Alpha Gamma Rho - Penn State University

2 TAU TIMES TAU TIMES A Brother Built by Gamma JESSE HALLOWELL '97 (Γ1392) REFLECTS ON HIS AGR EXPERIENCE I was born and raised on the Hallowell family farm in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, where I milked our cows after school and on weekends (when I didn't have sports and performances). In August 1996, I went to Penn State, where I checked out the AGR house immediately. This was due to my dad, Pen '73 (Γ1030), Uncle Jim '73 (Γ1025), Granddad Penrose '48 (Γ571), and Uncle Joe (Γ447). My mom, Sheree, was a little sister. F F Continuing the Legacy I decided to join AGR because the brothers were funny, most were agricultural, the house was a mansion, the brothers took good care of the house, and the bill was cheaper than the dorms. I was an education major because I liked teaching, thought it was important, and didn't want my income to depend on the weather. I lived in the house for three years and held the positions of VNR scholarship, alumni relations, and recruitment. F F Life Beyond College After graduating, I left the farm and moved to Philadelphia to become a teacher. For the last 22 years, I've been teaching math at middle schools in the school district of Philadelphia. In 2007, I surprised all my friends and family when I got married (to a woman) and surprised everyone even further when we had two kids. Now our kids are 12 and 15, and I spend more time driving them around than I do driving into Philadelphia for work. We live in Lansdale, and Brian "the Greek" Sarris '69 (Γ960) is one of our neighbors. As a teacher, I am off weekends and holidays and summers. I spend those days on the same farm where I grew up. In 2018, I bought three shorthorn heifers, and thanks to artificial insemination and a clean-up bull, now have 22 cows and heifers plus 12 feeder steers. F F AGR Memories My favorite meals at the house were Carol's Reubens for lunch and beef stroganoff for supper. One of my favorite parts of being at the house was our twice a year bonfire in the woods to celebrate the initiation of our new brothers. Another was helping shinies Derald Hay '99 (Γ1432) and Brian Nath '99 (Γ1433) kidnap a hog from the university and release it in the dining room. Jon Hummel '98 (Γ1412) helped me return it to its barn after a day of chaos, and Jonathan Medsger '99 (Γ1426) and Mike Hubbard '99 (Γ1428) threw me into the duck pond for good measure. The most valuable thing I learned at AGR was how to live and work with different personalities productively. Also, I learned how to mop and strip and wax floors. All good skills. I very sincerely hope the social probation and restructuring Gamma Chapter is currently under with The Home Office results in a clean slate. One where an 18-year-old kid with aggressive effort and an interest in agriculture can learn to be a better man. I encourage all like-minded alumni to contact me or Alumni Board President John Merenick '86 (Γ1236) about getting involved. Fraternally, Jesse Hallowell '97 (Γ1392) THANK YOU, Generous Donors W e appreciate everyone listed below who has donated to Gamma Chapter in 2023 and 2024. Your financial support helps us continue to provide for our undergraduates so we can build a bright future for AGR at Penn State. Sarah Avril In memory of Wilbur L. Avril '61 Nancy Gleyze Nancy Maguire In memory of Edward "Tiger" Maguire John Z. Shearer '48 (Γ586) William H. Yerkes III '49 (Γ592) Franklin S. Ace '60 (Γ795) Russell J. Mitchell '62 (Γ825) Harold D. Smith '62 (Γ838) George R. Brown Sr. '64 (Γ878) Robert L. Firestone '66 (Γ911) Frank E. Skacel Jr., V.M.D. '69 (Γ947) Edward W. Shenot '69 (Γ957) Clair C. Anderson '69 (Γ958) Brian T. Sarris '69 (Γ960) Rick G. Steinmeyer '69 (Γ968) Kenneth C. Gross '73 (Γ1024) Robert Lauffer '73 (Γ1031) Lynn D. McMillen '73 (Γ1033) Jerry Swink '74 (Γ1045) Herbert W. Cole '74 (Γ1054) Stephen Wharton '75 (Γ1063) David A. Cramer '75 (Γ1069) Michael J. Wallace '76 (Γ1089) William C. Miller Jr. '76 (Γ1090) Harry R. Harkcom '77 (Γ1096) Robert A. Kurilla '82 (Γ1180) Paul Martin '85 (Γ1234) Paul J. Shipper '86 (Γ1247) Robert Good '88 (Γ1275) Henry Mullen '89 (Γ1285) Jon Schroer '90 (Γ1289) Matthew Keil '00 (Γ1446) Eric W. Hewitt '06 (Γ1526) John Lysowski '09 (Γ1559) Bradley Nixon '12 (Γ1597) Michael Grzywacz '12 (Γ1617) Shae A. Ferguson '12 (Γ1624) Michael Cameron '13 (Γ1631) Robert S. McLaren '15 (Γ1701) Frank Rambala '15 (Γ1706) Timothy F. Smith '15 (Γ1710) Jesse enjoys time on the farm with his kids.

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