May 2008 Omegaphone
Undergraduate Report
Another semester in the history books for Theta Chi, Omega chapter. It’s hard to believe that it’s that time of year again, where brothers begin moving out and preparing for a new life chapter. It’s
also a time to reflect on the past year’s accomplishments and prepare for the future. This year, Omega Chapter won Homecoming, succeeded in winning the second straight IM Volleyball Championship and initiated fifteen outstanding gentlemen. Who could forget the Alumni Work Weekend in March that made our house feel more like a home? The chapter also participated in a brotherhood retreat at Stone Valley Recreation Center in Huntingdon County. It helped restore the Omega spirit! The future looks very bright for Theta Chi at Penn State.
This summer, some brothers will be living in the chapter house while taking classes and doing research. Unfortunately, the summer will eventually come to an end and it will be time to return to the Happiest of Valleys and to a chapter house with quite a large number of occupants.
We are expecting around 25 guys in the house this fall, which is great for many reasons involving recruitment and finances!
The fall also means Homecoming 2008. Theta Chi’s participation in Homecoming this year is with a new partner, Omega Phi Alpha Sorority.
Brotherhood Retreat
Hopefully, we will be able to clinch another competition victory. As always, we look forward to seeing all of our alumni at Homecoming 2008!
Fall recruitment also looks promising. This past spring we were able to initiate seven freshmen, bringing younger guys to our chapter. We are aiming quite high for the fall, and hope to break into the double digits for recruitment.
K.I.C.K.S. also takes place in the fall, which is our annual philanthropy soccer tournament with Alpha Xi Delta Sorority to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
Overall, the coming months should be very exciting for brothers at Omega Chapter. We love having our alumni back to the house to meet the brothers, see the changes to the house and share their many stories of when they were here. We also have plenty of stories to share! So, if you’re ever in the area, make sure you stop by 523 South Allen Street, even if it’s just to say hello.
James Patterson
Chapter President
Alumni Profile - Dick Jones ’60 Shares Fond Memories of Theta Chi and Continues to Seek Out His Brothers
Dick Jones '60
“My brother Robert E. Jones was a Theta Chi at Lehigh University, class of 1957. I checked out the Omega Chapter at Penn State University. I was treated very well and I was invited to pledge,” he recalls.
His fondest memories are those of the great parties, although he says some of his recollections faded even as the parties were taking place! The one that stands out above the rest was a weekend party at Poe State Park. This was a daytime cookout with the house chef Emanuel Travasso Gifford, also known as Giffy. In addition to making steaks over a charcoal fire pit, Giffy later became part of the day’s entertainment. And naturally, there was the mandatory keg.
“At the Poe party, I recall a big gathering and a wrestling match involving the very large Giffy. It was probably five against one. Thankfully, no one was injured,” he says.
Dick lived in the house for two years from 1957 – 1959. He was there until he married his wife Constance Moyer on June 13, 1959. Dick and Connie then moved to what he describes as a “dumpy apartment” on Beaver Avenue, but he kept in very close contact with his Omega brothers. His house roommate for those two years was Louis Brast ’59. Dick had taken over the job of Treasurer from Lou. They remained close friends for a long time, but eventually lost contact. Unfortunately Dick learned recently that Lou passed away a few years ago.
Dick recently celebrated his 70th birthday with family and friends. For Dick Jones, joining Theta Chi started out as a family affair.
“The biggest influence Theta Chi had on me was learning to work with and get along with all kinds of people,” Dick explains.
Dick and Connie’s family includes one girl and three boys, Karen (48), Douglas (46), David (44), and Bryan (40). Between the four kids there are six grandchildren and he’s even hoping for some great grandchildren soon. Sadly, Connie passed away in 1994. Luckily for Dick he found love again in 2001 when he met and married Marcia Reily. Marcia was also a widow. She added two daughters, two sons and two granddaughters to the mix.
Even after many years, Dick continues to reach out to his brothers. He has recently been in contact with John Coleman ’61 and Tom Eyerly ’59. He would love to hear from Larry Reader ’58, Ian Ramsay ’61, and Clem Bauer.
The majority of Dick’s career was spent in the insurance business. After graduating from Penn State, he joined the Insurance Company of North America in Philadelphia, Pa. After a one-year training term, he transferred to Hartford, Ct. in Property-Casualty Insurance management. In 1977, he moved on to a small family owned insurance agency and became a sales agent. In 2005 he finally retired from the insurance business.
These days he is a seasonal employee with the State of Connecticut, Department of Environmental Protection, Boating Division. He now works six months a year during the boating season. His responsibilities include being the administrator for boating education and safety throughout Eastern Connecticut. He also does a lot of the teaching himself.
With his obvious passion for boating, its not surprising that for the past 23 years Dick has been a member of the United States Power Squadrons, which is a national boating organization dedicated to public and self- education. He also continues to practice and grow his own boating skills, recently earning his U.S. Coast Guard Captain’s 50 Ton Masters License.
“Having this license gives me the option to take employment as a boat captain,” he says proudly.
The community service spirit gained at Theta Chi is still with Dick today. He is a 30-year member of Lions International, an international service organization. In addition, he served several terms as president of the Bolton Connecticut Club.
While it sounds like Dick wouldn’t have time for much else besides boating, he actually does have other hobbies. He enjoys spending winters in Key West, Fl., camping and traveling in general.
Other than staying active and healthy now and in the future, Dick’s next goal is to land a job as Boat Captain. Best of luck, Dick!
Alumni Updates
Win Orben ’55 - I held off adding to my annual donation until I saw Omega on the Holland Report. Congratulations! Keep recruiting!
Robert Sorisio ’61 - To Omega Brothers - The December meeting in State College brought forth AAA+ brothers who deserve our support.
Christian Koczur ’91 - I am a full-time student going back to school for my teaching license and Masters in education to become a special education teacher.
Alumni News - Amazing Turn-Around Inspires Alumni to Again Lend Their Support
In the two years that I have been alumni president, I can’t help but be amazed by the many ways that our brotherhood has stepped up to the challenges we’ve faced.
I’ve watched the undergraduates excel in academics, sports and community involvement, further building a chapter that we can all be proud. I’ve watched our alumni brothers donate not only money, but also their time and sweat, working side-by-side with the undergraduates to improve the house all in the name of brotherhood.
This hard work is not going unnoticed. Over the past year, I have heard from alumni brothers, many of whom haven’t been active in years. They were so inspired by the new direction our chapter has taken that they decided to lend their support. I have even heard from wives of brothers. They say that one of the highlights for their husbands was returning to meet the current brothers and seeing first-hand the turn-around of the chapter.
However, despite our amazing progress, there are still a few big obstacles that we need to tackle in the months ahead. We need to buy the house back from National, fill it with 40 brothers every semester and bring the rest of the chapter house up to par with the repairs and reconstruction on the third floor.
It is with those goals in mind that I now humbly ask that we all take a much bigger step this coming year.
Step up and meet the undergraduates when you are in State College. Step up and call some of your pledge brothers to see how they are doing. Step up and reach out to that brother you were great drinking buddies with back in the day. Finally, step up and support the fraternity that we all hold so near and dear. This fraternity brought us great times, memories and friends, all of which shaped our undergraduate years.
I know that I am not alone when I say we have the power collectively to bring our chapter back to where it deserves to be. So on behalf of your brothers both past and present, I invite you to join us in stepping up.
Richard Maltz
Alumni President
Thank you to all those brothers that shared their news.
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