GRADUATE OFFICERS April 2007 DECEMBER 2004 David Batten ’79 President Charles Bell ’91 Alumni Treasurer George Barnes ’92 Bo Maddison ’92 Paul McCoy ’98 Fund-Raising Chairmen Laurence Maddison ’92 Board Member Paul McCoy ’98 Board Member Lindsay Sewell ’98 House Maintenance Chairman John Hughes ‘66 Board Member Holton Wilkerson ’00 Graduate Communications Chairman Thomas Darden ’02 Undergraduate Communications Chairman Mike Brown ’04 Board Member UNDERGRADUATE OFFICERS Wilson Jones President Mike Linden Treasurer Will Keesler Corresponding Secretary Mitch Guy Recording Secretary Jim Etheridge Historian The Epsilon Owl PRESIDENT’S REPORT Two Brothers Taking Pride and Ownership in the House Pig Dinner Reminds Us All of the Ties that Bind By David Batten ’79, President Brothers who attended Pig Dinner this year saw an unusual site -- a fraternity house, almost 10 years old, in near perfect shape. Reasons might include the distractions of a large population of female students or maybe because the average IQ has increased with admissions competition. One sure reason is that John Hughes ’66 moved back to Chapel Hill a few years ago, joined the House Corporation, and looks out for Vance Hall as if it were his own. John is an engaging, successful entrepreneur who has an enviable, youthful outlook on life. He has not only helped to preserve Vance Hall, but also helps Epsilon’s operations run more efficiently and is an “on call” life coach for the undergrads. He managed to make a sprucing up expenditure of $35,000 look like a $350,000 remodeling. He has led a very interesting life, including racing with Ted Turner in the America’s Cup. For the House Corporation, he is “our man on the Hill.” When I think of Pig Dinner, I think of Ted Griffin ’71, the master of ceremonies for the last decade. He performs with the personality and style of a polished TV host. He has a great sense for politely moving presentations along and adding great commentary where needed. After the fire, he stepped up to help with fund-raising and long range planning. He has served on both the BCA and the House Corporation. As Marvin Carver ’75 noted, “Ted has never said no to any request to help Epsilon, and I have never met a Brother who is more proud of his affiliation with Epsilon.” Ted runs Griffin Financial Group in Durham, an expansive estate-planning firm. He is a reminder of why Pig Dinner is worth attending. Other reasons include seeing dynamic speakers like John Merritt ’72, and seeing the beaming smiles of your Brothers who have sons in the house, as I saw with Jordy Whichard ’79, Ronnie Batchelor ’81, and Willie Brown ’79. UNDERGRADUATE REPORT Phi Gam Has an Exciting Year with 12 New Pledges and over $4,000 Raised for the Harper Williams Benefit This Year’s Annual Norris Pig Dinner Was a Good Time for All Rush Results, Philanthropy 156th Annual Norris Pig Dinner We have had some very exciting things happening at the Phi Gam House. This past fall we had an outstanding pledge class of 12 young men. Our house GPA of 3.1 continues to rise, which earned us a ranking of ninth out of the 22 IFC fraternities. The brothers also give a great deal of time and service to the community. The events ranged from the Red Cross Blood Drive to the Harper Williams Benefit. We have not come up with a final total, but are proud to say that we raised over $2,750 in ticket sales and are also receiving group donations from various fraternities and sororities on campus. We estimate that the final total raised from the benefit will total over $4,000. We had an outstanding turnout at this year’s 156th Annual Norris Pig Dinner. Graduate and undergraduate brothers gathered at the house for cocktails before heading to the Carolina Club for a great night. John Merritt ’72 gave an excellent speech about how important brotherhood and a close pledge class are to the success of Epsilon. We look forward to next year’s Pig Dinner and encourage all alumni to stop by the house and say hello when they are in town. www.epsilonpgd.com 1 \r\nHONOR ROLL Thank you to these brothers who have already donated to the 2006-2007 annual fund! 2 White Owls ($500+) Kenneth F. Anderson Jr. Stephen L. Cornwell 1956 1974 Purple Club ($250 - $499.99) Nick B. Boddie James W. Maynard Donald T. Bryan David B. Sloan Jr. Norman S. Goode III William Patrick Hobson Laurence B. Maddison Jr. Cameron Langley Smith Robert T. Wright Jr. John A. Elmore II James P. Hughes Russell M. Carter John T. Stanley Frederick M. Dula Jr. Richard W. Zollinger Edmund T. Buckman III Monty R. Pollard Charles R. Hardee Van W. Martin Ronald A. Batchelor David O’Brian Team Stephen L. Wheeless 1951 1954 1957 1959 1963 1964 1965 1966 1968 1970 1970 1971 1971 1972 1973 1975 1977 1978 1979 1981 1982 1982 Hut Club ($100 - $249.99) Henry Hodges Jr. Ralph H. Hodges Jr. Howard J. Lamade Jr. Charles F. Lambeth Jr. William A. Creech James C. Fort James C. Lanier Jr. Thomas P. Stratford Frank P. Meadows Jr. Lewis T. Nunnelee II Johnny E. Orr William C. Smith F. Rockwell Poisson Henry N. Lee Jr. E. Lewis Bryan James M. Dillon R. Bryant Hare III James E. Adams Jr. Rowland Burnstan Jr. Charles William Higgins Jr. 1941 1946 1947 1948 1948 1948 1948 1949 1949 1949 1949 1950 1952 1953 1953 1953 1954 1954 1954 Charles J. Sawyer III James A. Hill Jr. Lawrence G. Wilson Jr. William S. McLean Thomas E. Capps William H. Redding Jr. Emsley A. Laney Jr. Welton Curtis Sewell Hugh L. Patterson Jack H. Spain Jr. W. Ward Marslender James B. Sloan John Darby Wood Burt Aycock Jr. Henry G. Foy Dudley G. Pearson J. Dwight Hudson James M. Moye Jr. Harry Scherr III John S. Hughes Charles P. Gaskins Jr. Robert R. Boseman Jr. Hart Lee William T. Reynolds Ted N. Griffin John C. Woodall William R. Cherry Jr. Edward L. Williamson Jr. John M. Winesette Marvin J. Carver III Billy G. Worsham II David T. Beach J. Dixon Fleming Jr. Jeffrey R. Headlee Robert P. Hortman James B. Sessoms Wayland J. Sermons Jr. Sanford W. Thompson IV B. Robert Williamson Jr. John H. Coffman Joseph Buckley Strandberg Atlee R. Johnson III Robert L. Edwards Jr. Brannon L. Gilliam J. Franklin Wood Jr. H. Alexander Winters II W. Lang Hornthal Christopher H. Hunter George T. Barnes Jr. www.epsilonpgd.com 1954 1956 1956 1957 1958 1958 1959 1959 1960 1960 1962 1962 1962 1964 1964 1965 1966 1967 1967 1968 1969 1970 1970 1970 1971 1972 1973 1973 1974 1975 1975 1976 1976 1976 1976 1976 1977 1977 1979 1981 1982 1983 1989 1989 1989 1990 1991 1991 1992 David M. Connor III Laurence B. Maddison III James M. Tanner III Thomas D. Lee Jonathan Bennett Blanco John Robert Mattocks Benjamin Kyle Saylors Edwin M. Braswell III Russell E. Byrd 1992 1992 1992 1993 1995 1995 2001 2003 2003 Fijis ($50 - $99.99) Thomas L. Stockwell Thomas B. Lathrop Hugh P. Perry Dixie E. Greene E. Claiborne Irby William R. Martin Jr. Harry G. Walker Jr. John S. Whichard Richard V. Hanson William C. Covington Jr. Eric L. Fearrington Kenneth Frank McCain James W. Rose Jr. Richard C. Pattisall Emmett E. McLean Blair D. Shwedo William P. Mayo Jr. C. Paisley Gordon Jr. Daniel Allen Summerlin Marion Robert Simmons IV F. Reynolds Miars Tram Williams 1946 1947 1947 1948 1948 1948 1949 1950 1951 1954 1954 1956 1958 1960 1977 1979 1987 1989 1994 2001 2003 2005 Graduates Club (Up to $49.99) Gene M. Cushman 1944 John D. Titchener 1944 William A. Crump 1950 Edward O. Watson 1950 William F. Young 1950 Robert S. Hays Jr. 1951 Edward Harvie Hill Jr. 1964 Hugh E. Eagleton 1966 Wesley Hastings Elden 2000 Mike C. Brown 2004 Kyle H. Woodruff 2005 April 2007 \r\nALUMNI PROFILE Great Balls of Fire Became Reality with Burning Pianos! Joe Lamb ’56 Remembers the Friendly Prank between Phi Gam and SAE! Fifty Years after Rush, Joe is Officially Initiated into Phi Gam 1. Why did you join the fraternity? When I went to UNC in 1952, possibly the best thing I did was pledge Phi Gamma Delta. I already knew several of the pledges and members since many of the Phi Gams were from eastern North Carolina. When it came time for initiation, I didn’t have a C average, so I didn’t get in. Then I went into the service in 1954. 2. What was your favorite memory of the fraternity? We went over to Duke the afternoon before the Carolina-Duke game, and they were going to have a bonfire on the soccer field. We lit that bonfire, and the boys scattered everywhere. Joe Mavretic ’56 got caught, and they shaved his head. 3. What was your rival fraternity? Any stories about this rivalry? One activity (or incident) with other fraternities that stands out in my memory was the burning of the pianos in the quad. The SAEs would come over and take our piano and burn it. And we laughed! And we’d go take their piano and burn it. That was a big thing. Also pelting the Sigma Nu house with snowballs. 4. Did you live at the house? If so, who were your roommates? Tell us about a memorable time with them. Dicky Hoggard ’55 and I had the room directly over the front door, so we kept up with the comings and goings of all. I remember playing lots of gin rummy and golf with Dicky and others. 5. Are there any memories of times with your brothers that make you laugh today? We took a brother on a ride one night—it was probably freezing. We took him to a lake about 100 miles from campus and let him out. When he got back, his clothes were all over the floor and tied in knots! 6. What did it mean to you to be a part of Phi Gamma Delta while you were in college? It meant a great deal. I was introduced to people in North Carolina that I’ve been in contact with ever since college that I probably wouldn’t have met otherwise. 7. With whom do you stay in contact? Several Phi Gams over the years have stopped by my real estate firm in Kitty Hawk, NC to chew the fat and talk about old times. Also fun is when I meet Fijis in unexpected places—like sitting across the aisle on an airplane from Puerto Rico. “Do I know you?”—it was Donald Bryan ’57! 9. Tell us about your family. Ann and I have three children and seven grandchildren (ages 19 to 9) and a bulldog. The oldest two grandsons, Joey IV ’10 and Zee ’10, are 2006 members of Phi Gamma Delta. The two Phi Gam grandsons stood with the old granddad when on December 3, 2006, I finally was initiated into the Epsilon Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta. One thing people find interesting about our family is that my wife and I went to Carolina, our two sons went to Duke, and then their sons went to Carolina! 10. What does it mean to you to finally be initiated into the fraternity? It just means that I’m a member of something I always wanted to be a part of. My two grandsons rushed, and I was real proud of them for going into Phi Gam. I still have a lot to learn, though. 11. What are your goals for the next few years? Just keep living! We do a lot of traveling, and we’ve pretty much been all around the world except for Australia, and we’ve got that on the back burner. 8. What do you do for a living? I am now semi-retired from real estate but go to the office every day when in town. See our web page: www.joelambjr.com. Joe Lamb with his wife, Ann What’s New With You? Your submissions are needed for future issues of The Epsilon Owl and our website at www.epsilonpgd.com. Do you know of a brother that would be a great candidate for a profile in our next newsletter? Do you have exciting news to share with the brotherhood? Please email all profile nominations and alumni updates to content@affinityconnection.com. The Epsilon Owl Alumni updates can include any of the following: - Recent events in your personal life (engagements, weddings, babies, etc.) - Recent promotions or accomplishments at work - What have you done since college? - Are there any brothers that you were recently reunited with or would like to reconnect with? www.epsilonpgd.com 3 \r\n778-75 FN MH ALUMNI UPDATES 40s John Devore ’49 (9222 Annhurst St., Fairfax, VA 22031) I retired from the DOD in 1986 and spent six summers in Germany during 19911996. I have taken numerous cruises in the Mediterranean/Caribbean, gone to Hawaii several times and been to Pearl Harbor in 1986 for the ceremony that transformed my old naval ship (USS Missouri) into a floating museum. I turned 81 last November 10. 50s Robert Holmes III ’53 (4003 Trent Pines Dr., New Bern, NC 28562) I attended the get-together of the old heads in Greenville last spring and found it to be delightful. I urge all brothers who are old enough to qualify to attend next spring! Kenton Creuser ’54 (641 Fern Hill Ln., Blue Ridge, GA 30513; kentonjackie@tds.net) Jim Maynard ’54 and Joie visited recently. We drank cognac, smoked cigars and told lies as usual. Best wishes to all the brothers! Jim has sat on the Board of Elon University for 21 years, and they just started a law school from scratch. 60s Wayne Venters MD ’60 (6809 S. Prairie View Ln., Spokane, WA 99223) I am enjoying my last few years in practice as an orthopedic hand surgeon. Life and duck hunting are good in the Northwest in Spokane. My daughter Gayle is expecting my 2nd grandchild in March ’07! Daughter Lara already has two children. William Dunn III ’62 (6113 Redmond Ct., Raleigh, NC 27612) I retired as senior vice president and regional human resource manager for Wachovia Bank, N.A. My current residence is in Raleigh, NC. I have been attending the Phi Gamma Delta alumni luncheon and gathering that is held each spring at the Greenville Country Club, Greenville, NC. Many Fijis from several states have attended this successful affair, and each year, more and more brothers are participating. Go, Carolina! Read more alumni updates on our website at www.epsilonpgd.com! 778-75 FN Address Service Requested Alumni Relations Processing Center P.O. Box 7007 Albert Lea, MN 56007-8007 Joe Lamb ’56 reminisces about the burning of the pianos! Details on page 3! Epsilon of Phi Gamma Delta, Inc. UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA 4 www.epsilonpgd.com April 2007