Sigma Chi - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

5 SIGMA CHI Slugfest 2015 Brings Brothers Back Together O n Tuesday, June 2, as a culmination of the great New Hampshire trip organized by Bob "Ruff" Hutnick '71, a group of seven Delta Psi of Sigma Chi brothers (a coincidence there were seven?) and five wives descended on the Joann and Gary "Sluggo" Wood '71 household for Slugfest 2015 (Slugfest trademark courtesy of John "Fingers" Golden '71), a repeat from last year. The group included Annie and Jim Munger Banghart '69, Joan and Dan "Spurt" Burt '69, Barb and Bill "Turk" Wurst '71, Jean and Bob "Ruff" Hutnick '71, Charlene and Paul "Cos" Cosgrave '72, John Leroy Pfaff '71, and yours truly, Jim "Cramble" Campbell '70. We arrived in Bethel, Vermont, about 11:30 a.m. with hugs and greetings all around, as a number of us had not seen each other since the Pomeroy House dedication in 2013. Several were coming off a great weekend and early week celebration following the wedding of Debbie and Alan "HJ" Handbury's '74 son in Connecticut, and parties, dinners, and various events hosted by the Bangharts and Jack "Tittie" Belletete '71 and Marcea Gustafson in the Jaffrey, New Hampshire, area. Both Gary and Joann look terrific, and were as upbeat as always, as we have all come to expect. After we all got to say our hellos and visit for a while, it was time for lunch. We went to beautiful downtown Bethel and ordered from a small sandwich and wine shop. It is owned and operated by one of Sam and Sluggo's neighbors, David Sambor. As you might expect, the food was delicious, and we were treated to one of Gary's famous desserts, black forest cake, which was absolutely yummy. I don't believe it was a commentary on the mini-work session we did at Slugfest 2014, but Sam did not want us doing chores this time, so the guys gathered in the dining room area to reminisce, recall our times and the brothers we shared them with at 58 Pinewoods, and solve some of the world's current problems, while the ladies conversed in the kitchen area. Unfortunately, I had to leave at 2:30 p.m. to catch a flight back to Chicago, but the rest of the group stayed to look at photos of Munger's college days. I can only imagine the conversations and comments these pictures created. It was really great to see Gary and Joann again and hopefully remind them how much they mean to us and how much they are loved by all. Please continue to keep them in your thoughts and prayers. Messages are always welcomed. As Gary reminded us all during our visit, the special bond we share is what separates Sigma Chi from all other fraternities. Photos of the trip may be viewed at www.sigmachi-rpi.org/news. In Hoc, Jim "Cramble" Campbell '70 Alumni Update CHAPTER ETERNAL Jerry Snider '56 passed on to the Chapter Eternal on March 14 in Schoharie, N.Y. Jerry did construction work for Arch Love in the 1980s and was on the PEP House Corporation. He was the class communications coordinator for the classes of 1956 through 1958. George "Earth" Wurm '71 passed away from congestive heart failure on April 30 in Seal Beach, Calif. A beach memorial ceremony was attended by Chris "Zoomer" Serocke '73 representing the Delta Psi Brotherhood. A White Rose Ceremony was held on July 20 in Canton, Mass., at the Wurm family annual reunion and golf tournament. ALUMNI NEWS Alan Minkus '76 is director, project management services at Colliers International in Hartford, Conn. Eric Spalding '78 is the site director at Alstom Transport for the assembly and commission of Alstom's new Citadis Spirit Rail Vehicle for the City of Ottawa, Ontario. E-mail: eric.r.spalding@gmail.com John Murray '07 is a sales engineer at Cybereason in Cambridge, Mass. Cybereason provides IT security. E-mail: johnmurray@gmail.com Joseph Salomone '11 is a software developer at Dealertrack Technologies in Portland, Ore., after working for IBM. E-mail: salomj9@gmail.com Christopher R. Heinbokel '15 is an IT analyst for Cisco Systems in San Jose, Calif. E-mail: chris.heinbokel@gmail.com Zackary Reed '15 is an inside sales representative at Monolith Solar Associates in Rensselear, N.Y. Monolith specializes in commercial, non-profit, and residential renewable energy systems. E-mail: reed.zackary@gmail.com William Wurst '71 and Jim Manocchi '75 Receive 7 Lights Award W illiam Wurst '71 and Jim Manocchi '75 were awarded the 7 Lights honor at the eighth Sigma Chi grand chapter meeting in San Diego on June 26. Wurst and Manocchi were recognized for their leadership and work with the Phi Epsilon Phi House Corporation and the renovation of the Pomeroy Chapter House at 58 Pinewoods. Details on the award and their recognized contributions can be found at www.sigmachi-rpi.org/alumni.

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