Sigma Chi - Kansas State University

4 THE POWER OF TEAMWORK Stuart Maffry '78 Launched $300,000 Campaign Challenge to Fuel Alumni Involvement J oining Sigma Chi was a no- brainer for Stuart Maffry '78. His father, Don '51, was a former Sigma Chi Consul at the University of Missouri, but Stu was adamant on attending school in Kansas. Knowing KU was not an option, Stu "never really looked anywhere else. It took one visit to a KSU Sigma Chi recruitment party in Manhattan to meet the current actives, see the house, the KSU campus and Aggieville, and I knew I was ready to be part of it all." From pledgeship to his role as recruitment chair- man and chapter president, Stu has countless memories of his active years and says being part of a 36-man pledge class was rewarding and exciting for him. "Our pledge class football team beat the Beta pledge class team, which helps us establish who was the best fraternity pledge class at KSU—we were!" he said. "I dove and was lucky to catch the game-winning extra point even though the ball was probably not meant for me." Aside from establishing his pledge class as the top class on campus, Stu also remembers cheering on the KSU basketball team (while the football team struggled), time spent with his roommate Keith Roe '76 and pledge father Kelly Beckham '76, spring formal in Wichita, and the tragic loss of Mike Roeder. However, Stu's time at KSU was cut short when his father's food brokerage company needed him. With 21 hours remaining, Stu planned on fin- ishing his degree in the spring, but life took its course and work hours conflicted with classes and homework. During his time with the company, a supplier ran out of inventory and Stu decided to buy and distribute frozen fruits on his own. He then became the first in the industry to blend different berries together and in 1987, he purchased the company from his father. "At the time, we had eight employees," he said. "Twenty-seven years later, I sold my company. At that time, we were fortunate to be Target's sole supplier of frozen fruits in 1,600 stores with more than 30 items on each of the stores' shelves. We had 42 employ- ees and we were packaging and selling over 25 million pounds of frozen fruit per year." Stu had many faithful customers outside of Target; however, in his final two years with the company, they were named Target's Supplier of the Year within their food operations. Even so, the true highlight of Stu's career was creating his team. "We had the best team in our industry with many of my employees partnering with me for decades. I am so proud of this group. While it was hard work, most of the team became like fam- ily and after my retirement the thing I miss the most is seeing my teammates. I did not realize how wonderful and important they were until after I retired." The team- work found in his professional life is, in part, thanks to Sigma Chi. "Naturally, the process of becom- ing a brother in Sigma Chi pro- vided real teamwork skills and an improved level of how to success- fully interact with others," Stu said. As an alumnus, Stu is sincerely excited for Sigma Chi at KSU. He sees that new measurable standards, goals, and requirements are a huge asset to the fraternity and is the linchpin of the capital campaign. "The new communications and hands-on interaction by the alumni chapter is critical to the improvement of our fraternity. We have new energy and focus at all levels of our Sigma Chi home. A more livable and beauti- ful chapter house is an important piece, but so is the hard work by countless alumni and actives to right our ship and to stay the course," he said. Stu is incredibly impressed with the group of brothers currently in the chapter and believes the alumni involved with the chapter and campaign deserve a thank-you. Additionally, Stu saw the initial campaign goals being met, but when the final leg stalled, he decided to help out by announcing the Maffry Challenge as a way to encourage alumni involvement and contributions. "The capital campaign is important. We need good facilities to win and keep good young men interested in Sigma Chi. But ultimately, this is secondary. The most critical part of the new initiative is the hands-on, goal-oriented interac- tion of many alumni with the active chapter," he said. "We have not yet met the final financial goals for the capital project. We still need you to help us. If you haven't jumped in, please try. This is YOUR house. Please join an alumni committee and support YOUR house with your time or donate money. You might just find the rewards end up coming back to you in so many other ways. I want my fraternity to be the best as it gives me pride to know I was a part of Sigma Chi at KSU. I hope my brothers all feel the same way." Stu and his wife, Megan, have been married for 21 years and have one son, Michael, and two stepsons, Evan and Aaron. Michael recently pledged Sigma Chi at Arizona State University. Stu is retired and living in Scottsdale. He loves seeing brothers and invites you all to see him anytime. E-mail: smaffry@aol.com T he generous brothers below answered the call and donated $5,000 each to achieve the Maffry Challenge, resulting in a total of $300,000! James Eichman '78 Eric Freberg '91 Trevor Gaskill '01 Scott Green '92 C. Wells Haren '85 Robert Harsh '92 Gregory G. Huckstep '80 Jacobson Family Gift Bryce '79, Dane '80 and Scott '89 Dr. Dane Jacobson '80 Kelly Kerns '82 Charles Kneaves '88 Brad Kuhlmann '86 Gary McCallister '72 Rick McConn '73 Mark Morey '88 Bob Parker '77 Michael Prothe '93 David Raden '75 and Jim Peine '74 Donald Rhoads '62 Scott Roberts '88 Daniel Schroeder '01 R. Eric Scott '92 Mike Shilling '68 Nelson Van Gundy '65 Stan Weir '70 Mark Whitehead '79 Donald Wilbur '58 Larry Williams '60 Thank You, Maffry Challenge Donors Alumni News Milton E. Ahlerich '68 retired after nearly 50 years and is married with five wonderful grandchildren. Milt was with the U.S. Army for two years, the FBI for 25, the NFL for 15, and in private consulting for seven years. He lives in Alexandria, Va. E-mail: ahlsecure@gmail.com Jon C. Boren, CPA '72 retired in May with Shafer, Cline, and Warren, Inc. Jon has din- ner with Jeff Eaton '72, Lyle Pishny '73, and Bill Toepfer '71 and their wives four times a year. Jon and Dianne are lucky to have six grandchildren who live in Kansas City, making it easy to attend their games and school programs. The couple is looking forward to traveling. Jon lives in Leawood. E-mail: jcbmhs68@hotmail.com

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