Delta Kappa Epsilon

We will be holding an Open House and very brief Alumni Association meeting a couple hours before the Miami football game on November 17. We’d like to invite you to come see all the great work we’ve put into the house. Board members will be on hand along with our contractor and architect to show off the latest renovation efforts, make a few announcements and take questions. If you’re in town we hope you’ll join us for a bite and a drink or two to reconnect with the fraternity.

Open House: 12 noon – whenever
Meeting: 1:00 – 1:30 pm

Work on the attic renovations continues… as of this week the attic framing is nearly complete and HVAC system installation continues. See the below photos to get a sense of the scale of this project. It’s easily the most substantial construction work the house has seen in years and we’re excited to move forward with it.

However, our ability to continue is subject to your financial support – after completion of framing and HVAC work we must stop until fundraising catches up with spending. Please consider supporting this needed work with a generous donation.

Photos from September 29:

View architectural plans

Welcome to our new website. On behalf of the Alumni Association and the active brotherhood I hope you enjoy it.

We will use this site to share the latest information about the active DKE chapter, the Alumni Association and the historic DKE House in Blacksburg.

2006 marked our chapter’s 65th year at Virginia Tech, and 2008 will be our 40th year at 302 East Roanoke Street. With the financial support of the Alumni Association, the DKE House is undergoing its most significant restoration and modernization program ever. We’ll keep you posted on our progress here.

Thanks for visiting. I hope you’ll check back often.

The historic DKE House in downtown Blacksburg after completion of exterior renovations, June 2007.

Charlie Lloyd, our Campaign Chairman, just announced that so far we’ve received over $80,000 in pledges and donations to the 2007-08 Capital Campaign. These have come from about 60 alumni. This is a great start and we are very grateful to all who have recommitted themselves to their fraternity. Click here to see a list of donors.

We still have a long way to go – as you’ll see in the news items below, progress continues but we’re going to have to take a breather until fundraising catches up. Our goal is $200,000, with which we will be able to finish this aggressive and ambitious restoration project.

If you haven’t yet contributed, please visit our Fundraising section to learn more about making a tax-deductible donation. We hope to involve all brothers in this project so all can take credit for the turnaround.

Reconfiguration of the second level bedrooms is now complete, much to residents’ relief. Both driveway-side bedrooms received new closets and wall and ceiling work. The second level hallway has new recessed lighting and the removal of the former paddle room wall is complete, substantially opening up the space. The second level bathroom renovation is complete, with new walls and ceilings, new tile flooring, a new window and a new sink, shower and toilet.

The new staircase to the attic level is now roughed-in and the attic subflooring work is complete. Attic walls are now framed and HVAC system installation began this past week. Following this work we will have to put the project on hold until fundraising catches up – please send in your donations!

Check out these photos from 15 September:

Check back soon for more photos.

VT DKE alumnus Dave Calhoun (Spring ‘76) was recently named Co-chair of Virginia Tech’s new fundraising effort, The Campaign for Virginia Tech. Over the course of the next three years Dave will lead the public phase of the most ambitious campaign in university history. To read all about VT’s fundraising efforts and Dave’s involvement, click here for the VT Office of University Development’s IMPACT newsletter.

In addition to his exploits as a gentleman, scholar and jolly good fellow in DKE, Dave is also kind of famous in the business world for his executive talents as the current Chairman and CEO of The Nielsen Company, and before that, Vice Chairman of General Electric — accomplishments we are sure he would attribute almost entirely to experience gained managing his first enterprise as DKE’s Bar Chairman many years ago.

Congratulations, Dave.

Dave Calhoun (Spring ‘76, center) with DKE Alumni Board members Dan Johnson (Spring ‘74, left) and Jim Scanlon (Winter ‘76, right) at a reception at the DKE House in May 2005. Calhoun gave the commencement address for VT’s 2005 graduating class later that night in Lane Stadium.

With regrets we pass on word that Charles Herbert Marshall III passed away in Maryland in May. “Doc” Marshall was a Deke from the Phi chapter at Yale (where he was NFL star Calvin Hill’s big brother!) who came to Virginia Tech as a graduate student in 1976. Doc will be remembered from his VT days for shattering the color barrier at the Sigma Alpha chapter and bringing disco dancing to the Deke basement. DKE became a better place because of Doc’s presence, although graciously the disco music was banned from most DKE parties saving embarrassment for all of us born with two left feet. Our hearts and thoughts go to the family and friends of our brother.

Click here to see his Washington Post obituary.

We are underway on the first phase of DKE House interior renovations! We received the building permit for the interior construction on July 5th and began demolition work the next day.

Our plan is to do the second floor bathroom remodeling as well as other renovations on the second floor, install the permanent access to the attic level and complete the demolition/clearing of old rooms on the attic level.

Have a look at photos of demolition and construction in progress:

This phase of the work is expected to be completed in August.