Jonathan Goodman

Pledge Class: Spring 1995 SU Graduation: 1998 City of residence: San Francisco, CA You can find me on LinkedIn and Facebook

Homecoming and Reunion Weekend 2014

UPDATE (11/7): There will be an active & alumni meeting at 1pm (after the picnic and before the tailgate).

Homecoming and Reunion Weekend is jam-packed with gatherings, reunions, and events.

A few to note on Saturday, November 8th:

  • 11:00am – Celebrating Southwestern’s 175th – Alma Thomas Theatre: a short program peppered with exciting announcements, a brief recognition of Alumni Award recipients (including two young Iota Alums) and entertainment from current students.
  • 1pm: Active/Alumni meeting
  • 2-3:30pm – A special reception for the Class of 1964. All brothers are invited. Kappa Sigma House
  • 2-5:30 Tailgating at GISD Birklebach field
  • 6pm – Southwestern vs. Trinity

We look forward to seeing everyone this weekend!

August 8 Starts Final Weekend for House Maintenance

It’s August in Texas, what better time to join your alumni and active friends and brothers and put some sweat equity into this summer’s house maintenance?

The crew will get started on Friday, August 8 and work through to Sunday.

On the to-do list:

  • Parquet floors patching, sanding and finishing
  • Patio stones, laying the base and top stones, and
  • Advanced work, e.g. overseeing the electrical work in the kitchen

More details to follow on specific help and tools we’ll need.

Join when you can.

See who’s coming on the Alumni and Friends of Iota Chapter Facebook Group, or just post a comment here and let us know you’re coming.

Floors In Focus For Summer Work Weekends, May 31, June 28

Preserving and protecting the parquet floor will be the focus for the first work weekend, beginning this Friday afternoon May 30 and concluding Sunday.

Brother Sparks has led this effort and will manage the work. Regarding the floors he writes, “This will be, and should be for all of us given proper future maintenance, the last major effort regarding this particular issue.”

It’s a big job. Come lend a hand in the set-up and prep or in the treating and varnishing as you can. All are welcome.

UPDATE: Alumni Weekend 2014 To Take Place April 5th

UPDATE: Planning your Alumni Weekend 2014

  • Saturday, April 5th
    • 8:30am: coffee and donuts
    • 10:30am:  active/alumni meeting
    • 11:30am: meet the Spring class
    • Noon-2pm: catered BBQ lunch
    • 2pm: softball (location: Round Rock Memorial Field)
    • 7pm: reservations for up to 45 at Walburg Restaurant
    • 10:30pm: back at the House
    • After that, it’s up to you…
  • Sunday, April 6th
    • 9am: coffee and donuts

Continue reading →

What you need to know about Homecoming and Reunion Weekend 2013

UPDATE 10/19/13: The Homecoming weekend football game is against Austin College, not Trinity as previously posted. Thanks for the correction, Brother Tim Stapleton!

Watch for the full schedule of chapter-related events in the coming days. Here’s what you can plan for right now:

  • UPDATE: Homecoming and Reunion Weekend is November 1-3.
  • The Iota Alumni Association will host a tailgate tent ahead of the 1pm kick-off of Austin College vs. Southwestern football game. Game tickets are $8 and you can buy them as part of Homecoming registration.
  • New this year for Homecoming is a $5 registration fee. It goes up to $10 soon, so get registered.

Visit the Homecoming and Reunion Weekend website to register and answer any questions; and if you still have questions, please contact the Office of University Relations – Alumni and Parents by calling 800-960-6363.

Pictures and News from Spring 2013 Alumni Weekend

Weekend highlights:

  • A great turnout this year. It was a big surprise.
  • Jeff Allen told the story of the first alumni weekend 40 years ago – way cool and worth retelling.

Chapter news:

  • Iota Chapter scholarship report ranks them number one among all fraternities and above the all men’s average. Great work actives!

House:

  • The maintenance fund will provide for a new hot water heater as well as minor up-keep and repairs.

The softball game:

  • Alumni 25 – Actives 5
  • Thanks the Spring Class of 2013 for their impartial call of the game.
  • Cort Greer played first base. And the alums still won 🙂

 

Ben Aderholt Recognized as Outstanding Adjunct from the University of Houston-Downtown

This news item, like so many, comes from Brother David Wilson, who came across an article about Brother Ben Aderholt in the Texas Bar Journal:

Ben L. Aderholt, a member in Looper, Reed & McGraw, P.C., received the 2012 Outstanding Adjunct Faculty Award from the University of Houston-Downtown.  Aderholt has taught a commercial law course at the university for more than a decade.

Congratulations Brother Aderholt!

Alumni Weekend Schedule

As promised, here’s the schedule of events of this weekend, Iota’s 39th Alumni Weekend.

Friday, March 30:

7:00 p.m. – late:  Alumni and Guests Welcome Gathering at the House

Saturday, March 31:
11:00 a.m.: EC Meeting of Active and Alumni
12:00 p.m.:  Lunch
12:30 p.m. General Meeting
1:30 -4:00 p.m.:  Softball Game (played again this year at the Southwest Williamson County Regional Park softball fields, directions from campus here)
5:00 p.m. -8:00 p.m.:  Cook out / fire at booties (burn ban is lifted, its a rare opportunity!)
9:00 p.m. – late: Walburg / House Fun

Sunday, April 1:
Coffee. Donuts. Depart.

See you at the House!

Thomas Randall (“Randy”) Lankford dies at 69

We are saddened to report the passing of Brother Randy Lankford this past Saturday, February 18th, in Galveston, Texas.

As reported in the Galveston Daily News, a Memorial Celebration of Life will be held from 2:00 pm until 5:00 pm Saturday, February 25, 2012 at his residence in Galveston.

You can find Randy’s full obituary, a very colorful read, here: http://galvestondailynews.com/story/295126/

Brother Larry Rydell dies at 75

Brother Larry Rydell, a lifelong resident of Williamson County, died today at the age of 75. Larry was a 1960 graduate of Southwestern.

Visitation will be Friday, February 10th from 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. at Providence Funeral Home in Taylor.  Memorial services will be held Saturday, February 11th at 3:00 P.M. at Hutto Lutheran Church in Hutto.

Editor’s Note: thanks to Brother David Wilson for sharing the news of Brother Rydell’s passing.

Roger Edward Davidson, 1926 – 2011

We learned this week of the recent passing of Brother Roger Davidson.

Roger was well known and loved by brothers of every generation.

Brother Alan Haworth reflected, “I remember, Roger came down in the summer of ’07 and helped us paint the house. I think he was 83 at the time. Flew down from Colorado to be there, helping rebuild the house. He was also John Tower’s roommate and best friend. He was at the Tower tree dedication in the early ‘90s when the Tower library was dedicated. Roger was a great man, a faithful brother, and steadfast in his dedication to Kappa Sigma. He will be missed but never forgotten!”

You can read Roger’s obituary from The Daily Sentinel of Grand Junction, Colorado here: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/gjsentinel/obituary.aspx?n=roger-edward-davidson&pid=154010417

Please feel welcome to add your good words to in the comments to this post.

Join the Final Work Weekend – August 6th

from Alumni Adviser Tim Stapleton

FINAL WORK WEEKEND – Don’t miss your chance to leave a lasting (positive) impression on the on the house. Saturday, August 6th will be the next, and hopefully final, work weekend at the house. We still have a lot to do to ensure the house is ready for the new school year.

For those of you artsy folks, we have lot of paint prep work that needs to be done, but if the outdoors is more your thing, we have a lot of earthwork and gardening too. I’m sure we can find something up your alley!

Work will be going on all day, you can’t get there to early, and you can’t get there too late. Any time at all you can contribute will be greatly appreciated.

If you like working with your own tools, we can always use extra shovels, paint brushes, rollers, sand papers, blue painting tape, steel wool (various grades), water blaster or pressure washer, pruning tools, wire cutters, and strong backs. Be sure to label your tools before arrival.

There has already been a lot of volunteers who have already given a lot of their time and energy, it would be great to see you there.

Join Masters of Destruction Part 2, June 4-5

RSPV via Facebook here: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=169201776472278

What: Masters of Destruction (MOD) Weekend Part 2

Where: The House

When: Weekend of June 4th; sun-up to sun-down

Who: All actives and alumni are invited and encouraged to join the effort – that means you! Norwood Williams and Joe Abel are leading the effort.

How: Skills, sweat, tools, teamwork, and lots of fun along the way.

Why: The remaining tear work to be done includes: the head (another layer of sheetrock and flooring need to be removed), flooring in the kitchen needs to be removed, the carpet and possibly the subfloor in the old house mothers room needs to be removed,and a new deck put down. We need to do general ground works, etc.

Read Joe Abel’s report of MOD Part 1 here.

So please if you can come, come!