Phi Delta Theta - Drake University

The Iowa Delta George A Long Jr., Illinois Eta, 6/6/1939 #586 George A Long III, Indiana Alpha 1413 A Long, Indiana Beta #539 Theta, C. Loy, #332 Edward 10/19/1208 3/18/1937 Indiana Strawbridge, Indiana Robert Theta, 4/5/1934 #504 Jack Fletcher, Iowa Beta '51, was instrumental in the formation of Iowa Delta. Once the chapter was established in the early 1960s, he served as treasurer of the House Corporation board for decades (until mid-2000). Many former chapter officers have fond memories of meetings with Jack to handle chapter business. George Strawbridge, Indiana Theta, 4/19/1936 #531 Dallas Ryan Long, Florida Gamma, 4/22/2007 #1663 Strawbridge, Indiana Theta, 4/27/1947 #749 Herbert Russell THE FLETCHER FILES Granville Moody Jr. Illinois Eta, 3/7/1914 #232 REPORT Iowa Delta Housing Corporation P.O. Box 41576 Des Moines, IA 50311 Address Service Requested Jack recently shared a few memories with us and we pass those along here. We hope to impose on Jack from time to time and gather additional historical tidbits. I owa Delta was colonized more than 50 years ago. At the time I learned of an available house on 34th Street, which served as the first chapter house. That house was later torn down and is now part of the land on the south side of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. Approximately two years following activation of the chapter, we bought the current chapter house. We obtained a loan from the Phi Delta Theta Palmer Fund for a portion of the purchase price and five local Phis each signed a $1,000 note with a bank for the balance. At the time we purchased the current chapter house there was an old garage located in the rear of the property. We later discovered there was a room located above the garage and that some of the members were taking their dates up to that room. The garage was immediately torn down. One of the campus events all of the Drake fraternities participated in was called the Sweetheart Sing. Once in the late '60s, the chapter won first place and decided to celebrate the victory by visiting an establishment in Des Moines where they could obtain liquor. They did not know that the place was a house of illrepute and was under investigation by the Des Moines police. The police raided and about 25 of the Phis spent the night in jail. Fortunately we were able to convince the court to dismiss all criminal charges. I could continue with my many Iowa Delta experiences; perhaps another time. Suffice it to say—I'm Proud to be a Phi. Jack Fletcher, Iowa Beta '51 Iowa Delta Housing Corporation President Tim Coonan '96 (#713) Des Moines, Iowa tcoonan@iowarec.org Vice President Brandon Choos '00 (#767) Des Moines, Iowa Treasurer Bob Haines '99 (#752) Des Moines, Iowa Secretary Ben Gonnerman, St. Norberts '05 (#35) Des Moines, Iowa House Manager Dave O'Leary '00 (#768) Des Moines, Iowa GHQ Liaison Josh Ervasti '96 (#722) Des Moines, Iowa Connect with Iowa Delta LinkedIn Phi Delta Theta IA Delta Alumni Club E-mail us with any updates iadeltaphidelt@gmail.com Facebook Phi Delta Theta - Iowa Delta Alumni Group ALUMNI UPDATE CHAPTER GRAND Roy Lester Jr. '90 passed on to Chapter Grand March 12, 2013. Roy earned degrees in journalism and mass communications, as well as nursing. He also achieved a J.D. and International Legal Studies Certificate from Loyola University in New Orleans. Of all his professions, Roy was most proud of his work in the ICU as an RN. He is survived by his daughter, Emily; two stepchildren, Allison and Michael; and wife, Susan. ALUMNI NEWS Roland Kok '59 and wife, Leta, sail their 45' Ketch "Kokomo" to the Bahamas every winter and live on it for four or five months of the year. They have sailed to the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala. When not sailing, they live in Destin, Fla. E‑mail: letakok@gmail.com David Thompson '63 and his wife, Nancy, live in Granville, Ill. They have nine children, 18 grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. David enjoys golfing, attends almost all of the Drake men's basketball home games, and for the past 34 years has attended every Relay. E‑mail: dtusmc@mchsi.com Don Eicher '64 served for seven years as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force. For 30 years he worked as a sales manager with Procter and Gamble and now teaches flying in southeast Pennsylvania. Don and his wife, Vicki, live in Downingtown, Pa., and have one child, Judie. E-mail: eichdbi@verizon.net Jerry Brown '69 retired in 2007 but participates in medical missions work in Mexico on shortterm trips. He also volunteers at the Mayo Clinic Hospital. He and his wife, Mary, live in Phoenix but travel to Iowa to visit family and friends. E‑mail: jerrybrownaz@gmail.com Michael Pope '72 is excited to start a new consulting business helping people with major illness or disease find the best doctors for their situation and understand insurance and their coverage. Michael and his wife, Maggie, have two children and live in Bluffton, S.C. E‑mail: m2popes@gmail.com Thomas Fisher '73 is looking forward to celebrating his 40th wedding anniversary with wife, Susan, and their two children, Mark and Jeff, their daughter‑in‑law and three granddaughters. The Fishers live in Roselle, Ill. E‑mail: tfisher4000@sbcglobal.net Kent Jewell '75 serves as the executive director for a substance abuse treatment center that houses 65 homeless addicts. They serve over 350 men a year in the inner city of Kansas City, Mo. Kent and his wife, Kathey, have three children. E‑mail: wmkentjewel@kc.rr.com Chris Abelt '79 owns Sagg Creek Marketing, a strategic planning and marketing services firm based in New York City. He and his wife, Elizabeth, live in New York with their son, William. E‑mail: cabelt@saggcreek.com Raymond Aranza '80 was made partner at the firm of Marks Clare and Richards. He and his wife, Jacque, live in Omaha, Neb. Raymond is a board member of Heartland Family Services, which is one of the largest non‑profit social service agencies in the Midwest. E‑mail: ray.aranza@gmail.com Ivan "Lee" Schneider Jr. '80 lives in Olathe, Kan., with his wife, Carol. Their son, David, attended Ft. Hays State University and serves in the Army. Lee is a staff pharmacist with Wal‑Mart. E‑mail: leeschneider@sbcglobal.net Rod Patterson '82 and his wife, Melanie, reside in Diamond Bar, Calif. He works as a regional pharmacy manager for Safeway. E‑mail: rodpatterson100@aol.com David "DJ" Wendling '91 retired in 2012 as a lieutenant colonel from the U.S. Air Force. He and his wife, Liz, reside in Las Vegas. E‑mail: jester591@yahoo.com Doug Cox '95 has been working as an independent contractor specializing in ERP development since 2004. He stays busy raising his twin boys, Dylan and Logan (future Phis), with his wife, Lori Pollak Cox (Drake Alpha Phi '95) in Atlanta, Ga. E‑mail: doug@coxhq.com Brandon Renz '03 serves as chief of staff for Congresswoman Virginia Foxx of North Carolina. He lives in Washington, D.C. E‑mail: brandonrenz@hotmail.com Adam Price '06 is the pharmacy manager for Elmwood Pharmacy in Elmwood, Ill., where he lives with his wife, Amanda. They have four children: Lily, Leah, Lucy, and Charlie. E‑mail: adampricedrake@yahoo.com Michael Tarin '10 lives in Des Moines where he is a middle school social studies teacher. This fall, he completed a triathlon, raising funds for Iron Phi and ALS research. E‑mail: tarin.michael@gmail.com

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