March 1982 Omegaphone
THETA CHI SPIRIT HIGH!!!
Changes and Renovations Perform Miracles at Omega Chapter
This is my first letter since assuming the presidency of our Omega Chapter. It is an exhilarating experience to once again be exposed to the vigor and unsurpassable energy of the col-lege student.
About four years ago, I visited the house with my son, and, to my astonishment, the condition was deplorable. What made up for the necessary paint, furnishings, and decor, however, was the kindness shown to Louis, Jr., still a high school stu-dent, but accepted as a member of the Theta Chi Fraternity.
At that time, I hoped I started a spark which now has be-come a raging fire. In the last three years, these young men have performed a miracle with Omega and I think each of us should return as often as possible to recapture what we once had.
I called a surprise meeting a few weeks ago and found the brothers and pledges tearing walls down on the second floor. It seemed as if I were in a Coal Mine Bar at the Nicho Allen Hotel in Pottsville. Light shined from all angles, studs were bare to the left and right, as the beer and little sisters flowed everywhere.
There has been a change, and I wish you to become part of it with me. Founders' Day is the weekend of April 17, and I hope to see many of you there, Two things I hope to accomplish within the next year are as follows:
A Founders' Day weekend next year at the same time as the Blue and White game. This will include a stupendous breakfast at the house before the game and dinner at Duffy's tavern following. The guest speaker will be your choice from the following:
Joe Paterno
Sue Paterno
Pat (HJ) O'Brien
President Ford - if he enters the Second Mile Golf Tournament that week
Todd Blackledge
Any other recommendations
Prizes will be awarded for the winners of the all-house volleyball game; also door prizes:
Two tickets with blue parking to the Pitt game
Two tickets to a home Steelers game
Leather western boots d. Etc, etc, etc .
(Dear brothers, please supply any etc.. possible)
The Board Members are going to establish a capital fund to raise $25,000 for Omega. A permanent plaque for each name will be put on the wall of our entrance hall. The pled-ges will be $100 a year for three years. So far, I have con-tacted three brothers, and all three wish to join in the capi-tal fund campaign. This will be discussed at our corporation meeting this year.
Remember when we were undergraduates, how we said the alumni didn't seem to support us at the house. Gentlemen, we are now those alumni. Hope to see you at Founders' Day on April 17, and after the football games this fall. Please come and see the transformation that I didn't think was possible.
Sincerely yours,
Louis Wm. Martini '54
Chapter President's Report
Going Strong! Greetings from the undergraduates of the Omega Chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity. The brotherhood is going strong and we are all looking forward to another Penn State spring. Ma-jor progress has been made in the physical repair of the chap-ter house, and, most importantly, rush is going great.
Due to last term's rush efforts, we had the largest pledge class in three years. These men were just initiated and we now have ten new brothers. We have five acceptees for spring term and are expecting more, Our goal is to fill the house to its ca-pacity by fall term 1982!
Athletics have been one of our strong points this year. Both our football and volleyball teams entered the playoffs and made a strong showing. The basketball season was a little more disappointing. We ended the season with a three and three record.
We are currently 25th in academics out of 50 fraternities. We have a 2.57 house average which is just .03 below the all-university average. To improve scholarship, we now have man-datory study hours for the pledges so they may upgrade them-selves and the fraternity.
Finally, thanks to your generous donations, we undergrad-uates have repaired, recarpeted, and purchased new curtains for the entire first floor. Last winter's pledge class painted the dining room, and we had an electrician rewire the entire down-stairs; thus, completing all necessary repairs. Renovation of the second and third floors has just begun. The hallways are being reconstructed with tongue and groove rough-cut lum-ber. The finished result should be durable as well as beautiful.
Please feel free to come back and visit us to see how your old college home is doing. We would enjoy seeing you. Remember ... "Theta Chi for Life".
Philip Bender '83
Chapter President
News Notes
We competed in two philanthropic events last year: The Sigma Delta Tau Fraternity Feud and the Zeta Tau Alpha Ice Cream. Bowl, and we finished second and third respectively.
The house placed tenth in the overall Greek Week competition last spring. We competed with our Daughters of the Crossed Swords.
Theta Chi has an Interfraternity Council Executive Officer. He is brother Hugh Cadzow '83 -- the IFC Board of Control Chairman.
Brother Tom Katchur '82 is the chairman of the Fraternity Purchasing Association, an organization that sells discounted merchandise to all fraternities here at Penn State.
Brother Brad Davy '82 is the number one shooter on the Navy ROTC Pistol Team and is ranked 40th nationally.
While attending the sixtieth anniversary of his class, FREDERICK T. VANSANT '20 was elected secretary of the class. "Van" now lives in Summit, NJ.
DONALD S. PEARSON '29 is now retired and now lives Sun City, AZ.
An attorney-at-law and former vice-president of the Pennsylvania Railroad, GUY W. KNIGHT '30 can be found at White Stone, VA.
While attending his fiftieth class reunion last June, PARIS H. SWEIGART '31 was inducted into the Pioneers. Now retired, "Pat" lives at Mount Joy, PA.
Having recently retired after 45 years of legal practice and public service, SHERWOOD K. BOOTH '32 spends his summers at his beach home. He and his wife Jane "would warmly welcome any Theta Chi brothers" to their home in South Bethany Beach, DE.
Presently retired and with four children and five grandchildren in his family, W. RANDALL SKILLEN, JR. '34 lives in Mechanicsburg, PA.
Having been a Beta Kappa, would like to hear news about them. Where are they?" asks AUSTIN N. LENT '35. Now retired, Austin lives in Cranbury, NJ.
THOMAS H. WHITE '36 is currently the director of the Pittsfield Regional Education Center. He lives in Dalton, ME.
Having built a home on the Chesapeake Bay, JACK G. MAIZE '38 loves the water and enjoys entertaining his family and friends there since his retirement.
After 38 years as a forester and administrator with the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forests, SAMUEL S. COBB '39 is retired and lives in Camp Hill, PA.
Now retired, JOHN M. METZGER '39 lives in Cave Creek, AZ.
Still employed as a sales manager, EDWARD J. OSTERHOUT '40 can be reached in Houston, TX.
Since his retirement in 1974, PAUL S. HANDWERK '42 has been busy in many civic, church, and scouting affairs. He lives in Slatington, PA.
Currently a management consultant, brothers may contact RICHARD T. CROWERS '45 in Atlanta, GA.
After twenty years with Swift and Company, HOWARD DUNHAIVI '46 left to work for Sugardale Foods, Inc. "Hud" lives in Canton, OH.
Having retired as president of the C & W Carbonia Coal Company in June of this year, WILLIAM H. RENTON '46 now does industry-wide consulting work in the management and marketing of coal and coal properties. He lives in Cleveland, OH.
Since his retirement from the Navy, WALTER A. WHITE '48 has worked as a supervisor of vocational rehabilitation for the State of Florida, He has also become quite a runner now having run in many races all over the East Coast. He lives in Bradenton, FL.
As director of engineering for the Colgate Affiliate Companies, GEORGE W. CHAPMAN, JR. '49 travels extensively in the East and South as well as making trips to Europe and Iceland. His residence is in Fairlawn, NJ.
After a career as an electronics engineer, RALPH J. ETTINGER '49 retired in February, 1980 and now lives in Seabrook, MD.
ROBERT F. WALTENBAUGH '49 regrets that he was unable to attend Homecoming last fall; he has a good excuse, however, He was in Eastern Europe for the entire month of October. Stateside, R.W. makes his in Natrona Heights, PA.
Now retired from the Prudential Insurance Company after 21 years of service, EDWARD J. NOYES, JR, '51 is currently living in Williamsport, PA.
An educational administrator, THOMAS J. PETERS '51 has recently moved. Jim can now be reached in Meadville, PA.
Currently the vice-president for strategic development of the HRB-Singer Company, EDWARD W. KELLER '53 lives in State College, PA.
An opthamologist, LOUIS A. WILSON '53 lives in Marietta, GA.
Accountant DOMINIC ALISIO '54 is living in Bethlehem, PA 18018.
DR. LOUIS W. MARTINI '54 reports that Louis, Jr. is a pledge at the Omega Chapter at Penn State. The family is in Upper Darby, PA.
An insurance broker and senior vice-president for Fred S. James and Company, JOSEPH T. CRUDO '55 lives in Dunwoody, GA 30338.
JOHN C. LICHLITER III '56 is president of Lichliter/ Jameson & Associates, a consulting firm offering planning, engineering, and surveying services to private developers and mu-nicipalities. "Dutch" lives in Sugardale, TX 77478
The president of Rhoads Mills, Inc., EDWIN A. RHOADS '58 reports that all three of his children have or are attending Penn State. Ed lives in Selinsgrove, PA.
After four years with the Marine Corps, MICHAEL A. KUHAR '59 has since worked as an investigator, currently for the Defense Investigative Service of the Department of Defense. Mike lives in Toledo, OH 43611.
Recently promoted to the grade of colonel, MICHAEL P. LAZORCHAK '61 is the Chief, Compensation Branch, Headquarters, United States Air Force. "Laz" in Burke, VA.
The chapter has received a new address for MATTHEW G. SOCCIO '62. Matt now lives in Lewistown, PA.
The brothers can contact DOUGLAS C. MORY '66 in North Olmstead, OH.
Having recently opened a branch office in Edinboro, PA, realtor TOBY M. FROEHLICH '72 now has 20 associates in his two offices. He lives in Erie, PA.
An audit manager for the past nine years with Touche-Ross and Company, S. THOMAS HORNYAK '72 is married and has three sons. Tom recently informed us of his new address at in Allison Park, PA.
A new address for RONALD W. HERTZ '73: he now lives in Baltimore, MD. Ron is a supervisor of passenger service for World Airways.
Last January, JEFFREY D. LAMMERT '73 and his wife Teri were blessed with twin boys, their first children. Jeff is the treasurer of the Diamond Carbon Company, Inc. and lives in Pittsburgh, PA.
Though presently a planner/designer in the facilities department of the Plasma Physics Lab at Princeton, BRADLEY C. SHOESMITH '73 is still working towards his architectural registration. Brad lives in East Princeton, NJ.
Traveling extensively throughout the United States as a sanitation management specialist, JOHN J. THOMAS III '75 is married and is anticipating his first child this May. John lives in Apple Valley, MN.
A landscape and golf course architect in western Pennsylvania, EDWARD M. BEIDEL, JR. '76 is planning on taking the professional exams for registration in the next few years. Wife Debbie and he recently celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary and live in Pittsburgh, PA.
We have received a new address for CHARLES S. ENGLEHARDT '76. Chuck now lives in Pittsburgh, PA.
Having moved to Arizona in 1977, DOUGLAS J. KOONTZ '76 opened his own business as owner/manager of Vinyl-Quik. He and wife Debra Sue live in Tucson, AZ.
Working for the Royal Insurance Company of America as an inland marine underwriter, PAUL R. WASSERBACH '76 and his wife Donna live in Baltimore, MD.
BENNETT D. LAZAR '77 reports that he was married on March 29th of 1981. A certified public accountant, he lives in Springfield, PA 19064.
As a consultant in a firm that specializes in the placement of accountants in any type of industry in the Houston area, JOHN SACCONE '77 asks any interested Theta Chi accountants to call him. John lives in Houston, TX.
JOHN F. SEDOR '79 reports that he has a new job as microbiology technician at Temple University. John lives in Philadelphia, PA.
Having been commissioned a second lieutenant in the Air Force in May of 1981, REID A. SQUIER '79 recently attended the communications-electronics school at Keeler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi. Reid is now assigned to George Air Force Base in California.
Owner and operator of "Lawnscape", a landscaping firm, DREW M. TOMLINSON '79 can be reached in Petersburg, PA.
A graduate student at Brooklyn College in New York, PAUL M. BAKER '80 is currently working on a collection of short stories for his thesis. Paul can be reached in Drexel Hill, PA.
KEN FREBOWITZ '80 sends us the news that he was married on August 1st. An accountant, he lives in Philadelphia, PA.
A field representative for Little, Brown, and Company, JONATHAN L. RADTICE '81 enjoys working in their college division selling texts and seeking manuscripts. Jon lives in Arvada, CO.
Thank you to all those brothers that shared their news.
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