Alpha Tau Omega - Iowa State University

W ith older brothers Danny '65 and Lynn '68, Lyle Wedemeyer '71 visited the ATW house at Iowa State over the years and felt the unique atmosphere it held. When it was his turn to go through recruitment, Lyle tried to keep an open mind, but the ATW connection was too strong. A few years later, youngest brother Marlon '75 would make the same choice, bringing all four into the bond. For Lyle, the creativity and personalities of his fraternity brothers made his college years an exciting time. "I wore my ATW jacket around campus with a lot of pride. We had a fun house with a well-known personality around campus. We were also pretty good singers and could hold our own when it came to serenading sororities. We would sometimes divert from the traditional songs and launch into a Beach Boys set. That was always a hit." Memories of FAC parties and football games at the old stadium ringing the ATW bell are still fresh in Lyle's mind, as are the friendships that remain today. "When my pledge brothers get together, the bond is instant—like we're 19 years old again. Some of my best lifelong friends have been from ATW." "I also credit ATW as a force in my advertising career. We always had the campus talking with our banners, Homecoming displays, and VEISHEA floats. I learned about the attention-getting power of creativity, and I think it had a direct influence on how I worked once I entered the advertising field." With a degree in journalism and mass communications, Lyle worked as an advertising writer in Minneapolis for many years and ultimately became vice president and executive creative director at Martin/Williams. During his career, Lyle has been named Midwest Creative Director of the Year by Adweek and won two Cannes Film Festival Lions, among other honors. But throughout the years, he has remained a loyal supporter of Gamma Upsilon, particularly as the need for renovations to the chapter house has arisen. "I got so much out of my years in the house and I believe that the tradition and bond and worth preserving for brothers. I know that times change, but the current version of what it means to be an ATW is alive and well in our house, and it's worth doing what I can to support them with a house in good repair. Somebody did it for me and now it's my turn." "I know that 95% of the guys who went through the house learned a lot about friendship, about becoming a man, about becoming a responsible person. And they gained lifelong friendships from being there. If you received all that, then just maybe it's time to pay a little back to the place that did that for you." Lyle and his wife, Cheryl, a KD and an ATW little sister, live in Minneapolis and have two daughters, Amelia and Olivia. He can be reached at ldwedemeyer@comcast.net. Patrick McVey '11: $1,000 Steven McWilliams Jr. '11: $1,000 Michael Mulvihill '11: $1,000 Charles Patterson '11: $1,000 Dylan Robinson '11: $1,000 Brady Schmidt '11: $1,000 Cody Schultz '11: $1,000 Robert Sheets '11: $200 Robert W. Simons '11: $2,500 Corey Smith '11: $1,000 Kyle Steiner '11: $1,000 Michael Svendsen '11: $1,000 Zac Thompson '11: $1,000 Class Participation: 73% Total Pledged: $20,700 2012 (Undergraduates) Matthew Peters '12: $1,000 Jonathon Pevonka '12: $1,000 Nicholas Winter '12: $1,000 Class Participation: 75% Total Pledged: $3,000 2013 (Undergraduates) Matt Dohse '13: $1,000 Alec Kremers '13: $1,000 Class Participation: 25% Total Pledged: $2,000 Once the class challenge is completed, we will return to our normal donor list using the giving categories listed below. Be sure your name is on our donor list! Glazebrook Society ($250,000 and above) Blackfeet Society ($100,000 to $249,999) True Merit Society ($50,000 to $99,999) Maltese Cross Society ($25,000 to $49,999) 1908 Society ($15,000 to $24,999) Gamma Upsilon Society ($10,000 to $14,999) Azure and Gold Society ($5,000 to $9,999) Legacy Society ($2,500 to $4,000) Brotherhood Society ($1,000 to $2,499) 10 Highest Participation Percentages 1. 2012 75% 2. 2011 73% 3. 2008 60% 4. 2009 57% 5. 1974 41% 6. 2010 40% 7. 1954 28% 8. 1952 27% 9. 1950/2013 25% 10. 1978 22% 10 Largest Total Dollars 1. 1952 $56,000 2. 1974 $55,000 3. 1949 $35,000 4. 1975 $32,500 5. 1950 $29,800 6. 1978 $27,625 7. 1964 $25,000 8. 2011 $20,700 9. 2002 $20,000 10. 1954 $19,500 Lyle Wedemeyer '71 Pays Back ATW Increase your class participation by using the enclosed pledge form or visiting http://ato.kintera.org/gammaupsilon to make a pledge online. To make a tax-deductible gift of $10,000 or more to the Gamma Upsilon renovation campaign, you may use the ATW National Foundation. Contact us for details. Thank you! Is Your Class in the Top 10?

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