THETA FIJI THETA CHAPTER OF PHI GAMMA DELTA AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA s FALL 2014 Jim Andrews ’81 Says Chapter Room Will Be Crown Jewel of House Brothers Encouraged to Donate Today P hi Gamma Delta has been a point of pride for Jim Andrews ’81 since he made the choice to join. He looked up to the older members in the Chapter whose behavior he tried to emulate. “Theta Chapter is unquestionably one of my proudest associations,” Jim said. While in the Chapter, Jim held the positions of Recruitment Chairman and President. He learned many skills that he was able to take into the business world. “I think the Fraternity teaches perseverance. I learned a lot of management skills through Phi Gam, and I gained skills in dealing with people,” Jim said. Jim earned a B.A. in advertising from The University of Alabama and began a career in real estate right out of college. Today he is the president of Litho Publishing, a publishing company he founded in 2000, responsible for apartment guides, directories, websites, mobile applications, and other leasing tools for property owners and managers. Jim is also involved in the role of business development for Capital One Commercial Banking, formally known as Beech Street Capital, which provides a vast array of permanent financing options for all classifications of stabilized income real estate assets. Room. “One of the things that sets us apart is our ritual—it’s just beautiful. Right now, we can’t get the entire Chapter, or even a representative sample of the Chapter in the Chapter Room. That’s who we are, those rituals and creeds, pledges and promises that we made. There’s a lot lost when you can’t do it in a Chapter Room setting,” Jim said. Phi Gams have had an influence on Jim’s personal and professional life since graduation. His first job out of college was for a company founded by two Phi Gams, Harry Pritchett ’30 and Marlin D. Moore ’34. Their fraternal bond had an impact on Jim is proud of the facility that Theta Chapter has his obtaining that position. Several maintained since the renovation, and believes alumni from Jim’s era stay in that the new Chapter Room will be the crowning touch, going on an annual fishing jewel of the house. “When we decided to trip, among other activities. There renovate instead of building new, we maintained are about 30 brothers in their the charm and character of the house. I think the group that remain very close Chapter Room project, designed by Cary friends. “We are always Hallingsworth, puts on the finishing Join Jim at each other’s weddings, births, by touches,” he said. Donating and funerals—a lot of big events in to life,” Jim said. Jim and his wife, Beth, a University the Chapt of Alabama Alpha Gamma er Room Pro The Chapter Room project has Delta, will celebrate 30 years of ject marriage become a passion of Jim’s, and this year. The couple lives TODAY! he has been spearheading the in Birmingham. Two of their three fundraising efforts behind the endeavor. daughters are Kappa Deltas at The He explains that he got involved out of University of Alabama, and their youngest necessity. As a previous House Corporation will be a senior in high school this fall. Jim is an President, Jim has attended several initiation avid outdoorsman and enjoys backpacking and ceremonies and noticed that the ritual could not fishing in his free time. You can contact him at be conducted properly because of the Chapter jim@lithopublishing.com. Chapter Recognized as Fraternity of The Year Focus on Academics and Philanthropy Pushes Theta to the Top T Recording Secretary Drew Janssen ’15, along with many other undergraduate brothers, helped organize a Relay for Life team that raised over $5,000 for cancer research and awareness. INSIDE: he men of Phi Gamma Delta have concluded another successful semester on campus and look to expand Theta Chapter legacy in the coming year. We are finishing the summer having given out 40 bids to young men from throughout the country. Over this past year we have excelled in academics, philanthropy, and campus involvement. Our achievements were confirmed through receiving the Dr. Robert Whitt Fraternity of The Year Award. (Continued on page 2) Alumni Reconnect at Pig Dinner Page 2 • Thank You, Dedicated Thetas Page 3 • Welcome, New Members Page 3 \r\nPAGE 2 THETA FIJI Chapter Recognized as Fraternity of The Year (Continued from page 1) Chapter Ranks Seventh in GPA Theta Chapter is continuing its focus on academics and philanthropy. We had a successful spring in the classroom, with a GPA of 3.17, ranking seventh among fraternities on campus. This fall we intend on keeping Phi Gamma Delta among the academic elite. Walker Philips ’16 helps package unused food from an Alabama basketball game as a part of Phi Gam’s 5th Quarter philanthropy program. Focus on Philanthropy The men of Theta Chapter have vastly expanded our commitment to philanthropy. Over the past year, the Chapter has contributed over 4,500 hours of community service. We have continued to build on our Fifth Quarter service initiative, where we have collected over 16,000 pounds of food for individuals in need. We also hosted Crawfish for a Cure, benefitting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, in which a group of Greek organizations raised $9,000. Additionally, the Chapter raised over $4,000 for Relay for Life, collected 2,500 cans for Tuscaloosa Community Kitchen, and helped raise more than $10,000 for testicular cancer research. Theta Members Are Leaders on Campus Theta members excelled in campus involvement over the past year. Last spring four of our members participated in Capstone Men and Women. We also had members involved with Chapter Officers President Martin Toole ’15 Orlando, Fla. mgtoole@crimson.ua.edu (407) 592-4281 Corresponding Secretary Win Knowles ’15 Montgomery, Ala. Recording Secretary Drew Janssen ’15 Huntsville, Ala. Treasurer Mark Hollenbeck ’16 Fayetteville, Ark. Historian Jonathan Laufe ’16 Pittsburgh, Pa. Recruitment Chairmen Spencer Gruber ’16 Memphis, Tenn. nsgruber@crimson.ua.edu (901) 834-7004 Reed Loeffel ’16 Franklin, Tenn. rbloeffel@crimson.ua.edu (615) 339-5637 various positions in SGA. In addition, many of our members lead various student organizations on campus. We look forward to seeing everyone this fall for football season. Join us in front of the Chapter House before each home game for a pre-game tailgate. Come and help us cheer on the Crimson Tide to another successful season. Roll Tide! Fraternally, Martin Toole ’13 Chapter President mgtoole@crimson.ua.edu Perge! Congratulations to Theta Chapter for Winning the Dr. Robert Whitt Fraternity of The Year Award! ALUMNI RECONNECT AT PIG DINNER T he annual Pig Dinner was held this year on April 12. It was scheduled for a weekend instead of an A-Day in an effort to boost attendance. Stephen Collins ’88 was the speaker, and he shared his business experiences from owning several technology companies, taking them to IPOs and later selling to larger companies, such as Google. I found his experiences and life story to be of interest to young and old alike. Thank you Stephen, for sharing with us! Instead of catering this year, our new cook, Chef Chris, prepared the entire meal. The food was fabulous. He grilled the meat on the new grills that will be used for Saturday football games this fall. We look forward to seeing you at those events. Alumni, we are always looking for ways to improve the Pig Dinner experience. Send me, or another board member, your feedback of the event. Fraternally, Neal Hutchinson ’84 Incoming Board of Chapter Advisors President neal@mcgowinking.com Chef Chris and the kitchen staff slow smoked this pig for the annual Norris Pig Dinner. \r\nPAGE 3 THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA Thank You, Dedicated Thetas, for Your Service Board of Chapter Advisors Acknowledges Outgoing Members and Welcomes New Ones A s I begin my last message as President, I once again get to share excellent academic news: with an overall GPA of 3.17, Theta ranked seventh highest on campus among fraternities exceeding 100 members. This puts us above the all-undergraduate average, the all-fraternity average, and the all-men’s average—quite an accomplishment and objective proof that we continue to recruit and retain men of the highest quality. Housemother Begins Tenure Allow me to welcome our new housemother, Jayne Fisher. Jayne began her time with Theta in the spring and has done an amazing job. We could not be happier to have her. Please make sure to meet her this fall for Saturday football games. Graduate Recruitment Committee Updates Donny Troiano ’79 has dedicated hundreds, if not thousands, of hours to Theta over the last several years on the Recruitment Committee. We would never have achieved the success we have all enjoyed without his efforts. Please join me in thanking Donny for his service in this capacity as he steps away from the Recruitment Committee. We look forward to Donny continuing to serve on the board in an Emeritus role. Chas Pell ’85 has taken Donny’s place. Please submit recruitment candidate information to www.thetafiji.com. Incoming Board President Welcomed Many have passed through the Theta doors, but none have exhibited the passion and loyalty more so than Neal Hutchinson ’84. I am very proud to introduce Neal as the incoming President of the Board of Chapter Advisors. Neal has served on the board for many years in various capacities. He has spearheaded many successful Pig Dinners along with running our website. The Board, and Theta, will be in good hands. New Treasurer Joins Board I would be remiss in not specifically thanking Clay Morris ’83 for all of his guidance, wisdom, and hard work as Treasurer during my time as President. We all owe a debt of gratitude to Clay for his dedication to Theta and I will be eternally grateful. Beginning in August, Clay will be turning the Treasurer reigns over to John Collier ’06. John is a former undergraduate Treasurer and President and will do a fine job replacing Clay. In this space, several years ago, I wrote that we all had a vested interest in Theta. That rings more true today than ever. I would encourage you to get involved, find out how you can participate, and become part of the very bright future for our great Fraternity. Thank you for allowing me to serve. Fraternally, Hughston Nichols ’03 Outgoing Board of Chapter Advisors President Perge! WELCOME, NEW PLEDGES Adam Anderson ’18* Dallas, Texas Physical Therapy Stiles Dickson ’18 Montgomery, Ala. Business Matthew Papich ’18 Decatur, Ala. Business Michael Azar ’18* Montgomery, Ala. Accounting Jake Estes ’18 Nashville, Tenn. Business Michael Baker ’18 Memphis, Tenn. Mechanical Engineering Matthew Farris ’18 Birmingham, Ala. Accounting Rutland Patterson ’18 Birmingham, Ala. Computer Science Engineering Frank Benckart ’18 Pittsburgh, Pa. Finance Phillip Botes ’18* Birmingham, Ala. Marketing Curtis Bowden ’18 Birmingham, Ala. Civil Engineering Taylor Bright ’18* Nashville, Tenn. Business Lukas Brown ’18 Athens, Ala. Criminal Justice Chris Burgoon ’18 Huntsville, Ala. Business Luke Cochran ’18 Nashville, Tenn. Accounting Will Cochran ’18 Montgomery, Ala. Business Kane Davenport ’18 Montgomery, Ala. Pre-Law Ryan Denmark ’18 Birmingham, Ala. Business Management Banks Fulmer ’18 Birmingham, Ala. Engineering Sam Harwell ’18 Nashville, Tenn. Marketing William Holbrook ’18 Nashville, Tenn. Accounting Miller Jackson ’18 Huntsville, Ala. Business John Jennings ’18 Charlotte, N.C. Business Tucker Martin ’18* Birmingham, Ala. Business Wyatt McClellan ’18 Nashville, Tenn. Undecided Sam McLaughlin ’18 Montgomery, Ala. Business Sean Mcvay ’18 Atlanta, Ga. Pre-Law Carson Seay ’18 Birmingham, Ala. Geology Ashton Silverstein ’18 Mobile, Ala. Real Estate Finance Duncan Smith ’18 Nashville, Tenn. Undecided Sam Stewart ’18* Birmingham, Ala. Business Management Jack Suddes ’18 Atlanta, Ga. Business Jason Tabet ’18 Dallas, Texas Finance Gerrit Vanderwerff ’18 Huntsville, Ala. Business Tucker Voges ’18 Nashville, Tenn. Marketing Blake Wing ’18 Birmingham, Ala. Nursing/Pre-Medicine Blythe Woods ’18 Birmingham, Ala. Chemical Engineering Austin Menard ’18 *Legacy Tuscaloosa, Ala. Biology – Pre-medicine Charlie Nelson ’18 Huntsville, Ala. Pre-physical Therapy \r\nTHETA FIJI PHI GAMMA DELTA THETA CHAPTER P.O. Box 131385 Birmingham, AL 35213 Address Service Requested ATTENTION: This newsletter is intended for Phi Gamma Delta alumni and parents. If your son is still attending The University of Alabama, he will receive a copy at the Chapter House. If he has graduated, please send us his permanent address to update our records. Thank you. 2014 Crimson Tide Football Aug. 30 vs. West Virginia Sept. 6 vs. Florida Atlantic Sept. 13 vs. Southern Miss Sept. 20 vs. Florida Oct. 4 at Ole Miss Oct. 11 at Arkansas Oct. 18 vs. Texas A&M Oct 25 at Tennessee Nov. 8 at LSU Nov. 15 vs. Mississippi State Nov. 22 vs. Western Carolina Nov. 29 vs. Auburn