Sigma Phi Epsilon - Purdue University

4 INDIANA ALPHA From the heart A s brothers graduate from college and move on with their careers, many look for ways to stay in touch. Five Indiana Alpha brothers channeled their love for golf to create the perfect opportunity to reconnect. Tom Orton '79, Chris Kelly '80, Mike Mathew '80, Tim Catton '81, and Gregg Hague '82 all had significant roles in developing Indiana Alpha's alumni golf event. Tom, Tim, and a small group of alumni brothers in 1984 went golfing in Orlando, Florida, to get away from the cold Midwest. Unfortunately, Orlando had record low temperatures during their trip. The group expanded in year two and invited Web Browning '78, who in subsequent years suggested the outing be hosted at "The Lob" in Hobe Sound, Florida. Yearning for more get-togethers, brothers from Chicago decided to travel down to Indianapolis for a getaway consisting of golfing and boating nearly every summer. More alumni learned about the gatherings, and a simple alumni get-together grew into the BTFU Cup. Indiana Alpha golf outings give alumni a perfect chance to reunite and catch up on fond memories from their undergraduate years. "More people just started hearing about it, and when we opened it up with a scramble event, then it really started to add on," Tim said. Gregg recalls joining the group at Loblolly in Hobe Sound, Florida, though it has since moved to the Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex at Purdue. "Probably the best thing is we always had a formal dinner when we went to Loblolly, and that became where we cemented that we'd get together every year," Gregg mentioned. "As a formal dinner, we would do our SigEp toast and raise our glasses. Tom would lead that toast, and it became a tradition at events like weddings." Thanks to an email thread about music started by Tom Orton '79, word spread about the golf events as the thread continued to grow. "One guy can just send out some memory that he remembered from college to 65 guys, and obviously most all of them remember it too," Chris stated. "I'm the alumni relations director, so I started propagating the email string and inviting anybody and everybody from that string to come to the event." The format of the BTFU Cup was modeled after the Ryder Cup, though teams shifted over time from Indy vs. Chicago to North vs. South due to brothers attending from various regions and states. Inspired by the Old Oaken Bucket of Purdue and IU's football rivalry, each team's BTFU Cup victory is represented on the trophy to tell the story of the competition over the years. "Even for the non-golfers, we're actually having two teams set up for them and we'll play it as a scramble, and their points will count toward the Cup," Mike added. The Cup's legacy grows every year, and alumni are encouraged to reunite for a weekend of friendly competition and brotherly union. "Those guys are my best buddies, and we show up for each other's events when we need to be there, help each other out when needed, and we vacation together," Tom said. "It all goes back to those bonds we made in the late '70s and early '80s, and we still keep them going." SigEp bonds go beyond the golf course as brothers reminisce on what brought them together so many years ago. "We always talk about how lucky we are that a couple of guys walked up those steps at 690 Waldron and had the vision to change the place," said Gregg. To connect with alumni through the email thread and learn more about the golf events, you can email Chris at ckelly4251@gmail.com or AVC-alumnirelations@Purdue-SigEps.com. Reunited through Golf A Growing Indiana Alpha Alumni Tradition "There are a lot of golf tournaments that have post-event parties. This is a party with a golf tournament." –Mike Mathew '80 SigEps gathering before first tee in 2019. Purdue SigEps preparing for the 2020 BTFU Cup. Ryan Barney '26 Westfield, Ind. Nicandro Diaz Butron '24 Mexico City, Mexico Max Cervantes '26 Dyer, Ind. Ethan Cisler '25 Land O'Lakes, Fla. Sankhya Gowda '25 Bangalore, India Dennis Green '25 Indianapolis, Ind. Christian Hein '26* Caramel, Ind. (Father Andy Hein, Indiana Theta '98 and Grandfather Basil Mawbey, Indiana Gamma '67) Jordan Hindes '26 Noblesville, Ind. Keith John '25 Naperville, Ill. Daniel Kang '24 Seoul, South Korea June Kwon '26 Seoul, South Korea Josh Mansky '26 Minneapolis, Minn. Andrew Modin '26 Morris Plains, N.J. Anthony Mendoza '26 Franklin, Tenn. Rahul Menon '26 Newburgh, Ind. Grant Miller '26 Columbia, Md. Will Napier '26* Downers Grove, Ill. (Father Mark Napier '92) Pranav Singh '25 South Riding, Va. Jack Slater '26 Sammamish, Wash. Parker Smith '26 Reynolds, Ind. Colvin Timmons '26 Granville, Ohio Enzo Tiptur '26 Leesburg, Va. Jack Willard '26 Jefferson, Md. Elliot Wong '25 Irvine, Calif. Brayden Wrede '26 West Lafayette, Ind. *Legacy Welcome, NEW MEMBERS! Jim W. Kruger '61 July 9, 2022 William E. Lewis '61 March 29, 2022 Chapter Eternal Robert E. Samsen '51 May 28, 2022

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