Sigma Phi Epsilon - University of Texas

Sigma Phi Epsilon Education Foundation of Texas Alpha P.O. Box 442100 Lawrence, KS 66044-2100 Address Service Requested ΣΦΕ T E X A S A L P H A s U N I V E R S I T Y O F T E X A S S I G M A P H I E P S I L O N CCOLAD A E e crowd was then entertained by Texas Alpha Hall of Fame member Mark Kiester '71 with al- ways entertaining if inappropriate memories, re- garding the assembled members of the Texas Alpha Class of 1967 celebrating their 50th anniversary. e main event of the evening was certainly the recognition of new Texas Alpha Hall of Fame member Bruce Anderson '71. Both Roger Chap- man '49 and omas Hicks '68 were honored with a new level of recognition, e Emeritus Service Award. Although Roger was unable to at- tend, his grandson, Dallen Nelson '18, accepted in his stead. e highlight of the evening came when Tom's youngest son, Bradley Hicks '08, presented a moving video introduction and trib- ute from overseas where he is serving our country in the Navy. Texas Alpha Celebrates (Continued from page 1) David Deniger '68, Bruce Schnitzer '68, and Dan Blanks '69 celebrate Founders' Day. next few years. We also have a lifetime member- ship option at $5,000. ese memberships help us cover annual expenses while we increase the overall membership. As the current and immediate past presidents of the Texas Alpha Education Foundation, we know firsthand the impact of our financial assistance on the members and alumni. To that end, we would like to issue a challenge to our brothers. If you're not a sustaining member of the Founda- tion, please consider joining the Society. If you're already a sustaining member of the Society, we encourage you to consider a one-time lifetime membership gi. If we can get 20 new Skull & Crossbones members and/or five new lifetime memberships committed before the end of 2017, Carlos and I will both commit to becoming life- time members, too. Please consider joining with us in support of Texas Alpha. Join today by visit- ing http://texassigep.org. Fraternally, Greg Barra '03, Carlos De Ayala '83 Annual Alumni Tailgate - October 21 Texas vs. Oklahoma State • LBJ School Lawn • Time TBD P overty affects its victims in many ways, cascading one set of problems over another. e bad news is that Dallas, Texas, is just one of many U.S. cities dealing with difficulties associated with poverty. e good news is that one inspired resident decided there was something that could be done to help community members fight back against crime in their neighborhoods. Enter Reid Porter '99, founder and president of Advocates for Community Transformation (ACT), an inner-city justice ministry based in West Dallas with a mission to support communities oppressed by crime and urban blight. rough education, legal representation, and spiritual guidance, ACT works to empower residents with tools and take back their neighborhoods and improve them. Reid's organization has a simple goal when entering a neighborhood: a 50 percent reduction in crime over a five-year period. "ACT partners with top-ranked law firms to come alongside inner-city residents. Together, they hold the owners of drug houses accountable. We'll go all the way to the courthouse with them if necessary," Reid said. ACT partners with the Dallas PD, city attorney's office, local churches, and SMU's Center on Research and Evaluation. While removing drug houses is the major mission, the organization also provides services such as support networks, prayer walks, and Bible studies. Reid founded ACT in 2009 aer leaving a career as a trial lawyer. He began his work in Westmoreland Park and Ledbetter Gardens and in 2012, he expanded to Westmoreland Heights, Cross Hampton, and Victory Gardens. Not only did ACT accomplish its five-year goal in its first two target neighborhoods, crime continued to drop in the following years. For his contributions to crime reduction in the city, Reid was awarded the 2016 Public Safety Leader Award by Safer Dallas Better Dallas and the Rotary Club of Dallas. Reid credits his undergraduate experience as chaplain and standards chairman with teaching him how to help those he cares about while remaining able to uphold his moral code. In a time of divisiveness and harsh rhetoric, Reid's example shows what it truly means to be a socially active member of a community and what it takes to make a difference in people's lives. Commit Today (Continued from page 2) Former Trial Lawyer Answers a Call to Transform Dallas' Inner City Full article written by Sam Malone '18 and published in the SigEp Journal.

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