson M. Utley ’18
George Koch ’20
Stephen A. Wilson ’20
Fred Myers ’21
Paul G. Warren ’21
Robert S. McCormick ’22
Harvey P. Six ’24
F. Olney “Ollie” Brown ’25
Chester D. Speakman ‘27
Frederick F. “Bud” Webster ’27
James Templeton ’28
Frederick A. Nichols Jr. ’29
Frederick A. Blayney ’30
C. Lyman Emrich, Jr. ’32
Cliff Morgan ’32
Lawrence “Bud” Hatch ’34
Robert W. Collett ’35
Aubrey O. Cookman ’35
G. Henry Couchman Jr. ’35
Alfred E. Kirk ’35
John H. Butridge ’36
G. Cameron Brown ’37
Selim Tideman Jr. ’37
Joseph Schaefer Jr. ’37
Edward Malerich ’38
Roy J. Solfisburg Jr. ’38
Park L. Brown ’41
Harry S. Martin ’41
Charles Wayne Hotze ’41
Jack Stout ’43
David K. Pyle ’50
Harry Madsen ’51
Roe Mallstrom ’51
Hugh Dolby ’53
William E. Cofel ’54
Roy Mallstrom ’55
S. Neil Sorenson ’55
Jim Archer ’57
Joe Miller ’57
Guy C. Fraker ’60
Robert Pfeiffer ’61
Steve Sward ’63
Robert E. McIntire ’68
Robert S. Petersen, Jr. ’68
Mark J. Netter ’69
John Stewart ’69
Brad Corner ’72
William P. King ’73
Robert Beatty ’75
Timothy D. Evans ’76
William L. Mathers ’76
Thomas W. McCaffer, Jr. ’77
Thomas P. Brennan ’78
Matthew J. Hower ’79
Patrick M. Patterson ’80
Scott Templeton ’80
Marc Miller ’83
Mark Rewerts ’83
Brent Langman ’87
Thomas M. Anichini ’88
Douglas P. Truskowski ’89
Brian D. Hughes ‘89.5
Rob Bohnsack ’93
Psi U Club of Chicago
Fred W. Meyers Jr. ’21, President in the late 30s
Park L. Brown ’41
Jim Cooke ’43, President
Aubrey O. Cookman ’35, Secretary
Frederick A. Nichols ’29 Board of Directors
Frederick F. “Bud” Webster ’27, Board of Directors
Psi Upsilon Club of Oregon
William P. Foster ’25, President
Paul G. Woelfel ’27, Secretary
Thomas J. Karakas ’45, Treasurer
Psi U International
Distinguished Alumni Service Award: The 155th Psi Upsilon Convention created the Distinguished Alumni Service Award to recognize those alumni whose contributions to this fraternity are marked by great generosity and selflessness and whose service have brought honor to Psi U.
Joseph A. Miller ’57 – Awarded at the 162nd Convention in 2005
David P. Komie ‘92.5 – Awarded at the 167th Convention in 2010
Dean C. Marinakis ’90 – Awarded at the 167th Convention in 2010
Brad Corner ‘72 – Awarded at the 167th Convention in 2010
Executive Director of Psi Upsilon Fraternity
Alfred H. “Doc” Morton ’19 – First full time director in the International’s history
Tom Phillips ’85
Tom Fox ’00
Executive Council
Brad Corner ‘72 – former Secretary, former Alumni Term member
Lew Finkelstein ’83 – Treasurer, Alumni Term member
Alumni Advisory Board
Matt DalSanto ’03 – former chairman
Psi U International Foundation
Lew Finkelstein ’83 – former treasurer
Robert S. Petersen ’68 – board member
Director of Chapter Services
Thomas J. Fox ‘00
Rob Bohnsack ’93
Tom Phillips ’85
Field Director
Rob Bohnsack ’93
Dave Rank ‘86
Scholarships awarded to Omicron brothers by the Psi U Foundation
J. Russell McShane, Delta 1932 Award
Michael P. Anichini ‘95
Daniel J. Funk ‘94
R. Timothy Leedy, Phi 1957 Award
David Komie ‘92.5
Gardner A. Callanen, Psi 1929 Award
Jeremy D. Saunders ‘08
Salvatore (Sam) L. Biardo, Omicron 2004 Award
Andrew Chapello ’10
Alex Florea ’10
Matthew D. Nimrick ‘08
Matthew H. Martinez ’07
Daniel L. Thorne ‘06
Justin Kuehlthau ‘03.5
Matt DalSanto ’04
William P. King, Jr., Omicron 1973 Award
Mark Baker ’09
Craig Lichtenberg ’10
Scholarship winners – uncertain of specific award: Adam Boyko ‘99
Griffin Award for Senior Excellence – The 162nd Psi Upsilon Convention created this award to recognize members of the senior delegation. The purpose of the award is to maintain and encourage involvement by undergraduate brothers in their final academic year and to stimulate involvement with the chapter. A chapter shall only give this award if it deems that one of its undergraduate brothers, during his or her final academic year, has shown exceptional dedication and commitment to that chapter.
2011 – Dave Wardein ’11
2010 – Brock Booton ’11
2009 – Mark Baker ’09
2008 – Mike Smith ‘08.5
Outstanding Juniors – Awarded by the International Office each chapter elects a member of its junior delegation for this prestigious award. “Outstanding Juniors” are given an Alumni Key, so called because it is meant to be worn only by alumni of Psi Upsilon.
2011 – Sean Brody ’12
2010 – Dave Wardein ’11
2009 – Craig Lichtenberg ’10
2008 – Mark Baker ’09
2007 – Matt Buckles ’08
2006 – Nathan Kuehlthau ‘07
2005 – Daniel N. Thorne ‘06
2000 – Justin Clark ‘01
1999 – Andrew Haning ‘00
1998 – Adam Boyko ’99
1997 – David Youngdahl ’99
1995 – Gil Herrera ‘96
1993 – Erik Sundquist ‘94
1964 – Robert W. Mossbarger ‘65
1957 – Sheldon J. Hauck ‘58
1956 – Meyric Rogers ‘57
1953 – Peter Jensen ‘54
1943 – Bob Llewellyn ‘44
1937 – Norman Lewis ‘38