Theta Xi - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

www.alpha6294.com Theta xi 5 Welcome, Spring 2015 Initiates James Dolan '18 Stormville, N.Y. William Randall '18 Glens Falls, N.Y. President Chris Flood '16 (A1664) Easton, Pa. floodc3@rpi.edu (610) 657-8423 Vice President Nathaniel Kowal '17 (A1687) Berlin, Mass. Treasurer Conor Wood '17 (A1684) Portsmouth, N.H. House Manager Alex Pawlak '17 (A1679) Ardsley, N.Y. Steward Tom DeMartino '17 (A1681) Commack, N.Y. Secretary Paul Meyer '16 (A1690) Staten Island, N.Y. Scholarship Chairman Daniel Haynes '17 (A1682) Syracuse, N.Y. Recruitment Chairman Nickolas Ziter '17 (A1680) Las Vegas, Nev. Chapter Officers Chapter Eternal____________________ Curtis G. Lawson '54 (A813), Colonel, USMC (ret.) entered Chapter Eternal on May 18. Curt enlisted in the Navy in 1949 after high school, received his degree in electrical engineer- ing from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy N.Y., and then became a Marine Corps Officer. He served 35 years of active duty as a decorated Naval aviator and weapons systems designer, including being shot down during the Vietnam war before his extraction from North Vietnam less than a day later. After his retirement from the Marine Corps in 1984, his second career was as a systems planning and engineer for GTE in Massachusetts for 15 years before retiring again to South Alabama. For the past 12 years he has volunteered as manager of the Research Library at the Naval Aviation Museum at Pensacola. He and his wife have traveled extensively through- out the world, always returning to their peaceful sanctuary on Wolfe Creek. He is survived by his loving wife of 57 years, Marvelene, two daugh- ters, and two grandchildren. Richard A. Way '78 (A1168) entered Chapter Eternal peace- fully at his home on February 20, in the loving and attentive care of his wife, Denise. The past three and a half years, he lived valiantly with ALS/Lou Geh- rig's Disease, while maintaining professional and business commitments. For several years after receiving his degree in nuclear engineering from Rensselaer, Rich was self-employed and served as a consultant to a host of Midwest power com- panies and Copes-Vulcan and Westinghouse, Inc. He earned a professional engineering license from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Rich- ard is survived by his wife, Denise, stepdaughter, Natalie, son, Durk, sister, Kathleen, and brothers, Robert, John, David, and Michael. His final wish was to be remembered as a loving husband and father, a good engineer, a decent rugby player, a passable sailor, and brewer of craft beers. "Rich was a true friend who will be sorely missed," says Duncan Sparrell '77 (A1167). Benjamin E. Couture '95 (A1377) entered Chapter Eternal on November 24, 2014, in Charleston, S.C. Ben graduated RPI with a B.S. in industrial management engineering and a U.S. Air Force ROTC commission. After his years in Troy, he served in the USAF in op- erations and logistics at Elgin AFB in Florida. Outside of his day job, you could find Ben racing his Mini Cooper at local tracks. Never the per- son to fit a mold, Ben knew he was destined for greater things and found a passion in his life for healing others. He went back to school and earned a Doctor of Chiropractic degree from Sherman College of Chiropractic in Spartanburg, S.C. His life's dreams were becoming reality—he was a beloved adjunct professor of chiropractic at Tri- dent Technical Community College, and, in re- cent months, he had opened his own chiropractic practice in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. Loyalty, charisma, and sarcasm never knew a better host than Ben Couture. He was tremendously loyal and loving toward his mother, father, and brother, Matt. He also never forgot the deep bonds of brotherhood he forged at Theta Xi. His funeral in Mt. Pleas- ant, S.C., featured military honors and a heartfelt eulogy from his best friend, Neil Tremblay '95 (A1389). Chris Blanc '96 (A1404) and Nino Bonura '97 (A1415) were also able to spend time with the Coutures and attend services on behalf of the chapter. Philip G. Kerrigan, Jr. '01 (A1485) entered Chapter Eternal on December 20, 2014, at the age of 36 after struggling with complex health is- sues for several years. After earning his degree in engineering and spending his senior year study- ing abroad at the Denmark Technical University he started his career working for Building Sci- ence Corporation (BSC) in Westford, Mass. Phil was a licensed professional engineer and worked for BSC for 13 years. Phil met Sarah on Valen- tine's Day 2005, after a brief online courtship. She was imme- diately swept off her feet by the handsome young man wait- ing for her in the rain with a single red rose. In Au- gust 2005 they purchased their home in Somerville where they lived for the past decade, becoming part of a wonderful commu- nity of friends and neighbors. They were mar- ried on July 26, 2008, at the Sunset Hill House in New Hampshire, surrounded by family and friends. On November 9, 2009, they were blessed with the arrival of their son, William Grey, and on March 13, 2013, they welcomed their daugh- ter, Emily Louisa, into their family. Phil loved his wife and children more than anything in the world. Phil's memorial service was packed as was the burial service. Brothers in attendance included Peter Abren '00 (A1459), Adam Kiel '00 (A1463), Matt Falco '02 (A1497), Alex Donnell '00 (A1467), Mike LaRose '99 (A1445), Ken Dias '03 (A1509), and Eli Smaga '00 (A1466). AlphaBet Soup (Continued on page 6)

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