the Newsletter

Sigma Phi Epsilon
The Heartbeat
Fall Semester 2012
TENNESSEE GAMMA CHAPTER
September, 2012
2011—2012
E - Committee
President:
Brandon Potter
VP of Finance:
Jack McCarthy
VP of Programming:
Dustin Gilliam
VP of Recruitment:
Ty Morrow
VP of Membership:
Wes Huskey
VP of Communications:
Daniel Raymond
Chaplain:
Tighe Greer
House Manager:
Alex Fagg
2010-2011
Alumni Board
President:
Mike Elliott
VP of Finance:
Barb Elliott
VP of Brotherhood
Development:
Preston Ralston
VP of Communications:
Herb Donaldson
Chapter Counselor:
Michael Rodgers
Members at Large:
Tim Shaw and Antonio
Rusinol
Rob Terry & Ron Smith
Tim Damico & Ron Smith
Roberts Bradford
Daniel Raymond & Mike Elliott
Cost Cutter Recap-Take The Challenge
Brothers, I wanted to re-live Cost Cutter Weekend for you here as I lived it at 719....
At the end of August I was able to carve time out of my schedule (and get a yard pass) to go
to Johnson City. I spent Saturday with the actives and other alumni to provide leadership
and demonstrate to the actives that the bonds of the fraternity do stand the test of time
while doing some much needed work around the White Castle. During the day we had a lot
of fun and later witnessed how the younger set let off steam in the evening.
Cost Cutter began on Monday with the Undergraduates moving back for Fall Semester and
beginning a detailed cleaning of 719 West Maple that would make their moms proud. Mike
and Barb Elliott arrived on Wednesday. Rob Terry, Herb Donaldson, Ron Smith, Roberts
Bradford, and Tim Damico came Friday and I pulled into the White Castle Saturday morning. We did A LOT of work on the outside rebuilt sections of the back fence and gate,
painted the foundation, porches, balconies, the entrance doors as well as repaired the box
around the front walk shrubs, installed fresh mulch and pruned the beautiful trees in the
front yard. Inside all bedroom doors and the TV room ceiling were painted and drywall repairs were made on all three floors. I was doubtful about how much the Actives would participate but was pleasantly surprised; a lot of brothers were in attendance and actually
worked! We had some good times reminiscing and boring them with stories of the “good old
days”. The brothers showed interest when you introduced yourself; remember when you
come to the house be proactive! I think alumni might be a little intimidating to the brothers, but they seemed genuinely interested in meeting us and working with us as well. After
a LONG day of work we ended up at Chrome and saw how young, single (assumption)
“kids” were preparing for Monday’s kick-off of classes and fall semester……very interesting!
It was about 1:30 – 2 am that night before we called it a day.
Sunday, the alumni attended the Balanced Man Luncheon. It was inspiring to hear Brother
Morton tell his story and also meet ETSU’s new President, Dr. Brian Noland, who spoke of
some of his SigEp experiences and his support of Greek Life at ETSU and TN Gamma.
A lot of cool things are going on at TN Gamma and I encourage all of you to attend Homecoming November 2-3. Or go to the house whenever you can and meet the Active Chapter.
Maybe plan a weekend with some of your pledge brothers and other alumni you were close
to and meet at the White Castle and rekindle some relationships ! - Gus Trupiano (#470)
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FA LL S E ME S T E R 2 0 1 2
TH E HE A RTBE A T
Frank Rutherford Balanced Man Scholarship
On August 26th TN Gamma held its 7th annual Frank Rutherford Balanced Man Scholarship awards banquet.
Since 2006, we have awarded over $10,000 in scholarships to incoming freshmen who have distinguished themselves in academics, a broad range of school activities, and community service. In addition to scholarships, awards
are presented to active brothers who have earned the highest GPA’s and who have shown the most improvement.
This year, the chapter was honored by the attendance and remarks of ETSU president Dr. Brian Noland. Dr.
Noland is himself a SigEp (West Virginia University) and he expressed a profound fondness for the experiences
and opportunities fostered by Sigma Phi Epsilon. He informed us he still displays his paddle and communicates
regularly with his fraternity brothers. Dr. Noland related that his chapter won two Buchanan Cups (SPE’s highest award) during his undergraduate years and encouraged our undergraduates to set a goal to earn TN Gamma’s
second cup within the next couple of years. He was also forthright in reminding our active brothers that they must
always be diligent in cultivating the positive aspects of Greek life while avoiding the careless pitfalls that can
harm chapter reputations.
Dr. Joe Sherlin, Dean of Students, followed Dr. Noland’s address with timely comments regarding the characteristics of balanced men. Our dear friend, Ginger Rutherford, presented the undergraduate academic awards and
challenged the chapter to always be a positive and visible force on campus. This year’s keynote speaker was
Brother John Morton (#493) who is one of AT&T’s most accomplished product developers and holds 5 patents of his
own. Yet, while he is highly successful in both his personal and professional life, it was his comments on the value
of the brotherhood that held the audience spellbound. Please see his story elsewhere in this newsletter.
In addition to being an exemplary example of Tennessee Gamma’s commitment to Excelsior, the Balanced Man
Scholarship is considered a model of the highest ideals of ETSU’s Greek community. Our award is named in honor
of Frank Rutherford (#009) whose devotion to his beloved fraternity was demonstrated through his relentless efforts to stress academic excellence and the development of annual scholarship awards. Please consider making a
tax-deductible contribution to Tennessee Gamma’s Balanced Man Scholarship fund. Thanks to your contributions,
$1050.00 was available from our fund to go towards the $1500.00 awarded. Make checks payable to ΣΦΕ Educational Foundation with TN Gamma in the comment section and mail to Barb Elliott. United Way contributions
can be earmarked for our BMS fund by listing ΣΦΕ Educational Foundation, Code: 073880. Remember to designate TN Gamma and make the AVC aware of your contribution so we can ensure your donation is deposited into
our account.
Dr. Noland Speaking at BMS Banquet
Ginger & Aaron Justus - GPA Award
John Morton - Keynote Speaker
2012 Frank Rutherford BMS Finalists
FA LL S E ME S T E R 2 0 1 2
TH E HE A RTBE A T
PAGE 3
Homecoming 2012
Friday, November 2
719 West Maple Street
6:00PM - 1:00AM

6:00-7:00 Registration

7:00-8:00 This year we are pleased to have dinner catered by one of our own. Andy Tolley (#746) took over operations of Jay’s Boat Dock this summer and established one of the best stops for food on Boone Lake. It was
so successful that he and his wife were able to locate a site for a full service, year round, restaurant that will open
in January 2013. " Our House Restaurant" will be located at the site of the old Boones Creek pottery location and
will be a great place for all of the local TN Gamma alumni to try out! Assisting in the catering and with the opening of the new restaurant is none other than our own Frank Underwood (#520). With two SigEps involved, we
know it will be great!!
Fridays menu will consist of smoked BBQ, buns, loaded potato salad, coleslaw, banana pudding and iced tea. All
items are homemade and delicious!!

8:00-1:00 Socialize with friends, old and new, and meet the current Active Chapter. Find your picture on the
composite and wonder where the time went......
Saturday, November 3

10:00-11:00 Alumni Meeting at 719 West Maple Street

1:30 ETSU Women’s Basketball vs. Carson-Newman at ETSU/MSHA Athletic Center

2:00 ETSU Women’s Volleyball vs. Stetson at Brooks Gym

4:00 ETSU Men’s Basketball vs. Carson-Newman at ETSU/MSHA Athletic Center

6:00-12:00 TN Gamma Homecoming Reunion in the Ballroom at the Millennium Centre
Doors will open at 6:00PM to register. There will be hors de oeuvres served from 7:30-9:30. A cash bar with drinks
priced at $4 wine glass, $5 liquor drink, $4 premium beer, $3 domestic beer, $2 soft drinks and a signature cocktail
for $3. The Millennium Centre has strict regulations dealing with alcohol and does not allow any alcohol to be
brought into the event from the outside. We will have onsite Security to enforce these rules and anyone exhibiting
inappropriate behavior will be required to leave the premises.
Hotel Accommodations
Once again we have blocked rooms at The Carnegie Hotel at $92 per night. To make your reservation call 423-9796400. There are a few rooms still available; ask for the Sigma Phi Epsilon block because the hotel is completely full
for the weekend.
There is also a room block at The Hampton Inn on State of Franklin for $89 per night. Reservations may be made
at 423-929-8000.
We encourage everyone to make their reservations now. There are several other events taking place in Johnson
City this weekend as well as Homecoming. These blocks will be held until mid-October.
Order of the Sacred Heart
Join our newest members of the OSH by sending a voided check to Barb Elliott, AVC Treasurer. You can also request
the form by email, fill it out and scan it then email back to Barb, we do not have to have an actual voided check. We
are concentrating on paying for the new roof and “Burn the Note”. Your bank account will be auto drafted on or near
the fifth day of each month. You can withdraw at anytime or have a month suspended if needed. New OSH members
are Ed Agee #502, Jim Call #569 Ron Smith #474, Gus Trupiano #470 and Chester Smith#238 for a total of 18
alumni making monthly contributions. Thanks for your support!
Layout & Editor: Barb Elliott
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FA LL S E ME S T E R 2 0 1 2
A TN GAMMA STORY OF VIRTURE, DILIGENCE, AND BROTHERLY LOVE
On February 21, 2012, Brother John Morton, (#493), currently of Atlanta, Georgia, was vacationing with his 15
year-old son Daniel and their Black Lab Sam on his family’s property near Mountain City, Tennessee. John went
out on the last morning for a final ride on his ATV in the freshly fallen snow. While riding down a hill in a remote
area of the mountain John felt his vehicle slide and the next thing he knew he was on his back watching as the 800
pound ATV was coming straight for his chest. The ATV landed on him and as he laid there stunned he wondered
how he was going to get out from under the massive vehicle and how was he going to get back down the mountain
to his son waiting at their cabin. John thought that this could be his end or he could gather all his strength and
wits about him and lift the vehicle enough to maneuver himself free. Finally he was able to get the 800 pound ATV
off of his chest and climb down the mountain about 2 miles back to the cabin. Initially believing his injuries were
not that serious, John and his son loaded the Jeep and trailer and started driving back home to Atlanta.
After about an hour on the road, Brother Morton began experiencing growing pain in his back, neck and chest,
along with increasing difficulty in breathing. He was between Elizabethton and Johnson City when he realized
that he needed immediate help and could not make it all the way to Atlanta. He wasn’t sure what to do because he
knew if he went to an emergency room they would not let his dog in and he couldn’t leave fifteen year old Daniel to
fend for himself. John thought for just a minute, realized how close he was to the perfect answer to his problem,
and drove directly to the Sigma Phi Epsilon house at 719 West Maple Street. John pulled into the driveway of the
White Castle and with the last bit of his strength made it into the house with Daniel and Sam. By now his breathing was so labored he found it very difficult to speak so he introduced himself to the undergraduate brothers by
pointing to his picture on a 1984 composite and managed “That’s me. I’m in trouble and I need help. I need someone to take me to the hospital and someone to take care of my son and my dog.”
The Actives rallied around Brother Morton and quickly came up with a plan. Dustin Freshour (2014) loaded John
in his car and took him to the Johnson City Medical Center Emergency Room. Ty Morrow (2014), Daniel Raymond
(2014) and other brothers at the house took Daniel and his dog upstairs to play video games until more was learned
about John’s condition. The Brothers knew what to do next. They called Barb Elliott to contact Brother Herb
Donaldson (1974), who hurried to the hospital where he found John waiting in the emergency room barely able to
breathe. Herb took immediate action stressing to the ER personnel the seriousness of the situation and to please
move John promptly to an examining room. After Herb spoke with the doctors and found that John would have to
spend several nights in the hospital he called Brother Terry Martin (1977), who along with his wife Kathy came to
the hospital prepared to spend however long it took to get John settled in a room for the night. Herb made contact
with John’s wife Donna to give her John’s prognosis and make plans for Daniel and Sam until she could drive to
Johnson City from Atlanta. Meanwhile, the active brothers were taking good care of young Daniel and Sam. Once
it was determined John would be in the hospital at least overnight and Donna wouldn’t arrive until the next morning, Ty took Daniel and his dog to Brother David Elliott’s (2012) to spend the night. Fortunately David lived a few
blocks down on West Maple Street and had a house with a fenced in back yard to give Sam some room to run. The
knowledge that John, Daniel and Sam were in such good hands brought so much peace of mind to the Morton family they could focus on John’s medical care and getting family to Johnson City from Atlanta.
Back at JCMC test results showed Brother Morton’s injuries included a collapsed lung, eight broken ribs, crushed
vertebrae in his back, three damaged discs in his neck as well as his heart beating in a abnormal rhythm. He was
admitted to the Trauma Center where he had emergency surgery to re-inflate the lungs. Over the next several days
John had several other procedures. Virtue, Diligence and Brotherly Love didn’t stop there; SigEp brothers, current
and alumni, visited Brother Morton daily to keep him company and help in any way they could. On Friday afternoon, John was finally released from the hospital and planned to spend the night at his favorite home away from
home, The Carnegie Hotel, until family could arrive to drive him and his vehicle back to Atlanta. When John told
Brother Robert (Rocky) Van de Vuurst (1983) his plans, Rocky and wife, Vicky, said “Absolutely not!” and took
John to their home along with treating him to another of his Johnson City favorites, carry out from Greg’s Pizza.
John is still recovering from this horrific accident and faces more surgeries to correct his injuries. Several generations of Brothers from the East Tennessee State University TN Gamma Chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon came together to help one brother during his time of need demonstrating the lifelong benefits of fraternity membership
and the lifelong bonds that exists between all brothers. This August John told his story and thanked his brothers,
past and present, in his keynote speech at TN Gamma’s Balanced Man Scholarship banquet. He also encouraged
them to make to most of their undergraduate experience while knowing the friendships they cultivate now will last
them a lifetime.
THE HEA RTBE A T
FA LL S E ME S T E R 2 0 1 2
PAGE 5
TN Gamma Is A Dominate Factor In Fall 2012 Rush
The Brothers of the TN Gamma are very excited to share the results of Fall 2012 fraternity rush. We signed and
registered 35 new members for the fall semester. We feel we signed the top guys out of rush and are very excited to
see them grow through SigEp. We have three out of the four Balanced Man Scholarship finalists, an Olympic style
collegiate weight lifter, as well as a wide variety of cultural diversity in the new pledge class. This year’s rush week
went very well. The University consistently complimented us on our participation in pre-rush events. We also were
well prepared for house tours and our selection process was much stricter this year. We emphasized grades and
being able to fulfill the obligations of brotherhood. We feel we were at our best and truly exemplified what it means
to be a balanced man as we selected our new members. Other fraternity’s numbers were: ΚΣ=2, ΛΧΑ=31, ΠΚΑ=32,
ΣΑΕ=20, and ΣΧ=11 for a total of 131 men, including our 35, joining the Greek community.
We would like to thank all the alumni who helped us financially and the ones who were able to come back and work
with us during cost cutter to get the house ready. Without you guys this would not have been possible and for that,
we thank you. Please help us in welcoming the newest members of TN Gamma Chapter of Sigma Phi Epsilon! - Ty
Morrow, VP Recruitment (#987)
Alex Oliver
Cristian Gembe *
Levi Hampton
Thomas Swafford
Alexander Hargrave
Dakota Eltzroth
Lucas Thibodeau
Tom Matthews
Austin Doyle
Dalton Medford
Luke Hampton
Ty Herrell
Austin Roberts
Dylan O’Sullivan
Luke Petr
Will Perryman
Austin Wolfe
Dylan Lawing
Matt Lott *
Zane Webster
Brandon Perry
Gabe Perez
Mike Smith
Brandon Stewart
Hunter Ford
Patrick Quinn *
Chase Itani
Izzi McKenzie
Ryan Westelaken
Clayton Valentine
Jesse Wray
Taylor Forbes
Cole Henry
Jon McCroskey
Taylor Kennedy
*Legacy
Communication
Daniel Raymond, VP of Communication for the Active Chapter, is updating the Chapter website ETSUSigEp.com.
Make sure to check for current information and to keep up with TN Gamma activities. There will be an alumni
section of the site that will have a PDF copy of the newsletter and Homecoming 2012 updates. You will find a
running list of alumni who plan to attend homecoming and can find contact information for the E-Committee as
well as the AVC. We would like to find an alumni who would take the responsibility of maintaining a TN Gamma
face book page to further enhance our communications. It is becoming increasingly costly to print and mail a
newsletter and in the future we would like to explore the possibility of only mailing to those brothers who have
not provided an email address. We would also welcome any information about alumnus that could be posted on
the website, on face book, or in future newsletters.
An Evening With Dr. Noland
The ETSU Alumni Association presented an event at the Cherokee Town Club in Atlanta on September 27, 2012 to
give local alumni an opportunity to meet ETSU’s new president, Dr. Brian Noland and hear his vision for the future
of ETSU. TN Gamma was well represented by Dick Clarke (#376), who was one of the hosts for the evening, Mike
Elliott (#455), Barbara Elliott, John Morton (#493) and Mike Waldron (#895). Dr. Noland became the 9th President
of ETSU on January 15, 2012 and has already shown a positive impact on Greek Life at the University. He is taking
an active interest in our Chapter already meeting with President Brandon Potter and planning to attend some
Sunday night meetings. Dr. Noland’s spoke about the many improvements taking place on campus: making the
interior of campus a green space, building a parking garage, completing the baseball stadium, and making sure
students get the most from their college experience. He has also formed The Committee for 125 who is charged with
establishing exactly what it is ETSU needs to be by the time it turns 125 in 2036. This will include an
Athletics Task Force who among other items will look at the possible return of a football program. Very good
things are in the works at your alma mater. Stay tuned.....
East Tennessee State University
White Castle Properties
PO Box 23035
Johnson City,TN 37614
Homecoming 2012
Friday Night - BBQ catered by Andy Tolley and “Our House Restaurant” at the White Castle.
Cost - $10.00 per person
Saturday Night - Millennium Centre Ballroom with DJ Robbie Britton. Hors de oeuvres and cash bar.
Cost - $25.00 per person
Name ________________________________Card #______Guest______________________________
Number attending: Friday Night_______Saturday Night_______
Will attend the Alumni meeting, Saturday 10AM at 719 West Maple_______Yes _____No
Amount enclosed $___________
Make checks payable to White Castle Properties and mail c/o Barbara Elliott, 3435 Slater Street, Cumming, GA
30041. Write “Homecoming 2012” in the comment section. For more information or questions email or call Herb
Donaldson or Barb Elliott. Keep checking the evite and also the active chapter website ETSUSigEp.com for updates
and a list of those who have responded.
Contact Information:
Herb Donaldson at [email protected] 423-202-1622
Barb Elliott at [email protected] 423-794-7134