Sigma Phi Epsilon - University of Oregon

SIGMA PHI EPSILON p. 3 Remembering Eva Cohen Eva Cohen was on the Oregon Beta Golden Sweetheart Court in the spring of 1981 and was a SigEp Sweetheart in the fall of 1983, even becoming a finalist on the National SigEp Court. We were all very proud of her; no one could ever remember one of our Sweethearts being a national finalist! After graduating from the University of Oregon, Eva continued her studies in New York City and Chicago, but eventually returned to her hometown of Stanford, California, where she taught design classes at a local community college. She was a triathlete who stayed in excellent condition. She continued to visit Eugene over the years and always dropped by the Chapter House and would take many pictures during her visits. Eva married her husband, Steve, 10 years ago. They have a son, Theo, who is 13. Unbelievably, her father, Alfred, passed away on the same day at almost exactly the same time that Eva did. They both passed on December 31, 2019. Eva tragically became ill and died of septic pneumonia within 12 hours of contracting the disease. Eva leaves behind her husband and son; her brother, Stefan; and her mother, Betty. She will be missed by her friends, family, and all of us at Oregon Beta Chapter. Charles Makinney '66 Recounts Two of His Favorite SigEp Stories During my senior year at the University of Oregon, my parents planned to travel from their home in Hawaii to Eugene to attend my graduation. My dad graduated from Purdue University in 1920 and had always been hugely disappointed that his parents had not made the trip to his graduation. Dad always said no child of his would ever graduate from college without him being present. Alas in April, before I graduated in June, my dad passed away suddenly without any prior illness. The entire family was devastated. My mom felt she was not up to making the trip to Eugene, and I was prepared to forego the graduation ceremony. That was until a dear family friend, and very high-ranking member of the Hawaiian Royal Family, Princess Kekaulike Kawananakoa, insisted that my mom attend the graduation. The Princess said, "Not only are you going to Charlie's graduation, but my friends and I are going to make 100 fresh flower leis from my garden for you to give to the mothers of Charlie's Fraternity brothers, and any other moms you meet." She also revealed that the idea of taking leis to Eugene had been my dad's idea. He had intended the leis as a surprise for the Portland SigEp moms with whom my mom had been working with to buy new furniture for the Chapter House living room. The Princess said, "When those leis show up on campus, it will be proof that Charlie's dad was there!" That weekend, every SigEp mom, and a few Gamma Phi and Alpha Phi moms who attended Mother's Weekend festivities, wore a lei into MAC Court. They were the talk of the campus. When I moved into 1000 Alder, I got up very early one morning and stumbled, half asleep, to my study room. After I got dressed, I went downstairs, chatted a bit with our cook, Ruth, got a cup of coffee, and went back upstairs. As I headed back to my room, I noticed a guy sitting in the library. Since I did not recognize nor recall meeting this fellow, I poked my head in the door, introduced myself, and said something inane like: "You're up early." Curiously, the fellow did not introduce himself and was not very talkative. On the other hand, he was pleasant and welcoming to me, a relatively new SigEp brother. After some small talk, I learned that this fellow no longer lived in the house and was just visiting with friends during registration week. After a couple of minutes, he stood up, shook my hand, and said something like, "Well, welcome to the fold. You are going to love living here and being a SigEp. There isn't a SigEp in the world that I wouldn't do anything for." He then walked past me and down the hall while I returned to my room. As I got to my room, I immediately turned around and looked down the hall in the direction the fellow had walked. I was hoping to ask his name but he had disappeared. During the ensuing weeks, I asked around the house if anyone knew the fellow, but no one knew anything about the guy. The experience was somewhat unsettling, but I didn't dwell on it. Some several weeks later, it was announced that the library across from my room was going to be named for a SigEp pledge who passed away before he was initiated several years prior. I believe his parents had donated some funds to upgrade the library and provided a large color photo/portrait of their son. It could be my imagination gone wild, but the photo of the pledge that was hung on the library wall looked much like the fellow I had chatted with on that morning in the library. What's Your Story? Tom Mittelstaedt '96, Matt Knoles '96, Ian Schray '97, Nick Troxell '97, Blair Hook '96, and Jamieson English '97 reunite on November 15, 2019, to surprise to Matt, who was visiting Eugene from California. Josh Pritchett '96, Blair Hook '96, Ian Schray '97, and Matt Knoles '96 enjoy some beers together on game day. Oregon Beta AVC members after a meeting at the U of O Alumni Association office in Portland. Front row Tim Kerr '89, the Oregon Duck, Mark McGonegal '88, Richard Allen '58. Back row: Todd Ruberg '82, Mike Sullivan, Wes Daniels '88, Ian Schray '97, Jim Signor '89, Mark Boersma '87, and Brian Stewart '82. Jack Moothart '88 talks with SigEp undergraduates during an alumni-undergrad retreat at the chapter house last fall.

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