Sigma Phi Epsilon - University of Oklahoma

THE EPILOG A PUBLICATION FOR ALUMNI OF OKLAHOMA BETA t SIGMA PHI EPSILON WINTER 2019 T he year began with a weekend of alumni and actives celebrating arguably the most popular and well-known member of Oklahoma Beta, Ray Ackerman '77. Father Ray received the Exemplary Service Award, presented to one alumus at each Carlson Leadership Academy. The award requires 20 years of alumni service and recognized Ray for his local leadership and service as the National Chaplain for 20 years. Approximately 30 active members and 20 alumni were on hand to celebrate with Ray in OKC. In February, we had the fifth OK Beta All Class Reunion, ACR-V. The ACR began with a night of bowling and pizza at the HeyDay Entertainment Center in Norman. We had 70-plus alumni, actives, and dates enjoy an evening of fun and catching up. Rumor has it a few decent games were bowled, also. Thanks to Trey Bates '86 (co- owner of HeyDay), Mark Ackerman '82, and Dan Carman '82 for helping make this outing a success. This may become an annual event by itself. We followed that up with a Saturday Night semi-formal dinner at the Petroleum Club in downtown OKC. The Wise Guys (featuring Brad McPherson '80) provided the music for dancing and it was a very fun evening. EXCEPTIONAL ALUMNI RECOGNIZED Time is always taken at the ACR to recognize alumni who have made special contributions to the OK Beta Chapter and Alumni Board. This year, we had an exceptional bevy of brothers who were recognized. The following brothers were recognized for "demonstrating the true meaning of virtue, diligence, and brotherly love" through service to the Alumni Board: Andy Fugitt '80 Brad McPherson '80 Ray Ackerman '77 Donnie Lynn '86 Chip Long '82 Each of these men has been instrumental in keeping the fire of SigEp burning through the years with boots on the ground and fellowship and counsel. My gratitude and love for these men runs deep. REVIVING OUR CAPITAL CAMPAIGN The capital campaign continues to roll along, and we hope to have new energy this spring as a new AVC president directs our next phase. Through the early rollout, we have received over $1.3 million in pledges and we have received nearly $800,000 in pledge payments and one-time gifts. The first phase went out primarily to prospective high-level donors. This response allowed us to do Phase 1 of the remodel, which alumni and chapter members enjoy today: improved safety, improved study areas, improved dining and kitchen, and improved meeting areas. Phase 2 will target upstairs study lounges and study area for individual rooms. The Alumni Board does not intend to start Phase 2 until Phase 1 is paid for, which means we need the actual donations to match the pledges. We should be at 80% for our received/pledged ratio, but we are only at 61%, overall. Please send in your pledged amount as early as possible and thank you for your support. PROVIDING SCHOLARSHIPS TO ACTIVE BROTHERS Obviously, the primary reason we matriculate to the University of Oklahoma is to advance our career path through scholastic achievement. To that end, I want to direct a little attention to OK Beta Scholarship opportunities made possible through generous contributions from alumni, students, and parents. We have four scholarships available at OK Beta: Burke Lewis "Brotherly Love" Scholarship Awarded to a chapter member who best exemplifies the brotherly love aspect of SigEp values. Elizabeth "Virtue" Scholarship Awarded to a chapter member with a difficult background/home life. Outstanding Alumni, Outstanding Fraternity OK Beta Reaches $1.3 Million in Campaign Pledges (Continued on page 2)

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