Sigma Phi Epsilon - Oklahoma State University

SIGMA PHI EPSILON 5 Alpha Artery Alumni Updates 2018 exeCutive CounCil President Blake Giles '19 Edmond, Okla. (405) 596-4276 blake.giles@okstate.edu VP of Programming Brooks Robison '19 Broken Arrow, Okla. VP of Finance Reilly Cross '19 McKinney, Texas VP of Recruitment Dylan Harden '20 Sulphur, Okla. dylan.harden@okstate.edu (580) 618-3196 VP of Membership Development Matt Donavan '19 Fort Collins, Colo. VP of Communications Brent Cunningham '20 Bartlesville, Okla. Chaplain Daniel Eckenfels '19 Skiatook, Okla. Chapter Eternal Jimmy McGraw '60 entered Chapter Eternal on June 10, 2018. His wife Frances shares, "Jim at- tended Oklahoma A&M College in 1954-1956 on a football scholarship when the students still sang OAMC! He loved being there and loved Sigma Phi Epsilon! He often said the fraternity changed his life. Football took Jim to Eastern New Mexico University where he earned a foot- ball scholarship and played for that fine team for three years! That is where we met, dated, and were married. Jim wanted to fly above all else and he felt the military was his only chance. He had two years of ROTC at Oklahoma A&M and he transferred to West Texas State University. He graduated there in 1960 with a commission in the U.S. Army as a second lieutenant. He served in the Army for 21 years and retired as a major. He went to flight school in 1964 and then served two one-year tours in Vietnam as a fixed wing pilot. Later he flew helicopters in Hawaii and Arizona. Jim earned the Distin- guished Flying Cross, three Bronze Stars, the Meritorious Service Medal, and numerous oth- er commendations during his 21-year career. During our 61 years of marriage we had a son and a daughter and now have six grandsons. They call themselves 'Papa Jim's Six Pack!' Oklahoma State was Jim's first college experi- ence and he loved it so much. We always fol- lowed the OSU Cowboys in football and basket- ball and eagerly watched Eddie Sutton, Buddy Ryan, and Coach Neal Armstrong throughout their careers as they had befriended Jim while he was at Stillwater. He loved being considered a part of the OClub and we supported it as much as we could along with Sigma Phi Epsilon." Alumni News Glenn A. Leonhart '53 reports to us from his daughter Alice, "My dad just celebrated his 90th birthday! My parents, Glenn and Marilyn, have been married for 62 years! They have four hap- pily married daughters, 11 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. They live in a very nice assisted living facility called Redmond Heights Senior Living in Redmond, Wash., near Seattle and close to two of their daughters. We just moved them there from a facility in Issaquah. My dad enjoys reading his Alpha Artery and reminiscing about his SigEp days, so keep them coming!" To keep in touch with Glenn, you can reach him at (425) 941-5926. W hen Valerie Silvers first stepped foot through Sig- ma Phi Epsilon's doors, it marked the beginning of her journey with Oklahoma Alpha. "I have spent five years as a fraternity house director and I absolute- ly love it. Now that my children are all grown, I've learned how much this filled the void of my own children not being around. I have always loved the excitement that children and youth bring. In this way, with the fraternity I can still be a part of that youthful atmosphere." This unique Oklahoma Alpha environment stands as a testa- ment to the fraternity's ideals and each chapter member contributes both big and small to this legacy. Through it all, Valerie is a steadfast confidant and Oklahoma Alpha's biggest cheerleader through life's ups and downs. She truly values her time with each undergraduate and enjoys watching them grow as SigEp members and leaders throughout their career at Okla- homa State University. As a graduate of Oklahoma State University, Valerie still enjoys partaking in a variety of Cowboy traditions and contributing to campus life as the SigEp house director. "One of the things I learned as I began this position was the number of fines. I decided to implement a reward system instead as a way for the men to take pride in their home and surroundings at OSU. I perform room checks and reward those who keep their rooms presentable with items like movie tickets." She advises the undergraduate members to cherish this time in their life, develop time management skills, and remember that good manners are not an item of the past. Oklahoma Al- pha provides many opportunities to accomplish these goals through friendship, leadership, both inside and outside the organization, and personal integrity. During her free time, Valerie remains active through travel, water and snow skiing, hiking, snorkeling, and scuba diving. She has written and managed grants for the city of Stillwater for nearly 10 years and has four grown children. Two of her daughters, both married, live in Stillwater and Tulsa, while her twin sons are both in the Navy. If you would like to connect with Valerie and welcome her as part of the Oklahoma Alpha community, she can be reached at stuntdbletake@live.com. Meet Valerie Silvers, House Director for Oklahoma Alpha Getting to Know You

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