Theta Chi - Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Epsilon Echo THE NEWSLETTER FOR ALUMNI AND FRIENDS OF EPSILON CHAPTER OF THETA CHI AT WORCESTER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE FALL 2021 EPSILON CHAPTER DEMONSTRATES EXCELLENCE Chapter President Shares Gratitude for Theta Chi's Continued Prosperity oxepsilon.org Brothers, I hope you're all doing well! I am proud to update everyone on eta Chi's growth and prosperity. e COVID-19 pandemic was one of the greatest challenges Epsilon Chapter has faced in its history; nonetheless, the Epsilon Chapter of eta Chi has still proven to be a successful, close-knit brotherhood. Now that we are at the tail end of the pandemic, our Chapter is hoping to meet new alumni prior to the end of the academic year and welcome them with open arms. At the end of the last academic year, WPI's annual Chapter Excellence Awards were announced. I am thrilled to share that eta Chi was awarded Fraternity of the Year—for the second consecutive year! Epsilon Chapter also received recognition for Outstanding Alumni Programming, Outstanding Leadership Development, and Outstanding Community Outreach; we were also recognized in the honor roll for both Outstanding Academic Support and Outstanding Fiscal Management. ank you to former President Jaden Chin '21 and the rest of his executive board for all their hard work. One of the challenges we had to face last year was successfully accomplishing new member education with all of the restrictions put in place by WPI due to COVID-19. Despite all the challenges faced, Parker Simpson '21 and Antonio Jeanlys '21, the chapter's past marshal and chaplain, were able to educate and initiate 13 Brothers. is year, we are back to in-person recruitment, and Recruitment Chairmen River Yan '22 and Jack Fredo '23 have done a killer job. anks to everybody's collective efforts, we successfully had 28 bids signed on Bid Night! I am confident that Marshal Nathan Kumar '22 and Chaplain Jacob Yurcak '22 will properly educate and prepare these new members for becoming Brothers of the Epsilon Chapter. As my tenure as Epsilon Chapter's president is ending, I've been reflecting on the past year and my time as a Brother in the house. I have had countless unforgettable experiences, and I owe it to every one of my Brothers. Our Chapter has allowed me to grow into a better version of myself, and I cannot thank every Brother, advisor, and alumni enough for their support throughout. It's nerve-wracking to know that May will be here before we know it and I will be graduating soon, but I am looking forward to what the future has in store! We recently voted in the next group of executive members, and I am confident that incoming President Benjamin Watkins '23 and the rest of his executives will do a great job in progressing our Chapter and pushing our brotherhood in the best direction. Good luck, Brothers. ank you again for all of the phenomenal experiences! Fraternally, Bryan Pereira Lima '22 Chapter President Charlie Gunn '56 was one of our most colorful and revered Chapter presidents. Although I never had the pleasure of meeting Charlie, I felt like I knew him through his peers. His name was ever present in the many colorful and sincere stories regularly told by his classmates at Homecoming and monthly dinners. Sadly, his wife, Darlene, confirmed his entering of Chapter Eternal on June 13, 2019. In communicating the unfortunate news to his peers, some shared their fond memories of Charlie and their time together. As a small part of celebrating Charlie's life in our Chapter, I would like to share some excerpts from our correspondence, including a special note from Darlene. Rest in peace, Charles. We will remember you always! James Melvin '85 jmm2562@gmail.com Our sincere sympathy on the passing of Charlie. Charlie was our fab Chapter president my freshman year, and one of the most colorful and best electrical engineering majors! –James "Alfie" Alfieri '59 So sorry to learn about Charlie's passing. Chazz was definitely one of the colorful Epsilon Brothers of the 1950s. He and Pappy were great friends and remained so throughout their lives—hard to imagine Pap has been gone for more than three years as of November 15, 2018. Chazz was an enthusiastic jazz fan; he was already building his collection of jazz classics on vinyl (the right way to record great music). I remember Chazz's classic 1934 green Ford and always having a '50s-like personality—one of his favorite expressions was "all-righty burgers." Just an all-around great guy. –Allen Levesque '59 Charlie was president my freshman year, so I didn't know him too well, but I certainly remember the car. During my recruitment, Charlie figured I had wandered around downtown Worcester long enough, so he came to pick me up. We pulled up to a stop REMEMBERING CHARLES GUNN '56 Alumni Pay Respects to Fallen Brother (Continued on page 2)

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