Sigma Chi - University of Virginia

More Construction on the Horizon $500,000 Still to Be Raised for Phase 2 PALMER FAMILY GIFT www.psiofsigmachi.com I t started with a discussion about getting some of the Brothers from the late '60s and early '70s together in Charlottesville for a mini-reunion. Several of us lamented that we had tried this before, usually with an initial dose of enthusiasm, that ended with just two or three of us meeting for a fall football game. This time momentum was established and maintained! Joe Davison '73 took the initial lead with a series of emails cajoling us to make it happen. Rick Schaible '71, Tom Hicks '72, and Bob Parmley '72 and their wives had met for dinner out on the West Coast and had such a wonderful time that Tom volunteered to assist in the effort. Casey Cummings '70 provided Tom with the latest email list of Brothers from this era, and the plan started coming together. So far, we have 12-15 brothers attending! The mini-reunion is planned for November 1-3, 2019. A block of rooms has been reserved at a special rate at the Marriott Courtyard near the Corner. Contact Johanna at (434) 817-2658 and mention the Sigma Chi Psi 50 group. The tentative schedule is as follows: Thursday, October 31-optional no-host dinner for early arrivals; Friday, November 1-possible golf outing during the day and 6:00 p.m. drinks and BBQ at a house in Farmington rented by Casey Cummings; Saturday, November 2- lunch and golf in the afternoon, (noon-6:00 p.m.) plus a tentative dinner at the House (6:00 or 7:00 p.m.); Sunday, November 3-possible brunch at the House 11:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Emails will be sent out to the mailing list as the planning firms up. Brothers planning to attend should contact Tom Hicks '72 at hthicks1950@ icloud.com or Mike Kutzleb '71 at mkutzleb@ phnx-international.com. Hope you can join us! I n March 2019, Karla Palmer and her husband Tom Roepke, Law '90 reached out to the Board of Directors to see if they could honor Karla's father, James Reilly "Jim" Palmer' 60, aka "The Bear." Jim has three grandchildren who have graduated or will graduate from UVA: Hannah Repke '19, Jonathan "Jack" Repke '20, and Megan Day, M. Ed. '20. The family wanted to make a donation toward mounting a plaque in his name and dedicate his room at 608 to what it was colloquially called, "The Bear Den." Life at Psi encapsulated some of Jim's fondest memories, and the family donated $10,000 to the capital campaign in his memory. A dedication of Jim's old room will take place this fall. If you are interested in attending the event or if you would like more information on naming rights for rooms and spaces in 608, please contact Jim Mallon '81 at jmallon@spa.com. On June 1 and June 8, we hosted events at the House for those Psis attending the UVA Reunion Weekends. On both days, the festivities were held in our new Chapter Room, built during Phase 1 of our renovation. An update was provided to those attending on the second phase of our capital campaign, dedicated to the restoration of the living space in the Chapter House. On June 1, we had about two dozen Brothers attend, and also had the sad privilege of memorializing Mike Dillon '79 and Randy Dobson '79. Mike passed away in April 2019 from a degenerative disease and Randy lost his battle to cancer in 2017. On June 8, we had about 70 Psis come by the House—an amazing turnout and a great time of storytelling and bonding between the generations. Here's a summary of our current status and renovation financing: Status We have pledges of more than $1.8 million. Our remaining fundraising goal is now less than $500,000. While we're almost 80% of the way there, we still need your help to reach the finish line. The graph shows the current donation status by era (totals do not reflect donations from years prior to 1960 and from anonymous or "non-Brother" donors). At our March 2019 House Corporation Board of Directors meeting, we initially decided to split the remaining House improvements into two parts—the first was to have begun this summer while next summer we'd have completed the renovation. However, as result of a lengthy review process with the City of Charlottesville, the decision was made to shift all construction to the spring of 2020 to minimize the impact on the active Brothers during the 2019-2020 academic year. Financing Phase 1 was and continues to be a great success. It was a huge expansion project (over 3,000 sq. ft.) of meeting and social space that also included a new driveway with parking for 10-12 cars, new electrical systems, new heating and air conditioning systems, new bathroom facilities, and outdoor terraces for social and entertainment purposes. The total cost was $1.2 million, all of which has been paid for by the generous pledges received from over 240 Brothers and friends of Psi Chapter. Phase 2 construction will begin in the spring of 2020, upgrading the living conditions of the original house at a total cost of $900,000. The Board of Directors has signed a contract with the Charlottesville firm, Martin Horn, to complete Phase 2. Our goal when finished is to provide 24 single bedrooms that are as good or better than the commercial apartment competition in Charlottesville. For all who have given to date, thanks for your generosity in making this happen. You should be proud of our active Brothers. They are exactly what you'd expect of Psis—sociable, fun loving, athletic, deeply involved in many aspects of UVA life, and smart. This venture ensures we will continue to have remarkable Brothers for generations to come. Jim Mallon '81 Bret W. Holden '83 Capital Campaign Co-Chairman Capital Campaign Co-Chairman Jmallon@spa.com bholden@sycomtech.com FALL MINI-REUNION

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