Beta Theta Pi - Purdue University

3 BETA THETA PI AT PURDUE UNIVERSITY D ick Buell '72 holds a special place in his heart for Purdue University, specifically the basket- ball program. As a freshman, a key factor in his joining Beta eta Pi, in addition to its members' generosity and the recently remodeled facility, were the basketball players living in the house at the time. An avid sports fan, Dick admired the senior mem- bers who, at the time, thought nothing of living in the house all four years. Dick also enjoyed the Beta broth- ers and that was enough to win over his decision to join a lifelong organization. Now 50 years later, Dick is once again showing his admiration for Purdue's basketball team by making a significant donation to the program. is summer, Dick made the largest one-time gi in Purdue athletic history by donating $10 million. "When I began al- locating funds from my estate, giving to Purdue ath- letics was a priority. I have been very fortunate in my life to work at four different companies as CEO over a span of 28 years. I credited my family, hard work, and Purdue with making this possible. I love sports in general at Purdue, but I specifically admired Purdue basketball and wanted to start giving back now. Matt Painter is a model coach and a leader to those athletes. He makes sure they not only play hard, but enjoy the sport in a positive way. Matt is a very special guy, and is a large part of the reason I chose to support the basketball program in this manner." In planning for the future of Purdue basketball, Dick also has hopes for the future of Beta eta Pi's Beta Mu Chapter. "ere was a time at Beta Mu when things weren't as encouraging as they are today. I'm pleased to see current membership is in high spirits and willing to put in the hard work to maintain our newly remodeled facility. I personally would love to see academics remain a top priority as much as intramurals. It's important that our members remember that they're at Purdue to receive an education and ultimately a job. ere's a lot of learning that goes into your accomplish- ments, and academics is a great indicator of how you'll be in your career. "In today's world, it's important to look at how the Chapter moves forward not only by attracting quality new members, but by focusing on the issues of young people today. From an alumni perspective, we need to make sure there are programs in place for young men to seek out mentorship opportunities and dis- cuss timely issues, including drug and alcohol use, academic performance, and the ongoing conversation on sexual assault. Everybody is in a place where they can influence the future of our members; it's a matter of who is willing to do the job." Dick lives in Naples, Florida. He spends a lot of time volunteering in the community. He works with the Harry Chapin Food Bank in Naples, which has been very successful providing meals to the homeless and senior community. ey have also been heavily involved in providing school meals (breakfast and lunch) to needy children in the area. Dick was a mem- ber of the Board of the Directors of the Chicago An- ti-Hunger Federation for 17 years, and is in the process of becoming in- doctrinated in the Fourth Presbyterian Church to volunteer serving meals to the homeless. "My exposure to those in need was a real so spot with me, and I later learned that children were a large part of that population. When you have school programs that provide meals during the year, what happens to the kids in the summer months who rely on that food as their only meals? Harry Chapin now has 18 new food delivery trucks that go to the areas in southwest Florida where it's needed for primarily children and senior citizens. e need was there and I decided to get involved." Dick is enjoying his retirement years. He works out almost every morning and again in the aernoon 3-4 days a week. He enjoys playing golf and swimming laps, as well as bicycling, oen doing so on the streets in Naples, and along Lake Shore Drive in Chicago. Dick is taking on some new chal- lenges; he is learning pickleball, bacci ball, and ballroom dancing. You can contact Dick at ldbuell@gmail.com. Dick Buell '72 Makes Largest Donation in Purdue's History to Athletic Department Brandon Ganderson / Brownsburg, Ind. John Groen Jr. / Munster, Ind. Grant Gunderson / Lake Elmo, Minn. Cody Gutwein / Brookston, Ind.* (Cousins Jeff Welsh '82 and Mark Mayhew '78) Caleb Hancock / Fishers, Ind. Jacob Hess / Fort Wayne, Ind. Elijah Hostetler / Westfield, Ind. William Huber / Indianapolis, Ind. Michael Mckee / Lafayette, Ind. Roger Phaneuf / Grand Rapids, Mich. Ethan Pio / Morristown, N.J. Ryan Plummer / Noblesville, Ind. Benjamin Pugach / Southlake, Texas Bryce Randolph / Noblesville, Ind. Andrew Redman / Zionsville, Ind.* (Uncle David Siegel, DePauw '87) Nicholas Regier / Spring, Texas Blake Shaffer / Columbus, Ind. Jack Skinner / Kent, Ohio Alex Spiros / Urbana, Ill. Evan Spiros / Urbana, Ill. Brayden Stewart / Noblesville, Ind. Huntington Stoinoff / Dallas, Texas Matthew Toth / Indianapolis, Ind.* (Brother Erich Toth '15) Luke Walters / Noblesville, Ind. Joseph Wede / Carmel, Ind. Noah Whited / Carmel, Ind. Owen Williams / Indianapolis, Ind. Kyle Zachmann / Indianapolis, Ind. Michael Zarras / Morris Plains, N.J. *Legacy; relative in parentheses

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