The Golden Eagle FIJI THETA TAU CHAPTER OF PHI GAMMA DELTA VOLUME 33, No.2 Spring/Summer 2011 30 Years of Phi Gamma Delta F OUNDERS U PDATE : W HERE ARE THEY NOW ? M AJOR S PORTS S WEEP \r\nTFI is proud to introduce the 2010-11 Lineup of Online Donation Programs. TFI’s Online Donation Programs are powered by PayPal and are completely secure. All you need to get started is an Email Address and a Credit or Debit Card. The 1848 Club-Monthly $18.48 per month HTTP://WWW.1848CLUB.NET The 1848 Club-Annually $221.76 per year HTTP://WWW.1848CLUB.NET/ANNUAL The 527 Club$5.27 per month HTTP://WWW.527CLUB.NET Why PayPal? Convenient Secure Easy to Use Why Donate? Foundations for the Future: Your monthly donations will help lay the foundation to form a capital campaign committee and successfully launch a campaign. So, while these monthly donations will not directly allow us to build a new house, portions of your donations will be earmarked for campaign expenses. This will help ensure that our capital campaign committee will have the funds to move forward with all due diligence. For the Betterment of the Chapter: a secondary goal of the Online Donation Programs is to support the Chapter’s Graduate Relations efforts. The ability to “raise the bar” in the area of Graduate Relations and Graduate support is paramount to both the Chapter’s goal of one day winning the coveted “Cheney Cup” and TFI’s goal of one day providing them a new chapter house. Benefits for Donors: Beyond the knowledge that you are “giving back” to the organization that gave so much to you during you college years, you will receive other rewards as well. Currently, donors receive gift certificates redeemable at Pig Dinner weekends. We are also exploring a variety of other ways to recognize Club members. Questions or Comments: please contact John Solis at donations@TTUFIJI.COM \r\nThe G olden E agle Fiji Summer 2011 THETA TAU VOLUME 33 No. 2 L ET TER FROM THE P RESIDENT Dear Brothers: As the spring 2011 semester comes to a close, I want to thank all the graduates for their support to helping make the chapter another 5 Star Chapter and once again, hoisting the Fraternity of the Year Trophy back in late April. Our rewards are not only from the works of the undergraduate brothers, but also from the graduate brothers who put in time and money to help the undergraduates keep the great name of Phi Gamma Delta. This semester started off great with nineteen new brothers from the fall of 2010, and with this spring’s Beta Phi pledge class, we will add five more brothers into the great brotherhood of the Theta Tau chapter. These guys worked hard on their scholarship first and for most by achieving a great GPA as a pledge class, also helped the fraternity in many pledge class projects such as Roadside Clean-Up and Window on the World, and were also a great help to the chapter for this year’s 30th Pig Din- ner. This group has a great fire for the fraternity, and the chapter is excited to see what this small but great group of men can do with their time in the chapter. The chapter also continued their philanthropic excellence this semester. In late March the chapter participated in Kappa Delta’s Shamrock philanthropy in which all proceeds went towards Prevent Child Abuse America, and the chapter finished in first place in money raised. Two weeks later, we entered three groups of brothers into Alpha Delta Pi’s Tech’s Got Talent and finished first in chapter participation and first in talents. We also finished second this year in Relay for Life which led us to win Tennessee Tech Greek Life’s Greek Week for the 2011 year. The Theta Tau Chapter also continued its excellence and domination on the athletic fields by winning another All Sports Trophy and almost sweeping every major and minor sport. That included first place finishes in basketball, softball, ultimate Frisbee, and wrestling. Finally, I want to thank all the graduates who came to this year’s Pig Dinner and helped celebrate the thirty great years of this chapter. As a young undergraduate, it is amazing to me to see the instant brotherhood between great men regardless of age or location. Our speaker Lee Moss gave us all a call to become better Phi Gams regardless of being an undergraduate or graduate brother, and I believe it made an impact on all of us. A great deal of thanks goes out to our undergraduate Pig Dinner chairmen Nathan Brown, Nathan Kelly, and Richard Knapek and to our graduate advisor for Pig Dinner Paul Cronin for all the hard work they put in for a very successful weekend. Again, I give all the thanks in the world from myself and all the undergraduates for the time, financial, and other areas of support you have given us. All of you have been a key and vital part to shaping us undergraduates into the men we hope to become one day after we graduate. This is a prime example of Phi Gamma Delta is truly not for college days alone! Fraternally, Byron Nickens ‘13 \r\nP AGE 4 V OLUME 33 N O . 2 G RAD S POTLIGHT - C HAPTER F OUNDERS W HERE ARE T HEY N OW ? For the thirtieth anniversary of the chapter, we decided to check in with the Brothers who started it all, our very own Immortal 15. Russ Bradley It's quite humbling and unfathomable to reflect on "the strong, towering tree" that the Theta Tau Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta is today and then remember when it was just a dream, a vision - "a mustard seed". I recount a little "ancient" history. Over 32 years ago, in early 1979, Carl Martin and I lounged in our 3rd Floor McCord Hall dorm room along with Lee Wray and realized that the current fraternity system at Tennessee Tech was missing something, was not much more than "social, drinking clubs" and required too little of its members. We came up with a short list of friends, classmates, dorm neighbors, student government peers, etc... that had similar convictions and wanted to be part of something bigger than ourselves. We looked for high character, serious students, active on campus and just great, "super-sharp" types that were willing to risk it all. After petitioning the dean of men to become a local fraternity (Delta OX), we learned we needed to affiliate with a national fraternity. Interestingly, my brother had been a FIJI at Auburn and had a great experience as a brother, and my best friend, Daniel Ray, was a FIJI at Sewanee (before transferring to Tech the next year). So we chose to call only one national fraternity, and that was Phi Gamma Delta. From the first moment, the relationship (marriage) has been "made in Heaven". Once we became a colony of Phi Gamma Delta, in the fall of 1979, got our first house, put up our letters, and started our quest, our fraternity peers kind of saw us as insignificant pests - definitely not a pest. However, within just a few short months, after rush & the resulting bids, homecoming events/awards, winners of football, basketball and All-Sing, we turned alot of heads and gained much respect. All of this was accomplished only due to our strong brotherhood, undying effort and enthusiasm, and a striving for excellence "in all we did". During my Phi Gam days at Tech, I was Treasurer for two terms, All-SIng Chairman, played football, basketball and softball, and for some ungodly reason, won the first Sportsmanship Award. On campus I was a part-timer at the BSU, worked with special events (concerts including the Commodores, special speakers such as John Wooden, etc...), was on the cabinet of the Student Government, and in the meantime got an Accounting Degree. Some of my greatest FIJI memories were the theme parties (Pajama, St. Valentines Massacre, just to name a few), All-SIng and sports championships, FIJI Islands and formals, and the Wednesday night sing-a-longs (Hal do you remember these). Upon graduation, I moved to Nashville to work with a local, accounting firm and have been in the accounting field with numerous companies thereafter. While working at LifeWay Christian Resources, I met my wife Margo. She had two school aged children that I fell in love with as well. We currently have three children, Tevy in New York, Cristy in Virginia (along with her husband Eric and daughter, Abi) and a son Corey, a sophomore in high school. I'm currently working for Skin Solutions Dermatology and a sister company, Likewise Skincare as CFO in the Franklin/Cool Springs area. I'm a deacon, 6th grade teacher and choir/quartet singer at First Baptist, Nashville, a Titans, Vandy and now Predators fan, and love music and travel (especially to the beach). It's hard to sum up what being a Phi Gamma Delta brother has meant to me, but I'll try. As I mentioned earlier, this started out as a dream, but soon became a passion. We all learned that "something worth doing is worth doing well" and that with effort, enthusiasm, and commitment, we could accomplish just about anything we put our mind, body and soul to. Learning how to organize, lead, listen, fall and get back up, think outside the box, be a "true, dependable, sacrificing, brother", respect differences, anybody can tear people down, but special people build up and encourage others - these are just a few lessons that were reiterated loudly then and continue to resound in my head and heart. \r\nG OLDEN E AGLE F IJI P AGE 5 I'm very proud of the growth (not just numerical) and the accomplishments of the chapter and have great confidence that even greater days are ahead. If we can continue to adhere to the strong, core principles that have been our foundation and rallying cry - brotherhood, excellence, perseverance, passion, service, etc..., then our present and future will be bright. Take delight in the past but don't dwell on past accomplishments and always strive to improve, be better than yesterday - make a difference today. As we all move through life - it's definitely a journey (a marathon, not a sprint), we must all keep our eyes on the prize, and run the race with grace and purpose. Proud to be a Phi Gam! Russell Bradley, Founder, 1981 Perge' Travis Claud After graduating from Tech I worked for United Engineers and Construction at the Watts Bar Nuclear plant in TN and the Seabrook Nuclear plant in NH. I have been married for 29 years to Cynthia Keisling who graduated from UT Medical School in Memphis. We met at Tech while she was completing her pre-med studies. We have three children, one daughter still at home, one son who is completing his Sophomore year at Pepperdine and one son completing his Junior year at APSU (no matter how hard we tried we could not convince any of them to attend Tech). Shortly after returning from NH we purchased and still live on a cattle farm in Coopertown, TN. Cindy works as an independent Pharmacist and about three years ago she converted our old tobacco barn and three acres of the farm into a wedding venue for friends and family. I serve as a Deacon at the Clarksville HWY Church of Christ in Joelton TN, where a fellow Phi Gam brother Brian Grooms attends. I have worked in the Operations Division for the US Army Corps of Engineers now for over 30 years. Currently I am the Project Operations Officer for Cheatham, Old Hickory and J Percy Priest Dams. During my years at Tech I was in the Coop program and worked as a student with the Corps before graduating with a degree in Civil Engineering (from my writing you can see that it definitely wasn't in English or liberal arts). My degree in engineering has served me throughout my career with UEC and the Corps from design and construction duties to overseeing the operations and maintenance of the Locks, Dams and Powerhouses. My favorite memories at Tech would include living in the fraternity house, building and playing on the volleyball court, rooming with Russ Bradley and Scott Wolfe and struggling as the new fraternity on campus and having my fraternity brothers sing at our wedding. One of the things that still stands out as a lasting memory was our first competition in the annual All Sing and winning in our first attempt. The theme was "Make Me Smile", so as one of our songs we sang "It's a beautiful day in the Neighborhood". The caption under our picture in the school paper the next week read "There goes the Neighborhood". That was how we were viewed by the other fraternities due to our emphasis on brotherhood, scholarship, and the way that we conducted ourselves. Phi Gamma Delta was just one part of the overall experiences at Tech and life that molded me into who I am today. My faith and trust in the Lord to guide and direct me would be first and foremost. During school the emphasis that I placed on my education and grades, the lifelong friendships that I made with people at the University Christian Student Center including my wife, and the courage to step out and seek new opportunities with an outstanding group of young men who had a vision of leaving a lasting touch on the campus of TN tech for years to come will always remain an important and influential part of my life. All of these things make for fond memories and continued interest in the success of Phi Gam and everyone who has the opportunity of attending Tech and possibly becoming a part of the long legacy of the greatest fraternity on any campus. \r\nP AGE 6 V OLUME 33 N O . 2 G RAD S POTLIGHT - C HAPTER F OUNDERS Dan Crunk I married my college sweetheart, Joy Skillen, a TTU Kappa Delta, 31 years ago this August. We have 3 children: Adam, Will and Jenna. I am presently Vice President of Land Operations for AMG Land, a land development company in Franklin, TN. I have very fond memories of our early days...studying with Jeff Garr, shooting the breeze with Jack Southerland, playing golf with Tony Locke, watching Doug Roberts dominate wrestling matches, hanging with Mickey Williams at John's Place...the list is endless. Because we wanted to create a different kind of fraternity experience that resonated with a lot of would-be pledges (and because we'd kick butt at All-Sing), I remember that we were not warmly received by all fraternities. But all of us as individuals had developed friendships with others on campus before we came together as FIJIs, so we had respect from a lot of members of other fraternities....and the KDs loved us! What impresses me and makes me proud every time that I come back for homecoming or attend Pig Dinner is just how much the undergraduates remind me that Theta Tau has become the chapter that we envisioned long ago in the upstairs of the UC. Jeff Garr My wife Cheryl and I currently live in Niles, Michigan. We are on staff with Life Action Ministries. Life Action is a revival ministry with a burden to ignite movements of authentic Christianity in America. My role with Life Action is to help lead and manage their retreat center for pastors and Christian leaders. God has given me a burden to serve and to help other succeed, and currently, this is where God has placed me. I actually finished TTU with a Mechanical Engineering degree and worked for Southern Company Service in both Alabama and Georgia in the nuclear field. After about 5 years, I left SCS to attend seminary where I reconnected with David Wheeler (who was my little brother with Fiji) – what a small world we live in. I have very fond memories of my time at TTU, especially the friends I had at Phi Gamma Delta. As an officer in the fraternity, I was challenged in the role of being a leader. I couldn’t have done it without the support I received from several of my fraternity brothers. It definitely was a learning experience for me -- one that helped me grow and develop personally. I recall some embarrassing moments, like not remember what I was supposed to say at the Pig Dinner. I am sure it was the shortest speech ever given by a president. This is humorous to me because I speak a good bit now. I also have some regrets. I tend to be an introvert, so I used to drink to ‘loosen up,’ but it also led to things that were not good. Even so, God has used my experiences and past mistakes to help mold me into the person I am today. Jeff Garr Galatians 2:20 \r\nG OLDEN E AGLE F IJI P AGE 7 Corey Garyotis I am married to a wonderful wife. Her name is Carla. We’ve been married for almost 25 years now. We have a 17-year old son that is a junior in high school. Our home is in St. Augustine, FL. We have lived there for almost 3 years now. We really love the area and the friends that we’ve made there. Unfortunately, last summer myself and several others got laid off from a nice job with a really good company located in Jacksonville, FL due to the down-turn in the economy. With the economy so bad in Florida, I couldn’t find a comparable job in the area or other cities in Florida. God graciously opened the door for me with a job in Dallas, TX. It’s a good fit for me and I really enjoy the work. My major at TTU was Agricultural Engineering Technology. I didn’t complete my academic career at TTU but it started me on a path of experiences and learning that helped me to develop as a person and to identify a profession in which I could advance. My academic training at TTU prepared me to continue my education when I transferred to the University of Kentucky my senior year and graduated in Agricultural Science. After working a couple of years I went back to get my engineering degree in Agricultural Engineering at Auburn University. My academic training at TTU in the sciences and math helped me develop interest and abilities in my analytical skills as well as in the understanding of natural processes. My training in the liberal arts (human sciences, literature, history) helped me to appreciate the value of the human mind with its tremendous potential for good and evil, creative expression, and interacting with others. Probably one of the favorite memories of being a Phi Gam at TTU that I have of starting the Theta Tau Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta was the weekend that we that we became full Phi Gam brothers and Delta Theta Chi colony was initiated as a full chapter. The two ceremonies were presided over by Phi Gamma Delta HQ officers and Daniel Ray. It was an incredible experience. Another of my favorite memories of being a Phi Gam at TTU were the retreats that we had to plan and to bond as brothers. I enjoyed the ones where we would go to a state park or somewhere remote and just be able to “let loose”. It’s amazing the dynamics of how we as Phi Gam brothers would be at each other’s throats debating how the chapter should be run or what our position should be as a chapter regarding an issue raised by the Greek Council; then, an hour or two later the same brothers would be “jostling” each other or acting goofy together. It really drove home the concept of brotherhood; the way we all can argue with siblings one minute and then give them a big bear hug the next. I remember the first year when we were a colony we were often ridiculed and made fun of as an experiment. But then when we started winning some of the intramural competitions and the Greek contests, FIJIs started getting respect. When our chapter GPAs started to be at the top of the Greeks, that really got their attention. It was sweet. Phi Gamma Delta helped me to learn early the importance of teamwork and setting goals and working toward them with others. The connection that we had as brothers and the support that there was for each other taught me the importance of surrounding myself with guys that I can trust. Enjoy your years in college because it only gets tougher after school. Prepare yourself well for your future. Don’t screw around and waste your time; develop solid relationships with guys that you can build on afterward. Value your education but even more the experiences you gain while in school...its like no other time in your life. Find a way to determine what your strengths are and build on them while your in school so you can begin your career strong. \r\nP AGE 8 V OLUME 33 N O . 2 G RAD S POTLIGHT - C HAPTER F OUNDERS Matt Graves Happily married to Glenda (TTU ’96 Nursing) and proud father of 2 boys, Nathan and Andrew (future Artist and future Oceanographer respectively, unless that “Rock Star” thing works out…) I am Technology Coordinator at Fulton High School in Knoxville, Tennessee. Greatest job I could ever have; every day makes a difference. I am inspired everyday by the teachers and students I work with and the challenges they face. Business Management/MIS. The most important thing is to learn how to learn. The technologies of tomorrow haven’t been invented yet. The next most important thing is to learn how to work with all kinds of people. Together, we can achieve so much more. Memories: Roadtrips, winning Homecoming, Fiji Island, Kazoo Band, all the great theme parties, hanging out with ALL my brothers - especially Rob Simpson and Dylan Mantooth! The other Fraternities ignored us at first…till we won Homecoming! The Sororities understood from the first moment. We wanted to have a house where you could bring your sister, mom, grandmother, girlfriend or wife and be treated with respect. We had amazing support from the beginning from all the Sororities, because they knew that alcohol was NOT the focus of our parties. It made a huge difference in Rush also, letting us show what Phi Gam is really about...Friendship. My time with Phi Gam was an education in itself. Learning how to build a team, and get things done. The chance to develop as a leader and all the guidance, examples and support offered me. The phrase “Not for college days alone” is so true! @Undergrads: You can’t do it all, but you are really going to regret it if you don’t try. Enjoy every minute of your college experience and take advantage of all the opportunities. “Even today, wise men still follow the star! – Tomos” @Graduates: Thanks for everything all through the years. Your friendship means more to me than you will ever know. Tony Locke I graduated from TTU in 1981 and married Leah White, a Kappa Delta and Tenn Tech graduate. We will celebrate our 31st wedding anniversary this July. We have two daughters, Megan and Jena. Both have completed college. Megan is a teacher at Goodlettsville Elementary, and Jena works at a Nashville Public Relations firm. Megan is married to Ben Perdue. Leah and I are happy that they all live nearby. After earning my degree in Structural Engineering, I worked in Dallas, Texas for five years. We returned to the Nashville area after our first daughter was born. After working for two different Nashville engineering firms, I began my own company, Engineered Solutions. Fortunately, this has been a successful venture that I am still enjoying! Being a Phi Gam at Tech was lots of fun, especially working with a great bunch of guys to begin the new chapter. Marching in the homecoming parade with our kazoo band and winning the All Sing competition are two of my favorite memories. Being part of a fraternity was a positive experience for me, and we seemed to be well-received on campus. Learning to work together as a group, particularly when everything was new and many decisions had to be made, helped shape leadership skills that have served me well in my career. Enjoy the experience! \r\nG OLDEN E AGLE F IJI P AGE 9 Carl Martin It’s interesting to sit here and write about something so familiar and deeply rooted as my fraternity experience and realize that I need to start with an introduction. I’m Carl Martin. As of June 21 of this year, I will have been married to my wife, Sherree, for 25 years. We have three children. Weston, 19, has just finished a gap year and will be a freshman at Liberty University this fall. Kendall, my second son, is 15 and is a rising junior. My daughter, Dove, will be a freshman in HS this fall. Upon my graduation (finally) in 1983, I took my BS in Management Information Systems and put it to the test at Milliken and Company in Spartanburg, SC. I worked with Milliken for 17 years until I left to pursue my current career. My career path with Milliken took me from Corporate Systems to Customer Service then to Planning. It was in the Planning function where I seem to really find my niche. I spent fourteen years in various planning positions. It was in Spartanburg, where I met Sherree. After a one-year dating relationship and a six-month engagement, we were married in June, 1986. Currently, I can either share with you where I live or what I do, but not both. Since where I live is much more exciting than what I do, I’ll go that direction. For the past almost ten years, my family has had the distinction of calling Istanbul, Turkey our home. We arrived here the week after 9/11. It’s been very interesting to say the least. This, and only this, is the reason that I’ve been absent for Pig Dinner and Homecoming since my last appearance in the spring of 2001. It’s been frustrating, yet none-the-less heart-warming, for me to watch Theta Tau’s performance from 6000 miles away. There’s not much about my fraternity experience that I don’t remember…very fondly. I’ve told lots of people on many occasions that I would very happily go back and relive that chapter of my life; not to do anything differently, just to get to do it all over again. It was that much fun and incredibly rewarding. From that spring day that Lee Wray walked into McCord 305 where Russ Bradley and I were living and asked, “Have you got a piece of paper?” until my final tearful meeting, I seem to be able to recall almost all of it. To pull out specific memories would be to start a journey that would be almost impossible to bring to a close, but I’ll try to categorize a few for this occasion. Most challenging: writing the initial constitution and by-laws. This was undoubtedly made more difficult by the fact that none of us had a clue what we were doing. Most exciting: the day Jeff Garr got on Jack’s shoulders and we put the letters on our first house. I think that’s the day we made the statement to everyone on campus that we had arrived. Most adventurous: this has to go to the late night house improvement project known as the brick sidewalk behind the old house. I have no idea how we made so many trips across town with Jack’s old Datsun station wagon sitting at an angle that literally screamed “this car’s loaded with bricks,” without getting stopped. Most comical: allowing our first real pig to live in the basement for a couple of days until we could get it slaughtered and having Jeff Couples catch stray chickens from the corner lot across the street and put them in the basement at the same time and then chasing them around. How were we to know the whole house would stink for weeks afterwards? Most rewarding: every step of the journey from being viewed as an experiment, to a viable group, to a peer, and then to arch rival as we began to be a serious threat to the other fraternities in many areas of Greek life. Most naïve: thinking that rush could get so much better on the same budget only to learn later that our rush chairman, Kenny Perry, had gotten Ronald McDonald to make some, shall we say, “contributions” by way of Kenny’s employment there. Happiest: so many could be mentioned here, but I’d have to say hoisting our first All-Sing trophy, which was our first trophy, period. This is when we all began to believe that we could not only compete, but win. \r\nP AGE 10 V OLUME 33 N O . 2 G RAD S POTLIGHT - C HAPTER F OUNDERS Most gratifying: this had to be when Kenny Perry came into the house one night and got upset with me when he thought that the IBC root beer I was drinking (you know the plain amber bottle) was really a beer. Kenny and I were roommates. He was a drinker, I wasn’t. The way he reacted when he thought that I had compromised my values helped me to fully understand what our experiment in brotherhood was accomplishing for all of us. We were growing past mere acceptance of our differences to a point where we valued those differences and would stand up for each other and hold each other accountable when necessary. The impact of my fraternity experience on my life has been profound. Without a doubt, the leadership opportunities afforded me during my fraternity experience have made me a better leader in many realms of life since my college days ended. I can’t remember where the phrase “not for college days alone” originated, but it’s as true a description of my experience as I can muster. To this day, even after ten years of being separated by oceans, many of the people I would consider my best friends are my fraternity brothers. I don’t do all-nighters quite as well as I used to when Eddie Johnson dubbed me “the vampire,” but I’d relish the opportunity to stay up all-night and reminisce with many of you in an effort to spend at least a few hours reliving some of the best times of my life. Unfortunately, we can’t do that at Ralph’s since they now close at 10:00 or so. What’s up with that anyway? I can’t remember going to Ralph’s many times before 10:00, but I remember seemingly hundreds of times after that hour; especially the one where Kenny came downstairs and announced that he wanted to take his roomie to Ralph’s. I should have known immediately that something was up, but the offer of free doughnuts apparently overrode my defense mechanisms. I learned what was up later that night when I came home to find that all of my clothes had been stolen from my room (no small feat) with the exception of a gray suit, one white shirt, and a burgundy tie. Apparently, the news that I planned to be the emcee of Pig Dinner the following day while wearing my bright yellow blazer and ridiculously loud plaid pants did not sit well with some people. However, that lead to what was probably my most victorious memory. With the unknowing help of someone who wasn’t involved in the caper, I borrowed a navy blazer (thank-you, Ken Adcox), found my yellow Izod pants in my dirty clothes bag, and wore my blue Phi Gam tie. I had foiled the well-conceived plan of my brothers and very proudly showed up for Pig Dinner wearing something other than what they had planned for me to wear. BTW, all my clothes were mysteriously found in the car of pledge David Fox at the end of Pig Dinner. Good times!!! I was privileged to be at Fiji Academy in the summer of 1981 at the University of Indiana (that’s where the picture of Russ, Randy, and me on the cover of the Purple Pilgrim came from). At the awards banquet, the guys at our table awarded us our first coffee cup as the only guys their without a pin of any kind since we weren’t even officially a colony yet. That night, the dream of our group winning the Cheney Cup was birthed. Later, we would be bold enough to verbalize that dream. Many years later, after the founders were long gone, our legacy would enable a group of guys, none of whom had even been born when we started down this path, to make that dream a reality. I literally cried (no big surprise to those of you who know me well) when I received that news (and I’m tearing up even now as I type this on a plane from Istanbul to London). Our arrival at “the top” is, without a doubt, the most humbling experience in my association with our fraternity. I owe many of you a great debt of gratitude for allowing me to experience it. Now, comes the hard part – staying on top. You’ve proven many times now that the “competition” you face on Tech’s campus is insufficient to challenge you. Don’t allow yourselves to be limited by it. You must use your own performance, not the performance of others, as your benchmark going forward. Take nothing for granted. Work harder than anyone in rush. Select visionary leaders from among your group. Refuse to be satisfied with last year’s results. If you continue to do these things, then you, like I, will always be able to say “I’m proud to be a Phi Gam!” Fraternally, Carl Martin Perge! \r\nG OLDEN E AGLE F IJI P AGE 11 Doug Roberts My wife Shannon (TTU 83) and I have lived in Huntsville Alabama for approximately 16 years. We previously lived in the Washington D.C. area. We have four children (23, 22, 21 and 19). Two of my children graduated from the University of Alabama. My youngest son spent two years at Alabama and is now in the US Army, Infantry. He will be deploying for combat operations this summer. My youngest just finished her freshman year at the University of Alabama. I work for HP and am responsible for sales to the US Department of Defense for large IT programs. I have been in the military marketplace for about 25 years. I have also worked for Lucent and Northrop Grumman. Additionally, I was involved in two start-up companies one in Austin Texas and the last in Huntsville. My family and I attend Southwood Presbyterian Church. I enjoy golf, cooking, reading and travel. Over the last 15+ years I have been able to visit over 26 countries. I majored in History and Psychology and completed my MBA at Tech. I believe my education provided a solid foundation for my business career, particularly my MBA. I enjoyed helping to start something new at Tech. I remember the first house we rented. Jack Southerland and I used a carpet cleaner on the grey carpet. After several hours of work we discovered we actually had green carpet in the house. Initially, everything was new and a first. I enjoyed being Rush Chairman because I could assign people tasks and then go and flirt with all the girls. I enjoyed most of all ,the friendships. At first I think the other fraternities did not know what we were up to. We were mostly labeled the “Christian” or sober fraternity. I think people were impressed with the progress we made in the first few years. I have not been able to participate in many functions since graduation. I have noticed the fraternity seems to be more diverse than in the beginning. I think this is a great aspect of growth. One of my biggest disappointments initially was the inability to have more diversity in our pledge classes. Also keep the fraternity fun, it’s not life and death, it’s a social club. As far as advice, as students be prepared to be flexible. I would almost guarantee that five years from now most of your will be doing something professionally you would have not guessed. Also have your priorities right. Money, success, health they all come and go and bring no true contentment. We all have a few fundamental decisions to make. What is our life’s chief end? Who do we say God is? What do we believe about the claims of Christ? I wish you all well in the future. Perge Jack Southerland I am still located in Bristol TN where I moved 30 years ago right out of college. I am married to my wonderful wife Anne and I have two step-daughters Emily and Louisa. Anne works for Chiltern, a clinical research organization headquartered in London. They manage drug trials for the major pharmaceutical companies all over the globe. Both our daughters graduated from King College in Bristol and are currently employed in the area. Emily works for Edwards Jones Securities and Louisa is a teacher. I work for CenturyLink one of the largest local phone companies in the country. I started with United Telephone Company in Bristol two days after graduation from Tech and have been at the same work for the past 30 years. We have acquired and merged with multiple companies during that time and I have been useful enough to survive all those changes. I am currently the Manager of Design & Construction in the Corporate Real Estate division of CenturyLink and I am responsible for the eastern US. I majored in Mechanical Engineering at Tech and have spent the past 30 years designing buildings and building equipment for telephony buildings. Primarily I design mechanical systems (HVAC, Piping, Fire Protection, etc) but also a good deal of architectural and electrical work as well. In recent years I have managed groups in Standards and Design where I managed a team of Architects and Engineers performing design work for our facilities. In our current re-organization we have combined design and project management and that is what my team does now. I am a Registered Engineer in multiple states and really enjoy what I do. It is very nice to start with a blank slate and when you get finished something new which operates efficiently and serves a purpose has been created to serve our customers and our employees. \r\nP AGE 12 V OLUME 33 N O . 2 G RAD S POTLIGHT - C HAPTER F OUNDERS Probably my best memories are the friends and the good times we had at the house and on campus. I was, I think, the second brother to graduate from our group of founders. Dan Crunk graduated before I did and I and Doug Roberts graduated in May after our Chapter Initiation in February 1981. So my time in actual chapter meetings was very limited. But the time as a Delta Colony was very rich in friendships and meaning. I remember the other Fraternities on campus thinking of us as the Baptist Student Union – South Campus. But in reality we were just way ahead of our time. We chose early on, that no Chapter funds would be used to purchase alcohol, not to say that it did not exist in the house, but it was not the center point of our socials. I think we soon had the reputation as the Fraternity with the best parties mostly because we still remembered what we did during those parties and we treated everyone who came to our social events with respect and dignity. These concepts were way ahead of the alcohol-free policies of Fraternities and Campus’ around the country today or the move for inclusion that we see today in all aspects of life. I think my time in Phi Gamma Delta taught me a lot about dealing with other people and learning to work as a team in something other than sports. I think chapter meetings and committees were my earliest training for what business life would be like other than the pure engineering side of what I do. I also think my days at Theta Tau taught me that you can achieve anything you set your mind to do and that you can really enjoy the effort if you have the mindset that this is an effort I believe in and it is worth putting huge effort toward this goal. I think all life is that way. Know what you want to do, who you want to do it with, and be willing to give it 110% of your effort. I think these are the things that the founders of Theta Tau brought to the table: Common Purpose, Friendships and Dedication. I also think these concepts are what set Theta Tau on the road to being the top Fraternity on Tech’s Campus, then and today. It appears to me that we have grown in size and diversity, but still maintain high standards of character and personality. I am proud of the academic achievements the Chapter continues to make and its standing as the Top IFC Fraternity. I guess my advice to the undergraduates is to enjoy what you are doing, take it seriously and put the correct amount of effort into what you are trying to accomplish. Your main purpose of being on campus is to get a great education and prepare your self for a future in the business world. Being a member of Phi Gamma Delta should be a rich and rewarding part of that education. As far as the effort you put into class work, the Fraternity, personal relationships etc., I can tell you that after 30 years in the real world you really do reap what you sow. Those who work hard and are dedicated get ahead in life. So enjoy your efforts, work hard, dedicate yourself to something bigger than yourself, laugh with your Brothers and family and remember to tell the people you care about how much you love them. \r\nG OLDEN E AGLE F IJI P AGE 13 Mickey Williams I am the Information Systems Manager at Moccasin Bend Mental Health here in Chattanooga. Yes, yes they said I was going to wind up here anyway, but this way I get paid, and I get to go home at night. Anyway, you can see our facility as you drive in on I24 from Nashville by just looking across the river below Lookout Mountain. I keep hoping they will donate this land to the Cherokee Nation and let them build a casino here, but I am a dreamer. I have been here for 11 years. I worked for 19 years before this job, with NCR Corporation as a computer technician, and went for my Microsoft Systems Engineer certifications several years ago in order to get the job I have now. I was married for 18 years. We got married when I was 32, and then divorced two years ago. I have three children, my oldest son is 19 and enters UTC this fall and is going into Physical Therapy and wants to work toward the doctorate in that field. My second son is 17, but has no idea what he is going to do yet and my daughter is 13. As far as favorite memories from helping start Phi Gam at tech, there would be the very first victory of any kind when I was on the summer of 1980 intramural championship softball team. I still have the little trophy. I was a dink-er, not a home run hitter, but I always got on base. I remember our first football team also. We didn't win anything, but I enjoyed taking out that big guy that SAE had, and making it so that he could not even eat lunch the next day, (except soup). Then of course there was "The Men's Room". The big house which was located where the Hospital Emeergency Power Plant is now. It was rented by five FIJI brothers, Me, Steve Wilson, Todd Arrants, Stephen Williams and Tom Carter. We had the “real partys” at the "Men's Room." After I left Tech, William Bracy, Kell Stott, and Bill Jaco I think, lived in the house. So many stories from that place. William Bracy and the ties, My brother Stephen and what he thought was Champaign from my room, the ice skating on frozen sewer backup in the basement, the underground parties, cigars on our side porch, and more. The biggest thing about Phi Gam for me at Tech, was the friendships. Your a long way from home and a long way from anyone you know for the most part, especially from Chattanooga, and it was great to find guys of like mind and character, or lack of in some cases, that you could bond with, do things with, socialize with but also work along side. The biggest thing is that now30 years later, even though we have been out of touch somewhat, the friendships are just as strong as they ever were. That is very cool. I was very happy to finally be inducted this past year as a brother. See I was gone from TTU before they officially were granted chapter status, so last year just before Pig Dinner I finally got it done. That was special. The experience of last year and the dinner and everything motivated me to help start a graduate chapter here in Chattanooga. We have about 15 Theta Tau grads on roster and about that many from other schools, like Tennessee, Georgia, Texas Tech, etc. I am very pleased with where the chapter is these days. It was fun to work on the house remodel last year and get to know some of you guys. VD got on my nerves, but hey if a Bama Fan and an Auburn fan can work together, anyone can, and just kidding VD. Maybe we can make that an annual summer event to work on the house. I would love it. The thing which I am most proud however, is the quality of guys in the chapter, and it shows in the awards and accomplishments of the chapter. It shows that we continue to recruit the right kind of men. That means more to me than anything. We do have something special at Theta Tau. Finally, I just hope to see much more graduate involvement, and donations, and maybe even see more of you guys at events like homecoming, etc. I would love to see that new house going up in the near future. We need to think of ways to build it tough, ha. I will be seeing you guy around there, soon maybe. P.S Everyone check out the Fraternity History page which I did last year on our website. \r\nP AGE 14 V OLUME 33 N O . 2 G RAD S POTLIGHT - C HAPTER F OUNDERS Randy Wilmore After graduating from Tech in 1982, I returned to Nashville spent 10 years in the banking industry. In 1992, I entered the healthcare field and have served as Administrator of the Frist Clinic and Nashville Medical Group and served as Chief Executive Office of MidTennessee Bone and Joint Clinic in Columbia. I took a brief break from healthcare in 1999 to manage Nashville Vice Mayor Jay West’s campaign for mayor. Recently I accepted the CEO position with Family Health Group which is owned by Maury Regional Medical Center. FHG employees/ manages 50 providers and has 250 employees. I am an avid sports fan and married to Cindy and have two sons, Taylor 19 years old and Ryan 7 years old. I began college as a pre-dental student. I realized early on that chemistry and biology weren’t my friends and after two and half years changed my major to business administration. I found myself as a third year student taking freshman math that I had tested out of my first year. I find it amusing that I now manage physicians and their practices but wasn’t smart enough to be one myself. My first real job out of college was working for Third National Bank. That all happened because of the relationship that I made with Lee Moss when he served as our Section Chief and I was chapter president. My 10 years in banking gave me my “On The Job” MBA as I was able to compliment my undergraduate degree with real business application. Also, my banking experience with hospitals, physicians and medical practices lead to my carrier change to healthcare. So, I have Bro. Moss to thank for where I am today. As far as my memories that are some many that is hard to name just a few. The most exciting memory is going from nothing to the best in just a few years. Even better is how much farther the fraternity has advanced since I graduated. We went from a rag-tag intramural football team (that I actually quarterbacked a few plays because everyone else was hurt) to winning the fraternity championship and coming very close to winning all campus in a few short years. I remember looking at the house that the fraternity is in today and thinking we could buy it but realized the banks don’t lend to a bunch of 20 year olds. Instead we rented the “Gingerbread House” on Walnut. Looking back, I am surprised someone would rent to us. I remember cleaning out the basement of our first house with Jack Southerland who I found out had a very weak stomach as he sent more time running out trying not to get sick than actually cleaning the basement. I remember our first “Fiji” jerseys that I cut the pattern out of Puma shoe box only to realize that the letters where fine for me but smaller brothers (Carl Martin) you could only see the “IJ” because the “F’ and “I” were under his arms. I remember hiding Carl Martin’s “preppy” clothes and only leaving him with khakis and a blue blazer for Pig Dinner (Carl was able to find some more colorful clothes). I remember our first Fiji Academy when we were not even a colony and that “clicks” and not applause was the proper expression of approval. I remember begin given the “Coffee Cup” (yes, an actual coffee cup) at our first Fiji Academy by another chapter as a joke. It would be the first “cup” but not the last. But the most memorable thing I remember is when Carl Martin, Russ Bradley and Lee Wray knocked on my dorm door to ask if I would be interested in helping them start a new fraternity. That knock at my door changed my life. I don’t think other fraternity’s really knew what to make of us. We were different. Since we had several non-drinkers that were active in religious organizations, I know some folks called us the “Bible Waving Sissies” (I cleaned that up just a little). We quickly became rivals with the SEA’s because of sports and the Pikes because they started about the same time we did. I remember playing the TKE’s in football (a game I broke my nose) and their inviting us to their house for a keg party. I think we lost the game but I think we drank all of their beer. From that day forward, we had a new respect and relationship with the TKE’s. I still use the Calvin Coolidge “Self-Discipline: Persistence” and Leadership quotes. The fraternity taught me tolerance, acceptance, persistence and responsibility. It taught me to strive for the greater good of the group verses individuals. Please understanding, I have not mastered those skills, but the fraternity gave me a solid foundation to build on. \r\nG OLDEN E AGLE F IJI P AGE 15 When we started the fraternity, I don’t think any of us really thought about where we would be in 5, 10, 15 or 30 years. I didn’t think about where I would be in 10 years. Maybe the other guys did, but I was just looking for a good group of folks to associate with and that we could work together and do some things as a group that we could not do as individuals. I did think when we received our first “Coffee Cup” that we too could compete with other chapters across the country even though we did not have the rich and long heritage of many other chapters. The fraternity has surpassed any and all expectations that I could have even dreamed about 30 years ago. I also think that the sky is the limit which is proven by what a group of 15 guys started 30 years ago. My advice to the undergraduates is, enjoy every minute of your college and fraternity experience. It is truly some of your best days and the friendships and decisions that you make will influence you for the rest of your life. Lee Wray Graduated TTU 1981 BS in Journalism. Following graduation I lived in both Knoxville and Nashville. I also earned my law degree from UT. In 1988 I returned to Cookeville and practiced law for a couple of years while doing some political fundraising. In 1990, a fundraising position opened at TTU and I accepted the position of Annual Fund Director. I worked at Tech for 13 years eventually serving as Alumni Relations Director and Director of Athletics Marketing and Development. In December 2003, I moved over to serve as Sales Manager for Clear Channel Cookeville, a group of five radio stations that serve the Upper Cumberland region. At some point I was asked to be on-air for our MAGIC 98.5’s morning show to give a weekly report on television shows. Well one thing turned into another and I’m now co-host of MAGIC’s morning show. (M-F 6-10am central.) I stepped down as sales manager in November of last year to handle my on-air responsibilities. I do still carry an account list and work with our advertisers. MAGIC is our top-40 station. The station is targeted to 18-44 year old women. We’re heavy on entertainment news, fun, games and giveaways. We heavily promote events and activities in the Upper Cumberland. We’re also the official station for Tennessee Tech football so I still get to work with Tech a lot. I should tell you that my co-host’s name is Freaky Dave. He’s the lead and I’m the second. To give you an example of what we do --- our current promotion is “Freak and Lee’s Katy Perry Adventure.” Someone will win a trip to the Katy Perry concert in Atlanta in June. They get four tickets and Dave and I and those four folks get limo’d to Atlanta for two days. We pay all their expenses. So, it’s crazy stuff like that. That’s been my crazy professional career. I also stay involved in community activities. Currently I’m on the Convention and Visitors Bureau advisory council and I’m a volunteer for the TSSAA state high school football championships (now held in Cookeville). I’ve also served on boards and committees of the Wesley Foundation, Clean Commission, Fall FunFest, Relay for Life, the Christmas Parade and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). I volunteer for our local PBS station, WCTE. I attend First United Methodist Church. I love to travel. I’m heavy into Tech sports and all college and pro football. I have no children but I have three wonderful nieces: Macy age 9, Molly age 8, Mallory age 3. Looking back at our first years, I most remember how shocked the other fraternities were at our success in all areas of campus life. They laughed at us and thought we were destined for failure. I remember building our first homecoming float. I remember the great parties in the basement of the old house: St Valentine's Day Massacre party, Mystery Date parties, Homecoming parties, Fiji Island House Party! They were awesome! I remember our first rush and getting a group of pledges that other fraternities on campus wanted. I remember our chartering weekend and 49 of us getting our black diamonds. I remember us setting a goal that one day the chapter would win the Cheney Cup! But most of all I remember growing together as friends and brothers. Those guys were the best! I’m very proud of the chapter and all it is today and all that it’s accomplished through the years. It’s everything and more that we dreamed it would be. It’s friendship and brotherhood at it’s very best. I’m proud to be a Fiji! P! \r\nP AGE 16 V OLUME 33 N O . 2 G RAD S POTLIGHT - C HAPTER F OUNDERS Our goal had been to include an update from all 15 Chapter Founders as well as Daniel Ray, a key figure in our Chapter’s founding. Unfortunately Chapter Founder Scott Wolfe and Daniel Ray were unable to respond prior to this issue being finalized. We also did not have good contact information for Founder Bobby Rice. Hopefully we will be able to obtain updates from these individuals in the near future. Perge! P HI G AMMA D ELTA , WHO THE HELL ARE WE ? Over the last 30 years, Theta Tau has grown from 15 men to over 500 Brothers strong. Instilled with a sense of Friendship far beyond the average Phi Gam Chapter, these Brothers have constantly pursued the idea of Excellence and truly embodied what it means to be a Fraternity. The Brothers of Theta Tau have volunteered countless hours of community service, raised thousands of philanthropy dollars, and achieved great scholarship. Even though the Chapter’s leadership and short term goals may have changed from year to year, one goal has been a constant and a guiding star; to set the standard for what a Fraternity should be, to do what is right even when it may not be popular, and learn to sacrifice for the good of chapter, all in order to truly call Theta Tau and Phi Gamma Delta the Best Fraternity! Press On Brothers! Theta Tau Chapter Sires and Sons Field Secretaries Sire Son Dan Crunk '80 Will Crunk '07 Theta Tau Brothers who served as a Field Sec. Hal Balthrop '84 Halston Balthrop '12 Mike MacIndoe '84 Micheal MacIndoe '12 Glenn F. Nabors '83 Glenn Nabors '14 Archon Brian Douglas Archon Councilor 2010-2012 Section Chiefs Theta Tau Brothers who served as a Section Chief Brother Section Lee Wray Brent Ellis Section VII Section VII, Section XIII Brian Douglas Section XVI Bo Byers Section XVI-West Note: Section VII became Section XVI then was split into two sections East and West. Section XIII is a Section in Florida Barry Bell '89 102nd FS Jon Vaughn '08 158th FS \r\nG OLDEN E AGLE F IJI P AGE 17 International Awards of Phi Gamma Delta Cheney Cup - Best Overall Phi Gam Chapter Placement (Occurrence) 1st Place (1) 2nd Place (2) 2008 1987 2006 3rd Place(2) 2007 2009 Honorable Mention (3) 1988 2001 2004 Zerman Trophy - Campus Involvement (Archon's Trophy prior to 1986) 1st Place (2) 2nd Place (1) 3rd Place(4) Honorable Mention (12) 1989 1981 1987 1983 2007 2001 1984 2003 1990 2006 1991 1992 1994 1995 1996 2000 2004 2005 2008 Coon Plaque - Best Chapter Publication (Golden Eagle FIJI) 1st Place (5) 2nd Place (1) 3rd Place(5) Honorable Mention (2) 1986 2007 1985 2000 2005 1987 2003 2006 1997 2008 1999 2009 2010 Owen Cup - Greatest Improvement in Scholarship 1st Place (1) 2nd Place (1) 3rd Place(1) Honorable Mention (1) 1987 1997 1984 1999 Brightman Trophy - Graduate Relations 1st Place (1) 2nd Place (4) 3rd Place(3) 1987 1988 1992 2004 2007 2006 2008 2010 Jordan Bowl - Highest Comparative scholarship 3rd Place(4) HM (6) 2004 1988 2007 2003 2008 2005 2009 2006 2010 Honorable Mention (5) 1991 1995 1999 2002 2009 Condon Cup - Greatest Improvement 2nd Place (3) 3rd Place(1) HM (4) 1995 2003 1982 2005 1992 2010 1994 2004 Baker Cup - Religious, ethical, and social service activities. Honorable Mention (10) 1983 1990 1991 1995 1999 2000 2003 2005 2006 2007 TTU Fraternity of the Year Years Won (12) 1983 1987 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2008 2009 2010 (FOY not awarded 2005-2007) TTU 5 Star Chapter Evaluation Began in 2005 (5 of 5 - 4yrs) 2005 - 4 Stars 2006 - 5 Stars 2007 - 5 Stars 2008 - 5 Stars 2009 - 4 Stars 2010 - 5 Stars P HI G AM / FIJI, THE B EST F RATERNITY !!! \r\nP AGE 18 V OLUME 33 N O . 2 30 TH A NNIVERSARY P IG D INNER 30 Years of Singing “Bringing in the Pig, Bringing in the Pig! We shall come rejoicing, Bringing in the Pig!” This year’s Frank Norris Pig Scramble had been decided it 73’), a speaker at both the Dinner was one of the most was back to the house to en- 2nd and 10th Theta Tau Pig exciting and largest Dinners joy a delicious lunch of Blue Dinner. Lee spoke about the in its 30 year history. Headed Coast Burrito. Despite the great changes Theta Tau has by Nathan Brown and Richard weather, turnout at both golf gone through from a Delta Knapek, Pig Dinner weekend and lunch was great, and eve- Colony in 1979-80 to was filled with numerous ryone enjoyed getting to one of the most honored and events and activities allowing spend time with the new revered chapters in all of FIJI both graduates to reconnect brothers and recall fond land. This was something with old brothers as well as memories. Right before the that all graduate brothers meet some of the undergrads Pig Dinner kicked off broth- helped in and should be of the Chapter. ers gathered at the house for a proud of. The night con- The weekend started off with Cigar Social, where smoking cluded with the Distin- a Cookout at the house where and good fraternity were guished FIJI award, which grad brothers could check in obvious. went to Brother Jay Clark and see the new improve- The weekend was topped off ‘84 and outgoing Faculty ments to the house, as well as with the Dinner at the won- Advisor Jed Young. After meet some undergrad broth- derful Leslie Towne Centre the Dinner everyone pro- ers. for the 30th Anniversary ceeded to the Cookeville Saturday began with the golf Frank Norris Pig Dinner. The Country Club for the after scramble at the Country event was a huge success with party. That too, was a huge Club. The turnout at the over 150 graduates and un- success and topped off an Scramble was very good, and dergraduate brothers filling amazing weekend of broth- everyone enjoyed the fun of the Towne Centre ballroom. erhood and fun. golf and the accompanying The event then featured guest brotherhood. After the Golf speaker Lee Moss (Tennessee \r\nG OLDEN E AGLE F IJI P AGE 19 This Year’s Attendance: Graduates: Over 100 Brothers! Total: 165 Brothers Keynote Speaker: Lee Moss (Kappa Tau, UTK ‘73) Silver Owls: William Jaco ‘81 Glenn Nabors Jr. ‘83 Jay Clark ‘84 Kerwin Fulton ‘85 Bill Carman ‘85 Phil Whitehead, ‘87 New Sire and Son: Sire: Glenn Nabors Jr. Son: Glenn Nabors III Distinguished FIJI Award: Jay Clark ‘84 Exile’s Toast: Mike Brockman ’09 read by Eric Wiens ‘10 Next Pig Dinner: Past and Present Section Chiefs (and Archons) in attendance: L-R: Lee Moss UTK ‘73, Lee Wray ‘81, Brian Douglas ‘98, Paul Attanasio Texas @ Arlington ‘81, Bo Byers ‘06 April 21, 2012 Hope to see you there! \r\nAGE V OLUME 33P N O. 7 2 P AGE 20 A NOTHER Y EAR OF R ELAY D OMINATION Over $2000 Raised for Relay for Life! To Donate for Relay 2012 Visit: HTTP :// MAIN . ACSEVEN TS . ORG / SITE / TR/ R ELAY F ORL IFE / RFLFY11MS? PG = ENTRY & FR _ ID =28583 The Theta Tau Chapter of nessee Tech’s Campus. The placed highly in. This along Phi Gamma Delta prides theme chosen for this year with money raised helped us itself upon its constant ex- was sports. Phi Gamma to place first in Relay for cellence especially in the Delta’s tent was a central Life. realm of raising money for point of the cluster of tents Relay for Life. The brothers with a golf theme and fea- of this chapter feel the close- tured a few putt putt holes ness of how this disease has along with delicious food affected everyone one of and other activities. The tent them in some way or an- drew quite a crowd from all other. It is this drive which the surrounding participants helps them lead the campus and helped us to achieve in money raised year after second place in total money year along with raising the raised. bar for themselves. While the competition is over for 2011, it is never too early to begin thinking about next year’s hopeful repeat of domination. If you would like to ask questions or contribute to the wonderful cause, please contact Bobby Adams by phone at (423) 967-6268 or by email at The competitions of the bgadams42@students.tntech The Relay for Life this year night were also a huge suc- .edu. Please help us in the was held from April 15 at 6 cess for Phi Gamma Delta. worthwhile cause to eradi- pm to April 16 at 6 am in We won many events and cate cancer! the Fitness Center of Ten- those we did not win, we \r\nG OLDEN E AGLE F IJI P AGE 21 H ELP P ASS D OWN T HE L EGACY We are currently working to and any Little Brothers to establish the family trees (Big brian@claudheatingandair.co Brother / Little Brother line- m. age) of all members of the We appreciate your help in Theta Tau chapter. We are completing this task. working to have this com- P! pleted by Pig Dinner 2012. Brian Grooms In order to ensure that no brother is left behind, please forward any information you have about your Big Brother S PORT S WEEP C ONTINUES T HROUGH A LL M AJOR S PORTS With the semester coming to coming in second). Phi champions. The brothers an end, the brothers of the Gam’s basketball team domi- through the semester faced Theta Tau chapter have sur- nated as they steadily went injuries which they perse- passed any and all challenges through each team with ease. vered through and did not in intramurals. The brothers The wrestlers of Phi Gam allow those injuries to even have put in many hours of didn’t let up at all and showed slow them down. Through hard and dedicated work to true character with each win. the semester the brothers Sig Ep: 132 winning all major sports and The softball team met no showed competiveness and Sigma Chi: 112 winning all but one minor team that could keep up or would settle for nothing less sports (that lost was brothers out play them and became than a victory. Final Point Standings Fiji: 193 SAE: 155 \r\n GOLDEN EAGLE FUJI YOUR THOUGHTS... Please provide any feedback on the Golden Eagle Fiji and Graduate Relations you might have. Also, if there is anything you would like to see in future issues or if you would like to be the Graduate Spotlight, please let us know. Quality of the articles? Graduate Communication? O Good O Good O Fair O Fair O Poor O Poor Additional Comments: Ema Adgress Phone Please detach and retum to: Phi Gamma Delta Attn. Graduate Relations Chairman 527 N. Peachtree Ave Cookeville, TN 38501 E-mail: gradrelations@ttufiji.com Topics covered? Would you like to be featured 1 Good aa Craduaue Sporight? O Fair O Yes O Poor ONo \r\nIf you have any comments or suggestions about the Golden Eagle Fiji or would like to be featured in an upcoming issue please contact: Nash Fleet Graduate Relations Chairman nashf170@gmail.com 615-775-4422 (Cell Phone) IMPORTANT DATES: V ISIT U S ONLINE WWW. TTUFIJI.COM PERGE`! F U L L C O L O R G O L D E N E AG L E F I J I ’ S N OW A VA I L A B L E O N L I N E ! ARE WWW. TTUFIJI. COM/ TFI/ GEFIJI