Theta Xi - Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Theta xi 3 www.alpha6294.com Building Alpha's Future Together AlphaBet Soup William K. Murray '45 (A633) lives in West- port, Conn. He retired in 1989 as director-adver- tising and public relations at Asarco. He and his late wife, Mary, have four children: Maureen Lo- gee, Brian, Patrice, and Eileen Lantzas. Bill keeps busy playing bridge and visiting his nine grand- children and three great-grandchildren. E-mail: wkmurray@snet.net Robert G. Beck '55 (A830) lives in Clarence, N.Y., and has four children: Stephen, Susan, San- dra, and Douglas. Bob retired in 2004 as vice president of sales for J.W. Swanson & Associates. E-mail: rgbeck1@aol.com Donald E. Moore Jr., University of Connecti- cut '72 (A1048), lives in Mount Juliet, Tenn., with his wife, Yu-Yen. They have two sons, Theodore and Edward. Donald was in the U.S. Navy from 1966 to 1970 as a Chinese linguist, then attended the University of Connecticut and earned a B.A. in history. He received an M.A. in Chinese history (1974) and a Ph.D. in adult and higher education (1982), both from the University of Illinois. Donald is a professor of medical education at Vanderbilt University. E-mail: donmoore285@gmail.com William F. Fredericks '76 (A1154) is a pilot with American Airlines. He and his wife, Annemarie, live in Mattapoisett, Mass., and have two children, Bill and Kate. E-mail: airborne1715@gmail.com Isaac M. Pelt '04 (A1525) became executive offi- cer of USS Scranton (SSN 756) in San Diego, Ca- lif., in March 2017 and is preparing for his next deployment in 2018, which will be his fih. He and his wife, Teneil, recently welcomed a daugh- ter, Arya. E-mail: ipelt@mac.com Robert H. Forhrenbach '15 (A1662) lives in Cor- al Gables, Fla., and is a civil engineer-in-training at Stantec. E-mail: robertfohrenbach@gmail.com Chapter Eternal Douglas Burden Littlewood '46 (A646) entered Chapter Eternal on March 16 at the age of 94. Douglas was the corporate secretary of National Gypsum and responsible for major mergers and acquisitions in France, Australia, and Japan. He then ran his own business, Littlewood Associ- ates Inc., where he was a business broker of ma- jor companies. He received his MBA from the Harvard Business School. Douglas also served as chairman and president of the Greater Niagara Frontier Council Boy Scouts of America. He re- ceived the very first Distinguished Eagle award in New York. He served on the board of directors of the Salvation Army, National Conference of Christians and Jews, WNY Traffic Safety Coun- cil, Buffalo YMCA, American Society of Cor- porate Secretaries, and the United Foundation. He enjoyed traveling and coaching little league football and baseball, and his favorite pastimes included tennis, golf, boating, squash, skiing, and playing bridge. Robert F. Cruickshank Jr. '46 (A656) entered Chapter Eternal on February 2 surrounded by family at Margaretville Memorial Hospital in New York. Bob was married to Denise Harkins Cruickshank, who predeceased him, and Linda Fitzpatrick Cruickshank, his wife of almost 30 years. He was a devout Catholic and member of the St. Francis de Sales Parish. Bob served with the 243rd Combat Engineer Battalion of the U.S. Army in Europe during World War II. He was oen behind enemy lines doing demolition, fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and was with the first troops to liberate Buchenwald concen- tration camp in Weimar, Germany. He was hon- orably discharged in 1946 with an American Ser- vice Medal, World War II Victory Medal, Good Conduct Medal, and European African Middle Eastern Service Medal. He was an engineer and inventor and aer receiving his college degree, Bob owned and operated three businesses: Nip- Co Manufacturing, E. E. Brennan Co., and HiLo Pet Care Products. Bob loved the Catskill Moun- tains and was an avid hunter, fisherman, skier, and horseback rider. Richard Nevers '46 (A672) entered Chapter Eternal on January 27, 2016. Richard was a World War II naval officer and worked as an engineer for General Electric for many years. He resided in Satellite Beach, Fla. Donald R. Brutvan '50 (A726) entered Chap- ter Eternal on December 30 under hospice care at Kenmore Mercy Hospital in Buffalo, N.Y. He was draed into the Army Air Forces in 1943 and was assigned to a B-24 bomber as a flight engi- neer, arriving in Foggia, Italy, in June 1944 at the beginning of the Allied invasion of Europe. He received a Purple Heart aer being injured in his second crash when his plane overran the runway and broke in half. During his 28th mission in Au- gust 1944, Brutvan's plane ran out of fuel aer a bombing run. He and his crew parachuted out of the aircra and landed in a small village in Hun- gary. Residents, who had been bombed by Allied forces the previous day, threatened to hang the airmen. German forces intervened, capturing the crew. Donald spent 10 months as a prisoner of war, surviving a serious bout of malaria, before being liberated by Russian forces in June 1945. (Continued on page 6) envisioned doing before. I thought that I would be in state government for the next three years, but before I knew it, I had been there for 30." He first spent nine years in the Office of Mental Retardation and Develop- mental Disabilities (now called the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities), then 13 years in the Office of General Servic- es. For the last nine years, he has been work- ing at the New York State of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation as the supervisor of the Statewide Design Squad, which is focused on park infrastructure projects throughout New York state. Although he likes to occasionally play tennis and golf (both very poorly), his own private architectural practice, Charette Associates Ar- chitects, P.C., fills his free time. Les has over 35 years of design experience in residential, com- mercial, hospitality, religious, historical pres- ervation, and retail projects. He says his inter- est in architecture was driven by a desire to enhance people's lives. He has most certainly made a positive impact for many by taking on quite a bit of accessibility work, as well as men- tal health hospital and institutional projects. Les's career made for a perfect fit when Alpha Chapter announced the 150 Years of eta Xi campaign. "Aer reading in the Alphabet that assistance was needed, I called the campaign chairman and told him I was eager to help." Les is now involved with the kitchen renovation and is providing alumni leadership and guid- ance in long-term planning for future stabili- zation, maintenance and renovation projects. "We have a beautiful building in the middle of campus," says Les. "It would be a wasted opportunity to let it deteriorate and be ne- glected. I don't want to see that happen and fortunately there are a number of undergrad- uate and alumni brothers that feel the same and want strongly to preserve the treasure we share." He believes alumni need to make the effort and contribute to maintaining the Alpha Chapter home. "ink back on how much eta Xi meant to you, how much support you've had. To paraphrase another's words, the eta Xi chapter house is a "bea- con" on campus. It visually radiates a unique light and life to those that pass nearby. Such a prominent building should be an attractive option for many more generations of Alpha Chapter brothers." Les and his wife, Trish, live in Gansevoort, New York, and have one son, David, a freshman at RPI studying mechanical engineering. Les can be contacted at lesack@charetteassociates.com. Les Ackerman (Continued from page 1)

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