On Super Bowl Sunday, it was a pleasure for DKEs around the world to see our fellow brother and former President George H.W. Bush toss the coin to start the game. It was especially impressive given that he was just hospitalized weeks before.
In addition to H.W, the man driving Barbara in the golf cart is also an important person to our Fraternity. His name is Phil Armand. His son, Dane Armand, TX '11, is a brother at our Texas A&M chapter. Phil is an active supporter of the fraternity and apparently even his wife helps the brothers out with decorating the house.
Yet, another moment to be proud to be a Deke.
Kitchen Renovations
Over the past summer and into the Fall, the DKE House renovated the kitchen. The alumni teamed up with the actives to turn this audacious project into a reality. The Ned Heller Memorial Kitchen required many jobs to be completed and the brotherhood pooled in resources and time to get them all done. Today, the kitchen looks better than ever, which isn't saying much, and is built to survive another decade of Dekes. As promised in the newsletter, below are pictures of the kitchen during the renovation process.
New Officers for Next Year
The active chapter is changing the terms of the chapter officers. Elections will be held at the end of the Fall semester and the new officers will take their positions starting at the beginning of the Spring semester. The change will improve knowledge transfer and give the seniors a well-deserved break for their last semester.
The new elections have just taken place. I'm excited to share the new officers for the 2016 calendar year! We are proud of the improvements made to the Fraternity and are excited to see what lies ahead.
- President: Benjamin Brisley
- Vice President: Julian Gaasche
- Secretary: Carlin Field
- Treasurer: Daniel Joye
- Member at Large: Hank Mauk
- Pledge Master: Garrett Godshall
- Rush Chair: Austin Raney + Chris Large
- Philanthropy Chair: Lars Pearson
- Social Chair: Bobby Ross
Charles Landon Carter Minor
Delta Kappa Epsilon has as long a history as any fraternity, and its brothers have held many important leadership positions.
An Eta (Virginia) alumnus recently found a pin from a brother from the 1860's. The pin was engraved with "Minor" on its back. In their search to find out just who this brother was, they dug up a couple candidates. The winning candidate was a fellow by the name of Charles Nelson Berkeley Minor, who has his share of stories; he was at the Appomattox Courthouse for the surrender.
Berkeley's brother, Charles Landon Carter Minor, made more of a difference for our lives. Carter was the first president of Virginia Agricultural and Mechanical College, then a new land grant university and now Virginia Tech. I recommend following the link above to read about his history with the school.
FALL 2015 RUSH SCHEDULE
History from HQ
This summer the Sigma Alpha Dekes have two brothers working at DKE International Headquarters. Will Adams, president of 2014-2015, is an intern and Charlie Cubberly, treasurer for 2013-2015, is DKE's newest chapter consultant.
Their access to the archives of DKE history have proved useful in finding gems in the old DKE quarterlies. Below is a series of photographs of articles from the DKE quarterlies of yesteryear. See if you recognize any familiar faces. Hopefully there is more to come!
Dave Calhoun wins the Alumni Distinguished Service Award
Looks like the Dekes are on a roll! First, Chuck Phlegar getting the Vice President job at Virginia Tech, and now this. Dave Calhoun, one of our most accomplished alumni, receive the Alumni Distinguished Service Award at commencement this year. His work for the the Invent the Future campaign, netting more than $1 Billion in donations, and his involvement in the Presidents Circle gave him the award.
Dave has had an impressive career after graduating from the fraternity. After a long, fruitful tenure at GE that ended in him leading the GE Infrastructure, he became the CEO of Nielsen. Now, he is a managing director at Blackstone and serves on the boards of Boeing and Caterpillar.
Congratulations, Dave!
Chuck Phelgar
DKE alumni continue to excel in post-grad world and continue to make an impact at our alma mater. Charlie Phlegar was just named Vice President for Advancement at Virginia Tech. This is one of Sands strongest initiatives and quite a high profile position for our fellow brother. Chuck is on track to raise over $6 billion for Cornell in his current position as Chief Fundraiser.
We couldn't be more proud of Chuck, as he embodies all of the qualities of a fine Deke. Congrats!
http://www.vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2015/04/042015-develoopment-phlegar.html
Origins of BC Moose
Drew Wine dug up a gem. The sheet above shows the money pledged by the brotherhood for the auction to buy BC Moose. If it wasn't for these guys, we wouldn't have the beautiful moose hanging on the second floor.
“Newly discovered in my basement, the Pledge Sheet for the acquisition of Deke’s BC Moose!
Pledges collected at apartment party the night before Hank, Theta and I went to the auction in Rocky Mt. This sheet is a roster of our generation and typifies our dedication to party together and give a little for a great cause”
Can you Smell what the Dekes are Cooking?
The Alumni are adding a much needed project to the list of the 21st century Deke House renovations. The next big room to renovate is ... the kitchen! We have just received an estimate on the work from our trusty contractor and now have some blueprints for the new look.
We will hope to tackle some of the demolition work during the Habitat for Inhumanity weekend on June 6th and 7th. If there is one thing we are good at, it is demo.
Below is a list of all the work items that are to be done for the full kitchen renovation. Looks like there is a lot of work to be done:
Remove plaster
Remove sub floor
Rearrange plumbing and electrical to code and for new kitchen layout
Provide new recessed lighting
Relocate and swap heat radiators
Install plastic on soil to control moisture
Install new sub floor
Insulate piping and floor
Prepare framing and install new steel door/steel frame exterior door
Cut wall, frame and trim out new doorway at pass through.
Install impact resistant drywall
Prime and paint drywall
Install backer board
Install DKE provided porcelain tile.
Install new cabinets in center area
Install new countertops, sink and faucets
Install appliances ( Dishwasher, stove and refrigerator) supplied by DKE.
Randall Everett
The Dekes at Virginia Tech go on to do amazing things, and every once in a while one gets recognized for the great things that they have accomplished. Randall Everrett, Class of '56, has had an illustrious career in the US Military after graduating the the Corps from Virginia Tech. In the latest issue of the Corps Review, Everrett got the chance to tell his story. We couldn't be more proud of our fellow Deke.
Read the full story here : http://www.vtcc.vt.edu/alumni/corps-reviews/corps-review-fall-2014.pdf
And the Scholarship Goes Too...
Mark Lenzi! Congratulations Mark for winning the 2014 Dave Calhoun Scholarship Award. This scholarship goes to the house brother who has the highest overall GPA for the semester. Mark impressively posted a 3.81 in Biochemistry, setting the bar high for the entire fraternity. Enjoy the prize.
THE COLLLUUUMMMNNSS!!!
THEY ARE BEAUTIFUL!
Thanks to marvelous work of a local contractor, we have finally gave our iconic columns the care they needed. They are now whiter than a Pumpkin Spice Latte at a Jimmy Buffett concert. Notice that he even touched the overhead gable, not to mention cleaning the gutters.
This work will make the columns stand for many years to come. The DKE House is our prized possession, and we are constantly reinvesting to make it better.
DKE Article in the Collegiate Times
The active chapter continues on its very impressive role of success in an unlikely realm. It seems as though all of the hard work they have put in over the past couple years is starting to be noticed by the greater Blacksburg community.
In a recent Collegiate Times article, Joey Loss and Will Adams are interviewed about the recent changes that DKE has made, and about our greater ambitions to be recognized as one of the finest Fraternities at Virginia Tech.
As the myth goes, "Any press is good press." As an organization who has been on the sobering side of this quote, it is nice to have a front page article to show the true nature of Deke.
Article Link:
http://www.collegiatetimes.com/news/article_427f4bd0-3a16-11e4-96f2-001a4bcf6878.html
Yes, We Give Scholarships
And an academic one at that. We would like to congratulate Tae Choi for winning the second annual Dave Calhoun Scholarship for his excellent academic achievements in the 2013-4 school year. This award is given annually to the house brother who has the best cumulative GPA for the current academic year.
Tae has completed the arduous task of maintaining excellent scholarship while living in a rambunctious environment. Anybody who has live in the DKE house will tell you how difficult an achievement this is.
Congrats, Tae!
Spring 2014 Rush Schedule
Here's our Rush schedule! Hope to see you guys at the events. If there are any questions, refer to the recruitment page or you can email the Rush Chairmen, Evan Miller, at emill289@vt.edu.
Tuesday, February 4th
Dinner with the Sweethearts
6pm at the house
Thursday, February 6th
Game Tournament
8pm at the house
Monday, February 10th
Dinner with the Brothers
6pm at D2
Thursday, February 13th
Poker and Cigar Night
7pm at the house
Friday, February 14th
Invitation Only Event
TBA
Sunday, February 16th
Closed Rush
2pm at the house
Maryland Tailgate
Isn't it pretty?
The time has come. It is the final Virginia Tech home game of the season. We are miraculously still in the hunt for the ACC championship coming off a strong win against the Hurricanes.
More importantly, the last Deke tailgate of the year is this Saturday, November 16th, and we are going out with a bang!
As displayed in the obviously-computer-generated photo to the right, our new tailgate tent will sail its maiden voyage this weekend. Additionally, we will host the freshly initiated set of brothers. If you are starving for some breakfast or a through-hiker that made a couple of wrong turns, no need to worry. The breakfast buffet will be hot and ready for all tailgate goers to eat.
The location is still in lot 4 where we always are. Look for the Rampant Lion flag to direct you towards the tailgate. If you need to see a map, look at the posts below. The 12:30 game makes for an tailgate that will start around 10:00 am.
As always, all are welcome.
D(u)KE Tailgate
Get the you (u) back into DKE this weekend! D(u)KE is at VT this Saturday. Join the Dekes for are traditional Lot 4 tailgate. VT finally got an afternoonkickoff so the tailgate will start in our familiar location under the large blue and white tent. Make a point of stopping by and see what you/who you are missing. Below is partial list of alumni and guests in attendance over the past two tailgates. Food, drink, shelter and good company provided. Your presence is mandatory! Satisfaction guaranteed. We kindly request an attendance donation of $20 DKE to the Tailgate Club to help offset the supplies and tent costs.
Check after the break to see all of the alumni that have joined the tailgate club at lot 4 this season. We've had an awesome turnout and it has created an amazing tailgating season.
Andrew McLaughlin, Ann Murray (little sister alum), Barbara Davis, Bill Mason, Billy Rush , Brian Moody , Burt Burson, Charlie Webb, Colin Reef, Dan Johnson, Dave Swanson , Dave Z’s son, Dave Zentmeyer, Deb Beam (LS alum), Debbie McFee (little sister alum), Drew Diefenderfer , Eric Fortin , Florian Mayer, Hank Mattox, Jeff Rose, Jennifer Hedge (little sister alum), Jim McDonald, Jim Scanlon, Joe Lenzi, John Boatwright, John Hinkle, Josh Waller , Kevin Buchanan, Lori Sterne , M Gregory, Mark Giebel, Mark Heberle, Mickey Hayes, Mike Beam, Mike Hawkins, Mike Konyha, Mike Renard, Ms. S. Cronemeyer, Paula Johnson (LS alum), Peggy Bowden, Phil Harris, Ray Sterne , Rick Abraham, Roger Leibowitz, Russ McKinnon, Ryan McMahon, Sam Barnett, Sam Rose, Steve Cronemeyer, Susan Phillips Fritzlen (little sister alum) , Temple Moore, Theta Bowden, Tony Palumbo, Trae Harding, Trevor Donahue, Wesley Johnson, William Webb
Pittsburgh Tailgate
On October 12th, the Hokies face their biggest challenge in the ACC to date. Come support Virginia Tech against Pittsburg with your fellow Dekes this Saturday at the Tailgate club's next event. Everybody is welcome to join. We will be at our usual spot, a Logan Thomas throw away from the stadium. Food and drink will be provided by the tailgate club, we just ask for donations either through the Paypal link below or at the tailgate. For those who are still up after the game, the post game ceremonies will continue at the DKE house at 302 East Roanoke.
Based on a recent survey, %70 of the Hokies' ACC success was because of the strong turnout to the DKE tailgates. We are expecting another large turnout for this game so our chances against Pitt are looking good. I know I'll be there.
UNC Tailgate - Homecoming
For the next installment in the VT DKE tailgate season, the Dekes are coming down to Blacksburg for the UNC game on Saturday, October 5th. Our tailgate will be open before and after the 12:30 game. In the late afternoon, the actives will host an open house at the 102 year old DKE house. As always, all are welcome. The tailgate will take place in our usual lot 4 location, crawling distance away from the stadium. We will have plenty of food and booze provided by the Tailgate club for all to enjoy. Due to the early start, we will keep the tent up after the game for those who want to keep the party alive. Below is a map of our tailgate spot.
After the tailgate, come meet the active chapter and view the historic house at 302 East Roanoke St. The actives can't wait to show off the house and the new pledge class of 14 strong.
If you plan on attending, we ask for a $25 suggested donation to the tailgate club and rsvp to Charlie Webb (cwebb@benefitsgroup.net). The donations cover the food, drink, and tent rental. I have set up a Paypal link below for donations. We will also be accepting donations at the tailgate and the house.