Alpha Delta Phi - University of Michigan

the peninsular | 3 "I 'm so thankful my dad got to be a member of Alpha Delta Phi," Art Nicholas '85 shared. Born in the U.S. but raised in Greece for most of his childhood, Art's father found an invaluable source of support and friendship from Peninsular at the University of Michigan. "He told us story after story of his brotherhood, and those alumni from the '50s were legends to me," Art said. "I was fortunate enough to meet many, including the fathers of my contemporaries Roger Mulier Jr. '84 and John Edwards '83." Art had visited the chapter house nearly all his life, but learning that Roger was pledging sealed the deal on his own decision. Art made many friends for life as a member of Alpha Delta Phi and grew quickly through chapter leadership. His time as vice president and president taught him to compromise and communicate effectively with brothers at Greek Weeks and St. Patrick's Day breakfast parties. Serving as pledge master in his final semester helped Art connect even more with the many great brothers from the '80s. "I joke about writing a book called 'Everything I Know About Management I Learned at 556 S. State Street,'" he said. "Maybe an exaggeration, but I learned a ton about budgeting, fundraising, networking, and more." Those skills set Art up for a successful sales and marketing career in the health industry. His most memorable accomplishment was launching a voice recognition product at Nuance Communications, a former employer that now exceeds $1 billion in annual revenue. "I've been fortunate to work with some fantastic people and do really cool things." Though he recently stepped down from the Peninsular Society Board, Art is passionate about his continued service as Peninsular Foundation President. His inspiration to work with the brotherhood comes from the volunteering of too many alumni to count, but he proudly follows in the footsteps of former Presidents Bob Barnes '85 and Dan Carlson '85, both of whom served as one-man boards for a time. "With all the time these brothers put into growing the organization, how can you not be motivated to stay engaged?" That hard work from hundreds of brothers through the decades helped Alpha Delta Phi get where it is today, and as more alumni read The Peninsular and reengage with the fraternity, Art hopes they'll be proud of the many great students they have welcomed into Alpha Delta Phi. For now, he urges undergraduates to strive for the best versions of themselves. "Love each other and make the house proud through your work on campus; your return on investment will be through the roof, personally and professionally." Art lives in Saugatuck, Michigan, and can be reached at asnicholasjr@gmail.com. L e s s o n s f ro m 5 5 6 S . St a t e St re e t ART NICHOLAS '85 ON LIFELONG BROTHERHOOD Art urges fellow alumni, young and old, to support Peninsular through the Annual Giving Program. "Just think about how much more we can do to support our undergraduates and connect our alumni with a more sustainable revenue stream." Lawrence H. Brown '56 is happily retired, happily married, and in pretty good health. He lives in Lake Forest, Ill. Email: ablbcurler@aol.com Gerald McLellan '60 is enjoying his first year in a retirement community, "Which is great!" He stays in touch with friends and family and creates clay sculptures. He works managing money and helping others with assessments. Gerald resides in Asheville, N.C. Email: jerryfmclellan@gmail.com R. John Burpee Jr. '69 is a member of a senior men's club in Birmingham, Ala. He attends Franklin Community Church and enjoys playing pickleball. He resides in West Bloomfield, Mich. Email: johnburpee@gmail.com John Runyan Jr. '69 is enjoying his three grown children and eight grandchildren and spends his time following UM sports. He lives in Lathrup Village, Mich. Email: jrunyan@michlabor.legal Mark Christiansen '73 is "staying alive at 75!" After spending some time in the hospital, he is looking forward to going on a trip to visit his daughter in LA this fall. Mark lives in Plymouth, Mich. Email: marcus31708@gmail.com Frederick Upton '75 retired in 2023 from the United States Congress after 36 years in office. In his career, he won a total of 25 elections. He now lives in Saint Joseph, Mich. Email: upton86@gmail.com Mark Kissinger '87 is retired and working part time for the NYS Assembly. He resides in Delmar, N.Y. Email: mkissw2@gmail.com Todd Petraco '93 is married with three children and lives on Long Island, N.Y. He loves to golf, ski, and play tennis, and he is a partner at the Private Wealth Advisory Firm at Ameriprise Financial. Email: todd.m.petraco@ampf.com John Austin '94 is working hard and playing hard as a dentist in Clarkson, Mich. Email: jaustindds@hotmail.com Chris Evans '98 is "living the good life" as a strategy manager at Caterpillar Inc. He resides in East Peoria, Ill. Email: cjevano@yahoo.com Gregg Whitmore '00 is an assistant professor at Cal State Fullerton and lives in Kamas, Utah. Email: whitmoregregg@yahoo.com Randall Rodich '22 is getting married in June 2024! He lives in Anaheim, Calif. Email: randy@rodich.net A L U M N I N E W S A L U M N I N E W S

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