Phi Kappa Tau - Mississippi State University

P h i K a P Pa Ta u 2 "I convinced Ben to join the fraternity," Bill said. "He became an attorney and now lives in Portland, Oregon." Bill also became extensively involved in the fraternity, holding secretary, vice president, and president positions at various times during his undergraduate career. He was a regular at chapter events, and always looked forward to the Red Carnation Ball. According to Bill, the most important element pertaining to the success of Alpha Chi is its members; members who are committed to upholding camarderie and fellowship. Although many of the brothers from his class have passed away, Bill says that most of them were successful. "Several became doctors, attorneys, dentists or joined the military," he shared. About 60 percent of the living brothers reside in Mississippi, but are spread out as west as Seattle and as east as Florida. Today, Bill keeps in touch with about a dozen of his brothers. "During my 50th class reunion, I reconnected with several of my old chapter house brothers," he shared. "We got a book made up of all of our class brothers and included their birthdays and anniversaries." Knowing the important occasions in each member's life gives other brothers a reason to call and say "hello." Bill reconnected with Gary Hawkins '61 a few years ago and the two gathered a list of all the brothers who graduated around 1963. In 2014, Bill and Gary compiled a list of approximately 140 names and planned their first meeting in Tupelo, Mississippi. Twenty- three members attended the meeting, and Bill and about six to eight of the attendees stayed an additional three days to golf. Nearly 30 members attended the next year's meeting, growing to 80 attendees in 2016. The 2017 meeting is being planned and is expected to take place on the Mississippi coast. Years after moving out of the chapter house, Bill started his own business. Although Southern Seeds Inc., originally started as an agricultural company, it currently offers lawn chemicals, fertilizer, landscape control, and pest control. Bill serves as company president while his son-in-law handles the day-to-day tasks. In his free time, Bill loves to golf, work on his yard, and take care of his residential property. He is married to wife, Pam, with whom he shares daughters Christie, Angie, and Melinda. Bill says that his girls are his greatest achievements in his life, and adds that all three have graduated from various North Carolina universities. Bill's vision for Alpha Chi is to see it continue to grow and, hopefully, become one of the biggest fraternities on MSU's campus. You can connect with Bill at wljones41@yahoo.com. A BRoTheR fRoM GAllATiN (Continued from page 1) o ver the past few months, we have thrived as a chapter. We have succeeded in increasing the notoriety of the Alpha Chi Chapter of Phi Kappa Tau both on campus and nationally. This is due to our success in recruitment, social and philanthropic events, and academics. I know that the future is only getting brighter for us. STellar aCademiCS Last semester, FKT had the eighth-highest grade point average of the 17 fraternities at Mississippi State University. Alpha Chi achieved a chapter GPA of 2.92, which is higher than the all-men's average at MSU, and four members of the fraternity earned 4.0 GPAs. maKing a diFFerenCe in our CommuniTy Apart from academics, we've excelled in our philanthropic efforts. In fall 2016, FKT's Haunted Trail raised over $6,000 for our national philanthropy, the Serious Fun Network. We plan to host another fundraising event on March 2, which will be a late-night dessert dinner to support a local charity. We have always been passionate about improving the Starkville community, and we look forward to continuing giving back. reCruiTing new Phi KaPPa TauS Spring recruitment was February 12-15 and was of high priority. We devoted a large amount of resources and time to the process. The chapter's two goals for this recruitment were to acquire 20 new members and to ensure we only admit the highest quality men, such as active member Jason Tullos '19. Jason currently holds leadership positions in the student association as well as the Freshman Forum—a committee made up of freshman students who organize the Zacharias Leadership Conference. I am pleased with our chapter's performance this school year and am looking forward to a remarkable 2017. Fraternally, Ethan Frierson Chapter President ef452@msstate.edu A Thriving Alpha Chi Community Chapter flourishing in Recruitment, philanthropy, and Academics Undergraduate brothers for their first chapter meeting in their new home. welCoMe, fAll 2016 iNiTiATes Le'Darius Carpenter Pearl, Miss. Philip Herring Flowood, Miss. Owen McGuire Pensacola, Fla. Eric Orsini Sarasota, Fla. Ross Robertson Peachtree City, Ga. Matthew Stuart Madison, Miss. Noah Weathersby Saint Louis, Mo. Undergraduate brothers assist alumni in moving furniture to and from the storage unit in Prairie, Miss.

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