Fall 2009 - Theta Chi

The Delta Dial
Delta Chapter of Theta Chi Fraternity at Rensselaer • Fall 2009
“Showing prospective
members the strong
bond that the
brothers of Theta
Chi share with one
another has sparked
the interest of 16
freshmen who have
accepted bids to join
the brotherhood.”
From the article,
Chapter Wraps Up ...
Read more on
page three.
Brothers Kevin Uram ’89, Steve Naegele ’89, Brian Wojton ’89, Brandon Bradley ’07,
and Todd Snelson ’86 gather at the Alumni Weekend tailgate party.
2009 Alumni Weekend Recap
Inside
Alumni News
page two
A Word From The New
Alumni Board President
page three
Chapter Wraps Up A Busy,
Productive Fall Semester
page three
The 2009 Theta Chi Alumni Weekend
marked its return to where it all started for us
brothers: the house. We had a fantastic weekend
as we all shared in the memories of life as
an undergraduate at Rensselaer. It was great
to see so many alumni return to share not only
the grand opening of the new East Campus
Athletic Village (ECAV), but the Theta Chi
tailgate and alumni dinner as well.
We started the day off in the North Lot, tailgating
before the homecoming football game
at the new stadium with more than 60 alumni
in attendance. It was great to see so many
familiar faces and share stories of years past
on the gridiron. The weather outlook was initially
bleak, but in the end Mother Nature
kindly gave us some sun for most of the game.
Though the outcome of the game was not as
we had hoped, the grand opening of the ECAV
was very enjoyable, including free food, beverages,
and live music outside the stadium. It
was awe-inspiring to see all the new advancements
with the athletic department.
The evening progressed with a delightful
reception at the chapter house, where brothers
and guests mingled while enjoying hors d’oeuvres
and alcohol-free beverages (in keeping
with the national fraternity rules). This was
followed by a dinner shared with approximately
65 alumni, guests, and undergraduate
brothers. Memories were rekindled as we
walked through the halls of the house. The
food was prepared impeccably, and we all felt
a greater sense of pride to be sharing a meal
inside the house again. Outgoing alumni
board president, Ray Moran ’95, implored us
to continue the tradition, and expand it by
bringing an alumni brother with each of us
next year. The tradition continues next fall,
and we encourage all of you to attend.
In closing, a special thanks needs to go out
to Gordie Reynolds ’09, for setting up the
tailgate, and James Porambo ’08, for cooking
the entire meal. Thank you for lending a helping
hand.
Fraternally,
Brandon Bradley ’07
Alumni Board Vice President

CORPORATION BOARD
Alumni News
Delta Theta Chi Corporation
Board of Directors
ALUMNI MEMBERS
Nathan Doyle ’02, president
natedoyle@gmail.com
Brandon Bradley ’07, vice president
brandon.z.bradley@gmail.com
Todd Snelson ’86, secretary
snelst@rpi.edu
Jim Dall ’76
jdall@dasny.org
Dan Moellman ’74
danmoellman@gmail.com
Jim Schertzer ’98
jim_schertzer@yahoo.com
Kevin Solli ’02
sollik@gmail.com
Craig Woolhiser ’86
cwoolhiser@stny.rr.com
UNDERGRADUATE
MEMBERS
Charlemagne “Magne” Balane ’10,
president
balanc@rpi.edu
Evan O’Brien ’11, vice president
obriee3@rpi.edu
Chad Kelsey ’10, treasurer
kelsec@rpi.edu
ADVISORS
Rich Boroway ’73, treasurer, financial
advisor, and AIGC representative
rboroway@aol.com
Scott Campbell ’90, chapter advisor
spcampbell@nycap.rr.com
Rich Bollam ’66,
capital campaign manager
rbollam@bstco.com
F. Terry Jones ’66,
capital campaign manager
ftjones@prodigy.net
2 DELTA DIAL
Everett J. “Jim” Norman ’44 has stayed
active by taking recent trips to California
and Nevada. He reports that he’s been fishing
on one of the world’s best fishing
streams—“My house is 35 feet
from it!” Get in touch with Jim at 16957
State Highway 89, Hat Creek, CA 96040;
e-mail ejimn39@frontiernet.net.
Bruce H. Kinloch ’48 has been involved
with Mobile Meals for 28 years, and was
on the board of directors for both
Dare to Care Food Bank, and
Presbyterian Homes and
Services of Kentucky (where
he is still an active member).
Bruce has been married
55 years, and he’s
been retired for 28. He has
five grandchildren: one
who attends Notre Dame
University, and one who just
graduated; one in dental
school at the University of
Kentucky; and two in elementary
school. Write to Bruce at 1813
Knollwood Rd., Louisville, KY 40207;
e-mail b.e.kinloch@insight.com.
“I visited the chapter house during
Homecoming weekend in October, and was
very pleased with the nice greeting for my
wife and me,” writes Phil Carroll ’55. “I
hope the formal dinner that evening was a
great success. I also played in the alumni
lacrosse game Friday night, along with two
others from the ’50s who played for coach
Ned Harkness.” Get in touch with Phil at
1006 Lincoln Ave., Ann Arbor, MI 48104;
e-mail carrollz@umich.edu.
Kirk O’Keefe ’55 retired in 1996 after 41
years: two with the U.S. Air Force, then
Lockheed Missiles and Space, and then
Boeing Defense Electronics. Kirk reports,
“I’m active in Safari Club International;
playing duplicate bridge, hunting, and fishing
internationally and in the U.S.; and I
published a book, Get Up and Go, in 2007.
Still writing and publishing articles when
the urge to do so becomes irresistible. I’m
fighting (and losing) a war with armadillos
here in Nacogdoches, Texas, and I hope to
see classmates at the 2010 RPI reunion.”
Reach Kirk at 449 County Road
524, Nacogdoches, TX 75964; e-mail
mhok4jkok@suddenlink.net.
“Dawn and I have been living in Columbia,
South Carolina, for over nine years,” writes
Karl J. Schoenleber ’78. “It’s the longest we
have been in any one place in 31 years since
graduation and our wedding. All three of
our children are grown and out of the
house. They all got married in an 18-month
period.” Karl invites you to e-mail him at
kjschoenleber@yahoo.com if you’re passing
through South Carolina; he lives at 27
Shoreline Dr., Columbia, SC 29229.
Chris Pritz ’83 has been living and working
in Pittsburgh with his wife, Karen, and family,
for almost nine years. He writes, “We
are all doing well. I am looking for
a new career opportunity, and
Karen is helping her sister
with marketing at a start-up
company. We are visiting a
lot of colleges with our
son, Benjamin (17);
Gabriel (16) started high
school this fall at
Pittsburgh Central
Catholic; and Mary Kate
(12) is in seventh grade.”
Write to Chris at 158 Delaware
Trl., Venetia, PA 15367; e-mail
pritzfamily@comcast.net.
“I started my own company three years
ago, and so far it’s going very well,” reports
John Kistner ’87. “Caught up with Andy
Manning ’87, Mike Manning ’85, Scott
Virkler ’87, Bob Gaito ’87, and Tim Carroll
’87 during Homecoming Weekend at the
new Athletic Village—great seeing everyone
again!” Keep in touch with John at 932
Edwards Ferry Rd., #73, Leesburg, VA
20176; e-mail jkistner@nuco2.com.
“I won the fourth season of NBC’s reality
weight-loss show, The Biggest Loser,”
writes William G. “Bill” Germanakos ’88.
“Since becoming The Big-gest Loser, I’ve
become a professional motivational speaker
(see www.SpeakersOnHealthcare.com) and
am now a full-time ‘wellness ambassador’
and the director of corporate wellness for a
major healthcare company, Quest
Diagnostics. I also work with several companies
as a spokesman and endorse several
health and fitness-related products.” Bill
and his twin brother, Jim, have set up their
own brand, “Weight Loss Twins”—check it
out at www.WeightLossTwins.com. Write
to Jim at 44 Carol St., Lynbrook, NY
11563; e-mail longislandgerm@aol.com.
Check out Tom Frank’s (’99) new health and
wellness website—he’s the owner and operator
of TheHealthStoreAndMore.com. Write
(continued on page three)

From The New
Alumni Board President:
A Round Of Thanks,
A Look Ahead
I would like to first extend great thanks to
Brother Ray Moran ’95 for his devoted service
as president of Delta Theta Chi Corporation,
and his countless hours spent on the recent
house improvements. A second round of
thanks needs to be given to Bob Wright ’72 for
his time as corporation secretary and house
maintenance manager. Their four years on the
board have made for a more efficient, better
maintained house, and a general overall
strengthening of the brotherhood.
To the board, the actives, and the brotherhood,
thank you for electing me the new president
of Delta Theta Chi Corporation. I would
like to welcome newly elected members Jim
Dall ’76 and Brandon Bradley ’07 to the
board. Their experience and knowledge will
be a great asset. Brandon Bradley, upon election
to the board, was elected vice president,
and Todd Snelson ’86 has been elected secretary.
Their service is greatly appreciated.
As always, the board is working hard with
the active brothers to ensure that Theta Chi
remains strong on an ever-changing campus.
The class of 2013 will experience RPI’s change
to a “CLASS” initiative (Clustered Learning,
Advocacy, and Student Support) campus. The
initiative “… aims to transform the student
experience by elevating the quality of support
for students throughout the undergraduate
years. Clusters of residence halls, called commons,
are being developed in order to create
smaller, more tightly knit student communities.
These commons will be supported by faculty,
student life professionals, and upper-class
and graduate student assistants living in or
near each of the clusters of residence halls.”
Over the past several months, the corporation
has worked hard with RPI to ensure that the
Delta Chapter house would be considered
“on-campus” housing, enabling ROTC mem-
(continued on page four)
Chapter Wraps Up A Busy,
Productive Fall Semester
A warm “hello” to all of our alumni reading
this Dial. The fall semester is coming to a
close and Theta Chi looks forward to the
advent of a positive spring semester. The
recent Alumni Weekend celebration was an
enormous success in allowing the active
brothers to interact with alumni. Hearing the
exploits of alumni during their stay at RPI
was an experience that the active brothers
enjoyed. Furthermore, the actives were able
to show the alumni that the bonds of brotherhood
remain strong at Theta Chi.
The brotherhood is continuing the yearround
recruitment philosophy implemented
this past spring semester. Since the beginning
of the fall semester, the brothers have been
constantly bringing prospective members to
the house for dinners, academic support, and
other house activities. Showing prospective
members the strong bond that the brothers
of Theta Chi share with one another has
sparked the interest of 16 freshmen who
have accepted bids to join the brotherhood.
Consistent with the year-round strategy, rush
will not end with the formation of this fall’s
pledge class. Instead, recruitment will continue
throughout the winter and into the
spring. And if all goes well, a second pledge
class will be formed and inducted.
Academics in the house remain a priority
for the brothers. With the aid of Todd
Snelson ’86, the brotherhood was able to create
a digital library of exams, laboratory
reports and notes that were compiled in the
Dusty Room. A computer server was then
erected to enable all the brothers to access
the contents of the library. With the aid of
the server, the brotherhood will strive to
improve the academic standing of Theta Chi.
In addition, the brotherhood intends to utilize
the vast library as a recruitment tool to
illustrate to prospective members the benefits
of joining the house.
Theta Chi has made its presence known at
Rensselaer by becoming more involved both
on campus and in the community. The house
has participated in numerous IFC events, and
the house heavily competes in IFC sporting
events such as soccer, football and softball.
Additionally, the house participated in Run
to Remember, a 5K race sponsored by the
Rensselaer Air Force ROTC, commemorating
prisoners of war and soldiers missing in
action. Also, several of the brothers play a
crucial part of Rensselaer football. Daniel
Koerner ’11, Eric Dinarello ’11 and Ray
Davis ’11 are all an integral part of the
offense, while Jeffrey McCormick ’11,
Michael Bonavita ’11 and Kevin Frame ’12
help bolster the Engineers’ defense.
My term as the undergraduate president is
coming to an end, and it has been a great
pleasure representing Delta Chapter. On
behalf of the active brothers, I would like to
thank all of you for your undying support. It
is because of your passion that the actives are
able to experience the same joys that you
encountered during your time here in
Rensselaer. If you are in town, please stop by
the house. Hearing stories from alumni never
fails to uplift the spirit of the house.
Fraternally,
Charlemagne Balane ’10
Undergraduate President
Alumni News
(continued from page two)
to Tom at 143 George St., Green Island, NY
12183; e-mail tomfrank77@yahoo.com.
Nathan Doyle ’02 and Sarah Kearney (Pi
Beta Phi ’05) were married September 4,
2009, in Mechanicville, New York. Over
30 brothers attended the wedding! Nate is
now president of our house corporation—
drop him a line at 63 Ash St., #2,
Saratoga Springs, NY 12866; e-mail
natedoyle@gmail.com.
Dan “Yanks” Yanklowski ’05 moved to
Boston and is pursuing a master’s degree
in electrical engineering from Boston
University. He also works part-time for
Medicia Corporation in Bedford, Massachusetts,
and is engaged to be married to
Lindsey Berard (RPI Pi Beta Phi ’07) in
June 2010. Get in touch with Dan at 20
Fayette St., Watertown, MA 02472; e-mail
yanklowski4144@yahoo.com.
“I’ve spent the past few years running
around the country testing jet engines for
the F-22 Raptor,” reports Brendan
“Kavy” Kavanagh ’06. “Recently I took a
new position supporting the F-35
Lightening II, which thankfully lets me
live at home full-time in my new house in
Springfield, MA, the town I grew up in!
I’m still with my girlfriend Laura (over
five years now) … time flies!” Write
to Brendan at 197 South Branch
Pkwy., Springfield, MA 01118; e-mail
bjkavanagh@alum.rpi.edu.
FALL 2009
3

Above: Theta Chi brothers and guests gathered together for a reception and dinner at the chapter house during Alumni Weekend in October.
A Round Of Thanks ...
(continued from page three)
bers to live there, as well as allowing sophomores
to use their financial-aid housing stipend to pay
their house bill. The efforts were successful, and
since Delta Chapter is now on-campus housing,
we will conform to the CLASS initiative and continue
to be on the forefront working with RPI.
In January, Delta Theta Chi Corporation will
hold its annual winter retreat on campus. The
retreat provides an opportunity for the alumni
board and advisors to interact with the active
brothers over an extended, two day period, to
develop plans for challenges that face the fraternity.
During the retreat, the group will focus on
topics important to the brotherhood, such as academics,
philanthropy, rush and recruitment, and
house maintenance and improvements.
If you have had the pleasure of walking into the
chapter house recently, you will notice the recent
upgrades led by Brother Ray Moran and local
contractor Conrad Benard. Thanks to Ray and
Conrad, the safety and appearance of the house
have improved significantly, with a repaired roof,
newly tiled living room, upgraded electrical system,
and new front windows, along with many
other small, but not insignificant, improvements.
With more extensive and costly improvements
required in the near future, we are happy to report
that we are closer than ever to hitting our $1 million
Second Century Capital Campaign goal. We
are currently at $959,000 in pledges, of which
over $460,000 has been paid through September.
To help us reach (and hopefully exceed) our goal,
a group of 12 Delta Chapter alumni have volunteered
to conduct a focused telephonic “mini-campaign”
over the next 2–3 months, so if one of these
volunteers calls, please do your part in helping us
to complete this campaign. Its success is a vital
component in keeping Delta Chapter a leader
among the Greek life options at Rensselaer, especially
under the new CLASS initiative.
A building committee, led by Kevin Solli ’02,
has been tasked with defining the timeline and
overseeing the upcoming improvements to the
chapter house. Expect to see an update in the next
Dial. Please dig deep and give as much as you can!
Fraternally yours,
Nathan Doyle ’02
Alumni Board President
Far left: Stoyan Lokar ’77
and Brandon Bradley ’07
during the Alumni Weekend
reception at the house.
Near left: Active President
Magne Balane ’10 tells a
joke following the Alumni
Weekend dinner.
4 DELTA DIAL
Be sure to visit
our website at
www.deltachapterthetachi.org
to
view a gallery of
pictures dating
back several
decades, and
previous Delta
Dial editions
dating back
to 1972.