The following are the submissions received from May 2019.
To submit Chapter News and Omegas, please email communications@lambdachi.org. Undergraduate officers can also report updates on their chapter by logging on to LCAOne/Officer Portal and accessing the “Submit Chapter News” form. If you cannot find news from your chapter, then no information has been submitted for this month.
Akron (Gamma-Alpha)
The chapter held its 50th annual Bathtub Pull, an event where greek life comes together to pull a bathtub with crescent queens 10 miles collecting money from all the cars along the way. This year’s event raised more than $1,500 for the Akron Rotary Camp a program that sends children with special needs to camp for the summer. Following the event, the chapter held an alumni cookout where more than 40 alum attended and donated money towards the cause.
Arkansas State (Iota-Theta)
Benjamin F. Bigger II (1964) died May 3, 2019. After two years of employment in St. Louis working for the retail company E.J. Korvette, Bigger was drafted by the U.S. Army in 1966. After his honorable discharge in 1968, he went to work for the Magee Company in Pocahontas where he started out as salesman for the company. He rose through the ranks ultimately serving as President/CEO of the company. The company was acquired by Tandycrafts, Inc. of Fort Worth, Texas. Bigger served as a board member of Tandycrafts for several years. Besides, employing several people in both Randolph and Clay County, Frank was proud of his Vendor of the Year award presented to the company both in 1984 and 1985 by Sam Walton of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.
Larry Elledge (1963) died April 22, 2019. After a number of years as a daily newspaper editor, he joined the staff of the Association of Illinois Electric Cooperatives (AIEC). During his career with the AIEC, he received a number of national and state awards for his support of rural electric cooperatives and the cooperative business model. After 30 years with the AIEC, he retired in 2006 as the Assistant to the President/CEO and executive board member.
Auburn (Alpha-Omega)
John Smith was awarded the COSAM Outstanding Junior achievement for maintaining a cumulative GPA of 4.0 for three straight years in the College of Sciences and Mathematics. He is majoring in biomedical sciences and plans to become a pediatrician. He serves his chapter as scholarship chairman has positively impacted the education culture helping increase the chapters overall GPA by .2 points. Smith’s selfless leadership and active involvement in the brotherhood and student affairs has made him a role model for brothers and students around Auburn’s campus. He is currently serving as the Phase 2 and 3 coordinator for Emerge at Auburn, a leadership training program for all students. Additionally, he uses his time to volunteer at the Boys and Girls club as well as many other volunteer and academic organizations.
Ball State (Iota-Alpha)
William Stokes (1958) died May 6, 2019. Bill was a dedicated middle school mathematics teacher. Bill’s middle school mathematics teaching career included time in the Los Angeles Unified School District, the Department of Defense Schools (DODD) in Germany, and the Los Altos School District in northern California. His interest in developing supplemental lessons for his classrooms led him into a position with Creative Publications assisting in the development of mathematics materials for middle school students. In 1991, Bill, with the assistance of his wife Evelyn, founded Stokes Publishing Company developing innovative math books and products that merged visual and tactile learning with pattern recognition in an approach that made learning mathematics a creative act. His insights and ingenuity led to his securing of numerous patents for the development of projectable calculators to assist in the instruction of mathematics skills/concepts; and, timers aiding K-12 teachers and students in the development of time management skills. As Stokes Publishing Company matured and more leisure time was available, Bill and Evelyn enjoyed traveling together to many countries, with Switzerland being their favorite.
Christopher Newport (Colony)
Congratulations to the nine brothers who graduated: Andrew Lewis, Kyle White, Austin Slough, Jackson Clarke, Noah Strickler, Christian Denmark, Mitch Breeden, Cole Huffman, and Kylon Callaway.
Cornell (Omicron)
Willard Bliss (1949) died June 9, 2018.
Denison (Gamma-Iota)
William G. Potts (1954) died July 25, 2015.
Denver (Alpha-Pi)
On Wednesday, May 29, chapter officers joined the staff of the National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD) to present the staff with a check for $10,000. The presentation was made at the Broncos Stadium at Mile High in downtown Denver, home to the NCSD. The chapter has supported the NCSD at various levels since 2005 and with this year’s donation, they have raised nearly $125,000 to help the NCSD in their important mission. More recently, the chapter has also supported the NCSD by selling 50/50 raffle tickets at Bronco’s games and volunteering to wear various mascot attire while skiing up at Winter Park for a fundraising event. Next academic year, the chapter plans to combine their philanthropic fundraising with more direct volunteer opportunities. The NSCD offers adaptive lessons for individuals and groups of people with disabilities in a variety of action sports, adventure sports and competitive programs. Athletes with any physical, cognitive, emotional or behavioral diagnosis can participate in sports and recreation programs year-round in Colorado’s Front Range and mountains.
DePauw (Xi)
Lynn A. Snelson (1959) died May 4, 2019. He began working for General Motors as an accountant and retired after 34 years in 1997.
Drexel (Epsilon-Kappa)
On May 10, the 2019 Annual Alumni Meeting and Awards Banquet was held at the fraternity house. The evening consisted of an unveiling ceremony of a historical plaque for the house, a graduation ceremony which inducted seven seniors into the Alumni Association, elections, and distribution of the annual awards. Alumni elected/reelected to the alumni boards: House Corporation: Steve Cohen (Chairman), Michael Elmer (Secretary), Rob McCafferty, and Theo Speedy; Alumni Association: Michael Elmer (President), Dom DiGioia (Treasurer), and John Delaney (Secretary). Mark Stitz was given the Alumnus of the Year award and Omar Hayatt, the 2019 Frank Bockius award.
Duke (Gamma-Theta)
Edward C. Nixon (1952) died Feb. 27, 2019. Edward C. Nixon, the youngest and last surviving brother of former President Richard M. Nixon and a faithful guardian of his White House legacy, died on Wednesday in Bothell, Wash., near Seattle. He was 88. His death, in a nursing home, was announced by the Richard Nixon Foundation. Mr. Nixon, a geologist and energy consultant by profession, was 17 years younger than his Richard. He worked on his brother’s 1968 presidential campaign and was co-chairman of his re-election committee in 1972.
East Carolina (Iota-Upsilon)
Joseph C. Hayes (1960) died May 9, 2019. After working in various sales capacities, he settled into a long career as a Dare County magistrate. In that capacity, his motto was always the same – “I will treat you just as good as you will let me.” He also served his community on the Dare County ABC Board.
East Tennessee State (Iota-Omicron)
Wayne E. Chadwick (1965) died Oct. 17, 2004.
Florida Southern (Epsilon-Xi)
The chapter doubled in size from 24 to 51 members. In early February, the chapter celebrated its 80th Anniversary and 40th anniversary since the rechartering. Celebration events included a golf tournament, reception with our college’s president and other campus officials, and a formal banquet. At the banquet, the former chapter president from the rechartering spoke followed by the current chapter president. Lambda Chi Alpha CEO Bill Farkas was the keynote speaker and he spoke about the chatper’s prestigious image and a reminder to remain pure, high, and ever-growing.
Georgetown (Kappa-Omega)
Kyle R. Hicks (1966) died May 10, 2019.
Georgia (Nu)
Harold R. Hudgens (1966) died May 14, 2019. He began his career as an urban planner with Urban Consultants, Inc. in Montgomery, AL in 1969 and relocated to his hometown of Albany in 1972 joining the real estate firm of Tift & Westbrook and eventually forming Albany Land Co., Inc. as president/broker in 1979. He served as president of the Albany Board of Realtors, was Realtor of the Year and was a member of that group’s Million Dollar Club many times. He was a member of the Georgia Realtors’ Land Institute and served as its president. He was an accredited land consultant and a certified commercial investment member. He served as a member of the Albany/Dougherty Planning Commission for six years — three of those years as its Chairman. An Eagle Scout, he served as an executive board member of the Boy Scouts’ Chehaw Council for many years.
Gettysburg (Theta-Pi)
Jay Paul A. Williams (1954) died May 12, 2019.
Hanover (Theta-Zeta)
James L. Albright (1960) died May 8, 2019. He began his teaching career at Hibberd in Richmond, Indiana. He later taught at Northwest High School for 33 years where he taught Chemistry and served as the Department Head. Jim also served as a football, wrestling, men’s golf and girl’s basketball coach during his tenure at NHS.
Indiana (Alpha-Omicron)
J. Randolph Lowe (1970) died Sept. 7, 2017.
Kansas State (Gamma-Xi)
Gene B. Martin (1956) died May 2, 2019.
Lock Haven (Lambda-Gamma)
James R. Walsh (1990) died May 2, 2019. He had a career in facility operations and worked at a job he loved as a Building Operations Manager at IUPUI for the last 10 years.
Marshall (Zeta-Zeta)
Dr. Brockton Weisenberger (1954) died April 12, 2019.
Michigan (Sigma)
George Spasyk died May 16, 2019. The youngest of nine children, George was born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts on July 25, 1923. After graduating from high school at the age of 16, he entered a training program at General Electric Co. that sent him to nearby Williams College for intensive study in analytical chemistry. The next six years saw him working on the Manhattan Project while also serving in the United States Navy. He enrolled in the University of Michigan in the fall of 1946 where he joined Lambda Chi Alpha. After completing his graduate degree in business administration, he joined the staff of Lambda Chi Alpha as a traveling secretary. Two years later he became service secretary, in charge of the undergraduate operations of the fraternity. He would continue in that position until 1968 when he became executive director, a position he held until his retirement in 1990. During his 40 years of service to Lambda Chi Alpha, it grew from 137 to 223 chapters and its membership increased from 50,000 to 196,000 initiated members. In 1972, under his leadership, the fraternity’s General Assembly voted to adopt the Associate Member Program, effectively removing “pledgeship” from the fraternity. George received scores of recognition plaques and awards from the chapters of Lambda Chi Alpha and inter/national fraternities. He was awarded Lambda Chi Alpha’s Order of Achievement in 1990 and, in his honor, the fraternity created the George W. Spasyk Order of Interfraternity Service to recognize those men and women who have contributed outstanding service in the betterment of all college fraternal organizations. In addition, he has been honored by the highest awards within the interfraternity community including the North-American Interfraternity Conference’s Gold Medal, the Fraternity Executive Association’s Distinguished Service Award, and the Association of Fraternity Advisors’ Jack Anson Award. Memorial contributions may be made in his honor to the George W. Spasyk Memorial Endowment Fund of the Lambda Chi Alpha Educational Foundation. There will be a private family burial. In the coming months, the Lambda Chi Alpha International Headquarters will schedule multiple celebrations of life both in Indianapolis and at the Stead Leadership Seminars in Denver and St. Louis.
Nebraska – Omaha (Iota-Delta)
Brothers Noah Pinkman and Jay Tyndall graduated on May 3rd. The chapter is thankful for their contributions during their undergraduate careers. Both had held several officer positions during their careers. STEAD representatives were selected during the chapter’s last formal meeting of the semester. Last activity for May was a Summer High Zeta retreat held on May 15th that focused on the major and minor recruitment events that would be held to meet and take PNMs to.
Ohio (Alpha-Omega)
Robert J. Motil (1961) died May 12, 2019. He rose through the sales ranks of Hunt Manufacturing Co. with stints in Columbus and Philadelphia. Then in 1977 he returned to Columbus to start a manufacturer’s rep business in the office products industry, where he worked until his retirement. Bob was a natural salesman and his success provided a wonderful life for his family.
Pittsburg State (Lambda-Chi)
The chapter celebrated its 50th anniversary in March.
Sam Houston (Sigma-Mu)
Brother (Sigma Mu 79’
Charles Jones (1979) was selected as the recipient of the prestigious 2019 Distinguished Alumni Award from Sam Houston State University. This award celebrates the many accomplishments and contributions to Sam Houston State University and the surrounding community. The award will be presented on Oct. 18 during homecoming.
(Phi-Tau)
Ten brothers celebrated graduation: Nicholas Bates, Bailey Dawkins, Eric Zampelli, Scott Maldonado, Stuart Kaplan, Andrew Sweigart, Evan Courney, Zachary Haines, Alex Hess, and Corey Livelsberger.
Simpson (Theta-Lambda)
Dr. John H. Spencer (1945) died July 14, 2016.
Southern Methodist (Gamma-Sigma)
Paul Fox Jr. died (1949) May 11, 2019.
Stephen F. Austin (Sigma-Omicron)
Miles H. Wilson (1988) died April 25, 2019. He served as the Managing Director for Cumberland Consulting Group, as COO for QualChoice Healthplans, and Director of IT at Prudential Insurance in Houston. In the community, Haley served on the UALR Computer Science Advisory Committee and with Boy Scout Troop 395 as Assistant Scout Master and Troop Committee Chairman.
Tarleton State (Phi-Rho)
At the Greek Awards, Austin Hamil received the New Member of the Year award and Cody Worth won IFC Officer of the Year. The chapter achieved 100 percent participation in the Ritual Initiation Exemplification with every associate member taking part.
Tennessee – Knoxville (Epsilon-Omicron)
William H. Holman (1950) died May 8, 2019.
Texas – Christian (Iota-Pi)
Philip R. Aldridge (1987) died April 23, 2019. He moved on to the Oil & Gas industry for many years before joining The University of Texas System in 2001 as Vice Chancellor of Finance and Business Development. He held various positions while at UT Systems including a special advisory role for finance and was a member of various internal boards. Additionally, Philip earned his Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and was a Certified Treasury Professional (CTP). He completed Executive Development programs at the Harvard Business School and the Wharton School of Business.
Washington (Alpha-Psi)
John J. Lucin died April 27, 2019. He held several chapter offices and was a member of the University of Washington crew team and rowed in international regattas both in the United States and Europe. He was a financial advisor and branch manager with Paine Webber from 1971-1994, and Morgan Stanley from 1994-2012.
Washington State (Tau)
William G. Coffee (1961) died May 4, 2019. His career in hotel and restaurant management began in Olympia but quickly took him and his wife Roberta (married 57 years) to Tacoma where he was the general manager of the Winthrop Hotel and where they started their family. Career advancement brought him and his family to Scottsdale, Arizona where he managed The Pima Inn and Golf Resort, Camelback Sahara and The Doubletrees in Scottsdale and Phoenix. In 1974, he moved to Denver, CO and flourished in hotel management and development as executive vice president of The Stapleton Plaza Motor Hotel, president of Hospitality Marketing and Management, Inc. and president of William G. Coffee and Associates, Inc. He owned a Mailboxes Etc. store in Lonetree, CO for eight years before retiring to Tucson.
Gayle Dobish (1956) died May 5, 2019.
Western Kentucky (Lambda-Lambda)
Richard C. Cunningham (1986) died May 10, 2019. He was a longtime employee of the Jerry E. Baker Foundation and museum director of the Downing Museum until his retirement.
