 Alumni Association of the
Michigan Alpha Chapter of
Phi Delta Theta
Sword & Shield
E-news |
| Volume IV, No. 2 | Fall 2011 |
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Quick Links |
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Michigan Alpha Alumni Association's Online Membership Directory:
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Dear Michigan Alpha Brother:
On behalf of the Alumni Association Board of Directors, I invite you to visit Michigan Alpha's Homecoming Open House prior to the Michigan vs Purdue football game on October 29. We have a brief program to welcome alums that will start at 10 a.m., and light breakfast refreshments will be available until 11:30 a.m.
As always on football Saturdays, alums are welcome to view the house while it is open (it is locked during and after the football game) and park their vehicles on the front lawn for the afternoon.
Although we are separated by distance, remember that Phi Delta Theta is still your house on campus. The Alumni Association Board of Directors and the active chapter leaders encourage you to visit 1437 Washtenaw whenever you are in Ann Arbor.
Even if you cannot make it back to campus, I ask you to show your support and loyalty to the fraternity by making a donation to the 2011-2012 Annual Fund.
Alumni donations are the main source of revenue for major renovations and improvements to our 108 year old chapter house as well as the only funding for the Alumni Association's communication programs.
Thanks to the generous backing of alums, Michigan Alpha's historic home is in excellent structural condition -- regular maintenance will keep it that way. The house provides a new generation of Phis with a comfortable and safe living environment. It is undoubtedly the finest fraternity house on campus.
I would also like to encourage you to help the Alumni Association to start thinking about appropriate ways to commemorate the 150th anniversary of Michigan Alpha's founding in 2014.
Although sesquicentennial is still about three years away, various options for celebrating this momentous occasion could take a fair amount of time to implement. In the near term, as described in detail later in this e-newsletter, I encourage you to support the Heritage Project. I welcome your suggestions and comments about the fraternity. I look forward to seeing you in A2.
Yours in the Bond,
JT (Tom) Buck '77 President Alumni Association of the Michigan Alpha Chapter of
Phi Delta Theta |
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Homecoming Open House on October 29
Alums Invited to Visit the Old "Red Brick Barn"
Homecoming Open House Schedule and Highlights:
9 a.m. - Chapter house is open for alums to visit, and free parking is available in the yard. The "house across the street" hosts the Mud Bowl (PDT did not participate in the Mud Bowl tournament this year due to SAE being suspended from the U of M IFC).
10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Brief remarks from the Michigan Alpha Alumni Association and active chapter presidents to welcome guests. Light breakfast refreshments (bagels, juice and coffee) provided.
Noon - Michigan vs. Purdue kicks off in the Big House.
Last year, more than 20 alums visited the Homecoming Open House to participate in the posthumous honoring of Michigan Alpha military heroes Phil Craig '63 and Scott "Harv" Waldinger '86, socialize and reminisce prior to making the familiar cross campus journey to the Big House. For pictures of Homecoming 2010, please CLICK HERE.
As always, alums are welcome to park on the front lawn during football Saturdays. We've noticed that more alums are parking on the lawn this year than last. Please try to park in a row, and do not block the driveway access.
Also, please remember that the house will be locked during, and after, the football game (actives may open it upon request after the game if they are there). If you want to be sure that you can visit the inside of the house, come by in the morning!
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Sword & Shield 2011 Spring-Summer Issue
 This issue includes great news about the fraternity and updates on, or notes about, more than 30 alums.
Plus, it features a report about the very generous donation of
Stephen S. Clark '74 to the U of M Library.
To view the Sword & Shield online, please CLICK HERE. Have news or want to submit an update? Contact us at pdtumich@gmail.com.
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Michigan Alpha Alumni Participation Growing on Linked-In & Facebook
71 Alums "Like" Facebook Page and 49 Joined Linked-In
Michigan Alpha alums are separated by distance, but thanks to social networking web sites and the Alumni Association's online membership directory, they can easily stay connected and well informed about the fraternity.
The Alumni Association's web site -- www.pdtumich.com -- features a passcode-protected online membership directory that has the best available contact information for approximately 1,000 living Michigan Alpha alums.
The Alumni Association also established pages on YouTube and Scribd.
Given the many cost and speed advantages of electronic communications, the Alumni Association would like to make greater use of this medium in the future. The Alumni Association thanks Dan Recinella '81 for taking the initiative to establish our Linked-In group which has 49 members. Our Facebook page has 71 "likes." Alumni participation in both is steadily growing.
If you have any suggestions about, or want to help maintain the Alumni Association's web/social networking efforts, please contact us at pdtumich@gmail.com. We would especially welcome recent alums to help us with these efforts!
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Contribute to the Michigan Alpha 2011-2012 Annual Fund
Donations Essential for Maintaining Chapter House and Alumni Association Communication Programs
 Michigan Alpha kicked off the 2011-2012 Annual Fund in September, and the response to date has been positive.
We recognize that times are challenging, but any level of donation is very much appreciated.
The Alumni Association is extremely thankful for every dollar we received. Alums contributing between $25 and $50 accounted for approximately 10% of the total raised each year, so even modest donations are very important to us. Please keep in mind that the Annual Fund is our main source of revenue for major improvements to the chapter house and the only funding for Alumni Association communication programs.
In order to make it convenient for you to contribute, the Alumni Association accepts online donations made by credit card (Visa and MasterCard) through our secure web site (online donations are processed by our professional alumni services vendor, Affinity Connection).
We express sincere thanks to all of our donors for their generosity and loyalty. If you haven't yet contributed to the 2011-2012 Annual Fund, but would like to do so, please CLICK HERE.
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Michigan Alpha Heritage Project
Alumni Association Seeks Pictures of Fraternity History to Prepare for 150th Anniversary in 2014
Homecoming 1961...50 Years Ago
(Photo courtesy of Dr. Anthony Petrilli '63)
Homecoming 1976...35 Years Ago
Homecoming 1981...30 Years Ago
Homecoming 1986...25 Years Ago
While Michigan Alpha has always been proud of its long and distinguished history, the upcoming 150th anniversary in 2014 of the chapter's founding is providing a new impetus for better documenting every day fraternity life and the great moments through the years.
The Alumni Association is early in our thinking about how we should commemorate the sesquicentennial. As the 16th oldest chapter of Phi Delta Theta in the nation (7th oldest fraternity at U of M), our longevity gives us elite status worth celebrating.
Moreover, according to the active members of the chapter, the story of our tradition of excellence has helped to recruit a new generation of Phis who are eager to help the fraternity achieve new triumphs.
Both of these motivations are among the key reasons that the Alumni Association began the Michigan Alpha Heritage Project during 2008.
At a minimum, the Alumni Association believes that during the next three years it would be worthwhile to develop photo albums on our web site that illustrate the history and best achievements of the chapter. Photo albums will focus on such topics as distinguished alums; U of M athletes; philanthropy activities; IM sports; chapter house interior and exterior views; fraternity life; major social events; and the history of the PDT-SAE Mud Bowl series from 1934 to 1997.
If there is sufficient interest, the Alumni Association could incorporate these pictures into a commemorative book published in 2014 featuring an all-time membership directory and pictorial history of the fraternity.
In the near future, we plan to survey the interest of alums about a range of potential celebratory actions for the sesquicentennial that have been successful at other PDT chapters for major anniversaries.
In the meantime, the Alumni Association wishes to thank the following alums for their donations to the Heritage Project: Robert C. Young '36 (posthumously), Robert Cooper '38, Martin Newcomer '38, Ted Spangler '40, Don Lund '45, Dr. Arthur J. Prange, Jr. '47, Bob Chappuis '48, John Ghindia '50, Bill Mogk '53, Bill Michaels '54, Ken Copp, Jr. '55, Doug Roby '56, Charlie Green '58, Dr. Anthony Petrilli '63, Jim "Hulk" Bogenrief '70, Bob Schram '71 and James I. Montgomery '72.
Share your memories and pictures for our Heritage Project online archive by contacting the Alumni Association at pdtumich@gmail.com
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PDT-SAE Mud Bowl 1934 - 1997
Help the Alumni Association Remember the Greatest Fraternity Athletic Rivalry in Michigan History
 As every Michigan Alpha man knows, it was the brash, intrepid E. Reed Low '37 who challenged the "house across the street" -- Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) -- to a friendly game of "touch" football on the morning of Homecoming 1934 in a little used valley in their side yard. The men of PDT won the first grudge match which was dubbed the Mud Bowl.While the exact win-loss tally is subject to dispute, it is believed that PDT rightly boasts a few more victories in the 64 game series than SAE. The Alumni Association is in the process of improving our documentation of this legendary rivalry as a part of the Michigan Alpha Heritage Project.
We established a photo history of the Mud Bowl on our web site that the Alumni Association plans to expand with the support of alums. The Alumni Association has also posted all known scores, or outcomes, of Mud Bowl games for which we have records. To date, we've documented the scores, or results, of 43 games. If you can help us to fill the gaps in our records, please contact the Alumni Association.
In this regard, we offer thanks to Rob Schram '71 who recently donated a classic picture of PDT's conquest in the 1970 Mud Bowl (see above).
Pictured from left to right: Wayne Paulson '72, Pat Valant '72, Larry Danek '72, Mark Joliat '72, Rick Henz '69, Steve Hosmer '71, Dan Gunsett '71, Chuck Medlar '71, Bob Schram '71 and Larry Grandy '72.
If you have pictures, old Sword & Shield newsletters articles, memorabilia or just interesting memories of the Mud Bowl to share with the Michigan Alpha Heritage Project, please contact Alumni Association Secretary Greg Karmazin '87 at |
Rush Recommendations -- Legacies -- Wanted! Help Phi Delta Theta Be the Leaders and Best at Michigan
 Know a young man headed to the U of M, or already on campus, who might make a good Phi?
Please contact the active chapter Rush Chairman Myles Woerner '12 by e-mail at mwoerne@umich.edu.
Michigan Alpha is especially proud to currently have three legacy members: Mackenzie Young '12 son of Doug Young '76, Rawlins Horlacher '14 son of Tom Horlacher '81, and Matt Kraus '14 son of Joe "JR" Kraus '82. For an overview of the active chapter, please CLICK HERE. |
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The Chapter Grand
Phi Delta Theta mourns the passing of our Brothers in the Bond, and extends condolences to their friends and families. Please note that you now may write condolences and memories after obituaries posted in the Chapter Grand section of the Alumni Association's web site.
We intend to maintain the Chapter Grand on the Alumni Association's web site as a permanent memorial to our esteemed departed brothers.
Since publication of our last issue, we have learned that the following Brothers have passed away:
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