FarmHouse - Washington State University

FarmHouse Almanac p . 2 FarmHouse Values, Ideals, and Friendships Flourish for a Lifetime Lloyd Slusser '61 Highlights Positive Experience at Washington State I n the fall of 1958, Lloyd Slusser '61 was a freshman at Washington State College (which later became Washington State University), and he was encouraged by FarmHouse Washington State member Mike McMackin '56 to participate in fraternity recruitment. Lloyd was impressed by the men in the Washington State Chapter, especially by their achievement of the fraternity scholarship plaque six of the eight semesters since the chapter had formed and established itself on campus. Taking Mike's advice and following his intuition, Lloyd joined FarmHouse and is still reaping the many benefits of brotherhood after more than 50 years of membership at Washington State. During Lloyd's time living in the Washington State chapter house, he was greatly impacted by the presence of Orville Vogel, Nebraska '29. Orville was a co-founder of the Washington State Chapter and instrumental in the building process for the chapter house, as well as a professor, and an internationally known and highly recognize wheat breeder. "He was a humble, down-to-earth man who exemplified all of the ideals of FarmHouse," said Lloyd. "He cared deeply about the organization as well as its individual members, and he was always available anytime to listen and help." The lessons learned, values established, agricultural interests explored, and FarmHouse brotherhood bonds made during Lloyd's time as an undergraduate member played a vital role in all aspects of his life. Lloyd took time off from school for military service, and then he worked for several years in the Plant Pathology Department at Washington State University. Lloyd returned to his studies and graduated with a degree in horticulture in 1967. In 1979, Lloyd and his wife, Donna, opened a small greenhouse and nursery business, which they ran for 17 years. Staying connected to FarmHouse Washington State has been important to Lloyd since he joined. Lloyd is still in touch regularly with several of his pledge brothers after more than 50 years. "I urge all of you to keep in contact with your friends as you become alumni, and visit your local chapter whenever possible," he said. In addition to keeping in touch with pledge brothers, Lloyd also served as chapter advisor during the 1970s and 1980s. "It was a good experience to help them for the rest of their lives," Lloyd shared. An active alumni association also provided a great deal of support and guidance when Lloyd held the position of chapter advisor. "Those members were an invaluable resource, and their input was helpful and important when I needed it," Lloyd said. "I will always be grateful to them for being a part of the alumni team at Washington State University." Lloyd and his wife live on part of his homestead family farm in Palouse County of eastern Washington, eight miles from Pullman, Wash. They have three children; their son, Larry Slusser '88, is also a member of the Washington State Chapter. Since retiring, Lloyd has been the bookkeeper for his wife's livelihood as a quilt teacher and author. In his spare time, Lloyd enjoys golfing, gardening, and taking care of their expansive land. "FarmHouse has been an important part of my life, from my college days to the present," Lloyd said, "and its high standards and ideals have guided me through all adventures in my life." E-mail: quilterd@pullman.com Undergraduates Motivated to Improve Chapter GPA and Continue Philanthropic Efforts O ver the course of the last semester, the chapter has done a lot of great things. We have seen success across the board on a variety of projects and ideas that have expanded beyond the previous year's successes. We have also rebounded from a number of our failures. The chapter has seen significant growth and development as we have done our best to have progress mark our every step. Last semester, we had a chapter GPA of 2.9 and had a great deal of academic success from a few specific members. Our new vice president of scholarship, Tyler Sabin '16, has done a great deal of work in preparing a new scholarship plan for the spring semester, which should help our chapter GPA rise back above the 3.0 mark. We have put our efforts toward raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, and through the second annual FarmHouse Country Cookout, the chapter raised more than $1,400. This spring, we hope to turn our focus toward raising awareness and money for the Be the Match program to further our commitment of helping people who have life- threatening blood cancers. Last fall, a group of Washington State Chapter members traveled to Colville, Wash., to help with the fire relief efforts. It was the first time in the state's history that citizens were able to volunteer to help fight wild fires. The membership currently sits at 32 members. We have a number of FarmHouse leaders involved in campus organizations: Ben McEnderfer '13 serves as the vice president of the Sport Management Club, and Lars Hanson '15 writes the sports beat for a variety of Washington State University Cougar-affiliated publications. Dads' Weekend took place the first weekend in November; the chapter members enjoyed seeing their families, while parents enjoyed seeing the chapter house. The younger members especially enjoyed showing off the chapter house to their parents. We also celebrated a larger than expected fall association meeting, and the alumni were out in full force on most football weekends, which was fun to see and a great time for undergraduates to bond with brothers from older generations. Thank you for following up on the chapter and our well- being. We look forward to seeing you all anytime you're in Pullman, Wash., and our door is always open to all our wonderful alumni. Fraternally, Ian Ducey '13 Chapter President (206) 794-7020 wazzufh.president@gmail.com

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