Sigma Phi Epsilon - University of Missouri

MissouriAlpha • 2 • TheSigEpTigerHeart During his time at Mizzou, Adam earned a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering and master of business administration. He credits his success, in part, to the camaraderie at the Missouri Alpha chapter house. "There was always someone in the house that had been through a particular course, or had a particular professor, and would be willing to help me out," Adam recalled. But, by far, the best part of Adam's Sigma Phi Epsilon experience was the friendships and relationships he made. As he puts it, "With a tiny bit of effort, those relationships last forever." To that end, Adam keeps a growing list of Missouri Alpha e-mail addresses. "Every few months we invite all St. Louis-area brothers to an after-work happy hour at a bar. We typically have between 15 to 25 brothers come out, with a range of pledge classes represented from the 1960s to the 1990s." The best part about organizing the happy hours, Adam shared, is "often someone will show up that we haven't seen in 30 years; it's priceless." Both Mike Smith '91 and Rob Dixon '93 were instrumental in starting this happy hour tradition, and Adam invites brothers interested in joining them to send him an e-mail to be added to the list. Adam serves as general manager of Commercial Electronics Inc., a company that does electronics repairs for a nationwide customer base. He and his wife, Laura, met at Mizzou when Adam was in graduate school, and they have three children. After he was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes 21 years ago, he started running and slowly evolved into a more serious runner. Now he runs marathons to raise money to support the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) to help find a cure. If you'd like to join Adam in the fight to end Type 1 diabetes, you can visit his JDRF page at http://www2.jdrf.org/goto/ adambaer. You can also connect with Adam at adamHbaer@gmail.com. Cultivating Lifelong Brotherhood (Continued from page 1) Adam Baer '85 and his son, Henry, at the Chicago marathon. We Catch Up with Rob Deleeuw '10 Why did you join SigEp as an undergraduate? I joined SigEp at a time when the chapter was rebuilding. The opportunity to restore SigEp to greatness, the new house, and the brothers I met were all great reasons for me to choose Missouri Alpha. What sense of pride did you gain as a member of the chapter? I took pride in the long-standing history of the chapter at Mizzou. I relished the leadership opportunities that were presented to me and my pledge class— opportunities that allowed us to shape the chapter for years to come. Did you hold any offices in the chapter as an undergraduate? I was vice president of recruitment in 2007 and 2008, followed by a term as chapter president in 2009. After I graduated in December 2010, I stayed on as house director (house dad) in 2011. Were there any alumni who had a positive impact on your SigEp experience? Vern Smith '73 had the biggest impact on me as far as chapter operations go. Starting with VP of recruitment, I leaned on Vern for guidance and advice to navigate the rebuilding stages of the chapter. Later on, as chapter president, Vern's consistent mentoring and involvement were key factors in leading the chapter to the next level. Do you have any special SigEp memories that you like to look back on? While I loved the events our chapter put together, such as formals, philanthropy participation, and rituals, my fondest memories were the everyday interactions in the house. Visiting with my fraternity brothers on the patio and just hanging out is probably my favorite memory. Tell us about your career path since graduation. After graduation, I was hired at a mortgage company headquartered in Columbia called Veterans United Home Loans. A couple promotions and a move later to Kansas City, I am now the branch processing team lead, where I assist nine of our branch offices all across the country—from Hawaii to Virginia Beach—and I coach and support operations employees through day-to-day duties. How do you think the fraternity helped you become who you are today? The fraternity taught me how to be an effective leader, mostly through trial and error. When faced with adversity, I was forced to make decisions that were difficult at the time, but later proved beneficial for the chapter and my brothers. It gave me the confidence I needed to continue as a leader and in my managerial role with Veterans United. Any hobbies or activities that keep you busy? I love to run and have completed two half- marathons, with aspirations to run many more. I enjoy networking with young professionals in my area, spending time with friends, and traveling to new cities. MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS Brothers from the 1960s and 1970s Reunite I n December, Missouri Alpha brothers from the 1960s and 1970s gathered at Cunetto's House of Pasta on the Hill in St. Louis for memories and brotherhood. Bob Meyer '68 shared that they had probably 30 brothers in attendance this year. Jerry Caesar '69, who lives in the area, has organized the event every year for the last decade, but this year they had an especially good turnout. "We have brothers from all over the country in attendance, because it's something everyone really looks forward to. This year everyone was especially excited to see John "Iron" Morris '68, whom we hadn't seen in many years, and he made the trip up from Florida to be with us," Bob said.

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