Beta Theta Pi - Westminster College

BQP Page 3 Remembering a Beta Brother Alumni Achievement Award presented to Mike Esser '70 by College President Dr. Barney Forsythe. Two Betas Receive Alumni Achievement Awards O n the Saturday morning of Alumni Weekend, two Betas were recognized at the Alumni Honors Convocation. Mike Esser '70 was a recipient of the 2013 Lifetime Alumni Achievement Award and Jim Bennett '92 received a 2013 Young Alumni Achievement Award. Several dozen Alpha Delta alumni and undergraduates helped recognize their Beta brothers. Mike, a former Westminster student body president who received his MBA at the Wharton School of Business, is a principal in the firm of Edward D. Jones & Co., a St. Louis-based investment firm with more than 10,000 offices serving customers in the United States and Canada. Since moving to the Jones headquarters in 1982, Mike has served the firm in several executive roles. For many years, he has been responsible for its federal, state, and local government relations activities. In 2002, he received the Financial Services Roundtable INFACT-IMACT Award. Two of Mike's sons are Betas, Andy, William & Mary '03, and Renny, Wabash '08. Mike stressed Alpha Delta's commitment to academic excellence during the late '60s and early '70s. "I soon learned that there was a shared value of intellectual development incorporated into the climate of the house," he said, recalling proctored study halls mandated for pledges. "This is not necessarily what the world associates with fraternity behavior." Mike also reflected on his overall college experience: "Westminster's rigorous academic standards forced me to discover how hard I could work! And the small student body offered me leadership opportunities which prepared me for life." Jim was an outstanding scholar, leader, and athlete at Westminster. After graduating from Vanderbilt University law school, he clerked for both the Hon. Anthony Kennedy, associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, and the Hon. J.L. Edmondson, U.S. circuit judge for the Eleventh Circuit. A prominent litigator, Jim co-founded the St. Louis law firm of Doud Bennett LLP in which he serves as a partner. He has focused his practice on multijurisdictional cases involving large monetary awards that are expected to go to trial, and he is a fellow of the Litigation Counsel of America. Jim has good memories of his Alpha Delta undergraduate experience. "I count my positions as rush chairman and chapter president among my favorite accomplishments at Westminster," he said. "Beyond making some of the best friends I will ever have and really enjoying myself, I learned a lot in the Beta house about getting along with people, operating a business within our budget, and striving to keep a great tradition alive." Jim also lauded Westminster, "With its small classes taught by distinguished full professors in an interactive environment, the College was the perfect place for me." Former IBM CEO John R. Opel '48 Enters Chapter Eternal at Age 86 J ohn R. Opel '48 entered Chapter Eternal on November 3, 2011, at the age of 86. John was one of the most successful leaders of IBM, serving as the chief executive officer from January 1981 to January 1985. Born in Kansas City, John grew up in Jefferson City, Missouri. He majored in English at Westminster College. After graduation he fought in the Philippines and Okinawa in World War II and went on to earn an MBA degree from the University of Chicago in 1949. John was an avid fisherman and bird watcher, and it was on a fishing trip that his career with IBM was jumpstarted. A friend of his father and IBM salesman, offered John a sales position in central Missouri, launching John into a 36year career with a company self-described today as a "trend setter in the information age." Coworkers described John as trustworthy and good with customers, and he rose quickly through the ranks within the company. He believed strongly that a company's most valuable asset is their people and they should be treated with respect. He began as a sales associate in 1949, was promoted to vice president in 1966, became head of IBM's Data Processing Product Group in 1972, and served as president from 1974 to 1983. John said once of his leadership style, "You just have to be alert and be thoughtful. And you have to rely a lot on the wisdom that exists in your employees." 
 His leadership in the company came at a time of growth and expansion. IBM broadened its focus from accounting machines to the mainframe systems development and later the personal computer. More likely than not, the PC each of us uses today has roots in IBM technology. During his second year as CEO, the U.S. Department of Justice dropped the 13-year-old antitrust lawsuit against IBM. This freed the company to be more competitive and it took full advantage of the opportunity, nearly doubling revenue during John's tenure. At the peak of his success, competitors were complaining that IBM was too powerful and John's feature on Time magazine in 1983 boasted, "The Colossus That Works." John is survived by his wife of 56 years, Carole; five children: Robert, Julie Conlee, John E., Nancy Wickham, and Mary Porteus; and 15 grandchildren.

• Cover