December 2010 DN e-Review

Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Delta Nu Board of Advisors, Alumni Association and Active Chapter! Hopefully you will have a wonderful holiday time, with friends and family or whomever you are spending the time with. As this is a time for reflection and renewal, please make a New Year’s Resolution to reach out to at least one Frater that you haven’t spoken to for many years. This past year has been one of great growth in Delta Nu, one that we hope to continue. We hope you enjoy this month’s eReview. The Actives wanted to send along a Christmas card as well - please click on this link to see it: http://www.nwtke.com/content/merry-christmas. This month’s eReview is a little shorter than normal since we are working on a full Delta Nu Review to reach your mailboxes by the end of January.

 

January 10^th - 112^th anniversary of founding of Tau Kappa Epsilon

January 17^th - Chapter office elections

January 25^th - mailing date for Delta Nu Review

January 30^th - TKE Bowling Tournament - Kansas City (Web site link)

February 1^st - Application deadline for Peter J. Greve TKE Alumni Scholarship Fund (Web site link)

February 1^st - Application deadline for TKE Scholarship for Delta Nu Active Members (Web site link)

February 5^th - TKE DN Board of Advisors and Alumni Association meeting - Kansas City

 

Dear Fraters,

It is the Holiday Season and another year has almost passed. On behalf of the entire Board of Advisors, I want to wish you and your families a blessed Christmas and a happy and healthy new year.  This year has been a very good one for the active chapter and the alumni. We have built a much stronger alumni association and we have had numerous events including a phenomenal homecoming celebration honoring our beloved friends, Dick and Marcella Wiles. Additionally we have improved communication like never before. We have upgraded and enhanced our website, we are sending out monthly electronic communications and we have helped re-connect friends that have not talked in many years. The active chapter has also made great progress. They are paying their bills, making improvements, taking strong pledge classes and developing the future of Delta Nu.  The chapter won the "Most Improved Chapter Award" and another Top TKE Chapter award is well within our reach.  Yes, we have much to be thankful for in 2010. As we look forward, the future is bright. We have aggressive plans to grow our alumni association, add events and make our alumni association and active chapter even better. To do this we need your involvement and support. Reach out to anyone on the board to find out how you can get more involved. We will welcome your calls and/or e-mails. Again, I wish all of you a wonderful holiday season and a great 2011. Yours in the bond, Mark Witthar, BOA President, #853

 

Fundraising: On November 11^th, the active chapter held a Burger King fundraiser night.  These fundraisers help raise funds for organizations and events when people come in and purchase a meal at the local Burger King in town for a specified period of time.  One hundred and seventy dollars ($170) was raised.

Inter-fraternal Council: Frater Kenneth Hamilton, 1436, current Delta Nu Prytanis, recently won the position of Vice President of Recruitment.  He will be handling membership development and rush for both the Spring and Fall trimesters for all fraternities at Northwest.

Informal: Informal was held December 3^rd and resulted in a great turn out.  Additional information regarding formal in February will become available as the Spring trimester begins.

Senior Sendoff:  Senior Sendoff was held December 9^th. Commencement and Graduation ceremonies were held Friday, December 17^th. Congratulations to our newest alumni! Graduates are:

·         Frater Tommy Hester, Scroll 1504, who served Delta Nu as Fall 2010 Hegemon, External Epiprytanis, Rush Chair, and Fall 2008 Hegemon Assistant. 

·         Frater Jon Guyer, Scroll 1487, who served Delta Nu as Grammateus.

·         Frater Cam Hill, Scroll 1491, who served Delta Nu as Internal Epiprytanis and Prytanis.

·         Frater Joe Masciovecchio, Scroll 1462, who served Delta Nu as External Epiprytanis, Hypophetes, and Social Chair.

Fall 2010 Pledgeship: Pledgeship went extremely well this Fall trimester.  We started out with 28 candidates and ended with 24 candidates completing the pledgeship period.  The following candidates successfully completed the pledgeship period:
- Mike Beard from Kearney, Missouri
- Nathan Burgess from Kansas City, Missouri
- Nicholas Fangrow from Lee's Summit, Missouri
- Dylan Gilmore from Perry, Missouri
- Nick Highley from Adrian, Missouri
- Jordan Holt from Maysville, Missouri
- Dyllon Howard from Ewing, Missouri
- Cole Jenkins from Lee's Summit, Missouri
- Corey Jung from St. Joeseph, Missouri
- Skyler Kariker from Adrian, Missouri
- Chris Kerwin from Omaha, Nebraska
- Chengguo Li from Nanjing, China
- Dakota Long from Kansas City, Missouri
- Stephen Miller from Raytown, Missouri
- William Murrillo from Lee's Summit, Missouri
- Evan Oltremare from Blue Springs, Missouri
- Troy Peck from Fairview Heights, Illinois
- Joseph Prater from Lone Jack, Missouri
- Neil Robinson from Maysville, Missouri
- Jeremy Rowland from Liberty, Missouri
- Ron Runion from Maitland, Florida
- Eric Van Fleet from Independence, Missouri
- Josh Wagner from Grant City, Missouri
- Tuff Wimberly from Adrian, Missouri

 

Spring Trimester / Elections: The spring trimester will begin Monday, January 10^th,and elections are currently planned for Sunday, January 16^th. At this time we currently have a full list of potentials running for each position.

 

 

 

Frater Philip Burmeister #315, (surname meaning 'Master Farmer') was born and raised in Harlan, Iowa, from where he graduated High School in 1962.   Phil was the last of an interesting 'home run' brood of sorts, since his mother had given birth to triplets, followed by a single birth, then a set of twins, and finally, Phil.   It was likely his birth order and family dynamics that set the stage for his future at NWMSU, TKE, and his career as a leader and Superintendent of schools in Missouri and Iowa.

Phil became a part of a great TKE legacy centered around Mount Ayr, Iowa, including the likes of Dick Jackson, Don Cannon, Lee King, and Paul Walker.   He started NWMSU in the fall of 1962 and pledged the fall semester of 1963, majoring in History and Political Sciences, with Doc Harr as his advisor, who was the Sig Tau Chairman. Phil recalls Teke at that time as being 'studious, but fun loving' and remembers mixers with the Alphas, food riots, panty raids and horseback deputies sent to the campus to patrol in the tumultuous early '60s.  As part of this unrest, President JW Jones gave way to Bob Foster at the University, and his son Robert Foster also pledged TKE.

After graduating with a degree in Political Science and Sociology, and a minor in History - Phil taught at Mount Ayr from 1966 to 1968, before being drafted to the war in Vietnam.   There he served in the Chaplain's Corps from '68 - '70 and came back to earn a Specialist Degree of Superintendents at CMSU, Warrensburg, Missouri.

In 1970, Phil married his wife Marie, whom he had met while she was student teaching at Mount Ayr, before leaving for Vietnam. (He must have made quite an impression!)   They had two sons, Jeff who works for Verizon in Maine, and Jeremy, who is a Principal and Athletic Director near Fort Collins, Colorado.   Phil and Marie will soon be grandparents for the second time.

1971 – 1973 was spent in Ridgeway, Missouri, as Superintendent and 1973 – 1976 in Grant City, Missouri.   In 1976, Phil went back to his starting point as Superintendent of schools at Mount Ayr, Iowa where he worked until retirement in 2001.   Phil was the youngest Superintendent in both Missouri and Iowa, for five years each.

Phil took experiences derived from fraternity life and the offices of House Manager and Prytanis, and turned them into a career as Superintendent - which can be accurately described as 'a House Manager and President rolled into one'.  His observation is the morality, brotherhood and people skills gained as a Delta Nu TKE had much to do with his interaction with people throughout his career.  Phil cites his greatest career rewards as the relationships and experiences gained from leading and mentoring people - his lasting legacy.

 

Please keep the family of Fraters Robert and Owen Straub in your thoughts this holiday season. Frater Robert Straub, 61, the father of Frater Owen Straub, 961, passed away on December 14^th due to complications from open heart surgery. Robert pledged TKE in Fall 1955 and graduated from Northwest in 1957. He lived in Kansas City and was 78 years old. Frater Straub’s obituary can be found here: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/kansascity/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=147160228

·         The Arrowhead tailgate in Kansas City for the 2010 Fall Classic football game between Northwest and Pittsburg State was a big success with 50-75 alumni and actives participating.

·         TKE Bowl Mania now underway at ESPN.com; Fraters that participated competed against each other for bragging rights by picking the winners of the 2010 college bowl games.

·         The 2011 TKE Bowling tournament has been scheduled for Sunday, January 30th. All Delta Nu TKE Alumni and Actives are invited to participate. Max Knudsen, 779, is the main contact.

The tournament will be held at the AMF Pro Bowl 505 E.18th Ave, North Kansas City MO.

The event starts at 12:00 noon. We will first set up teams and start bolwing soon after. Cost is $20.00 for alumni & $15.00 for actives. We usually play 3 games.

Hopefully the weather will be better this year, so call up a couple of your pledge brothers and get ready to bowl! Don't forget to watch Grease 2 or Kingpin to get yourself in the bowling "frame" of mind.

 Please be sure to contact me in advance to let me know how many of you will be there so I can reserve the lanes we need. My email address is mknudsen1@kc.rr.com. Y.I.T.B., Max Knudsen, 779

·         Saturday, February 5^th, Kansas City - Annual Board of Advisors and DN Alumni Association meeting; more information to come in January Delta Nu Review. Please plan to attend!

Did You Know…that the bonds of TKE Brotherhood may be found in many areas of business, politics, entertainment and sports. Former President Ronald Reagan, initiated into the Iota Chapter (Eureka College, Eurkea, IL) in 1929, is perhaps the best-known TKE ambassador. Others who have left their marks on a national scale include hotel chain founder Conrad Hilton, entertainers Elvis Presley, Willie Nelson, Merv Griffin, and Danny Thomas; former NFL quarterbacks Terry Bradshaw and Phil Simms, NFL founder and Chicago Bears owner George S. Halas, former NFL coach Marv Levy, TV analyst and former Notre Dame basketball coach Digger Phelps, current Georgia Bulldogs football coach Jim Harrick, astronaut Gerald P. Carr and West Virginia Senator Robert Byrd. Also from the business world, Charles Walgreen, founder of Walgreen Pharmacy; David R. Jones, Editor of The New York Times; and from the military, Joseph Ralston, Supreme Commander of NATO.

Frater Locator - are you interested in who lives near you or where someone is these days? Then try out the Delta Nu Member Search, only on the Delta Nu website! Click on this link: http://www.nwtke.com/alumni/membersearch or go to www.nwtke.com and click on the Alumni tab and then on the Frater Search tab. However, to access it, you must have a registered log in (username and password). To register, go to www.nwtke.com and click on the Website Registration tab on the right side. On this page are the instructions for you to use or print off (a word document is attached at the bottom of the page).