Theta Xi - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

www.alpha6294.com Theta xi 5 The Boardman Cane: A Storied History B rother Arthur E. Boardman, 1870 (A33) visited Troy in 1924, likely on the occasion of the Institute's centennial celebrations held that year. While in town, he donated his class cane to the Alpha Chapter. A Malacca walking cane with an ivory handle was purchased for him in 1867 by Edward H. Morrison (A9) in gratitude for Boardman's beau- tiful carvings on Morrison's walking stick. On his own cane, Brother Boardman carved the names of 48 brothers during a three-year period, ending with his graduation from the Institute in June 1870. The chapter displayed the cane for many years on the fireplace mantel- piece in the formal room, sealed in a trophy case. After close to a 30-year absence, it made its return to Troy at the 150th Anniversary Conven- tion in 2014. In 2016, Brother Boardman's gift to the Alpha Chapter returned once again. Undergraduates ankful for Chapter House Renovations "Renovations are huge for recruitment. The ability to show off how nice our house is reflects the pride we take not only in our chapter house, but also in our brotherhood. I could tell with our first round of recruit- ing after the renovations that the guys who came to our events were impressed with the condition our house was in and definitely set us apart from some of the other fraternities on campus."—Austin Egri '18 "The renovations will ultimately make the future of Theta Xi better. By upgrading and renovating the chapter house, the actives will have a better place to live and a better standard of living. The impact on the broth- ers themselves will also be positive, bringing about a greater respect for the house and, as a result, a greater respect for the brother- hood. On the surface, brothers will also now have more selling points for recruitment and more ways to positively attract new potential members to the house."—Zach Holmes '16 Chapter Eternal Leonard F. Gartland '45 (A660) entered Chap- ter Eternal on December 13, 2015, at age 90. He passed with his children by his side in Sanibel, Fla. He was predeceased by his loving wife of 58 years, Ruth (Spencer) Gartland. He is survived by his children, grandchildren, great-grandchil- dren, and many other family and friends. The family would like to express their gratitude to the supportive staff at The Village at Unity. Brandon A. Devers ['10] (A1585) entered Chapter Eternal unexpectedly on November 17, 2015. He was the son of Wayne Devers and the late Anne Sch- onberg Devers. Brandon was a resident of Port Chester, N.Y. Alumni News Walter T. Schultheis '48 (A697) lives in a re- tirement community in Mystic, Conn. He is in "reasonably good health for an 89 year old." Un- fortunately, his wife, Sydney, is in the last stages of Alzheimer's disease. Julian R. Smetana '56 (A827) and his wife, Barbara, will celebrate their 60th wedding an- niversary this fall. They have enjoyed world travel, the Metropolitan Opera, and summers in the Adirondacks. The two reside in Wallingford, Pa. E-mail: smetajul@icloud.com John C. Schulz '58 (A899) is happy to report that retirement is going well. He wishes he was closer to RPI so he could attend Theta Xi events. He loves receiving the newsletter and is able to call some brothers on occasion. He and his wife, Kathleen, reside in Riverside, Calif. E-mail: jcs- gunner@aol.com Frederick A. Preiss '59 (A925) recently re- turned from a Viking river cruise in Germany. He was on the cruise from April 21 to May 6. He and his wife, Joan, live in Glastonbury, Conn. E-mail: ssierp@sbcglobal.net Kenneth L. Wilson Jr. '63 (A973) has had back surgery, but anticipates he will be back fishing soon. "I stay in touch with many Alpha broth- ers." He lives in Cincinatti, Ohio. Dr. Chuck Boylen (A1593) retired January 1 with the status of Pro- fessor Emeritus. "Kathy and I have plans to travel more. We need to work on finding a warmer place to go in the winter, but otherwise do not plan to move from Troy. Per- haps most importantly, the Dean's office (Cary Dresher, now acting AlphaBet Soup (Continued on page 6) allow us to fully renovate the interior to the quality level we're using for our current plan and transform the entire house. Raising our goal to $1.1 million would additionally allow us to replace all of our windows. Currently, most are the original, 1931 single-pane, inef- ficient windows. An architecturally appropri- ate, modern window has been installed in the second-floor bathroom as a sample—it is en- ergy efficient, absolutely beautiful, and looks original. Both goals are reasonably within reach if we choose to proceed. Our committee will work with the alumni board, external advisors, and select alumni to explore our alumni base's ap- petite for an expanded mandate. We welcome your thoughts regarding a revisited strategy and thank you for your continued support. Yours in the Bond, David Fowkes '89 (A1275) Campaign Chairman Momentum Stays Strong (Continued from page 1) Chris Blanc '96 (A1404) presented the Boardman Cane to Nick Ziter '17 (A1680).

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