Sigma Alpha Epsilon - Indiana University

Indiana Gamma Chapter GaininG Personal strenGth and FriendshiP throuGh Fraternity Tony Longi '87 Reflects on His Time with Indiana Gamma T ony Longi '87 was the first in his family to go to college. His initial introduction to Sigma Alpha Epsilon was through Jack Gra- ham '59, a family friend and ΣAE alumnus who had two boys around Tony's age; they also pledged ΣAE. When Tony joined Indiana Gamma, he was one of the few out-of-state brothers in the house, working to pay his way through college. Thus, his experience was quite different from many of his brothers, but they respected him for it. "For me," Tony said, "joining the fraternity was a great way to shrink the university down and be with a great group of guys who liked to be around each other. We had a lot of fun togeth- er." Through his college experience and the ΣAE values he learned, Tony paved the road to a great life. Above all, Tony's undergraduate experience with Indiana Gamma meant friend- ship and a sense of belonging. The True Gentleman creed was consistent with his upbringing in a devout Catholic household, so it resonated with him quickly. He enjoyed many activities on campus and with the brothers, such as the Little 500 campus-wide bike race and Greek intramural soccer and basketball. He also "sur- vived" the responsibilities of being vice president his sophomore year. Tony has maintained close friendships with many brothers to this day. This includes Chuck Schlegel '87, a lifelong friend since high school. Being fraternity brothers only strengthened that bond, and they even participated in each other's weddings. Over the last 10 years, Tony also reconnected with James Kiernan '87, who con- tinues his fight against ALS and has managed to outlive the normal prognosis. The positives and negatives during college and fraternity life helped Tony find inner strength. "It was all just another stone in the wall," he says. "You build up the abil- ity to learn from the people around you and grow through adversity." Even when there was a disagreement between brothers, he never ran away from a problem or conflict. "I learned to deal with it through my own sense of self, and I learned how to manage the situation." Tony advises undergraduates to take advantage of as many campus opportunities while in college. "Get to know your professors, go to sporting events, especially the ones you wouldn't normally attend, and experience as much as you can. Four years goes by quickly." He also recommends recent graduates not being too anxious to rush their career along. "Learn from the people with experience around you," he suggests. "Create a network of relationships and mentors that can be utilized throughout your professional career and personal life." Tony works as a managing director and chief operating officer at Newport Global Advisors, a private equity firm based in The Woodlands. To this day, Tony's proud- est achievements are his successful marriage of 30 years and raising his three sons. Tony and his wife, Kim, live in The Woodlands, Texas. Their two oldest sons, Alexander and Maxwell, both work for Deloitte Consulting; their youngest, Anthony, is a freshman at TCU. Tony played soccer until the age of 50 and enjoys working out, traveling with family, and going to live concerts such as Austin City Limits. You can reconnect with Tony by email at tony.longi.jr@gmail.com. Alumni Contributions Support Indiana Gamma Join Our List of Loyal Donors Today S ince beginning our annual campaign in 2014, 46 alumni generously responded to our call for support- ing Indiana Gamma and donated $16,330. Your contri- butions make a powerful difference in the lives of our undergraduate members. These funds will be used to provide valuable leadership opportunities, which make a vital impact on our Chapter. We appreciate your gen- erous contributions. To add your name to our donor list, please use the enclosed card to make a gift or visit www.sae.net/donate. Contributors are listed below in their cumulative giving level and are in graduation order. If an error has been made in recording the amount of your gift, please con- tact our campaign coordinator at (785) 843-1661. Thank you for your support! Society of 1856 ($2,500 to $4,999) Sheldon K. Turner '52 Indiana Gamma Society ($1,000 to $2,499) Arnold J. Bowman '51 Roy W. Kern '57 William D. Bennison '66 Barney Quinn '76 Steven D. Mitchell '83 Michael Jay Wurtsbaugh '84 Little Five Society ($500 to $999) Charles D. Farmer, M.D. '55 George W. Rauch III '68 Erik B. Throop '88 Phoenix Society ($100 to $499) Beverly Evans Robert T. Shircliff '50 Robert E. Bailey '54 Robert J. Finley '54 Elliott V. Phillips '54 Jerry O. Lentz, D.D.S. '55 James M. Read '55 Nicholas J. Spencer '57 Homer C. Groves, M.D. '58 William C. Pohlmann '58 Joseph C. Maroon '61 Thomas A. Mabel, M.D. '64 James A. McConnell '65 R. Kent Ryan Jr. '65 David S. McLaughlin '67 Robert L. Forste Jr., M.D. '68 Douglas L. Cassman '72 John "Chico" Little '72 W. Charles Thomson III '72 James S. Beeson '74 Stephen R. Fleming '74 Ronald R. Zilkowski '79 Mark R. Stetzel, D.D.S. '80 Scott G. Westfall '80 Bradley S. Cooper '84 B. Dennis McCall '84 Ryan Patrick Wiltfong '94 Lance A. Rosenberg '98 l @SAE_IU i saeindiana FOLLOW US ONLINE

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