Lambda Chi Alpha - University of Illinois

5 Chi Zetagram CHAPTER ETERNAL Russell "Russ" C. James '42 X488 passed away. He was pre-law in the LAS college at the University of Illinois before attending DePauw. He retired in 1983 as a district manager for AT&T Co. and was a resident of Murrieta, Calif., where he lived with his wife, Elizabeth. Together they had two children, Robert and Carol Ann. Dr. Rudolph B. Stevens '43 X520 passed away on August 30, 2017, at the age of 92. Born in Chicago, he grew up in Berwyn, Ill. Rudolph married his high school sweetheart, Elaine R. Vaculik, in 1948 and received his doctor of medicine from the University of Illinois in 1949. He was a member of Naval Surgical Team No.1 in the Korean War. Rudy joined McLean Clinic in Oregon City after the war, soon becoming its president. He retired after 50 years of medical practice in 2000 and blazed his new path as a watercolor artist, which included teaching, encouraging and inspiring watercolor art students throughout the Portland area. He was honored by the Arts Council of Lake Oswego in February of 2017. He was an accomplished fly fisherman, a pinot-phile, had a green thumb in the vegetable garden, and was an avid tennis player. His engaging personality resonated with all who met him. Rudy and Elaine raised five devoted children, Mark, Jan, Larry, Christina, and Leigh. Thomas "Tom" Madden '51 X625 passed away on December 16, 2015. He was vice president of the chapter in 1953 and treasurer in 1954 as well as co-chairman of Spring Carnival in 1954. The 1958 Zetagram had this update: "Tom Madden '54 writes: 'After being released from active duty with the Navy in 1956, I entered the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania. This past June I received my master's in business administration and began work with Procter and Gamble at Staten Island, N.Y., in their industrial engineering department.'" In 1960, Tom and his family moved to California; he was a resident of San Jose at the time of his passing. Tom was owner of the Silectro Co. in Palo Alto, Calif. Ray Wood '54 X665 passed away on March 9, 2016. He served as vice president of Chi Zeta in 1956. Our old newsletters tell us he was from Effingham, Ill., and married in 1956. After college, he was in the Army, attending the Army Signal Corps school in New Jersey. In the 1957 Zetagram, we reported this: "From Ray Wood '56 comes the following impression of Army life: 'New job, new clothes, new friends, and a tremendous future awaits me in the U. S. Army. It seems as though my new job is that of a foot soldier. This fact I have reasoned out on my own this past week, while marching at least 10 miles per day. Here, they tell you not to think, and they really mean it. They will think for you. You have no worries at all, such wonderful peace of mind. My firm is well integrated. Everyone has an important job which is performed to the utmost of the individual's ability. Every member has such a good attitude and likes his job so well that it is indeed a pleasure to work for this outfit. My firm is very large and therefore there are openings every day. However, there are long lines of new personnel waiting to fill any vacant positions that may arise. My firm is very particular about the personal appearance of its employees. Consequently, they issue each employee a complete wardrobe of clothing. Also, with my firm, you get to travel worldwide or further at no expense to the individual. The latest trip that is being planned for us is somewhere over in Europe. No doubt a visit to that ancient land will improve our cultural background and intelligence. One hint about joining this firm. Try to enter through the front door, not through the back door—sound advice from one who learned the hard way one—Pvt.'" He then had a daughter in 1957 while serving as an instructor in the Signal Corps, planning to return to Illinois in 1958 for a master's degree. He eventually settled in Manchester, Tenn. Lee A. Cole Jr. '62 X787 passed away at age 74 on Sunday July 23, 2017, at IU Arnett Hospital in Lafayette, Ind. He leaves his son, Joshua N. Cole (wife Diane Lin) and daughter, Julie C. Watson (husband Ford), sister, Sara Roth, and three grandchildren. Born in Chicago and raised in Rensselaer, Ind., he was a lifelong resident of Lafayette, Ind. While an architecture student at the University of Illinois, he met Sally Jane Trott, his wife of 46 years. Upon graduation from University of Illinois, he served with the U.S. Army in the Vietnam War. After his honorable discharge, Lee worked at Scholer Architects and Engineers for more than 25 years. Lee was an ardent sailor throughout his adult life and active member of the Lafayette Sailing Club for many years where he won numerous regattas and season long race series. Mark W. Droegemueller '77 X1057 of Chicago passed away at Northwestern Memorial Hospital on December 31, 2018, after a brave battle with cancer. In his 62 years, Mark was successful in his career, but his greatest success was improving the lives of everyone who knew him. He was born in Battle Creek, Mich., in 1956, the son of the late Walter and Betty Droegemueller. Mark received his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois and his graduate degree from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University. He began his career as a successful trader on the Chicago Board of Trade before finding his passion as the chief financial officer for a private school in Chicago. Mark is survived by his two sons, Joseph and Augustus, whom he loved deeply; his brother, Ford; sister, Mary; and his niece and nephews. All who knew him will miss him. ALUMNI NEWS Jim Broline '71 X959 enjoyed a great engineering career, becoming the managing director of an engineering equipment firm, Lightning Division of SPX. But through a series of corporate mergers, he and all his management peers were cut out. So, he was a market researcher for four years, during which he introduced the use of online surveys, nationally, to market research firms. From there, he ended up consulting Fortune 500 corporate officers and public relations people on quantitative measurement of their messaging. "It was fun, but my wife said to quit traveling. So, now I sell real estate and do some restricted engineering projects. My greatest success and a great joy were to coach a lot of baseball teams. My son was considered a prospect. It is amazing since I am not athletically gifted." His son, John, played on the U.S. Pan AM Olympic Team in Brazil and across the country in addition to playing in college. At least four of the kids with whom Jim interacted with while coaching were rewarded with Major League Baseball contracts, though only one made it to the big fields. His son studied accounting, but after graduation he wanted to be an Illinois state trooper. "Go figure!" Other than his past fun, he was an adviser to the Bishop of Joliet as a pastoral council rep. for South DuPage Deanery. He still serves his Village of Burr Ridge as a commissioner on the Plan Commission and Zoning Board of Appeals (third of five years). He also volunteers for the Illinois Society of Professional Engineers for their STEM program. Jim lives in Burr Rudge, Illinois. ALUMNI UPDATE

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