Epsilon Chapter House Corporation November 2005 2004 DECEMBER President David H. Batten ’79 Raleigh, N.C. (W) 919-828-1500 DHB@cshlaw.com Treasurer Charles E. Bell III ’91 Raleigh, N.C. (W) 919-877-2438 Charles.e.bell.iii@smithbarney.com Fund-Raising Chairmen George T. Barnes ’92 Raleigh, N.C. (W) 919-459-2601 gbarnes@vanguardpg.com Laurence B. Maddison III ’92 Raleigh, N.C. (W) 919-821-5482 lbm3@bellsouth.net Paul C. McCoy ’98 Raleigh, N.C. (W) 919-459-2390 paul@wvllp.com House Maintenance Chairmen Lindsay F. Sewell ’98 Raleigh, N.C. (W) 919-573-5513 lsewell@trammellcrow.com John Hughes ’66 Chapel Hill, N.C. (W) 919-933-9959 JHughes@vistatm.com Graduate Communications Chairman W. Holton Wilkerson Jr. ’00 Raleigh, N.C. (W) 919-815-8365 hwilkerson@arborequity.com Undergraduate Communications Chairmen Tom Darden ’02 Raleigh, N.C. (W) 919-743-2532 tdarden@arborequity.com Mike Brown ‘04 (C) 919-672-1689 mikbrown@pulte.com House Corporation Report By Charles E Bell III ‘91, Treasurer All We Can Say Is ‘Wow!’ The house corporation is excited about what is happening at Epsilon! Vance Hall looks as good as new. This past spring we asked the brothers for a list of everything that needed fixing at the house. As you would expect, they quickly (the next day) supplied us with this list. Over the summer, the house corporation addressed each item including, among many others, painting, commercial cleaning, and repairing leaks and the air conditioning. We’re developing an Epsilon Scholarship Fund for brothers who excel in scholarship and service to Epsilon and the community. This will help us better compete during rush and will recognize those brothers who give a lot of their time and talents to the fraternity. The scholarships will be named after those who lost their lives in the fire and will serve as lasting memorials to them. Look for details in the next issue of the Epsilon Owl. We’ve been helping the undergraduate treasurer, Joseph Bower, with developing tighter financial controls. For decades, the undergraduates have leaned on the Student Activity Fund Office (SAFO) to provide the financial accounting. There is no way to customize the reporting, and the reporting is very delayed, which we saw as unacceptable. The house corporation bought the treasurer a copy of QuickBooks. Starting with the current year, the undergraduate treasurer will have accurate reporting that will provide a more useful way of seeing where they are. The reports will also make sure the house corporation doesn’t get any “financial surprises.” The brothers have also been doing a lot of studying! They reported a house average GPA of 3.24 in the spring. All we can say is “wow!” Finally, we’re pleased to learn that Epsilon finished rush with a solid class of 16 new pledges! Don’t forget to visit our Web site Please make plans to stop by Vance Hall at www.epsilonpdg.com for sometime this fall. Homecoming is November 5 more news about the chapter against Boston College. According to the brothers, and events. You can also read every home game but U.Va. will have a barbecue about what your brothers have and bluegrass music. been up to or even post an Thanks for the continued financial support both to the annual fund and the building fund! We update or profile of your own! AND keep checking your e-mail hope to see you this fall! inbox regularly — exciting new Perge! upgrades are on the way! Visit Us Online Inside the House Improved Condition Resulting in More Pledges and Brother Support By John Hughes ’66, House Corporation Member This past summer, the house corporation made a number of repairs to the facility to bring it back to the condition it was in when it was rebuilt. It’s hard to believe, but it’s been six years since the house was reopened, and having 30 men living in the house and 60 eating there, and half the Greek system partying there, takes its toll. I am happy to report, however, that I did not find one example of malicious damage anywhere, which is only as you might expect. The Epsilon Owl The systems in the house are a lot more complicated than what we had in 1966, and some are beginning to need updating, repairing and/or replacing. Here’s a summary of what we did: • Cleaned the entire house from top to bottom including the kitchen (which took more than 10 man-days — we could have served Pig Dinner with what was behind the stove). www.epsilonpgd.com • Repainted the second and third floors, the basement, portions of the exterior and the staircases. • Refinished the basement stairs. • Replaced two air-conditioning units and repaired another. • Replaced a portion of the chapter room ceiling due to leaky AC supply pipes. • Replaced/repaired several kitchen appliances. (Continued on Page 2) 1 \r\nInside the House (Continued from Page 1) • Purchased a new steam table (to serve hot food to graduates before football games and, of course, to feed the undergraduates every day). • Replaced the carpet in the TV room. • Tiled (with ceramic) the serving area adjacent to the kitchen. • Repaired/replaced a punch list of numerous smaller items, from broken hinges to broken venetian blinds. We also made a change in the way we are managing the house and food service. It is unfair to put the entire burden on undergraduates who are not experienced with the numerous vendors and service providers we now have. The house corporation hired The Holt Company to supervise the maintenance of the house on a 12-month basis. George Holt heads this company and provides similar services to Phi Delt (where he was a brother more than a few years back), Chi Psi, PKA and Beta. When something breaks or needs repair in the house, the house manager calls George, who then selects the vendor and manages the repair. We also outsourced the kitchen to George. He spent his career before retiring to Chapel Hill with Marriott Food Service, and for the last 10 years of his career he managed the food service for Duke University and Duke Hospital. He has hired and fired more cooks than he can count and obviously knows a lot about food quality and cost containment. Our new chef, John Ratty, was born in Chapel Hill, was a Kappa Sig at UNC-W and graduated from the Arizona Culinary Institute. The undergraduate reports on the food quality in the first month are all A+ (to which I can bear witness). The undergraduates pay the house corporation over $140,000 in annual rent, and we owe them the right to expect that the house be kept up and managed professionally. I am happy to report we are doing that now, and the improved condition of the house will pay off in larger pledge classes and increased support from graduate brothers. I encourage you all to visit the house anytime but especially before a football game for barbecue, and afterward for fellowship and refreshment, and to see how Vance Hall continues to be the best house on campus. ■ Undergraduate Report By Matt McInnis ’06, Corresponding Secretary Our Goal: Highest GPA on Campus So far 2005 has been quite an exciting year at the Phi Gam house. From the Tire Bowl to cutting down the National Championship nets, in just one year so many great things have happened to the brothers of the Epsilon Chapter. The house just completed yet another strong rush, welcoming 16 new pledges from all over the Southeast. The brothers have also been busy welcoming our new chef, Jon Ratty, to our kitchen. He has worked at restaurants all over the country and even spent some time as the cook at everyone’s local favorite hangout, Sutton’s Drug Store. The brothers are proud to boast the second-highest fraternity GPA on campus. In the spring semester, the average house GPA was a strong 3.24, which ranked higher than the all-sorority, all-fraternity and all-university averages. We have set a house goal to have the highest GPA on campus this semester. Additionally, it has been yet another great social year at the house. This year’s Fiji Island was the best in memory. There is nothing more rewarding about being a Phi 2 Gam than sliding down the Fiji slide into the party of the year. With a fundraising event in the spring, the house was proud to raise over $3,000 for the Harper Beall Williams Memorial Scholarship Fund. Wilson Jones, a sophomore at the house, has led the effort for the memorial fund and looks forward to planning another fundraiser next spring. Please feel free to stop by the house anytime. Every football Saturday we will have a bluegrass band on the front lawn and a pig cooking in the back. We look forward to seeing any brothers who can make it by the house. Thanks again for making all the house renovations possible with your donations and support. The brothers are all very appreciative of John Hughes ’66 and the graduate brother involvement that has made Vance Hall the best fraternity house on campus. We are working hard to continue the strong tradition that has been built here at the Phi Gam house. You may contact me at 336-259-7320 or mcinnis@email.unc.edu. Perge! ■ www.epsilonpgd.com Rush Report Strong Pledge Class this Fall By Wilson Jones, Rush Chair Fall 2005 The brothers at the house are very excited about the new class that is pledging this fall. Rush was a grueling and competitive process, but we battled through the three long weeks and did very well. Everyone worked hard and, as a result, we have 16 pledges. The class is a great group of young men hailing from Raleigh, New Bern, Wilson, Southern Pines, High Point, Greensboro, Wilmington, Aberdeen and out of state from Bedford, Va., and Augusta, Ga. We know they will be great additions to the house. All the rush chairs would sincerely like to thank all the graduate brothers who provided the names of potential rushees from their hometowns, and ask that you continue to do so each fall. These names were a great help this year, and I know the rush chairs next year will appreciate it. ■ New Pledge Class Andrew Ward Batchelor Raleigh, N.C. Jared Fox Brown Wilmington, N.C. Louis Penn Clarke Bedford, Va. Donald Edward Deichmann III New Bern, N.C. William Garrison Duckett High Point, N.C. John Carroll Jernigan Raleigh, N.C. Samuel McVey Kenworthy Aberdeen, N.C. Richard Bland Lee VI Southern Pines, N.C. Peter Murray Menk III Augusta, Ga. Daniel Lee Mercer Raleigh, N.C. Albert Royce Nowell III Wilson, N.C. William Virden Nutt III Greensboro, N.C. James Harrison Schenck Raleigh, N.C. Joseph Ward Turner Wilmington, N.C. Clayton Tarrant Weller High Point, N.C. Dean Franklin Woodall Raleigh, N.C. ■ November 2005 \r\nGraduate Updates Theodore Haigler Jr. ’46 (815-5 Marlowe Rd., Raleigh, NC 27609-7048; gagahaig@nc. rr.com) I’m sorry to report that Roger Hall ’47 died on June 6, 2004, at his home in Philadelphia, Pa. He was 79. He was a very noted and successful executive in the classical music industry. Those brothers who knew him will remember his always smiling face and engaging manner. If anyone wants to know more about this, you may call me in Raleigh at 919-782-0603. Dixie E. Greene ’48 (88 Barnes St., Greenville, NC 27858) Friendships and relationships have quite commonly existed for the Epsilon Chapter group that, on Friday, May 6, 2005, met for the fourth time since the beginning of the year 2000. Several of these relationships have existed for as long as 60 years and many for 50plus years. Restricting attendance at the reunions to those who have been out of UNC for a very long time assures a lot of mutual memories of the era. Marvin Carver ’75, president of the archons, from Durham, and William “Bill” Martin ’48, executive director of the national fraternity, from Lexington, Ky., attended the latest reunion. These two are the governing body of Phi Gamma Delta USA. The 98 attending the luncheon at the Greenville Country Club were from different locations throughout the southeastern U.S. Theodore “Ted” Haigler ’46, former CEO of Burroughs Wellcome, and Donald “Don” Bryan ’57 of West Carteret, N.C., are credited for inviting the national officials to the gathering. David J. Whichard ’48, John “Jack” Whichard ’50, D. Jordan “Jordy” Whichard III ’79 and Jordy Whichard IV were honored and recognized for being part of the Epsilon Chapter The Epsilon Owl of Phi Gamma Delta for three generations. My dear friend and graduate brother Bill Hedrick ’51, originally from Lexington, N.C., who for years has vacationed with family at Wrightsville Beach from his home in Atlanta, Ga., in early March 2000 called me in Greenville, and we discussed the matter of getting a few of the graduate brothers together to meet and have lunch in Greenville and for them to invite some more of our brothers. Eight brothers attended the first get-together for lunch and fellowship, and we had a great time reminiscing. A year passed, and Bill and I decided to pull off another luncheon in Greenville and invite more of our brothers. From the beginning, we decided to restrict the occasion to only those who had graduated from or finished at UNC between the years 1945 and 1955. The number of attendees for the year 2001’s luncheon came to 34. The same scenario transpired in the year 2002 with 65 attending, a few being from later than 1955. Among the many interesting sidelights of our gatherings is when a brother walks into the country club, those already having arrived have a heck of a time trying to figure out who he is. You can’t imagine how much of a thrill it is to see the individuals walk in while everyone is wracking their brains to figure out who in the world each brother is as he arrives. For instance, Marion “Bussy” Woodbury ’49, of Savannah, Ga., who had looked very similar to Alan Ladd of 1940s-50s movie stardom while at UNC, walked in and the fellows thought he was Aristotle Onassis, having not seen Bussy for 50 to 55 years. It was truly hilarious. Those attending the reunions arrive at the club at 11:00 a.m., socialize for an hour and then take to the tables for the luncheon. There is a tremendous amount of interesting socializing for some two hours after the lunch. Then those in attendance, at their option, depart for home. I could go on for a long time about the room full of brothers who have had wonderful careers and histories. Bill Hedrick and I point out that keeping in touch with brothers between the meetings is also very interesting. It takes us from our distant past to the current time and toward the future. Lloyd B. Hedrick ’51 (5566 Glenrich Ct., Dunwoody, GA 30338; hedricks1957@aol. com) We had a good turnout and a good time at the 2005 Greenville reunion. E. Lewis Bryan ’53 (183 N. Shore Rd., Beaufort, NC 28516-9686; elewbry@msn.com) In the summer of 2004, Tonia and I went to London on the QM2, a fantastic ship with all the amenities we could ever want. We followed this with another QM2 cruise to the eastern Caribbean in January 2005. Tonia is in remission from her lung cancer. Diagnosed in February 2004, she has made a remarkable recovery. Finding the illness early and getting immediate treatment at Duke has been the key. The entire medical team, from the clerks and nurses to the doctors, has been just wonderful. We are truly grateful for their wisdom and expertise. In the meantime, I have continued to play all the golf I can, and Tonia continues her sales of vintage costume jewelry and silver. We both enjoy our work with our church and other projects. Please send us an e-mail of your activities and whereabouts. James E. Adams ’54 (317 Jamaica Way, Niceville, FL 32578-3830) We spend time in South Carolina on Lake Marion near our kids. Sorry I couldn’t make the 50th reunion of the class of 1954. I hope to be in www.epsilonpgd.com touch with those who did attend. Congratulations to Epsilon! Tell Jim, Burnie, Bill, Drew, Ken and all the gang “hello”! And Stinky! Richard N. Hoggard ’55 (621 W. Hayes St., Ahoskie, NC 27910; rnhoggard@gate811.net) Charles Sawyer ’54 and I, with our wives Becky and Lois, went to Sea Island, Ga., for our 15th year of being guests of Bill Smith ’53 and his wife Sydney. Ben Walser ’52 and his wife Barbara, a former UNC cheerleader, joined our group for a special time of watching the ACC Tourney. E. Harvie Hill ’64 (P.O. Box 184, Shallotte, NC 28459) My favorite memories are the backyard combo parties and Tommy Baysden ’65 entertaining during breaks. I would like to see Robert “Bob” Knox Hughes ’64. John D. Marriott ’82 (1504 Pinecrest Rd., Rocky Mount, NC 27803-1833; trippp@earthlink.net) We are enjoying life in Rocky Mount with our three children: John III, Sarah Beth and William. I’m always running into an old Phi Gam and wish I could see more of everyone. Henry M. Kidd ’83 (613 Glen Eden Dr., Raleigh, NC 27612; thedecoykidd@msn.com) Recently I started a new plumbing business in Raleigh, Kidd Plumbing Services Inc., offering all types of plumbing services, from minor repairs to additions and remodeling to new construction. I enjoyed working on a project with graduate brother John Hawkins ’77. I also enjoyed going to a Heels basketball game with brothers John Marriott ’82 and Buckley Strandberg ’82, for which Buckley set the land-speed record between Wake Forest (Continued on Page 4) 3 \r\n778-59 FN rah Graduate Updates… continued from Page 3 and Chapel Hill. I live in Raleigh with Amanda, my wife of 16 years, and two boys: Matt (13) and Will (9). Norborne Gee Smith ’84 (810 Waverly Rd., Bryn Mawr, PA 19010; gsmith225567@comcast. net) I always enjoy reading the Epsilon Owl, but I was concerned and disappointed to learn that we had only raised $15,000 for B.T.’s retirement fund. B.T. is the central person that classes from 1950-2000 remember when they think of Phi Gamma Delta. It seems that more of the brothers could step up to help B.T. in the next phase of his life. Remember, Phi Gam is not for college days only, and that applies to brothers such as B.T. as well. I encourage all brothers to consider making a contribution to the fund. Hart Miles ’91 (P.O. Box 361, Raleigh, NC 27602-0361; hartmiles@nc. rr.com) Joel Hart Miles III was born on April 26, 2004. Graham E. Fuller ’93 (337 Williamsburg Ln., Memphis, TN 38117; grahamfuller@yahoo.com) I was in Vanderbilt’s MBA program in 2002-04 and spent the final semester (plus six weeks) living and studying in Paris, France. My wife Rachel and I recently moved to Memphis, where I now work for a hedge fund/private equity group of funds. We hope to make it to UNC and the Phi Gam house soon for a visit. Since publication of our last newsletter, we have learned of the death of John R. Bourne ’43 (3/17/05). Phi Gamma Delta mourns his passing and extends condolences to his family and friends. James D. Womble ’97 (9479 Pine Lilly Ct., Navarre, FL 32566) I’m excited about my recent move to Florida. ■ Phi Gamma Delta Annual Fund Why Support the Annual Fund? Your support for our annual fund proves your commitment to the future of Epsilon Chapter. Your annual gift is an investment in the fraternity’s potential to make a positive impact in the lives of young men. As we continue our capital campaign efforts, it is essential we do not forget that our annual fund, which runs from September 1 through August 31, keeps our organization going year to year. Your annual contribution affirms your belief that: • Phi Gamma Delta still provides the best leadership development and character building opportunities on campus. • The spirit of volunteerism that drives our graduate board and other volunteers is vital to the strength of our organization. • The value of friendships forged at Phi Gam grows as time passes and should be celebrated with reunions, annual gatherings and other events. Contributions to the annual fund make possible the Epsilon Owl, event invitations and other forms of graduate communications. Your annual support is crucial to the success of our chapter and our graduate relations program. ■ 778-59 FN Address Service Requested Graduate Relations Office P.O. Box 3367 Chapel Hill, NC 27515-3367 Plenty of exciting things happening at Epsilon Chapter! Epsilon of Phi Gamma Delta, Inc. UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA FIRST CLASS US POSTAGE PAID State College, Pa. Permit No. 2 4 www.epsilonpgd.com November 2005