April 2014 UPCOMING EVENT Homecoming November 15 GRADUATE OFFICERS GRADUATE REPORT Epsilon of Phi Gamma Delta, Inc. Not for College Days Alone President David Batten ‘79 919-782-3999 dbatten@battenlee.com Treasurer Charles Bell ‘91 Fundraising Chairman John Maddison ‘01 House Maintenance Chairman John Hughes Graduate Communications Chairman Oliver Wheeler ‘01 Board Members Paul McCoy ‘98 Matt Vaughan ‘01 Mike Brown ‘04 Jeff Cooke ‘01 Undergraduate Officers Epsilon Chapter President Kevin DePopas Treasurer Wilkins Zollicoffer Recording Secretary Gilbert Templeton Corresponding Secretary Samuel Duckett Historian Nicholas Graham The Epsilon Owl Epsilon of Phi Gamma Delta, Inc. Provides Opportunities to Honor Lifelong Commitment to Fraternity By David Batten, President We all made the promise as undergraduates to follow the Fraternity’s motto, “Not for College Days Alone.” As president of Epsilon of Phi Gamma Delta, Inc., it is my mission to ensure that there are plenty of opportunities for you to honor your lifelong commitment to Phi Gamma Delta. Most recently, brothers young and old came together to celebrate Pig Dinner on March 28. Read more about that event on page 4. Our graduate association exists to keep you connected with Epsilon Chapter, and the friends you made there, in the years after graduation. Whether you left UNC last year or half a century ago, you are a part of a brotherhood more than 1,100 strong. If you’ve lost touch with us over the years, please make this the year you renew your participation with Epsilon Chapter. A group of fantastic volunteers heads up our graduate association, from advising our active chapter to planning our events to making sure that the organization is fiscally sound. Your active participation serves as a vote of support for the volunteers who are working hard to ensure that our chapter exists for generations to come, and that you can get the most out of your graduate experience. The most critical way you can get involved is through your financial support (see page 3 for more information). Then, visit our web site, sign up for our monthly eLetters, share stories and pictures for a forthcoming publication, and plan to attend an upcoming event. Remember, Phi Gam is “Not for College Days Alone.” Epsilon of Phi Gamma Delta, Inc. makes it easy for you to renew your commitment. BY THE NUMBERS Counting On Your Involvement to Keep Our Database Clean Epsilon of Phi Gamma Delta, Inc. works in partnership with a third‑party graduate relations firm to maintain a clean database of our broth‑ ers to ensure we’re reaching as many of you as possible through our print and electronic com‑ munications. As brothers move and change jobs, we sometimes lose touch of their current mailing and email addresses. This is a snapshot of our database to date. Visit www.epsilonpgd.com to view full lists of our lost brothers and help us to update their contact information (or update your own if you haven’t been receiving our email publications). www.epsilonpgd.com Our database is used solely for Phi Gam com‑ munications and will never be traded or sold. *Total graduates:  1,155 Valid mailing addresses:  833 Valid email addresses:  491 (55% of living graduates) Lost brothers:  63 (no current mailing list on file) All‑time annual fund donors: 565 (49% of all graduates) *Includes 248 deceased 1 \r\nGRADUATE UPDATES Kenneth Cannaday ’68 (2527 Dilworth Heights Lane, Charlotte, NC 28209; kcannaday@att.net) A group of Phi Gams from the classes of 1965‑1968 recently gathered to remember our Phi Gam contemporary, Brother Gordon Aycock, whom we lost earlier this year. Weathersbee ’74, Fairfax Reynolds ’75 and I, along with our wives, visited Debbie and Chuck Holderness ’74 at their home in Boynton Beach, Fla. It was a wonderful break from the miserable winter weather and great to reminisce about old Phi Gam memories and catch up on everyone’s family. Tom Laney ’66 shared this touching tribute to his fellow Phi Gam pledge brother Gordon Aycock, with whom he shared a unique experience. Both Tom and Gordon were initiated into the fraternity decades after graduation. Tom writes “After college we went our different ways. I lost track of Gordon until about 10 years ago when I learned he was married and living in Florida. I gave him a call and we started staying in touch. When Gordon learned that I was investigating being initiated into our fraternity (which I had been unable to do while in college because of grades) he told me that he had not been initiated either, and we decided to join at the same time. After getting the OK from the local and national chapters, we became the oldest inductees into Phi Gamma Delta to date, at age 61. Gordon and I had agreed that initiation was an unfulfilled part of our lives that needed correcting, no matter how late. With little fanfare and a few close fraternity brothers in attendance, we were initiated in April 2006.” Read Tom’s full memorial tribute to Gordon at www.epsilonpgd.com. Donald Hardee ’76 (1912 Forest Hills Dr., Greenville, NC 27858; hardee.don@gmail.com) Thanks to Jim Sessoms for arranging a recent trip back to UNC for (L to R): Jimmy Royall, Jim Sessoms, myself, Dixon Fleming, Russ Andrews and John Daw. The weekend included dinner at his home Friday night, tailgating at the UNC ECU game, and a round of golf. We were later joined by Bob Hortman, Jeff Headlee, Lee Boddie, Marvin Carver, Buck Buckman, Jerry Coates and Reid Rhodes, and their spouses. Bob Cherry ’73 (1731 Azalea Dr., Wilmington, NC 28403; wrc@mwglaw.com) I am still practicing law with the same firm, of which I am managing partner. I’m glad to have my son and three grandchildren close by. My son was a UNC Phi Gam in the class of 2002. Steve Cornwell ’74 (1110 East Morehead St., Charlotte, NC 28204; slcornwell@cdspangler.com) In February of this year Ray Moore ’74, Sandy (L to R): Brothers Moore, Holderness, Cornwell, Weathersbee and Reynolds. 2 Charles DuBose ’80 (225 Wellington Drive, Charlottesville, VA 22903; cfdubose@gmail.com) My daughter (Blissie Du Bose) is a 1st year at UNC! She was recently named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division I National Academic Squad, which recognizes student‑athletes who achieved a GPA of 3.3 or better during the fall 2013 semester. GO HEELS! John Lowe ’86 (3352 Alleghany Dr., Raleigh, NC 27609; john.lowe@parksertlingbank.com) I am a Senior Vice President with Park Sterling Bank in Raleigh. My wife Cameron and I spend most of our free time watching my 16‑ and 14‑year‑old sons play basketball and my 12‑year‑old daughter play volleyball. I regularly have lunch with Johnny Lyon, Reid Jones, David Gwyn and Bryan Pennington. Bryan Tate ’92 (2818 Shandy Ln., Wilmington, NC 28409; tatedds@bizec.rr.com) I’m currently practicing Family/Cosmetic Dentistry. I’m married to www.epsilonpgd.com Tracy Shuford Tate and we have three kids, ages 8, 5 and 3. Bryan and Tracy Tate at the Wake Forest beatdown. Tram Williams ’05 (2113 Randolph Rd., Wilmington, NC 28403; tram.williams@gmail.com) Caroline and I are still living in Wilmington and had our first child on January 10. James “Baker” Williams is a healthy and happy little boy, and we could not feel more fortunate. Hopefully he will be a Tar Heel one day…and maybe even a Phi Gam! Jack Lynch ’06 (2546 Buena Vista Rd., Winston‑Salem, NC 27104; Jack.Lynch@bbandt.com) Cate and I had our first child on February 2, 2014, Mary Bridges “Molly” Lynch, during the first quarter of the Super Bowl. So far, we’ve been successful in keeping her as far away from Steve Hudock ’06 as possible! Carroll Oglesby III ’10 (205 East 72 Street, Apt. 2I, New York, NY 10021; carroll.oglesby@gmail.com) I’m cur‑ rently working at Deloitte as a senior consul‑ tant. Looking forward to getting back and see‑ ing everyone for a football game in the fall! Thomas Rhodes ’10 (525 Ledbetter Court, Raleigh, NC 27608; trhodes87@gmail.com) I recently moved from Charlotte to Raleigh, and am working for John Hackney Agency of Rocky Mount as a producer. We are a full service, multi‑line independent insurance agency. April 2014 \r\nANNUAL FUND UPDATE Why Is It Important to Give? As a reminder, the board compiled a list of our most pressing needs and desired activities back in September. This “wish list” is supported exclusively through the generosity of brothers like you. Why is it important to give, and what do we do with your donations? • The support we receive from graduates goes directly back to you in the form of communications, events and other opportunities to help you maintain a lifelong bond to the fraternity and your friends. More support will help us grow and improve these important efforts. • Graduate giving allows us to support our undergraduate members as they seek the 2013-14 Annual Fund same benefits we enjoyed‑leadership and character development, opportunities for community service and philanthropy, and a support network of lifelong friendships. • Our legacy is in all our hands. Making a gift goes a long way to assuring that we continue to be here for one another and for future generations of brothers. Our goal is to raise $25,000 to meet our expenses and to improve the graduate relations experience for all brothers. So far this year, we’ve raised $13,780—so we really need each and every brother to step up and give back. Your participation is critical to our program’s continued success. Raised to Date: $13,780 Goal: $25,000 Make your gift online at www.epsilonpgd.com or by calling 800‑975‑6699. 2013‑14 ANNUAL FUND HONOR ROLL This Issue of Our Newsletter Brought to You By… Thank you to the following graduates for their donations since our giving year began September 1… White Owls ($500‑$999.99) Stephen L. Cornwell 1974 Charles R. Hardee 1978 Purple Club ($250‑$499.99) William D. Smith Sr. 1953 Joe Lamb Jr. 1956 Josephus L. Mavretic 1956 Thomas E. Capps 1958 Laurence B. Maddison Jr. 1965 Andrew H. Weathersbee 1974 Marvin J. Carver III 1975 Joe L. Hodge Jr. 1978 Ronald A Batchelor 1981 Thomas O. Hollinshed 1982 Stephen L. Wheeless 1982 James M. Lilley 1985 David G. McClure 1993 David F. McGowan III 2001 Thomas F. Darden III 2002 Russell E. Byrd 2003 1848 Society ($184.80‑$249.99) E. Lewis Bryan Ensley A. Laney Jr. W. Ward Marslender Eugene E. Record Jr. Burt Aycock Jr. John B. Beall Leon Ward Sylvester III The Epsilon Owl 1953 1953 1962 1963 1964 1970 1985 J. Franklin Wood Jr. Laurence B. Maddison III James M. Tanner III Churchill Bunn 1989 1992 1992 2006 Hut Club ($100‑$184.79) E. Claiborne Irby 1948 James C. Lanier Jr. 1948 Thomas P. Stratford 1948 Harry G. Walker Jr. 1949 Alfred W. Griffin Jr. 1950 Horace E. Stacy Jr. 1950 Henry N. Lee Jr. 1952 William C. Brewer Jr. 1953 James M. Dillon 1953 Joseph H. Nelson 1953 Howard A. Penton Jr. 1953 Charles W. Higgins Jr. 1954 James W. Maynard 1954 James Allen Hill Jr. 1956 William H. Redding Jr. 1958 W. Victor Venters II 1958 Marvin E. Ward 1958 Welton Curtis Sewell 1959 Jack H. Spain Jr. 1960 James B. Sloan 1962 William C. Nelson Jr. 1965 James M. Tanner Jr. 1968 Charles P. Gaskins Jr. 1969 George W. Paschal III 1969 John T. Stanley 1971 Harrison K. Gaskins Edward L. Williamson Jr. John M. Winesette Edmund T. Buckman III Robert P. Hortman Laurence E. Lilley Jr. James B. Sessoms John H. Coffman William E. Williams Reid Jones Jr. Henry M. Kidd Harlan Edward Boyles Jr. Michael B. Holder Gregory L. Richardson Norborne Gee Smith III Alfred W. Griffin III David P. Gwyn Stephen P Covington Edwin D. Miller Robert L. Edwards Jr. Joseph S. Hogan H. Alexander Winters II David C. Burkhardt Jonathan C. Anders David M. Connor III John Isaac Southerland Graham Edward Farless 1973 1973 1974 1975 1976 1976 1976 1981 1981 1982 1983 1984 1984 1984 1984 1987 1987 1988 1988 1989 1990 1990 1991 1992 1992 2000 2004 Fijis ($50‑$99.99) Raymond H. Goodrich Jr. 1943 Thomas B. Lathrop 1947 www.epsilonpgd.com Dixie E. Greene 1948 William P. Mayo 1948 Nevin J. Rice 1948 Frank P. Meadows Jr. 1949 John S. Whichard 1950 William H. White Jr. 1951 R. Bryant Hare III 1953 Richard C. Pattisall 1960 Thomas Laney 1966 Kevin A. Shwedo 1978 C. Paisley Gordon Jr. 1989 Wood Beasley Gibbs 2001 Edwin M. Braswell III 2003 Bryan P. Darch 2004 Thomas Berry Tayloe 2005 Kyle H. Woodruff 2005 Elliott Burton Farless 2008 William Whitfield Newton 2008 Matthew Webb Bostic 2010 Graduates Club (Up to $49.99) Thomas L. Stockwell 1946 Edward Harvie Hill Jr. 1964 Wesley Hastings Elden 2000 Reflects gifts received as of April 14, 2014. 3 \r\n778‑179 SN MH HONORED BROTHERS Pig Dinner Guest Speaker is an Accomplished Writer, Civil War Re‑Enactor Our 2014 Pig Dinner guest speaker was Clint Johnson ’75, an Upsilon Phi brother (University of Florida), who lives in Ashe County, NC. He graduated with a degree in journalism and spent the early part of his career writing for magazines, newspapers and public relations firms. Since 1993 he has been a full‑time writer specializing in business news, and writing history and historical travel books (www. ClintJohnsonBooks.com) for a variety of national publishers. He is a Civil War re‑enactor with the 26th Regiment of North Carolina Troops, the same regiment that Zebulon Vance commanded at the beginning of the war. Mr. Johnson remains an active supporter of the Phi Gamma Delta Educational Foundation and the national graduate chapter. His Norris Pig Dinner talk focused on what Zebulon Vance accomplished with his life, starting with his experience at the University of North Carolina and Phi Gamma Delta. Mr. Johnson also discussed the current restoration project for the Zeb Vance monument in downtown Asheville. Clint Johnson GRADUATE EVENTS The 2014 Norris Pig Dinner was Friday, March 28th in the Magnolia Banquet Room of the Rizzo Conference Center. In attendance were 95 current brothers and alumni who enjoyed southern style BBQ and a wonderful guest speaker, Clint Johnson (find his bio and a summary of his speech above). In my opinion, one of the most memorable events at Pig Dinner was interacting with Jerome C. “Pop” Cashion ’63. Pop was able to give his award and speak with many of the brothers about his time as Epsilon’s Purple Legionnaire, which was a special opportunity because his health is becoming more sensitive with age. Marvin Carver ’75, our current Purple Legionnaire, announced the brother awards. The graduate brother who travelled the farthest to be at the event was Michael Holder ’84, a current sophomore’s father from Dallas, Texas. The following awards were presented to worthy undergraduates at this year’s Pig Dinner… Tyler Haynes Scholarship Award – Highest Chapter GPA Zach Aldridge, sophomore (Greenville, NC) Luther J. Phipps – Purple Award – Most Outstanding Brother Thomas Webster, junior (Greensboro, NC) Marvin J. Carver III – Most Improved Scholarship Award Nick Graham, senior (Kitty Hawk, NC) Lawrence M. Johnson – Most Outstanding Senior Award Kevin DePopas, senior (Greensboro, NC) Jerome C. “Pop” Cashion – Most Outstanding Pledge Award Maclin Batchelor, freshman (Raleigh, NC) Address Service Requested By Thomas Webster Pig Dinner Awards 778‑179 Nearly 100 Phi Gams Gather to Celebrate Bonds of Brotherhood at 2014 Pig Dinner ‑ Being a Phi Gam is Not for College Days Alone ‑ ‘70s Graduates Keep the Brotherhood Bonds Going Strong ‑ Are You in the 49%? In this Issue... PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID State College, Pa. Permit No. 2 4 www.epsilonpgd.com April 2014