Lambda Chi Alpha - University of Illinois

Chi Zetagram 4 T he centerpiece of this year's Your Old House Alumni Reunion weekend was an auction to support our Next 100 Years: Building the Future for Chi Zeta campaign. Amid lots of laughter, brothers and their guests enthusiastically bid on a wide selection of memorabilia and history, some priceless and some worthless, but all contributing healthy donations to our cause. e auction featured a number of true quality items donated by our Chi Zeta brothers. David Brewer '65 X853 donated two oil paintings by legendary Illini coach, Robert Zuppke, which went for top dollar. Not to be outdone, Brother Brad Dickson '74 X1009 donated several bottles of the finest Napa cabernet. In a surprise move, these were bought by the Board of Directors to be cellared and later used to toast our new chapter house at the 2017 dedication, raising over $1,400 for the campaign! Pete Kale '75 X1020 donated several sports- related items, including two signed programs from the 1952 Rose Bowl. ese were the rarest items, because they were specially autographed for the auction by both of our Chi Zeta men who played for the victorious Illini, Don Gnidovic '51 X622 and Marshall Dusenbury '49 X610. Pete also arranged for former Olympian and Illini wrestling coach, Mark Johnson, to stop by in person to present his donation of a basket of athletic memorabilia. Brother William Stallman '48 X579 donated two personal paddles from the 1940s, which went for $1,000 (separately, dinner with Bill and Mike went for $300). As amazing, the winning bidder, Joe Pawlak '83 X1181, promptly donated the paddles to the Alumni Association for display in the new chapter house to start a memorabilia wall carrying our heritage forward. Unexpectedly, Steve Cullen '75 X1013 arrived Friday with a collection of stunning black and white art photos of Chi Zeta and brothers from the 1970s, which he personally developed, matted, and framed, which raised over $1,900. e silent auction also featured a number of artifacts from the existing chapter house. All of these items were priceless in the fact that in some cases it was impossible to place a value on the item; only a sentimental brother would be willing to pay an amount greater than zero! Silent auction items included window sills, stair treads, library bookshelves, and other architectural pieces that will be removed from the existing chapter house prior to demolition, as well as kitchen implements used by our beloved cooks from many generations. In all, the auction raised over $10,000 in funds to support the ongoing campaign. We thank everyone who donated items or entered a bid in support of our project. Joe Pawlak '83 X1181 served as auctioneer for the Your Old House Alumni Reunion Weekend 2015 reunion and auction at Chi Zeta. He also informed all alumni in attendance about the state of the capital campaign, which is in need of more alumni support. Fine paintings, fine wines and memorabilia highlighted the acution donations. O ne of the major challenges of the rebuilding project is keeping our chapter active and intact during the year of construction, which is scheduled to begin in May 2016. e transition committee of your Board, led by Kim Kardas '74 X997, has worked hard on this and other transition issues, and is pleased to now announce that we have finalized a lease for Chi Zeta's temporary home (photo, page 1). Located at 606 West Ohio Street in Urbana, our interim facility was built in 1935 for a sorority, and has recently been used by other fraternities in transition. With 25 bedrooms, it can support more than 40 of our undergraduates during the 2016-17 school year, keeping our chapter together. In addition to sleeping rooms, the interim home includes typical formal spaces; sufficient outdoor facilities; a complete kitchen, staffed by our present chefs who will stay with the chapter; and a dining hall. It meets all current city and university codes and will provide safe and convenient support for our active members. As noted by Kim, "Keeping the men together, as a chapter, the way we all enjoyed our fraternity years, was a top priority. It will let them continue building their brotherhood, and then they can move as a group into the great new chapter house we are building. Everyone who attended the reunion knows how strong our chapter is, and our committee was dedicated to giving them the facilities they need to maintain this growth." TRANSITIONAL HOUSING SET Make a donation online today by visiting http://donatenow. kintera.org/lxa All Bidders Are Winners at Campaign Auction

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