Beta Theta Pi - Westminster College

(Continuned from page 5) Michael McCaffree '92 met a couple of Westminster Betas from St. Louis in Beaver Creek, Colo., over spring break. "All the Missouri folks congregated in a local bar to see Mizzou basketball in the SEC tournament. We all shared some good stories." E‑mail: mikemccaffree@att.net BQP Dragon Speak Alumni Update Beta Theta Pi at Westminster College Alpha Delta of Beta Theta Pi Kirk Carpenter 8301 State Line Rd. Kansas City, MO 64114 Address Service Requested Jonathan B. Gatz '04 and his wife, Felicia, welcomed their first child, Bennett, on March 26, 2013. They live in Joplin, Mo., where Jonathan is a financial advisor for Heartland Financial Group and Strategic Partners Inc. E‑mail: gatzjb@hotmail.com Shawn N. Manning '07 is planning a wedding with his fiancée, Kari Smith, for November 16, 2013. He is the financial center manager and business banker for Fifth Third Bank. Shawn lives in St. Charles, Mo. E‑mail: snmanning16@gmail.com R. Mitch Erdel '10 works for Senator Roy Blunt in Washington, D.C. He was selected to be a part of the highly prestigious National Review Washington Fellows Program for 2012‑13, founded by William F. Buclaly for young conservatives. E‑mail: merdel77@gmail.com Attention: This newsletter is intended for alumnae and parents. If your son is still attending Westminster College, he will receive a copy. If he has graduated, please send his permanent address to update our records. Thank you. Alpha Delta Betas Relish Convention Experience I have attended several Beta conventions in the past and have always had a strong bond to our Alpha Delta Chapter and to the Fraternity. I have been encouraged by the efforts of our many alumni during the building of our new house and very impressed with the leadership of the chapter officers in the past few years. The men of Alpha Delta are taking advantage of the many leadership opportunities offered by the Fraternity and we are seeing very positive results. Ten actives had registered for the convention in Charlotte, and I wanted to show some alumni support. The purpose of convention is to build relationships, establish common organizational direction, develop participants personally, and enable them to own and carry out with clarity the mission and specified goals of Beta Theta Pi and her leadership. Each day started at 8 a.m. The legislation sessions did not end until midnight. There were sessions on the following topics: intellectual growth, trust, responsible conduct, integrity, and working with advisors and house corporation members. I especially enjoyed the housing summit which was designed for alumni serving on house corporations. Twenty-five Beta chapters were in attendance for discussions of risk management, insurance, fraternal housing trends, and preventative maintenance. I have always stressed the importance of recruiting quality members. I joined several Alpha Delta Chapter actives for the session entitled "The 24/7 Approach to Winning Recruitment." I am confident our recruitment chairman will share what he learned with the chapter. We passed the Loving Cup, participated in an Initiation, recognized many distinguished Betas, and entered the final banquet room singing Marching Along. The highlight for me, in addition to attending the convention with our actives, was hearing the announcement that the Westminster Alpha Delta Chapter had won a Sisson Award. This award was given to only 20 percent of the 121 Beta chapters. The award is based on grade point average, community and campus involvement, initiation rate, pledge education, attendance at core leadership events, compliance with chapter accounting standards, and good alumni relations. Beta Chapters need alumni involvement to succeed. I encourage all of you to attend the 175th Beta Convention at Miami (Ohio) in Oxford, Ohio, during August 7-10, 2014. Thank God I am a Beta, Louis Beasley '65

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