BONDS OF ALPHA UPSILON

Winter 2011/2012

Th e chapter is working on its

archives.  if you have chapter photos,

artifacts, trophies or other historic

memorabilia, please send them to the

chapter, attn: alex suñé, or bring them to a homecoming or

alumni reunion.

announcement

alumni FelloWsalpha upsilon is proud of its three alumni who have been honored as alumni Fellows by Kansas state university. Jim Gieber and John Bilbrey are featured in this issue. Duane saunders, aY 1958, will be featured in a later newsletter. Th e university sponsors the alumni Fellows program to recognize alumni who have distinguished themselves in their careers. each college in the university chooses one of its graduates each year for the honor. a Fellow returns to campus to mentor students in their college, K-state says, as speakers, counselors and friends. “Th ey are honored in recognition of the ultimate measure of a university—not curricular, facilities or programs, but the quality of its alumni.”

in February 2011, Jim Gieber was named to the prestigious position of alumni Fellow by K-state’s college of engineering. Jim is ceo and co-owner of shrink packaging systems corp., headquartered in new Jersey. He organized the company with a co-founder in 1970 to design and develop equipment for manufacturers who use it to shrink wrap their products. shrink packaging supports a wide range of industries, from foods and medical products to contract packages and commercial printers. With a highly trained staff of over 60 associates, the company has grown to fi ve locations in the northeast. Jim, a 1958 initiate, returned to the chapter house when he was on the campus in February.

John Bilbrey was initiated by alpha upsilon in 1976. aft er graduating from K-state, he moved to Kansas city and started his career with proctor & Gamble. He returned to the chapter for reunions, and he took charge of organizing one of the homecomings in the early eighties. in 1980 he served as a member of the alumni corporation board.

While at proctor & Gamble, Bilbrey was assigned to positions of increasing responsibility for its u.s. business operations as well as numerous international assignments. aft er 22 years with the company, Bilbrey was named president and chief executive offi cer of Danone Waters of north america, a division of Groupe Danone, paris. later, he was selected as executive vice president of mission Foods. During more than 30 years of experience with global consumer packaged goods, he lived and worked in many locations in the u.s. and abroad, including more than 50 countries in north america, latin america, north africa and asia.

in 2003 Bilbrey joined Hershey as senior vice president and president of Hershey international. in December 2007, he became senior vice president of Th e Hershey company and president of Hershey north america. Th e Hershey company named him its chief operating offi cer in november 2010 with responsibility for day-to-day global operations and commercial activities. in that capacity, he led the company’s supply chain as well as heading operations in its geographic regions, including the u.s.a., the americas and asia. Hershey credits Bilbrey with a key leadership role in the company’s increased profi tability and in establishing its presence in markets around the world. in June 2011, Th e Hershey company elevated him to its top executive position, and he serves as its president and chief executive offi cer. He is also a member of its board of directors. Hershey owns some of the world’s largest and best known brands.

~loren mall, aY 1958

additional information from Th e Hershey company. (2011). retrieved January 11, 2012 from www.thehersheycompany.com/newsroom/news-release.aspx?id=1565084 and www.thehersheycompany.com/newsroom/news-release.aspx?id=1574404.

ADDRESSDelta sigma phi, alpha upsilon chapter1100 Fremont streetmanhattan, Ks 66502

www.deltasigonline.com

facebook.com/KstateDeltasig

twitter@KsuDeltasig

K-State Alumni Fellow James F. Gieber

Homecoming

Student Governing Association President Nate Spriggs and Kate Borman of Alpha Delta Pi, VP of SGA, ride in the

homecoming parade.

Niklas Bergstrom receives a scholarship from Paul Kauffman and Keith Ely, alumni board officers. Other Alpha Upsilon scholarships were

awarded to Chris Kellenbarger and Tyler Dubek.

Cole Grieves, chapter president, welcomes alumni to the Friday evening reception at the chapter house. The room overflowed with Delta Sigs and

their ladies.

HomecominG anD alumni reunion 2011, octoBer 28 anD 29The alumni reunion at homecoming was another great success for alpha upsilon. members returned from the far corners of the united states, many of them with their wives. Wayne powell, aY 1958, came from Florida. chris Biegler, aY 1976, and Greg Gabel, aY 1997, traveled from their homes in alabama. allen roberts, aY 1975, and Wayne stoskopf, aY 2006, made separate trips from the Washington, D.c. area. Duane saunders, aY 1958, came from minneapolis to join us after starring in the homecoming parade late in the afternoon. tim strathman, aY 1972, arrived from illinois, and Dale mueller, aY 1970, came all the way from the sacramento area. alex suñé, aY 2006, who organized the event from his new location at texas a&m, came early to finish the preparations. our friend lee Dueringer, aa 1960, flew in from phoenix. many others drove from towns in Kansas and the surrounding states. many ladies added class and grace, and with the undergraduates, the house was filled.

Thanks to housemother mom moss, the Friday night reception offered tables loaded with choices from vegetables, antipasto and spring rolls to cheeses, sausages, meatballs and cocktail sandwiches. The last course was ice cream sundaes, made to order by the cook. members renewed old friendships and made new ones with undergraduates as they ate, sipped and chatted in the dining room at the foot of the basement stairs.

later in the evening, Keith ely, president of the alumni corporation board, started off the formal program with a welcome. ry Beck, the chapter’s national director of chapter advancement, spent two days before homecoming working with the chapter. He remained for the Friday celebration and took part in the presentations. among the famous K-state Delta sigs present were Vice president for student life and Dean of students pat Bosco, and Ben Hopper, a chapter advisor and program advisor for the union program council. They are leading members of the university community, and beloved by the nearly 24,000-strong student body.

This and last year’s homecoming event photographs were produced by matt castro, aY 2008. after working

freelance for K-state in photography, he recently began his career as a professional photographer for pacific

sunwear in Kansas city.

From left: Nate Bozarth, Lee Dueringer, AA 1960, and Bill Felber, AY 1970, chat with Tyler Dubek , Kyle D. Reynolds

and Travis Jennings at the Friday evening reception in the dining room.

From left, Max Gabel, Ryan Willcott and Gabe Ryan, student members. The original foundations of the 1907 YMCA building have been exposed

in the dining room at the foot of the stairs.

Welcome mom mossThe Delta sigs welcomed more than just a pledge class this fall, they also welcomed their new housemother, melanie moss. mom moss is pretty new to being a housemother, which is a perfect fit for a house that has not had one in many years.

mom moss is from tonganoxie, Kansas and is the mother of three children. she left her job as an optometrist to become the housemother of Theta Xi last spring. Her son, a Theta Xi, suggested she serve as their interim house mom in the spring and she took the chance. after a few weeks at Theta Xi, she realized she truly loved being a housemother. at the same time Delta sigma phi was looking for a housemother. after a few visits, both the active chapter and mom moss thought it was a perfect fit. mom moss said, “i really feel a little more comfortable with you guys here because we are both starting from scratch, so i am not filling anyone’s shoes. it is just a great fit.”

mom moss said her goal is to make a difference wherever she can. she will be able to do this by keeping the undergraduate members accountable, teaching etiquette and making the house seem homey.

With the addition of a housemother came the renovation of the housemother apartment. Both undergraduate and alumni members, including paul Kauffman, aY 2005, who did much of the work to renovate mom moss’s apartment as well as more work prior to that, rolled up their sleeves and helped create the new home for mom moss.

The addition of mom moss has made an impact on the physical structure of the house, but is also having an impact on our undergraduate members.

~Kyle reynolds, aY 2010

alpHa upsilon alumni aWarD 2011 scHolarsHips The alumni awarded scholarships to three deserving members. acB member, paul Kauffman, aY 2005, presented the awards in the name of the cap ryan trust. The chapter names each of the awards to honor an alumnus who has contributed extensive services to the chapter. This year the scholarships increased in number and amount. niklas a. Bergstrom, house manager, received the D. lee Dueringer scholarship of $1,000. tyler D. Dubek, treasurer, received the loren l. mall scholarship of $1,000. chris D. Kellenbarger, vice president, received the edgerton scholarship of $500.

Jake Pritchard entertains with his blazing fiddle and sparkling lyrics.

JaKe pritcHarD’s music During the Friday reception, Jake pritchard acceded to popular demand, struck up his fiddle and gave a short concert. a sophomore who was initiated last year, Jake has already made a mark in country music. When he was 16, and again a year later, he was the opening act for concerts by charlie Daniels, the country music icon; steve martin, the emmy winning actor and comedian who crossed over to music and starred in his second career; and michael martin murphy, who has six gold albums of Western music. pritchard’s supporting work reached the pinnacle when he opened for loretta lynn, one of the most successful vocalists of all time, with 16 number one hits during her career

For the Delta sigs, pritchard performed the Orange Blossom Special, known as the fiddle players’ national anthem for its pyrotechnics and astonishing replication of the sounds of a rolling locomotive, and then followed with one of his own compositions. For an encore, he played and sang The Devil Went Down to Georgia.

The crowd was left applauding for more. Those who have heard one of his 30-minutes sets, during which the temperature of the hall and the attention of the audience both rise to heights, will have to wait and hope to see one of his full-length concerts.

alpHa upsilon alumni cHapteralex suñé is organizing the formation of alpha upsilon alumni chapter to divide the work of alumni between two organizations.

one of these entities is the alumni corporation Board (acB), which has been operating since 1925 when the undergraduate chapter was chartered by the national fraternity as a part of Delta sigma phi. The primary responsibilities of the acB fall into three areas: advising and student Development, Housing and Facilities and accumulated Funds.

The other organization is the new alumni chapter (ac). The mission of the new ac is to concentrate on strengthening the ties of lifelong brotherhood. The ac will focus on the following types of work:

• Coordination of the annual alumni reunion during K-State’s homecoming

• Organization of regional alumni events

• Creation and publication of chapter newsletters

• Maintenance of the alumni directory

• Preservation of the history of Alpha Upsilon (i.e. scrapbooks, composites, newsletters, minutes, photos and photo albums and artifacts)

• Outreach to alumni members to continue the fraternity bond

The active chapter hopes every alumnus of alpha upsilon will join this effort. it will help the chapter maintain its recognition as one of the best chapters within Delta sigma phi. to finance activities of the ac, the alumni at Homecoming 2011 agreed to establish annual dues of $25. By no means is this sum meant to pay the pearl of Great price for all the fraternity has given us, but checks from you will fund the ac’s work.

please send your check for the $25 dues made payable to alex suñé at 704 Gaytha circle, apt H, Bryan, tX 77801.

You will be asked to make similar payments of $25 each year to fund these operations. The plan is to list the contributors in future newsletters. other officers of the new ac were elected at homecoming.

For more than a century,

Delta sigma phi has helped

young men become better

leaders and better citizens.

Brotherhood is a lifetime

commitment to living our core

values: culture, Harmony and

Friendship. our intention is

not merely to develop a strong

fraternity, but in addition,

to challenge our members

to make a diff erence in their

communities and their world.

alpHa upsilon men Win national FraternitY scHolarsHips

Fall 2011 eta epsilon initiates

in november alpha upsilon learned Delta sigma phi Foundation honored three of its members with scholarships for the 2011-2012 academic year. of 10 awards made nationally to graduate students, one went to paul mintner, aY 2007. He is studying for his masters in college student development at K-state.

Th irteen scholarships were awarded by the national foundation to undergraduates, and alpha upsilon’s outstanding members won two of them. Th ey went to Jake pritchard, aY 2010 and Brett seidl, aY 2010.

Th e mcKee scholarships are made available through the generosity of the late Hensel mcKee, who was initiated at our university of Washington chapter in 1930, and his late wife, Jeanette. to be eligible, applicants must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale and be initiated members of Delta sigma phi Fraternity in good standing.

Aaron Bisch, interior architecture, st. louis, moAustin Flynn, life sciences/pre-pharmacy, Hutchinson, Ks

Barrett Wellemeyer, mechanical engineering, Derby, KsChris Gaston, electrical engineering, lawrence, Ks

Daniel Preston, milling science, manhattan, KsDominique Robinson, pre-medicine, olathe, Ks

Drew Sorrick, open option, lawrence, KsGlen Jarrett, landscape architecture, omaha, ne

Kyle Kostbar, Biochemistry, topeka, KsKyle Snow, chemical engineering, eudora, Ks

Levi Kuhn, economics, Hutchinson, KsLuke Bishop, marketing, Valley center, Ks

Mathew Ellis, Broadcast Journalism, ulysses, KsNathan Petrie, mechanical engineering, topeka, Ks

Paul Meissbach, international Business, lawrence, KsRyan Zapotocny, Biochemistry, Gretna, ne

Sam Banach, architectural engineering, Kansas city, KsTrent Jones, Business administration, Hutchinson, Ks

Tyler Maneth, regional and community planning, andover, Ks

alumni spotliGHt—Jon leVinThey say that home is where the heart is. if that’s the case, then it is easy to see why Jon levin has stayed firmly rooted in manhattan, Kansas. levin, owner of Varney’s bookstore and an initiate of alpha upsilon, has been a constant presence in the community ever since he first ended up in manhattan to attend Kansas state university in the early 1950s. originally from lindsborg, levin began his journey at K-state living in a house with four other guys. However, it did not take long for that to change.

“one of the guys living with me at the time was a Delta sig,” levin recounts, “so one day he invited me over to the house…it turned out i really liked the guys and decided to pledge.” During his time as an undergraduate member, levin served as house manager. “The worst part of that job was that i had to get up early on saturday mornings,” he joked. During the summer of 1955, the chapter decided to purchase the former hospital building located at 1100 Fremont – the chapter’s current home. “i attended summer school in manhattan that year, and over the summer, Gus (larkin) and i worked to tear up all the tile flooring on the lower level,” he said. Down the road, after larkin had departed, levin even served a brief stint as chapter advisor.

meanwhile, levin was also making moves professionally in the little apple. originally planning on attending naval officer training after graduation, levin’s plans changed after finding out that a knee problem would keep him from meeting the navy’s requirements. He continued his job search on the K-state campus, where he learned about an opening at the college Bookstore, later known as Varney’s Bookstore.

“The bookstore was looking for a textbook manager,” levin said, “and ted Varney (the owner) hired me. i was happy to have a job here, because both my wife and i really liked it in manhattan and wanted to stay.” While working as textbook manager, levin gained extensive experience working with ted Varney, who eventually loaned levin the money to become a partial owner of the store. after Varney passed away in 1992,

levin took full ownership of the bookstore, prominently located at the intersection of moro street and manhattan avenue in aggieville.

today, levin’s business continues to grow. in addition to the aggieville location, Varney’s took over control of the K-state student union bookstore in 2001, and also has a location in the manhattan town center mall. recently, Varney’s gained ownership of Ballard’s sporting Goods in aggieville, which was also founded and owned by a Delta sig. at least for now, levin plans to keep the Ballard’s name and store identity intact. additionally, Varney’s plans to open a salina, Kansas location late this fall.

looking back, levin says he gained many things from his experience with Delta sigma phi. The biggest thing? “Friendship,” levin answered. He recounts experiences such as the sailor’s Ball each year as being memories that stand out from his time in the house. “You know, i also learned a lot of good manners in Delta sig,” levin said. “We had a really good house mother, mother smith. she was a stickler.”

Whether in the fraternity, with his business, or in the community, levin is a man who has made the most of his opportunities. “i’ve never had a bad monday. now how lucky is that? i love what i do,” he said. levin says much of that has to do with the people he works with and interacts with every day. “college students right now are as good as they’ve ever been. and i feel like i’m a pretty good judge of that, with the area that i’m in.” an optimistic attitude goes a long way as well, as levin adds, “i’m a rather positive person – i guess that’s why i don’t have bad mondays.” it is easy to see why levin has no difficulty staying content. after all, he is in the town that allowed him to attain an education, a career and something even greater – brotherhood. at least for Jon levin, home really is where the heart is.

~Brett Seidl, AY 2010

executive officers spring 2012president Jake pritchard Vice president chris Kellenbarger treasurer tyler Dubek

sergeant-at-arms nik Bergstrom

secretary cort malone

scholarship Director chris mehrer

recruitment chairs Brett seidl and Danny collins

retention Director Greg lies

pledge educator michael Brudis

treasurer-elect levi Kuhn

secretary-elect tyler maneth

undergraduate members recognized by K-state in 2010out of 14 students named by K-state as outstanding students, the following three Delta sigs were named outstanding seniors, class of 2010.

• Wayne Stoskopf, the 2009 student body vice president, Blue Key, and many other honors and leadership roles.

• Donnie Hampton, elected student ambassador for K-state by students, with many additional honors and leadership roles

• Paul Mintner, a member of the Student Alumni Board and Blue Key, with many other honors and offices.

undergraduate members Honored by K-state in spring 2011

• Nick Moeder, Blue Key, past president of the K-State student Foundation, Dean’s list for four years, with many additional honors and leadership roles.

• Christopher Hazen Short, Blue Key, president of the union program council, with many other honors and offices.

• Cole Grieves, Blue Key, chapter president, with many additional honors and leadership roles.

• Connor Hartpence, Mortar Board senior honorary, with many additional recognitions.

• Wes Strouts, Mortar Board senior honorary, with many additional honors and leadership roles.

student Body president 2011-2012 nate spriggsnate was also selected by national fraternity as one of Delta sigma phi’s two representatives to meet with the u.s. congress under the auspices of the north-american interfraternity conference.

Freshmen selected by K-state to quest Freshman Honorary 2011-2012two of 36 honorees, Dominique robinson and paul meissbach were selected.

national Fraternity awards and recognitionrobert r. Harris award -Paying the Debtacademic excellence award -Scholarship Achievement Spring 2010robert r. Harris award -Sustained Recruitment and Retention Excellence

leadership institute of Delta sigma phimatt marchesini won admission to this selective program conducted in indianapolis.

cHapter leaDers The 93 Delta sigs of the chapter are all outstanding individuals, the best of students at Kansas state. it is impossible to distinguish among them based on their level of excellence. We can only identify a few of the members who have been recognized by the chapter or the university:

alumni corporation BoarD oFFicersThe following officers were elected at Homecoming 2011.president Keith ely, aY 1983 Vice president mike mcGivern, aY 1974 treasurer J. tyson moore, aY 2002secretary tanner Banion, aY 2004members-at-large Kent ely, aY 1985 Doug adams, aY 1995 Jason smith, aY 2002 alumni cHapter oFFicerspresident alex suñé, aY 2006 Vice president Vacant treasurer Gary Kay, aY 1957secretary Vacantmembers-at-large loren mall, aY 1958 chuck Zangger, aY 1967 paul Kauffman, aY 2005

Order of the Sphinx Recipients:nick attwatercole Grievesmatt marchesiniKyle e. reynoldsnate spriggs

PRSRT STDU.S. POSTAGE

PAIDPHOENIX, AZ

PERMIT NO. 815

For questions or comments, please contact:alex suñé, presidentalpha upsilon alumni chapter704 Gaytha circle, apt HBryan, tX 77801 ajsune@gmail.com

Keith ely, presidentalpha upsilon alumni corp. Boardkeithely@keithelyassociates.com

Jake pritchard alpha upsilon chapter president1100 Fremontmanhattan, Ks 66502 jtpritch@ksu.edu

Newsletter Contributors: Alex Suñé, Kyle Reynolds, Brett Seidl, Loren Mall and Lee Dueringer

Delta sigma phi, alpha upsilon chapter1100 Fremont street, manhattan, Ks 66502

anonYmous Donor carpets tHe HouseThe actives were excited when a carpeting company called and announced it was sending someone to measure the main floor of the chapter house. soon after that mysterious announcement, carpet layers arrived with rolls of carpet. after homecoming, workmen spent three days installing new carpeting in the living room and on the grand stairs. it was all courtesy of an anonymous benefactor. no amount of inquiries would induce the carpet company to disclose who paid the substantial bill. The chapter can only send its deeply felt gratitude to the donor. The new gray carpet is a great

improvement over the previous carpeting. Years of use had worn holes in it on the stairs where the traffic is heaviest. We may not know the name of this generous soul, but we are sure he is a true Delta sig, and a man with a generous character, fraternal loyalty and an eye for what needs to be done. every undergraduate member, every alumnus and mom moss send you a genuine thank you. We know you are the best of the best! and you inspire the rest of us to do more to assure alpha upsilon remains at the peak of excellence at Kansas state university and throughout the Greek-letter world.