Sigma Chi - University of California-Berkeley

3 SIGMA CHI Welcome, New Members Parker Adams Fullerton, Calif. Valentino Calderon Huntington Beach, Calif. Andrew Ficek Fargo, N.D. Connor Freeman Long Beach, Calif. Nathan Guiles Irvine, Calif. Eric Jho Seoul, South Korea Derek Kennedy Los Gatos, Calif. Michael Moore Loomis, Calif. Aiden Rafi Los Gatos, Calif. Andrew Rosenberg Thousand Oaks, Calif. Mohammad Sajadieh Toronto, Calif. Andrew Schaeffer Long Beach, Calif. Benjamin Thornley San Francisco, Calif. S ometimes the bonds of brotherhood go beyond staying in touch as friends over the years. Sigma Chis Roger Steele '42 and Roscoe "Bud" Hughes were also high school football teammates, brothers in arms, co-founders in business, and, of course, lifelong friends. Both Roger and Bud graduated from Cal Berkeley and enlisted in the U.S. Navy during WWII. After serving in the Navy for four years, Roger vowed to "create something so I never had to work for anyone else again." Roger's degree in mechanical engineering served him well as he began his search for a material to make lighter-weight planes. In the basement of Bud's home in Lafayette, California, the two men created a material strong, durable, and light enough to do the job. Two years of experiments later, the California Reinforced Plastics Company, which would later become Hexcel Corporation, went public in 1948. Hexcel's honeycomb material was described by Roger as "the most efficient structure that man will ever achieve." The success of the product was aided by the sales acumen of Bud, who Roger said, "could sell ice to the Eskimos." In 1948, the first management team added another brother, Ken Holland '44, a chemist whose expertise in resin and adhesive technology proved invaluable. Cal Berkeley classmate Ed Rule took over plant construction and production design and Paul Ammen, a Stanford graduate and high school friend to Roger and Bud, served as the company's first CFO. This early leadership team became known as "The Big Five" to those who worked for them. Fellow Alpha Beta Andrew Marshall joined the Hexcel team several years later. He was a welcome addition with his experience in the field of aviation. Andy earned his degree in mechanical engineering in 1943 and then was commissioned into the Navy, where he tested materials at the Naval Air Station in Seattle. Throughout his years at Hexcel, Andy became vice president of sales, traveling the world to share the virtues of honeycomb with aircraft manufacturers. Honeycomb materials continued to grow in popularity. Over the years, use of the product has expanded from aircrafts to sports and recreational materials such as skis, printed circuit board materials, and was used in the lunar struts of the Apollo 11 lunar landing module. Although all four of Hexcel's earliest leaders and Sigma Chis have entered Chapter Eternal: Bud in 1986, Andrew in 2010, Ken in YEAR, and Robert in April 2014 their legacy lives on in the company they so passionately created and worked for. Their Alpha Beta brothers cherish their display of lifelong camaraderie and companionship through all phases of life. In Business and Brotherhood Remembering Roger Steele '42, Bud Hughes, Ken Holland '44, and Andrew Marshall James A. Felchlin '41 and his wife, Diane, and two of his children spent a month in Europe sailing around Venice and the Croatian coast and visiting distant relatives in Switzerland. They even visited the Fechlin Chocolate Factory. Jim and Diane live in Glenbrook, Nev., and have seven children. E-mail: jamesafelchlin@yahoo.com Dick White '42 is 97 years old and resides in an independent living community in Seattle, Wash. He has three children. E-mail: roeboat4@comcast.net Edward Shelton '50 and his wife, Patricia, enjoy retirement, including travel and visiting their kids and grandkids in Italy, Greece, Chile, and the U.S. "I have fond memories of my life at the Sig house where I learned to play poker and drink Golden Glow beer!" Edward and Patricia live in Greenbrae, Calif. Allan Hitchcock '57 attended the Cal vs. Washington game last fall with brothers Barry Bush '59 and Ron Johnson '57. They visited the Alpha Beta house and were impressed by the pre-game event with more than 150 people in attendance. "We were warmly received by the pro consul." Allan lives in San Francisco, Calif. Bill West '58 still raises vegetables and fruit, loves traveling, and studying investments. Bill lives in Davis, Calif. E-mail: billwest07@comcast.net Glenn Smith '60 remarried last year, four years after his first wife passed away. He and Anne live in Saint Helena, Calif. Glenn is retired from a career as a health care cost management consultant for large public and private employers. He has three daughters and four grandchildren and enjoys good health, traveling, hiking, and biking. E-mail: glenn@smith-carr.com Alumni News (Continued on page 4)

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