The BlueGrass Fiji News A Publication of the Brothers of Phi Gamma Delta University of Kentucky Spring 2008 President’s Letter From our Purple Legionnaire Brothers, We are half way through the semester, and I am pleased to announce, that it has been a tremendous semester so far. We had our best Spring Recruitment in three years, and I am very proud of the effort put in by our pledges so far. We also had a strong showing at Dance Blue, coming in third in fundraising for the medium groups. I am also pleased to announce that we had a Fiji Sweetheart dinner thanking our Sweethearts for all they do for us. I was especially happy to see Mom J, the Theta house mom and Fiji Sweetheart, show up and have a great time with the other Sweethearts. We are hoping to make this an annual spring event for Sweethearts. Brothers, It’s hard to believe that this is the fourth year I’ve served as Purple Legionnaire. The time has flown by, which usually means it’s been fun. Looking back, I can say that every president and cabinet has been different, every pledge class changes the chapter tremendously, and every graduating class leaves a void seemingly bigger than the last. It is this year’s graduating seniors I want to recognize. I am excited for the rest of the semester. Our weekends are already full of events ranging from a Parent’s Day to a white water rafting trip with our Brothers from Ohio State. We are also planning the first annual Fiji Islander Service Week, a whole week dedicated to one of our five values. With events such as Kidnap Kapers and the Dive-in (movie night at Lancaster Aquatic Center), Islander week promises to be a wonderful time. It’s probably because they were so young and just starting their Phi Gam journey, at the same time I started this PL journey, that I appreciate them and stand in awe of the fine men they’ve become. Almost imperceptively, they grew and matured and readied themselves for their life careers. Soon, they will take their first steps into the business world or continuing formal education in graduate school. I look forward to seeing most of you at Pig Dinner, and I urge you to maintain an interest in our chapter’s functions. These seniors are leaving the proverbial indelible mark on the Upsilon Kappa Chapter and I am grateful to them for the contributions, leadership and the legacy of excellence they leave behind. They are leaving the Chapter better than they found it and they will be missed! Fraternally, Bradley Heil (UK 08) President continued on p.2 1 \r\nPL’s Letter cont’d from p. 1 Recruitment Finally, to those senior Brothers, I say this: You are about to become graduate Brothers and will remain that until the end of your days. Your service to the Fraternity is, in some ways, just beginning. Seek those opportunities no matter where you travel. Everywhere, there are Fijis who are ready to welcome you as Brothers and who will benefit from knowing you. Spring recruitment went well, getting seven quality guys, three times more than last spring rush week. Now that spring rush is over, I would like to stress the fact that we are always looking for not only legacies from your family, but also just as important, referrals from your area. We have a few referrals from some Upsilon Kappa graduate brothers who were just friendly faces that they ran into on a weekly basis. Getting introduced to these high school students before they even get to college helped with last fall semester's success of 20 + bids. Fraternally, Russ Williams, ( UK ’74) Purple Legionnaire If you know any young gentlemen preparing themselves to attend UK, please send us their information and encourage them to come visit us or have them contact Jon Donahue by email at: jon.donahue@uky.edu Fijis on stage The Upsilon Kappa Chapter recently participated in Greek Sing 2008 on February 2 at Memorial Coliseum. Sponsored by Chi Omega and Sigma Alpha Epsilon, Greek Sing is an annual event that allows each fraternity and sorority to create and perform a dance routine. All the proceeds from the related philanthropic activities are donated to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. This year, more than $60,000 was raised overall. Or by snail mail at: Jon Donahue Attn: Recruitment 653 Maxwelton Ct. Lexington, Ky 40508 Up and Coming Fijis The seven young men who are learning what it means to be a Fiji are doing fabulously. They all display a strong devotion to scholarship, going above and beyond the required study time every week. Each one has participated in several of the events throughout the semester and have been an active part in the university community. As the semester has progressed, these young men have grown closer to one another and as it continues they promise to be a great addition to the Upsilon Kappa family. Our theme was “The Best of the VMA’s,” and we danced to “Wall to Wall,” “The Thong Song,” “Jump, Jive, and Wail,” “My Love,” and “Gimme More.” Pledge Matt Dempsey performed “My Love” solo and did an incredible job. Big thanks to Brother Bill Kirk for mixing the music, Brother Dustin Smith for taking the lead on choreographing the dances, and Brother Tyler McLaurine for being brave enough to be our Britany Spears. We had twelve brothers participate and give much of their time to this event and many hours to pracIf you have sugges ons, comments, or concerns about the newsle er or the Chapter, please email ticing, and it paid off in the end with a great dance. Bill Kirk at: -James Chapman, Campus Activities Chair William.Kirk@uky.edu or Call at: (859) 321‐5982 Would you like to be added to the Grad List-Serve? Send an e-mail to Russ.Williams@uky.edu 2 \r\nA Semester at Upsilon Kappa Scholarship Philanthropy This semester, we have made many changes in the scholarship committee. There are still the four required study hours, although this semester hours are only valid in the library. The pledges this semester are doing quite well getting their study hours. Also, we implemented a more rigorous progress reporting, in trying to get progress reports from the teachers. There is an academic calendar of all of the pledges’ main tests and assignments, so that they know when major things are upcoming and can keep on track. There is also a small reward system for doing well scholastically. There are two onehour required sessions, one in the library for scholastic study, and one in the house for fraternity study. With these improvements and more, Upsilon Kappa is doing all we can to be #1 in grades again. -Seth Kirk, Scholarship Chair Phi Gamma Delta's Upsilon Kappa Chapter has been showing the community why our third value is service. Last semester, Upsilon Kappa gave hundreds of hours of service to the Lexington community. The spring semester is off to a great start for philanthropy as well. UK's FIJI chapter has participated in service events for many organizations, including God's Pantry, the Markey Cancer Center, the Red Cross, and St. Joseph's hospital. Upsilon Kappa also raised about $2,000 for Dance Blue, a 24hour dance marathon to support childhood oncology research, and was represented by several FIJI dancers. In total, the University of Kentucky raised over $424,000 for children's' oncology research! Philanthropy for Upsilon Kappa looks bright for the rest of the semester and plans include service events at Red Cross and Central Kentucky Riding for Hope. The semester of philanthropy will end on an extremely high note with FIJI hosting our Inaugural FIJI Islander Week, a week full of community service and philanthropy ending with FIJI Islander. -Travers Manley, Philanthropy Chair Spotlight On: DanceBlue Athletics Update Once again, Phi Gamma Delta had a large presence in this year’s DanceBlue. With many people involved, both behind the scenes and on the dance floor, Fiji took part in one of the largest philanthropy events campus-wide. This year the university was able to raise over $400,000 to benefit the pediatric oncology center. This included an on the spot donation of $10,000 from a very emotional Coach Billy Gillespie. Upsilon Kappa athletics enjoyed a solid fall semester intramural season that included a strong showing in swimming, an undefeated flag-football regular season, and a 3-on-3 basketball championship. As the spring semester is well underway, the 5-on-5 basketball team is looking to make a run at a championship, while numerous sporting events such as Ultimate Frisbee and softball are scheduled later in the semester. In the future, we hope to help expand the influ- -Michael Moriarty, Athletics Chair ence of this great event through our continued support and donations. With that in mind, it is never too early or too late to donate to such a worthy cause. 3 \r\nAnnouncements  Brother Bill Pyle (‘95) is ge ng married to Ka e Mueller on December 6, 2008, in Asheville, NC. Brother Pyle points out that Ka e is a graduate and fan of UNC.  As there are many graduate brothers in the Louisville area, it is a shame not to get together more often than Pig Dinner to catch up and reminisce on the old days. If you are interested in attending a monthly graduate brother dinner in the Louisville area, please an email Mike Brown at mjb436@aol.com Fraternally, Mike Brown YK '06                      Date: April 26, 2008 Time: Reception at 6, Dinner at 7 Location: Downtown Lexington in the Hyatt Regency’s High Top Lounge For more information, contact David Phillips at djp8584@hotmail.com Brother Robinson Brown is in the process of organizing an event for Graduate Brothers at the Woodford Reserve Distillery that will include a dinner, a bourbon tasting, and a tour of the facility. If you are interested, contact Brother Robinson at robinson_browniv@yahoo.com. L. H. Roberts (1961) Lee H. S nne (1961) Patrick L. Driscoll (1962) L. E. Stum (1962) Allen R. Cleaver (1963) James E. Nelson (1963) Leslie F. Berry (1964) Max E. Jerrell (1964) Frederick J. Anderson (1965) James L. Bates (1965) Donald W. Campbell (1965) Larry B. Cole (1965) William E. Mahan (1965) Ronald M. Stra on (1965) Sidney L. Wya (1965) Ray C. Ashdown (1966) Robert R. Kunkle (1966) James T. Amburgey (1967) James C. Hughbanks (1967) Hudson C. Smith (1967)                     Lost Brothers*                    Elvin C. Bryant (1968) John E. Burne (1968) Charles R. Morrison (1968) Ben S. Armstrong (1969) Ronald W. Fore (1969) Arthur W. Ha ield (1969) Kevin M. Yorke (1969) Donald E. Zane ni (1969) George E. Kendall (1970) James C. Kidwell (1970) Kenneth W. Burton (1971) Zachary J. Greene (1971) Douglas J. Swanson (1971) Stephen C. Alexander (1972) Coy E. Holstein Jr. (1972) William A. Miles (1972) Robert L. Jeffers (1973) Stephen P. Rodgers (1973) Robert W. Sexton Jr. (1973) James T. Cunningham (1974) 4 Henry A. Huggins III (1974) Thomas E. Masterson (1974) Samuel G. McNeill (1974) Weston N. Miller (1974) George J. Ball (1977) Joseph E. Carter III (1977) Frank S. Jackson Jr. (1977) Jeffrey L. Newlin (1977) Virgil W. Webb III (1977) Michael J. Gough (1978) Keith M. Hays (1978) Mark T. Miller (1978) Samuel W. Wilder (1978) David J. Walker (1979) Brian E. Gaffin (1980) Mason E. Powell (1980) Gary W. Woods (1980) Gregory W. Heinen (1981) William J. Grasty Jr. (1982)                 Michael A. Kobetsky (1984) James P. Duncker (1985) James B. Elam (1985) Michael A. Brown (1986) James M. Hall (1994) Daniel C. Gabhart (1995) Todd H. Barnes (1996) Robert D. Hallquist (1996) Stephen M. McHenry (1996) Kevin L. Hayes (1997) Peter T. Preisler (1997) Wesley D. Hollan (2001) Kenneth K. Fletcher (2002) James E. McMillian )2003) Daniel P. Eaton (2004) James C. Monroe (2004) *If you have any informa on on our missing Brothers, please feel free to contact the chapter so that we can re‐connect with them.