NEWSLETTERS Troy TEKE Vol 2001/1 A Publication of the Beta Sigma Alumni Association July 2001 Beta Sig Takes to the Links Third Annual TKE Golf Classic Set for August 4th It was once said of Happy Gilmore (golf film legend), "He doesn't play golf, he destroys it." That about sums it up for the annual TKE Golf Classic. Last year, the field included golf greats the likes of John Bibeau, Matt Weinberger, and Chris Eber. "I see two balls down there," described long-knocker, Paul Longhenry after a few (dozen) beers. "This is a great way get ready the football season," remarked recent graduate Andrew Gray. With so many alumni and friends meeting up at "The Tent" before football games, the TKE Golf Classic allows many fraters to catch up on their lives since the prior football season. This year the TKE Classic will be held on Saturday, August 4 at Meadowlark Golf Course in Huntington Beach. Holding the event on a Saturday promises to allow more fraters to attend. And, it's a great deal. By playing in the golf tournament and paying your annual membership dues at the same time, you can earn a deep discount on your dues. We will have on-course contests including long-drive and closest to the hole. Because the format of play is a "Scramble" good and well, not-so-good golfers can enjoy themselves. In a "Scramble" each player hits his shot, then moves his ball to the location of the best shot from the four-man team. There's no fear of shooting those dreaded 10's an 11's. The TKE Classic has become a mainstay for the Alumni Association. Plan on joining us this year. The entry form is inside this newsletter and is due by Friday, July 20. Simply cut off the entry form and send it in. Call Mark Easterday at 888-813-1782 or email him at mark_easterday@ml.com. "The Tent" Fights On! Everyone loves "the Tent!" It has grown in to the largest independent tailgate party at USC thanks to all of you. With the Trojan Football team struggling lately, the tent has been a welcome diversion from what goes on inside the Coliseum. Last year the tent underwent some minor, yet significant changes. A new tent cover was purchased. For the first time we auditioned the idea of having the meal catered during three of the games. The food and presentation was well-received. However, the costs of catering for up to 300 people became an issue. We also purchased a new 20 foot banner to proudly display the TKE name. When fans approach the Colisuem, they cannot help but notice our banner and the party going on under the tent. Last year we enrolled more members and with the new dues structure, we raised more money than ever before. The Alumni Associaton graciously thanks all members who joined last year. Especially, those who joined as inaugural Cherry & Grey Members. We look forward to another exciting year outside the Colisuem - and with our new football coaching staff, hopefully an exciting year inside the Coliseum. Heard From the Bond: Steve Latin, has gotten his feet wet in Boston after graduation in 2000. Dean Bosche was married to Ann on June 2, 2001. Jason Angelos was engaged in Spring 2001 and will marry Stephanie in July 2002. Jason continues to work for Accenture with recent assignments in New Orleans and Napa for Wine.com. James Cox of Walnut Creek holds down the NorCal Beta Sig contingent with along with Peter Gutzwiller who was married earlier this year. Another NorCal Beta Sig, Joe Ramirez is working on the Clorox Bleach account at DDB Advertising. Troy Dog, his 4 year old lab, is doing well and graduated from Doggy School. Gerald P. Carr is fully retired from the Aerospace Industry (a humble way of saying he saw the earth from far away) and is working in his wife's sculpture studio as her assistant. Congratulations! Dr. Justin B. Nast is active duty at Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. He and his wife Liz have a 4 month old daughter, Juliette. Richard Shinar (BS 483) has been named to the Board of Counselors for the USC School of Pharmacy. David S. Oakley (#87) is the Vice President of the new Senior Center Foundation in Encinitas, CA. He has been raising funds for a van and other equipment the center will need for its opening in August 2001. Pat Rowland is enjoying retirement at Lake of the Woods, Virginia and doing volunteer work for the Catholic Students Association at Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, VA. Andrew (Jim) Robertson is still flying Boeing 777s to Europe for United Airlines. Arlyn Baggot graduated this year with his MBA from ASU. Wil Simpson is buying toys for Warner Bros. Studio Stores. Wil is also active in martial arts and had his first full contact fight in November 2000. We haven't heard from him since. Stan Gottlieb (BS 356) is semi-retired director of contracts at TRW. Henry Marvin is president of Stephen B. Marvin Insurance Agency in Lancaster. He is married to Lisa and has two daughters, Morgan and Brooke. David Ferris (#650) wanted to update us on two other fraters: Johnny Dau (#644) is alive and well and working in the computer industry in San Jose and Tom Miller (#643) was named Glendale, CA Man of the Year 2000 and elected President of the Glendale Kiwanis Club of 200 members. Gene Herrera married his longtime girlfriend, Elaine in May of 2001. Charles Cobb (BS 42) wanted to let us know that Frater Al Rodder of Fresno, CA passed away in January 2000. Frater Rodder was a retired shoe store owner and was a long time member of the Paul Revere Masonic lodge in San Francisco. Paul Comi's company, Caffe D'Amore, a coffee bean company has landed major accounts around the world. Greg Woodson, who sits on the TKE Education Foundation Board of Directors, bought a vacation and future retirement site in Incline Village, Nevada. Greg has worked for Colgate Palmolive for 25 years in New York and is still troubled by the weather difference between there and sunny SoCal. Mike Ranshaw (#940) was recently engaged to his long-time girlfriend, Ashley. Bryan Weinstein also was recently engaged and enjoying success in the mortgage industry. Another young gun of the 90s, Eric Olson, has recently started his own insurance company in San Diego. Oh yeah, I (Mark Easterday #888) got engaged, too. I figured after dragging Maggie to the tent 4 hours before each home game to set up, I better give her a ring and keep her around. Thanks for all the great updates. Keep them coming! Board Planning Big Improvements Thomas J. Rule #805 The Scorpion Benefit Corporation, otherwise known as the Board of Control has spearheaded an ongoing improvement plan since the early '90s that will culminate in the construction of a new facility where TKE East currently stands. We intend on preserving and maintaining the original TKE West facility as long as it is functional to the chapter's needs. As most of you know, both structures were originally built around the turn of the last century. They have both undergone many facelifts and alteration throughout the years and require constant maintenance and attention. However, the TKE East structure has become a burden that we cannot continue to maintain for much longer. East's antiquated electrical and plumbing systems are a continuing source of problems for both the Board and Chapter. While we continue to make ongoing improvements to both houses we have made a concerted effort to save the seed money necessary to build a new structure where TKE East currently stands. We have currently saved nearly $150,000 towards the project. The Board of Control has organized a new building subcommittee and is currently meeting to discuss the TKE East project and its timetable for construction. If you have not stopped by in the last few years, many things have changed and been improved. Some of those recent improvements include a modern kitchen, new dining room windows, new front yard landscaping, a high-speed DSL network, and a new roof on TKE West. We have also installed the long awaited doors between the houses with an interconnect patio and deck that now allows access from West dining room to the first floor of East. As many of you might remember, this direct access between houses was touted as a necessity since the Board purchased the East facility in the '70s. The area between the houses that once doubled as a makeshift trash dump and "no man's land" is now a place to gather with many of the chapter's social functions taking place within. We have come to an important technological crossroads with regard to the personal computer and Internet revolution and its effect on the University environment and fraternity life. Now nearly every freshman arrives at USC with a laptop and the need for someplace in which to plug it in. This last school year we installed one of the first high speed DSL networks on the Row with the generous financial support of many alumni. Now every room has multiple network outlets connected to a central server located within the house. Members have unlimited access to the high-speed network which connects to the University via the Internet. We would again like to thank those alumni who made it possible. State of the Chapter Prytanis - Chris Jackson #1046 As another school year ends and summer begins, I have a little time to reflect on the tumultuous school year that I called my first term as President. For many of you, you understand the difficulty of trying to be a leader in your peers' eyes, trying to prevent the accidents and problems I'm so often a part of. For some of you, your years in the house were a time to sit back and enjoy everything that came to pass. Regardless of rank or status, we all are or were members of Tau Kappa Epsilon and share a common bond. Now to the task at hand. I've been asked to take a retrospective look at this last semester. To get straight to the point, this was one of the best semesters I've seen this house have. Not only were we able to maintain the row's second highest GPA at 3.14 but we also made leaps and bounds socially while securing our seventh straight IRONMAN Championship. For a lot of us the list doesn't seem that impressive because we have begun to take our success for granted. But I think one of the real wake-up calls for us was when three of the other top fraternities on the row made explicit their challenge to steal the IRONMAN crown. These houses can no longer claim we win because there isn't any competition, or any of the other excuses they use. Our victory was accomplished by winning major sports like football and softball and consistently being in the top three otherwise. Along with winning major events we took first in minors like badminton, bowling and the Nike Swoosh Challenge. Socially this fraternity took leaps and bounds this semester. New and creative Thursday events like Tacos and Tequila and Sushi and Sake have created tighter and more cohesive bonds between us and some of the prominent sororities like DG and Kappa. And these were minor in comparison to the bond we created with Pi Phi this year at Songfest. Unfortunately, we only took second in the competition, but the friendships and events we've secured with them have made the whole experience worth more then the trophy alone. And remember this was all done while maintaining a top GPA. I've saved two of our best events for last. As usual the annual TKE Volleyball Tournament and RCB remained the spring semester's premier events. Theta won the tourney for the second year in a row and is planning on the much-awaited harbor cruise, which was awarded to the winners. Along with that, though, I think it is necessary to mention that this was the best event I've seen at USC since I've been here. This isn't hype either, this is TKE emerging as a superior fraternity. Unfortunately I've had to omit tons of stuff, but nonetheless these events and all the other unmentionable ones have led to a semester I won't soon forget. I want to take the time to thank Cragin Orr, our Chapter Advisor, who has had an amazing impact on chapter moral, Dave Bohline and Apollo Interactive for all their support and lastly the rest of the Control Board who make house improvements, like DSL, possible. 4th Annual TKE Day at Park a Hit As the Trojans make their annual run to Omaha for the College Baseball World Series, Beta Sigs seem to find their way to Dedeaux Field in support. Through Greg McAndrews' generosity, the Trojans gathered to watch the Trojans defeat the Bruins in late April. "This event has really grown up. It's something I look forward to every year," stated Erik Brannon who has attended the event all four years. Thanks to Frater Greg, the Alumni Association was able to raise $240 toward programming events and the chapter gift fund. As are many events, the TKE Day at the Park was promoted strictly via email. Don't miss great events like this one. Sign up for the TKE email distribution list today. Simply email tkealumni@taukappaepsilon.com and in the body of the text (not the subject line) type subscribe@taukappaepsilon.com and you're on. You'll get all the email announcements that the Alumni Association sends out. And we won't overwhelm you. Also, by emailing the same address above, you can send email messages to fraters on the list. Do it today. Chapter Moving Forward: Chapter Advisor's Report By Cragin Orr #873 For those who don't know, I'm the new chapter advisor. I graduated from USC in 1995 and then spent four years in the Army. I moved back to Southern California two years ago and became Chapter Advisor in January of 2001. I've been the advisor for only a short time; however, in this time I've seen the house accomplish quite a bit. TKE has excelled socially, maintained one of the highest GPAs on the row, executed the best volleyball tournament that I've ever seen, put together an incredible songfest, and won Ironman for an unprecedented seventh year in-a-row. Each of these accomplishments is incredible by themselves; however, from my perspective this is not the impressive part. I'm most impressed with the motivation, leadership, and thought process that the house puts into each of these tasks. The leadership of the house sometimes feels like they are reinventing the wheel. The house is at a point where they are looking at things from a new perspective. They are not doing things "just because they are always done that way." The house is at a point of reinvention. As chapter advisor, I'm trying to help them reinvent themselves without losing some of the stronger past experiences. The house expects to succeed. My fear is that they expect it without understanding the work that goes into it. They enjoy hearing about how Alumni used to do things. They are grasping for ideas and like to have Alumni around. I would like to be the tie in between the Alumni and the new house. It's imperative that we have your involvement. There are three areas that I would like alumni help. These are with rush, employment, and just being around. First with rush, any contact information of incoming students is valuable. Additionally, the house would like to have an alumni night one night during rush. The intent of this is to show the students rushing that TKE has one of the strongest alumni associations. They can see how TKEs find other TKEs jobs and how tight the bond is after graduation. This will only be done one of the nights so that it is not a distraction to the house. The second area is with employment. I want to make it easy for alumni to hire TKEs. We plan to post graduating TKEs information on our web site. Alumni can look at the web site and see if there is a good fit for a job. Undergrads are always looking for summer employment and internships. In addition, students are looking for part-time work during the school year. I was surprised how many students were working career-building jobs during the school year. I know there are incredible opportunities out there and any help would be appreciated. The third area is simply being around. The easiest way to do this is stop by the Alumni tent in front of the Coliseum before EVERY home game. Talk to the undergrads and other alumni and build the connections. Beta Sigma HistoryProject "TKEs Remember When..." By Greg "GMAC" McAndrews BS #418 As a past Histor and a past President of the Alumni Association, I have always wanted to consolidate the many, many stories of our fraters and their exploits. Now, with the Alumni Association on the Web, I am kicking off an effort to enhance our history to supplement the scrapbooks. My plan is to have all of you call, mail, fax or e-mail stories to me. I will then edit them and log them by decades. At some point, I will have photos from the scrapbook and some of the photos from private files scanned for inclusion in the site. Hopefully, we can get enough going by football season to have a representative sampling for the pin numbers we honor at each home game. We will also have forms for alums to jot down notes at the pre-game tent for inclusion in the project. I'm open for suggestions, but the following topic areas seem to be of most interest: *House characters to remember *Pledge pranks *RF's in general *Songfest *House decorations *Homecoming floats *Trolios *Campus politics *Ironman *Weekender To protect the guilty and innocent alike, I suggest we use first names and last initials plus the year or semester. But - since this is a closed site to fraters only - a certain amount of ribald humor is allowed...and encouraged. I can be reached at: telephone - (310) 301-3035; fax - (310) 821-4187; e-mail - greg@gregmcandrews.com; mail address - Greg McAndrews & Associates, 4143 Via Marina, Suite 320-8, Marina del Rey, CA 90292. By the way, the Beta Sigma TKE website is simply: www.taukappaepsilon.com. Our guys got the name before national. Log-on and password information will be sent back to verified fraters after the first site visit and registration request. Chapter Renews Alumni Dinner Tradition By Andrew Gray #1014 On Tuesday April 3rd TKE Alumni joined the active chapter for the return of the Spring Alumni Dinner. Over 25 past TKE's returned to the house to meet up with old friends, learn about the progress of the chapter, and enjoy an excellent dinner. With the help of Jeff Johnston (the resident cooking aficionado) Margaret prepared an excellent steak and scalloped potatoes dinner. To make the evening more enjoyable there were quality drinks for everyone. The current Prytanis, Chris Jackson, along with event chairs discussed the direction of rush, our Songfest performance, the successful completion of our seventh straight Ironman championship, the social calendar, the future of chapter / alumni interactions and more. Alumni board members also spoke of the current goals and projects for house improvements along with voicing their goals for the future of TKE. Representatives from the 50's and 60's were joined by recent alumni to capture the entire range of TKE membership. The event marked an important extension of our Alumni programs in an attempt to strengthen relations between alumni members and the active chapter. The event was extremely successful especially with such short notice and it paves the way for an Annual Spring Alumni Dinner. Thank you to all the alumni who supported this event and we look forward to seeing everyone at more events in the fall. 2001 Tailgate Themes This year the TKE Trojan Tailgate (AKA "The Tent") will celebrate each decade of TKE (yes even the '70s). Take note and be there. Sep 1 SanJose State '70s Sep 8 Kansas State '40s/'50s Sep 29 Stanford '60s Oct 13 Arizona State '80s Nov 3 Oregon State Homecoming Nov 17 UCLA '90s Back