Sigma Phi Epsilon - Oregon State University

THE SECOND CENTURY CAMPAIGN: T he dining room tables in our venerable SigEp chapter house have been a non-pretentious, but vital, feature for 50 years. The tables, which are on their last legs (pun intended), were built circa 1967 and were the result of a passing comment from Craig Lehmann (67-831) to his dad, Dick, now deceased, that the chapter house needed new dining tables. And with that simple passing request, Dick had the tables built from fir and Masonite and quietly donated them to Oregon Alpha. Fifty years later, more than 1,000 members have enjoyed thousands of meals on these tables; however, wear and tear have finally taken their toll. Enter Craig, who has been a woodworker and furniture maker most of his life and had kept an eye on the tables over the decades. Recently, Craig became aware of the tables' poor condition and wanted to give back to Oregon Alpha to preserve his memories of living in the chapter house and of his dad's gift. After some quick discussions and decisions with the alumni board, Craig embarked on planning and building the tables. But first, how'd Craig get interested in all things related to woodcraft? When he was 14 years old, he started working in a local lumber mill and quickly came to love the aesthetics, smell, and feel of newly worked wood, which sparked a lifelong interest in high- end woodworking. Fifty years of woodworking led him to fine furniture construction in his home woodworking shop. Craig, originally from Portland, Oregon, joined SigEp in 1967, was in Air Force ROTC, and graduated in 1971. After a brief internship, he began active duty in 1972 and continued working in Air Force hospitals. He obtained his doctorate in clinical pharmacy followed by additional post-graduate training, research, and FDA-oriented drug development of antidotes for the U.S. military. No doubt he was influenced by Oregon Alpha's academic atmosphere. After 20 years in the Air Force, Craig retired and started his own drug development consultancy, where he assists pharmaceutical firms in getting their products through clinical trials and ultimately through the FDA's approval process. Throughout his career, woodworking was an active hobby. Craig's best memories of his years at Oregon Alpha include the chapter's annual Springtime Fireman's Ball house dance which included the infamous fireman's chute-slide. The three- story open-top chute was mounted atop a tower anchored in the front yard, dropped at a 68-degree slope, and passed through the front porch French doors and front room (dance hall) amidst brothers and their dates getting down with '60s live rock and roll. The ride ended at the far wall of the adjoining dining hall. This was a great time for the brothers and their dates, including Craig and Pam, his wife of 50 years. It was a lot of fun! However, the culture of the house prevailed, emphasizing virtue, diligence, and brotherly love, all of which fostered academic excellence and subsequent exemplary careers. The whole chapter studied hard and helped each other, but we had a good time, too! Back to the tables; and what tables they will be! Each table, nominally 3 feet wide by 8 feet long (sized by Brother Don "Staz" Stastny '65, FAIA, to facilitate maximum seating capacity in the dining room), is being constructed from hand-selected, 8-foot white oak planks planed and domino-doweled and glued together to form the tabletop about 1 5/16 inches thick prior to final finish sanding. The legs are built from laid-up pieces of oak, and the oak skirts are fastened to the legs with mortise and tenon joints and custom-made, inside-corner steel brackets. About as close to college-kid proof as possible. Prior to completion, the tables will receive multiple coats of clear, semi-gloss polyurethane. The finished tables will weigh approximately 160 pounds. Absolutely top-drawer craftmanship! Craig said his dad made him do it. A total of nine tables will be constructed sequentially and shipped individually from Austin, Texas, where Craig resides, to the Oregon Alpha SigEp house in Corvallis. With all nine tables in place by the beginning of Fall term 2021 (estimated completion date), the seating capacity will be 72. When the dining room is expanded in the future as part of the upgrade to the chapter house, additional tables will allow seating for approximately 100. Craig's 1969 SigEp classmates are helping with the costs. Craig is doing this because he enjoys woodworking, wants to honor his dad, and feels compelled to meet this need for the young brothers—the same as his dad did. Craig and Pam have two children and six grandchildren, who live nearby. Dining Room Tables for the Next 100 Years Craig Lehmann (67-831) Honors His Father and SigEp Membership With Generous Gift Chapter Executive Board Members Chapter President Britton Blanchard '22 Tualatin, Ore. blancbri@oregonstate.edu (503) 707-0472 Recruitment Chairman Elijah Peters '22 Forest Grove, Ore. gogopete@oregonstate.edu (503) 521-6387 Programing Chairman Gage Redding '22 Salem, Ore. Finance Chairman Brett Thompson '22 Wilsonville, Ore. Membership Development Chairman Rujul Kumar '22 Portland, Ore. Chaplain Will Johnson '20 Lake Oswego, Ore. Alumni Board Members President Gavin Brown '87 gavin.brown@swagelok.com Communications John Neri '11 john.neri@thefinitygroup.com

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