Beta Theta Pi - University of Kansas

2 their way into this event with creativity, talent, and dedication. is year, they partnered with Pi Beta Phi. Levi Johnson '22 was the executive director of the entire event and was joined by several members of Alpha Nu on the Rock Chalk Revue leadership team. is year's theme was "e Show Must Go On." Since inception, Rock Chalk Revue has raised more than $2.5 million for local charities and led to more than 2,500 community service hours. Proceeds come from ticket sales, sponsorships, and donations. e challenge Levi and the rest of the team faced when they were informed late in the process by KU and the Lied Center that they can't have live shows with audiences this year might have seemed unsolvable to many. Levi and team responded immediately and in bold and creative ways. e shows were recorded and streamed into homes, and they organized an outdoor event for an audience to view the recorded stream at the Twisted Vines Vineyard outside of Lawrence on May 1. Inaugural Senior Summit Over the past four years, how has your Alpha Nu experience helped you prepare for the next chapter of life? How can you hit the ground running with whatever comes next? What is the biggest impact you can have in your remaining months living at the chapter house? ose topics and more were part of a great round table discussion held at RockHill Grille in Kansas City. It was a great way to celebrate and encourage Alpha Nu's seniors as they prepare to move on from their days as undergraduates. We were fortunate to have four alumni offer their insight and wisdom during the discussion. A big thank-you is owed to Tom McCormack '18, Tyler Enders '11, Zach Marten '01, and Dan Bolan '81 for sharing in the event. Alpha Nu Fantasy Trading Inspired by KU's applied portfolio management class, which was developed and initiated years back by Kent McCarthy '80, Alpha Nu launched an all-chapter competitive equities trading competition. It is like fantasy football, but with the stock market. e goal was to give the collegians good stock research and trading experience now to help prepare them for their years ahead. Our undergraduate brothers were all provided $100,000 in virtual funds and set up in a private group on a trading platform. Each month, a nominal cash award was paid out to five brothers who had the best percentage returns over the past 30 days. At the end of May, the top five cumulative finishers for the year will get bragging rights and a final award. Kudos to Joe Edmunds '21, who at the time of this writing had turned his $100,000 into more than $2.2 million. Cash out or let it ride through May? I'm excited to share the results in the next newsletter. Yours in _kai_, Steve Babb, Illinois '87 Alpha Nu Executive Director (303) 674-2950 steve.babb@outlook.com A YEAR OF SUCCEEDING (Continued from page 1) "No matter how much we had been anticipating or predicting a coronavirus pandemic or epidemic, particularly in the last 20 years, we could have never imagined the implications. I think it's the only event in human history that I'm aware of that's impacted everybody on the planet at exactly the same time with sort of profound implications of not just our health, but our economy, society, and how we interact with each other, how we behave, and how we can potentially work together while we try to develop these things." Along with the countless hours Mark has spent studying coronaviruses, his passion of his research has been fueled because of how his loved ones and colleagues have been impacted, especially during the pandemic. During the webinar, Mark walked through how coronaviruses emerge and how vaccines work to combat them. Mark has been very encouraged by the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccines. "I get angry when I see people denying it because I know these viruses. I know them inside and out," Mark said. "But, at the same time, we have effective antivirals and treatments within six months, and we have vaccines within nine months. is is unbelievable, and yes, we should take them if we can." To see the webinar in its entirety, please visit tinyurl. com/9fuan2bx. Mark Denison '77 (Continued from page 1) Remembering John Cleland '58 J ohn D. Cleland '58 entered Chapter Eternal on November 7, 2020, aer a brief illness. While at KU, John was a three-year letterman on Jayhawk basketball teams led by Wilt Chamberlain in 1956, 1957, and 1958. In addition to Beta eta Pi, John was a member of professional business fraternities Alpha Kappa Psi and Beta Gamma Sigma. He graduated from KU in 1958 with a degree in business and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army, stationed at Fort Lee, Va. In 1959, John started at the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania and received his MBA in finance and banking in 1961. Upon graduation, he returned to Topeka and entered the investment business. John was with Security Benefit Group for 40 years, building what is today Security Family of Mutual Funds. He retired as senior vice president, chief investment strategist, and chairman of the board of Security Funds Family in 2006. He was a feature investment and securities speaker and appeared nationwide on multiple news media outlets, including CNN, CNBC, and Bloomberg Forum. John had a colorful and successful career in finance, and he was appointed by Governor William Graves and served 12 years as chairman of the Kansas Pooled Money Investment Board. He is survived by many family members and friends who miss him dearly.

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