Winter – 2014 Edition W

Winter – 2014 Edition
Welcome to the fifth edition of the Ohio Theta Phi Kappa Psi Alumni Newsletter! The major goal of this newsletter is to
strengthen the common bond and relationships among the over 750 alumni and undergraduates from our chapter nationwide.
I hope that you find this newsletter enjoyable and informative. Your comments and feedback for future Ohio Theta Alumni
newsletters are always welcome.
Here is a brief summary of the newsletter contents:
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Jerry Dunlap Scholarship - Eric Wiedenmann .. 155
Spring Break 50 Years Later! - Geoff Landis ...1
Founder's Day Weekend - Andrew Hart ... 761
Phi Psi Events and Gatherings - Ric Knight ... 475
Freshman Recruitment Scholarship - Samuel Postell ... 764
Save the Date - Ohio Theta Homecoming Dinner
What's New with Alumni
Ohio Theta Eternal
Brother Dave Stimpert will publish the State of the Chapter article and Brother Zack Longwell will publish an American
Leadership Academy article in the spring 2014 edition, which is planned to be distributed in May, 2014.
Amici,
Eric W. Wiedenmann… 155
Ohio Theta Alumni Newsletter Editor
Circulation:
About 90% of the living brothers*.
E-mail: 550+
“Snail Mail’: 140
*There are approximately 70-80 deceased or “MIA” off-the-grid brothers.
Jerry Dunlap Scholarship
Eric Wiedenmann ... 155
I am very pleased to announce that the Jerry Dunlap Scholarship Fund according to the Phi Kappa Psi
National Headquarters is now at $11,948.80, which is $1,948.80 over the $10,000 goal that was set and would
allow for an ongoing annual $500.00 award to a worthy Ohio Theta undergraduate brother.
As you were probably aware, the Jerry Dunlap Scholarship Fund was just under the $8,000 level last fall and we
needed to achieve the $10,000 level to continue the scholarship. Our goal was to raise an additional $2,000 by
the 1st quarter of 2014 through the $1,000 dollar for dollar matching challenged set up by
www.marketdevelopment.net . With this matching program, a group of generous brothers donated an additional
$3,000 to the Jerry Dunlap Scholarship which exceeded the challenge by 200% and created a scholarship fund
that exceeded our goals by 20%!!!
The Phi Kappa Psi National is still accepting donations and a list of generous donors will appear in the next Ohio
Theta Newsletter. Commemorative pavers with the name of each contributor will be placed on the brick walkway in
front of the Ohio Theta House at future date.
Spring Break 50 Years Later!
Geoff Landis ... 1
Who says you have to be in college to go on Spring Break? This past February brothers Jim
Stauffer and Geoff Landis visited Brother Fred Visci and his wife Sally at their lovely home at
the Villages in Florida. A great time was had by all. And the 80 degree sunny weather was not
too hard to take for Jim and me after the brutal winter we have been experiencing both in Ohio
and New York!
It was 50 years ago, February 1963, that the three of us were at a rush party at Phi Sigma Chi
fraternity, the predecessor to our Ohio Theta chapter of Phi Kappa Psi. And if that doesn't
make one feel old enough, during the "smoker" as it was called in those far away days, we
were all gathered around a tiny black and white TV at the house at 502 Claremont, watching the
debut of the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show. By the way for those of you who may not
remember (I didn't; I had to check with Fred, who remembers everything!) smokers were
common in those days. Cigarettes were available for anyone who wanted them throughout the
rush party. Boy have times changed.
Who would have thought back in 1963 that the three of us would be together with stronger bonds than ever 50 years later! As
brother Frank Gamble has inscribed on his brick outside the Ohio Theta House, 'God Bless Phi Kappa Psi’!
Jim Stauffer (PN 2), Geoff Landis (PN 1), Sally
Visci,
Fred Visci (PN 6)
Front: Sally Visci, Jane Gauss (1965)
Back: Jim Stauffer, Fred Visci, Geoff Landis,Jim
Gauss (1965)*
* Jim Gauss was one of the former presidents of Phi Sigma Chi
Founder's Day Weekend
Andrew Hart ... 761
This year marks the 48th anniversary of Phi Kappa Psi, Ohio Theta. As we build alumni relations before our 50th
anniversary, we hope to get as many brothers out here for this Founder’s Day as possible. For a reminder,
Founder’s Day Weekend will be Friday, April 4th, and Saturday, April 5th.
This year, we want to focus on building those relations and being able to stay close with the alumni so they feel
welcomed to come back whenever they can. With this focus, we will be having events this year to help build
those relations and all of the active brothers hope that all the alumni brothers that are able to make it down for this
year’s Founder’s Day weekend will be willing to get to know the active brothers and build those relations. We are
all brothers and we want to build those bonds with each other to carry on throughout our lifetimes. So here is a
schedule for this year’s Founder’s Day Weekend:
1) O’Bryan’s Dinner, 5-8 pm, Friday April 4th
We invite all of the brothers to come and enjoy dinner at everyone’s favorite restaurant at 1065
Claremont Avenue in Ashland, O’Bryan’s for a bite to eat and mingle with the brothers. We will be
ordering straight from the menu, so regular O’Bryan’s prices is the cost for the dinner. We will have the
back room reserved to have for ourselves, and of course, once this is over, the active and alumni brothers
are free to do as they please.
2) Housing Core Meeting, 10 am, Saturday April 5th
We invite all of the active and alumni brothers to our biannual housing corporation meeting, led by Dave
Stimpert…, President of the Housing Corporation.
3) Brunch, 11 am, Saturday April 5th
The active brothers decided this year to have a brunch with many more options for food following
housing core, instead of our usual breakfast of donuts, coffee, and juice. We want to encourage the
alumni brothers to stay around after the housing core meeting and enjoy brunch with all of the brothers.
4) Poker Tournament, 12:30 pm – whenever, Saturday, April 5th
Another new idea that the active brothers wanted to bring to this years’ Founder’s Day Weekend was a
poker tournament. Many of us love playing poker, and we thought this would be a great idea to bring
while we all are here. We will have tables set up after brunch for everyone to sit and play. All of the
proceeds will be split in half between the Boy’s and Girl’s Club of American and the Housing
Corporation. Prizes will also be given away to the final 4 remaining participants. The prizes will consist
of gift cards, Phi Psi memorabilia, etc. If you would like to participate, a buy in at the door will be $20,
or if you wish to prepay, $10. Prepay can be sent to my campus mailbox at:
401 College Ave.
Box 1592
Ashland, OH, 44805
Please remember, any alumni who would like to bring their wives, girlfriends, etc., to O’Bryan’s, brunch, or the
poker tournament, you are more than welcomed to do so! We hope to see all of our wonderful alumni in
attendance this year and hope to build alumni relations up to the highest level possible.
Amici,
Andrew Hart, 761…
Phi Psi Events and Gatherings
Ric Knight ... 475
April 5 - Happy Founders Day!!!
Plan on heading to Ashland and to 642 to celebrate Founders Day. The brothers have several events planned at the
house and a dinner. More news to come on this one!! The Surrey Inn is a great place to stay!!
May 9 - The official kick off to summer with the BRYNER CUP!!!
Plan on being at the CC of Ashland by 9:00 for a day of golf, beers and Phi Psi stories!! This is always one of the
highlights of the year!! You don't need a partner, just show up!!! If you have never shown up, plan to this year!!!!
More details to come!!!
August 22, 23 - HERE IS THE MAJOR NEWS!
Unfortunately the dates do not work to get the fraternity house for the night this year, so we will be moving the
Ray Porter Memorial Golf Event to its original date............AUGUST 22, 23, 2014!!!
We are still going to
make a weekend of it as we will plan on meeting in Ashland at noon on Friday for some golf at Ashland Country
Club, and a night to warm up before the big event!!!
THE MAIN EVENT WILL BE ON SATURDAY, as we will meet at the house at 9:30, before heading to
Brookside for Golf, and the auction at the pavilion at the end of the day. Dinner will be catered as well!!!
I have booked 20 rooms at the Surrey Inn (419-289-7700). Ask for the special rate that we have under my name.
If you are planning on coming Friday and Saturday, let them know!! Many more details to come for this
spectacular event!!
Keep on the lookout for more information on all the above Phi Kappa Psi events!!!
Live Ever, Die Never!!!
Freshman Recruitment Scholarship
Samuel Postell ... 764
Brothers,
As newly elected GP, I wanted to inform you that all is well within the chapter house, and we are excited to
announce that we are ready to move forward with our efforts in strengthening our membership.
Over my duration at The Presidents’ Leadership Academy I had an amazing opportunity to learn from some of the
greatest Phi Psi chapters in the nation. One program that really caught my eye was the University of Iowa
chapter’s recruitment scholarship. This is an amazing opportunity to recruit great men and offer a philanthropic
scholarship within out house. I spoke with their president for about an hour and we both agreed that our chapter
has created the perfect storm for this recruitment scholarship; however, we need your help with the funding.
The University of Iowa is living proof that this method of recruitment is full-proof, as they are one of the largest
chapters nationwide, and still impressively reach a cumulative GPA of over 3.25 ever single semester. What they
do, through the university, is sponsor a scholarship in the name of one of their alumni (Ours will be in the name of
Brother Jerry Dunlap).
I have talked to the university and if we move forward quickly enough we will be able to get our scholarship on
the list that is mailed to every household with a freshman attending Ashland for the upcoming fall. The way Iowa
organizes this scholarship is that they have interviews with the applicants after each he has submitted a cover
letter, resume, personal essay, and transcript. This is extremely helpful, as we will be able to hand pick which
freshmen fit the ideals of our brotherhood, as well as gain an insight into their personal habits in the classroom.
The next step is to have a banquet in the house to award the scholarship, while inviting much of the faculty.
Through this scholarship, we will be introducing quality men who plan on attending the university to the chapter
house, and many of the brothers as well as alumni. Their first experience on campus will be meeting the brothers
of Phi Kappa Psi in a professional manner. Their parents, and families, will receive a positive interpretation of our
character and the way we approach scholarship, philanthropy, and dedication to our positions.
I encourage all of you who are alumni and are looking for a way to give back to strongly consider donating to this
scholarship, as it would highly strengthen our pursuit to recruit the proper men. With Sigma Nu recolonizing on
our campus, we can use any advantage we can get, and proving that we are serious and committed to the
important things on campus is where this advantage should start.
If you are interested in donating or working with the chapter for this scholarship please contact me via email at
[email protected], or give me a call or text message at 740-262-7698. I look forward to seeing all of you for
founders’ day weekend, and we will also be collecting donations to the scholarship at that point in the form of
checks made out to the chapter, or in the form of cash. I appreciate your time, and I hope to allow each of you to
strengthen your dedication to the fraternity throughout my duties as the GP.
Remember, “Where we go one, we go all”- you are all valuable assets to this fraternity, and each of you can
continue to strive to make a difference in our house and on this campus.
Amici,
Samuel Postell…764…
Save the Date!
2014 Homecoming Dinner
Friday, October 10, 2014
In the Accent Room at Myers Convocation Center
Details will be included in the next newsletter
What's New with Alumni
Spencer Morrell ... 723...
I will be getting married May 23, 2014 in Cincinnati. My bride-to-be is Ms. Sabrina Shrider. There should be
many alumni and some undergrads in attendance so I will send photos when I get them.
Keith Scheurman … 529…
My wife Amy and I had our second child, a baby girl we named Samantha Rae, on February 25th.
Chris Manthey ... 747...
During my recent internship with the American Leadership Academy, I spent two weeks in Cabo San Lucas
Mexico gaining valuable work experience and networking relationships. I was responsible for assisting with
programming as well as working point for many of the speakers and guests that were in attendance. While there I
was able to gain serious footing in my search to set up my future and had a great time.
David Ellsworth … 691...
I am happy to announce that I am recently engaged to my fiancé and lavaliered sweetheart of Ohio Theta, Krista
Goodwin. We met in the fall of 2006, the same year that I pledged Phi Psi at AU, and were engaged in the
mountains of Telluride, Colorado, on March 10th of this year.
Jeff Dunning ... 208...
Here's a photo of a recent Caribbean cruise. We left Miami January 25 for San Juan, St. Thomas, then St.
Maarten. 7 days on Celebrity Cruises. We met Brother Bernie Barre (PN 190) at South Beach, too.
Couples from left to right:
Marie & John Gebert (PN 199), Cindy & Mark Fellenbaum (PN 175), Laura & Mike Telich (PN 170), Jeanne & Jeff Dunning (PN 208), Sue & Rick
Dunning (PN 164)
Ohio Theta Chapter Eternal
Gary Kula ...12...
There were 11 Brothers who attended Brother Kula's
Memorial Service and Sang "Amici" (Our Strong Band ...)