Phi Kappa Psi - University of Texas

Spring 2015 Newsletter

Texas Alpha Chapter of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity at the University of Texas

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Texas Alpha House Board, Inc. P.O. Box 28061 Austin, TX 78755-8061 Address Service Requested T E X A S A L P H A ALPHA AVALANCHE Alumni Update Chapter Eternal Sam M. Durso '52 entered Chapter Eternal on March 14, 2014. he was a resident of Groves, Texas, at the time of his passing. Sam was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Joseph Durso, M.D. and sister, Rosetta Durso Jones. He is survived by his wife, Sondra Hampton Durso; sons, Steve and Mark; and grandchildren, Delanie and Jake Durso. Alumni News Clint Hurt '54 is still flying his N367 BC Bonanza between homes in Midland, Texas, and Santa Fe, N.M., while participating in drilling a few oil and gas wells and enjoying life with his wife, Vicki, as he approaches 80 years. E-mail: churt25314@aol.com Lloyd W. Jary Jr. '55 is trying to retire but continues to consult on projects. He and his wife, Mary, live in San Antonio. E-mail: ljary@lwjarchitects.com Gage Van Horn III '56 finished his neurology residency at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke's Medical Center in Chicago and was in the Navy for two years. He then was on the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Gage spent 41 years at UT Health in Houston on the neurology faculty and retired in September 2014. He lives in Bellaire, Texas, with his wife, Virginia. E-mail: gvanhorn36@gmail.com William Cobb '62 and his wife, Nancy, reside in Houston. Bill is president of Cobb Consulting and is an insurance agent for senior coverage. E-mail: cobbwc@msn.com Kenneth H. Morrill '65 of Mesquite, Texas, served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1967 to 1973. He enjoyed his 50th high school reunion at Arlington Heights High School in Ft. Worth in October 2013. He was married for 44 years to his college sweetheart, Judith Bradshaw Morrill, who passed away in 2013. Ken is now a chaplain at Baylor Hospital in Dallas, after retiring in 2012 as executive pastor at Trinity Life Baptist Church in Garland. E-mail: morrillkjm@tx.rr.com Gregory Smith '82 is coaching lacrosse and basketball this spring (22nd season coaching overall). He has three kids and enjoys spending time with his family. He lives in Friendswood, Texas. E-mail: fay01@att.net Chapter Website www.utphipsi.com Twitter @PhiPsiUTexas l 8 Attention: This newsletter is intended for alumni and parents. If your son is attending the University of Texas, he will receive a copy at the Chapter House. If he has graduated, please send us his permanent address to update our records. Thank you. R ecently, a fraternity at OU made national news based on a video that surfaced show- ing undergraduates singing a racist chant, which included a reference to lynching; all of this while on a bus to their founders day banquet. I want to assure you that racism does not exist at Texas Alpha of Phi Kappa Psi. The next time you are at the house look at the 2014-15 composite. On it you will see African American, Asian Ameri- can, Middle Eastern American and Latino broth- ers, all well represented, along with brothers of European decent. We are one of most ethnically diverse social fraternities on the UT campus. I am proud to say that this diversity did not come from alumni pressure—it came from our under- graduates not wanting to limit themselves or Phi Psi. Furthermore, the brothers have explicit rules outlawing racism and racists remarks—they are simply not tolerated at the undergraduate or alumni level. Phi Psi consistently means pledging young men from all walks of life. A few are wealthy, most are middle class, along with many brothers that fight and scrape economically to stay active and in school, a great bunch of guys to hang with and become lifelong friends. We are not and have never been an arrogant, rich fraternity. Let me also assure you that your leadership, at all levels, is committed to continuing that great tradition. Q: We ceremoniously broke ground last fall, but where are we on construction? A: We are making solid progress and the con- struction permit is under review at the City of Austin. Our project manager has us on track to potentially start turning dirt as early as the end of May. With a planned 14-month build, we are aiming for an August 2016 move-in. With plenty of flexibility in our present housing situation at 2411 Longview, though we are committed to building this house right. My main focus will be leading an effort to have the chapter arrive at our new house debt free; with Austin's property tax- es there is no room for a mortgage AND taxes. With no undergraduate debt service, our chapter cash flow will handle the new tax bill. Stay tuned for a major announcement involving the new house and what role each of us has in achieving our goal of a new debt free home for Texas Alpha. In the bond, Kelly E. Fish '77 President, Texas Alpha House Board, Inc. (901) 289-5492 or kfish@astate.edu Texas Alpha Proud of Diverse Brotherhood Construction on New House Scheduled for May

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