Sigma Alpha Epsilon - Purdue University

Spring 2014 Newsletter

Indiana Beta Chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon at Purdue University

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The spring 2014 S i g m a a l p h a E p S i l o n a T p u r d u E u n i v E r S i T y Lion's TaLe T his past year has been filled with much success and growth at Indiana Beta, both on the chapter and alumni levels. The undergraduates continue to put in hard work to maintain their status as a top chapter at Purdue. Grades are higher than recent years and the brothers enjoy success in intramurals by becoming the intramural basketball champions this spring, social events, and continuing to become True Gentlemen. The fall live- in numbers should be at least 88, with a limit of 97 brothers. This number will create a healthy financial position for the chapter. Our brothers had a successful fall and spring recruitment with 32 new members initiated. This could not have been possible without the help of Wayne McIntyre '64. On behalf of the fraternity, we thank Wayne for his outstanding contribution to the success of recruitment. His efforts have been noticed by the National Fraternity, and he has been recruited to help Indiana State's SAE chapter with their recruitment. The House Corporation has been hard at work as well, continuing to ensure the chapter receives the support they need to stay an excellent chapter. We are in the process of creating an alumni advisory board, which will provide guidance and mentoring to our undergraduate leadership team. If you have an interest in joining this board, please contact Fred Richter '60 at freddierichter@gmail.com. Donations to the annual fund continue to come in and we received a $15,000 grant from the Anderson Foundation for the scholarship fund. The annual spring Gala was held April 5 and was another successful event with many memories and laughs shared. In addition, scholarships were awarded for notable accomplishments this past year. While we are thankful for our success, many changes will be coming our way this next year. As all of you probably know already, SAE National has put an end to the pledging process, changing the recruitment process as we know it. These changes will create challenges for the chapter but we have a strong foundation of brotherhood and high academic accomplishment to implement these changes. We are proud of the chapter's response and know they will emerge from these challenges a stronger Indiana Beta in every aspect. Please see the chapter's response on page 3. Please join the House Corporation in supporting our undergraduate brothers as they navigate the responsibility of finding new brothers who will become the future of SAE. We sincerely thank all our donors; you make us successful. Please be sure to visit our new website, www.saepurdue.com, for all things SAE Purdue, including the Phi Alpha Explorer. If you are so inclined, please support our efforts by using our online giving form on our website. Thank you for your ongoing support. Phi Alpha, House Corporation growth at indiana Beta Continues i am a third-generation Purdue and second-generation SAE. My father, the original Bob Frushour '34, was EA of the house circa 1933. And since most of my family went to Purdue, my choice was limited. On my first trip to Purdue in 1959 my dad pulled up the driveway to the house with a big smile on his face and said, "Here you are!" I remember him saying, "You have to give the right impression." He drove a Pontiac Bonneville convertible and said, "Better than a Chevy but not as pretentious as a Cadillac." We were met at the door by Bill Debo who had worked at the house when Dad was in school—30 years before— and still called my dad by his first name! Bill used to get a silver dollar for every alumnus he remembered. He remembered them all. The house became a home away from home. Leaving the big scary campus after class and walking up the drive to the house was coming home. Instead of a sister I had 60 brothers. Some you love, some you hate, but we all ate meals and worked together. I never held an office but after giving a big presentation to get Ed Chouinard '63 pulled from oblivion to become EA I felt I'd done my part. He did work I maybe should have done. The big thing I got from my experience at the house was learning to deal with many different personalities. The mistakes I made in interfacing and dealing with the brothers, which were many, were lessons learned and not repeated with others later in life. Kind of like what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. I received a B.S. ChE. and a M.S. Chem at Purdue then went to Penn State and got a Ph.D. in material science. The Ph.D. was in ultra-high pressure physics—you know, Dead Languages—so getting a job was tough. Luckily GE was in the business of making diamonds from graphite, which required ultra-high pressure. Wonder of wonders I got a job and the rest is history. I worked and learned under Jack Welch. We argued and disagreed mostly so I didn't rocket to the top like Norm Blake '64 (you should get his story; it's better than mine) but I did alright, eventually leaving GE and starting my own business. Ultimately I built a number of diamond plants and sold technology around the world. It was great fun, especially in China in the late '80s. The '60s were tumultuous times—racial tensions, Vietnam War, the Kennedy assassination, etc. It didn't show on the surface but I think it had an impact on us all. Behavior changed. When I arrived, the house had a new wing, a housemother, Mrs. Hagstrum, a houseman, Bill Debo, and we had formal dinners and great parties. Then things began to change. The chapter lost respect for our housemother, the décor, and just about everything. That was the start of a downhill slide, which gradually destroyed the appearance My SAE Experience (Continued on page 2)

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