Theta Fiji Theta Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta at the University of Alabama s spring 2014 Upgrades to the Capstone Continue Upcoming Pig Dinner and Historic Marker Events R ecruitment never stops. In recent years Theta has pledged 40 young men annually, most pledging before graduation from high school. That said, it is critically important that all alumni provide contact information for candidates as soon as possible. You may do so at www.thetafiji. net. By the time summer arrives, the pledge class is essentially complete. While we do not set a quota, our facilities have a occupancy capacity and sometimes there is simply no room for an additional pledge. In that same light, we are continuing our fundraising efforts for the construction of a new Chapter Room. Thanks to each of you who has already made a pledge or commitment. The proposed plan calls for a build-up on the existing Band Room. This is an opportunity for Theta alumni to participate in a lasting way. Now is the time to help; please contact Jim Andrews ’81 at jim@lithopublishing.com or (205) 910-1282. Jim would love to hear from you. We recently completed an upgrade to the laundry room at the Chapter House, which included multiple new commercial machines. A very big thank-you to Alan Deer, Auburn ’85, for his generous donation. Alan is one of our Auburn brothers who sent his son, Charlie ’14, to The Capstone. We are all appreciative of the Deer family. Theta continues its academic excellence as the Chapter ranked fourth out of all fraternities with over 100 members and exceeded the all-men’s and all-fraternity averages. Nine men achieved a perfect 4.0! We are now several years past our major Chapter House renovation and the addition of the Hall. Theta has made great progress in retiring our debt from this construction and we appreciate the overwhelming participation. That said, please consider fulfilling your pledge or making a new pledge. All donations are tax deductible and will allow Theta to thrive on campus. For more information on making a pledge or fulfilling an existing pledge, please contact Clay Morris ’83 at clay.morris@willis.com. Mark your calendars for April 12 for Pig Dinner. Stephen Collins ’88 will be our speaker and we will unveil the new historic marker that commemorates the centennial anniversary of the first fraternity house on campus at The University of Alabama. We hope to see you there. Fraternally, Hughston Nichols ’03 Board of Chapter Advisors, President hnichols@hwnn.com Perge! Alabama State Historic Marker to Be Unveiled at Pig Dinner 1914 was a watershed year at the University of Alabama. Many profound changes took place in that year, which would reverberate for the next 100 years. Some of the events of 100 years ago include the establishment of the UA band, the first football play on Denny Field, the founding of the Delta Mu Chapter of Delta Delta Delta, the creation of the Student Government Association, the creation of Theta Nu Epsilon “The Machine,” and, the most important to us, Theta Chapter building the first fraternity house on campus, establishing what was to become known as Old Fraternity Row. Our Chapter will be unveiling an Alabama state historic marker at Pig Dinner this year, commemorating that milestone. The marker reflects the Chapter’s founding on May 11, 1855 (159 years ago), and the significance of being first on campus. We hope that you will attend the unveiling, as this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime event. INSIDE: First Fraternity House on Campus Page 2 • Alumnus Spotlight Page 3 • New Pledges Page 3 \r\nPAGE 2 Theta Fiji A Strong 2013 Officially in the Books, Phi Gamma Looks Forward to 2014 A s the new year begins, we would like to reflect on another fantastic year within the Theta Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta at the University of Alabama. By continuing to place a strong emphasis on scholarship, philanthropy, and recruitment, the Chapter has maintained a great reputation among our peers, alumni, and faculty. We look forward to continuing our successes in the future but would like to briefly look back at the accomplishments of this past fall. One of the more notable philanthropy events of the fall was the Rock Out to Knock Out CF cookout held for the Thomas Plott Foundation. The event aimed to raise money and awareness for the foundation and was held on the front lawn in between the Phi Gam and Sigma Nu houses. The Phi Gamma Delta pledge class held a letter-writing campaign and sent letters to over 400 individuals asking for support for the foundation. Through the letter-writing campaign and the cookout, we raised almost $20,000. Members of the Theta Chapter are also actively involved in Al’s Pals and the 5th Quarter Program. Al’s Pals is an initiative started by Theta Chapter members that pairs college students with local elementary school children in an attempt to foster scholarship and build lasting relationships. The 5th Quarter Program is also a service created by Theta Chapter members that allows unused food from University sporting events to be donated to local food banks. This year over 13,352 pounds was saved, which provided more than 16,000 meals to families in need. Bradley Bringardner ’15 goofs around with his little buddy from Al’s Pals. In addition to our philanthropy efforts, members thrive in academic organizations here at the University. Theta Chapter has members in the University Honor Program, Computer-Based Honors Program, Order of Omega, Golden Key Honor Society, ODK, Mortar Board, Lambda Sigma Honor Society, Cardinal Key Honor Society, Capstone Men, Campus Crusade, Al’s Pals, and many other organizations. With 2013 officially in the books, the Chapter now turns its attention to the new year. We will continue to foster growth in the activities that have made this Chapter strong in 2013. Through scholarship, philanthropy, and campus involvement, we will strive to make Theta Chapter stronger than ever. Fraternally, Martin Toole ’15 Chapter President (407)-592-4281 mgtoole@crimson.ua.edu Perge! Above: Trace Markwalter ’17, Griffin Arnold ’14, Joseph Azar ’14, Faulkner Hereford ’17, Yates Thomas ’17, Karter Smith ’17, Drew Schneider ’14, Ford Clemons ’15, Taylor Propst ’17, and Carter Standeffer ’17 work with Alpha Gams to package leftover food from a home football game for the 5th Quarter community service program. \r\nPAGE 3 The University of alabama Phi Gam Provides Lifelong Lessons for Will Brooke ’78 Brother Running for Alabama Congress chairman, and social chairman. His path to house manager was greatly influenced by John Kennemer ’77, an active Will had great respect for. John took Will under his arm, modeled the need to take responsibility and do a job right, and taught him how to care for the Chapter House, later turning the job over to Will. W illiam Brooke ’78 learned many valuable lessons during his time at the Phi Gam house, lessons that created a steady foundation for a successful career and strong family life. Will strongly believes that “my experiences as an undergraduate taught me a lot about the value of tradition, friendships, loyalty, leadership, responsibility, hard work, risk, and, amazingly enough, faith. These lessons have been central to my experiences since college, both professionally and personally.” His first day at the Theta Chapter House, Will “felt an immediate and strong common fellowship with the brothers at Phi Gamma Delta, which actually made the pledging decision pretty easy.” Several of Will’s close friends also decided to pledge Phi Gam, and as the recruitment process continued, their “pledge class became very close, affirming old friendships and adding many new ones.” Rush chairman Johnny Maxwell ’76 encouraged Will to take responsibility early on - “The first day I walked into the Theta Chapter House as a pledge, Johnny encouraged me that it was time to grow up and do good things, that he expected me to be a leader.” While in the Chapter, Will served as house manager, rush While being a Phi Gam taught him responsibility and hard work, Will also remembers the fun times he had at the Chapter House. He has many special memories, including the fun they had playing RISK for hours, “really days on end, in an effort to avoid studying for exams.” The brothers played lots of jokes and tricks on each other, Will often coming out on the short end of the stick. He also remembers “the surprise of seeing my high school sweetheart, who would later become my wife, and whom I had not seen in two years, when she appeared out of the blue at the Chapter House with a Vandy sorority sister on an unannounced road trip.” Will has spent his years since Alabama and Fiji working on a successful career with Harbert Management Corporation in Birmingham. He joined the young management team in the early 1990s to run Harbert Corporation, then a large family-owned company operating diverse businesses around the world. The team later founded Harbert Management Corporation, an alternative asset management company that now manages over $3 billion in assets from offices and for clients around the world. He has served as general counsel, chief operating officer, and now managing partner. On top of a busy career at Harbert, Will is running for U.S. Congress, a decision “that took me by surprise after three decades of saying I would never run for office. But I can still hear Johnny Maxwell and John Kennemer telling me there’s work to do and a problem to be fixed. But, that’s another story!” Will has learned a lot over the years, and is eager to pass on advice to his Theta Chapter undergraduate brothers. “Don’t begrudge the tedious work that sometimes comes with being young—everything is a learning experience and gives you the opportunity to learn about yourself, what you like and are good at going, and how to interrelate with others. Learned correctly, these are very valuable lessons and skills to build upon as your career moves ahead. Don’t be afraid of risk, push yourself to make hard decisions, and be ready to accept the results.” Will also advises surrounding yourself with people who are honest and open and who value “a team attitude, one that places the needs of the people relying on their efforts ahead of their own.” Will and his wife, Maggie, visit Theta Chapter several times during football season each year and are impressed with the state of Phi Gam. “We have a dedicated House Corporation and group of alumni advisors who have taken great care with the affairs of the Chapter. We have been favored with strong pledge classes year after year, and the Chapter is in very good shape.” Will and Maggie have three children: Will, Alex, and Sally, who are all gainfully employed, and two are married. If Will had more free time, he would spend it turkey hunting, fishing, and golfing. E-mail: wbroooke@harbert.net FIJI Theta Chapter officers Chapter President Martin Toole ’15 mgtoole@crimson.ua.edu Corresponding Secretary Win Knowles ’15 Recording Secretary Drew Janssen ’15 Historian Jonathon Laufe ’16 Treasurer Mark Hollenbeck ’16 Philanthropy Chairman Ford Clemons ’15 Recruitment Chairmen Reed Loeffel ’16 rbloeffel@crimson.ua.edu Spencer Gruber ’16 nsgruber@crimson.ua.edu \r\nJoin Us for Pig Dinner 2014 Theta Saturday, April 12 Fiji T his year’s Theta Chapter Pig Dinner is on April 12, one week prior to A-Day weekend. We are planning several activities for the day, including the return of a golf tournament for those who arrive early in the day. Our speaker will be Stephen R. Collins ’88, who completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Alabama and stays involved with the University. Most recently, he served as chief executive officer and director for Bazzarvoice (NASDAQ: BV). He was part of the leadership team during the start-up and explosive growth phase at DoubleClick, an online advertising company. DoubleClick later was sold to Google for a large sum. Stephen will be speaking on his business experiences with these tech companies. Stephen resides in Austin, Texas, with his wife, Robin, and their three daughters, ages 15, 14, and 11. He is a member of the University of Alabama Lifetime Giving Society and a member of Culverhouse School of Commerce Board of Visitors. Stephen is also a competitive cyclist, focusing on junior development through his support of the USA Cycling Development Foundation as a member of the Champions Club. He co-founded TriStar Cycling Team, a nonprofit competitive cycling organization devoted to the education and training of junior cyclists in southeast United States. We are excited that Stephen has agreed to be our keynote speaker – appealing to both our undergraduate and our oldest alumni alike. Please mark your calendars now for Saturday, April 12. Phi Gamma Delta Theta Chapter P.O. Box 131385 Birmingham, AL 35213 Address Service Requested Attention: This newsletter is intended for Phi Gamma Delta alumni and parents. If your son is still attending The University of Alabama, he will receive a copy at the Chapter House. If he has graduated, please send us his permanent address to update our records. Thank you. Welcome, New Members Mitchell E. Adams ’17 Charlotte, N.C. William R. Clements ’17* Montgomery, Ala. Hunter A. Hospes ’17 Birmingham, Ala. Walker L. Purvis’ 17 Huntsville, Ala. Robert M. Stokes ’17* Brewton, Ala. James H. Ash ’17 Birmingham, Ala. Paxton S. Clemons ’17* Decatur, Ala. Leland M. Hosto ’17 Nashville, Tenn. William J. Ruppel ’17 Pittsburgh, Pa. Evin C.Talton ’17 Tupelo, Miss. Joseph C. Attaway ’17 Phoenix, Ariz. Spencer R. Conti ’17 Fort Worth, Texas William A.Larry ’17* Birmingham, Ala. Dannelly J.Shelton ’17 Birmingham, Ala. Henry A. Tate IV ’17 Charlotte, N.C. William J. Baker ’17* Athens, Ala. Griffin D. Cooper ’17 Birmingham, Ala. Peter L. Lowe III ’17 * Huntsville, Ala. Hendry L. Shook Jr. ’17 Birmingham, Ala. Bryan Y. Thomas ’17 Huntsville, Ala. John P. Buckley ’17 Houston, Texas Jacob W. Denney ’17 Birmingham, Ala. Richard E. Markwalter III ’17 Karter M. Smith ’17 * Huntsville, Ala. Huntsville, Ala. Hunter L. Wagner ’17 Huntsville, Ala. Charles W. Bell ’17 Nashville, Tenn. Stuart J. Harmon ’17 Birmingham, Ala. Ralph R. McCoy III ’17 Birmingham, Ala. John A. Smith ’17 Nashville, Tenn. Robert P. Wicks ’17 Tuscaloosa, Ala. John D. Cage ’17 Nashville, Tenn. Thomas C. Harris ’17 Tupelo, Miss. Hayden P. Melkerson ’17 Huntsville, Ala. Clinton G. Smith ’17 Nashville, Tenn. * Legacy James W. Caudle ’17 Huntsville, Ala. Faulkner W. Hereford ’17 Birmingham, Ala. Mark A. Powers II ’17 * Athens, Ala. Charles A. Stakely V ’17* Augusta, Ga. Joseph S. Centeno ’17* Birmingham, Ala. Charles F. Horton III ’17* Taylor M. Propst ’17 Tuscaloosa, Ala. Huntsville, Ala. William C. Standeffer III ’17 Tuscaloosa, Ala.