Sigma Alpha Epsilon - Indiana University

THE INDIANA GRAM A 4 Steve Mitchell '83 Thanks House Corporation and Alumni Association s the new House Corporation president for Indiana Gamma, Steve Mitchell '83 wants to begin his role by thanking the brothers who have played a significant part in enabling the Chapter to accomplish so much in such a short period of time. He expresses gratitude to the House Corporation, the Alumni Association, the active Chapter, and to the alumni who have contributed both their time and donations. "When all we had was faith, trust, and an artist's rendering of the new house, they led the way. We wouldn't be where we are without their dedication to the fraternity; we simply couldn't have done this without them. These brothers have carried us through the darkest days when it didn't look like we would ever get a Chapter back on campus—let alone a new structure. They continued to believe in our ideals; clearly their leadership carried the day," says Steve.       Steve, who also serves on the SAE National Foundation as an honorary trustee, wanted to serve as House Corporation president because he felt duty-bound to give back to the fraternity. "I felt an obligation to give back based on everything the Chapter had enabled me to achieve in both my personal and professional life. I came from a fairly modest background and I don't think I would or could have had the opportunities that I was exposed to had it not been for the experiences gained at Indiana Gamma. The Chapter provided me with opportunities to grow and learn as both a person and a leader, as well providing some lifelong friends," says Steve.   His goals for the Chapter include continuing to raise funds for the new house through the end of the year and getting alumni brothers who have disconnected to become reengaged with the Chapter. "This job can be as big as you want it to be. It is a great opportunity to pull the alumni base back together to get them spending time at the house prior to games, providing mentoring to the undergraduates, and most importantly, reconnecting with old friends.  So far, everyone I have asked says they will serve in any capacity that we need. There has not been one person that doesn't want to participate."    Steve wants alumni to remember to consider giving time, not just financial gifts to the Chapter. "It is important that the brothers remember when they were undergraduates; to think about how different their lives could have been altered without the help and feedback they received along the way," says Steve. "People don't get where they are by accident. People learn and grow through their relationships, opportunities, and experiences.   "We need to make sure our alumni know that they can be proud of the Chapter. We need to give the alumni a reason to come back and see the house, meet the undergraduates—they really are a pretty impressive group of young men. When we give the alumni a good reason to come back— they will. At Homecoming we will be having an open house and that would be an ideal time to get reconnected."    Steve lives in Saint Charles, Illinois, with his wife, Lauryn. They have two daughters, Katy and Bridget. Steve works at AT&T as the vice president of sales for the healthcare practice. E-mail: sm2824@att.com Indiana Gamma Produced Generations of Gentlemen Spotlight on the Late Richard "Dick" Johnson '55 and his son, Rick Johnson R ichard "Dick" Johnson '55 graduated from the IU school of business in 1955. While an undergraduate he served as president of the Indiana Gamma Chapter and was given the nickname Abe by his brothers for his honesty and integrity. He completed ROTC and served his country as a lieutenant from 1955 to 1957. In 1958 he went on a blind date with Ruth Wolfe and they married less than a year later. Dick purchased a small distributorship of Shell Oil where Ruth was already an employee. He renamed it Johnson Oil Company. Initially selling commercial and farm fuels, over time the business grew into its own retail outlets, starting the Bigfoot Food Chain with more than 200 locations. After selling Johnson Oil Company to Couche-Tard Inc., in 2001, the family business became Johnson Ventures, which worked in a variety of fields including publishing, mining, and direct marketing of food service equipment. Dick served as president of the Indiana Oil Marketers Association and was on the National Distributor Council for Shell Oil Company. Dick was widely recognized for his success in business, but most well known for his kindness toward others. He provided the naming gift for The Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation headquartered at the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University. "I found him to be an extremely kind and caring man. He was always a gentleman of his actions," says friend Bill Brown. Dick always treasured his time in the Indiana Gamma Chapter, and his son, Rick, knew this. Rick, who serves on the Dean's Council of the Kelly School with Mike Wells '72, overheard Mike sharing the details of the campaign to another council member. As he listened to Mike talk about the new Chapter house, he knew that his father would have wanted to contribute. "I had just been to the house and was very happy with the progression of construction," says Mike. "Rick walked up to me and smiled and said, 'My dad was an SAE,' and offered to give to the campaign. I happily explained to him that we were in the middle of the David Ramsey '65 challenge and that his gift would actually be doubled. He smiled again and agreed to give even more because of the challenge." "My dad held a high regard for young men striving to do better," says Rick. "The work they are doing in the house to improve the facility to attract high-quality young men and put together a program to aim higher are things that my dad would appreciate."

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