Category: News

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.

Update: 125th Weekend Packages & Costs

Brothers,

I hope this letter finds you well on this October 12, 2011, the 125th birthday of The Iota Chapter of Kappa Sigma. We have a grand celebration planned for the weekend of November 4-6.

We are getting concerns and complaints that Iota’s Celebration is too expensive.

We are adding two categories to the registration to make it more affordable. There is no memorabilia included in either one. The alumni “Basic” is $85. The guest “Basic” is $75.

The new registration form has these additions. If you have already registered and have sent in your package and would like to change, let us know and we can do that.

Memorabilia will be for sale at the event on a first come first serve basis.

Our celebration is 3 weeks away. Southwestern will order food for the banquet depending on the numbers we give them. We will order our refreshments on the same numbers so help us out and don’t delay.

I hope this letter will help clarify any doubts and lead to a successful gathering of the brothers and their friends on November 4-6. Events like these come once every 25 years so call your worthless pledge brothers and make sure they will be there. Iota Chapter has a totally remodeled house just waiting for a celebration! Let’s give it one that will be remembered for years to come!

Happy Birthday Iota!

AEKDB

Erik Harpst

August 13th: Alumni/Active EC Retreat

We are going to hold the bi-annual EC retreat at 11 a.m. on 8/13 at the newly renovated house. Please let me know if you can attend via email or add a comment to this post. I’ve talked with the actives, and we should have nearly everyone.

We’ll have quite a few things to discuss. A rough agenda appears below. Let me know if you have any thing to add or remove.

House Updates
– Updates on renovations
– New House policies/rental agreement

125th Anniversary/Homecoming
– Dates and Info

Brotherhood Development
– Discussion

Please forward on to other alumni that would be interested in attending.

Thanks,

Tim

A call to all the brothers of Iota to pony up for the remodel of our old House

From Brother Joe Abel:

This is a call to all the brothers of Iota to pony up for the remodel of our old House.

We are going to redo the Head, Kitchen, replace the Main Doors south and North, repair all the other exterior doors, replace some of the room doors upstairs, do some electrical work etc. We will have to rent a rolloff dumpster for the tear out on May 21st and have it there for the remainder of the job. We are going to have to bubble wrap the composites and store them in a climate controlled storage until we are done. Plus we will have to have a painting weekend sometime this summer to put the finishing touches on the house. We have a good contractor for the job and Norwood and I will supervise the activity, so we should not have any thing get past us.

We estimate the cost to be $ 75,000.00. This should cover the whole job. Believe it or not there is actually some stuff that has held up since the work in 2007. I have thrown is $2500 to get us started, so everybody who can afford to give something please do so.

Alan Haworth is the EC member responsible for fundraising for the House Corporation.

AEKDB
Joe Abel

Editor’s note: Use the Donate button on Iotachapter.org to make a credit card donation, or mail a donation via check to Alan Haworth, 9135 Drumcliffe Ln., Dallas, TX 75231

Stage 1 of House Renovation: Demolition Weekend, May 21st

Iota Alumni News interviewed Brother Erik Harpst by email:

What’s the tear down all about?

“We will completely remodel the kitchen and upstairs bathroom among other things. We need all the hands that we can possibly get. All composites and historical items will be removed from the house and put in climate controlled storage. This will be the first of many work weekends until August. We have a contractor to handle the big stuff.”

When will it begin?

“We will begin tear out on Saturday May 21.”

Why are we doing it?

“Our old house is a half of a century old. It needs to be in the shape worthy of a chapter that is one of the oldest in the Kappa Sigma Fraternity, and ready for a couple hundred brothers and their friends to attend a historical celebration.”

Who’s in charge?

“Joe Abel is the Committee Chair of remodeling and will supervise the effort.”

Where should we stay?

“Suggested hotels in Georgetown are Country Inn and Suites and Comfort Suites.”

Reminder: Alumni Weekend, April 15-17

UPDATE 4/15: Weekend Schedule

Friday Night: House is open for alumni & guests. No formal activities.

Saturday:

10:00 AM: Welcome – enjoy coffee & donuts at the House

11:00 AM: Alumni / Active Meeting, planning for Iota’s 125th, house improvements, state of the chapter, report from the alumni association

Noon: Lunch – please plan on making a contribution for lunch, suggested at $15.

2:00 PM: Softball (see link below)

8:00 PM: House open for alumni and guests.

The Alumni Weekend XXXVIII (38 for those who don’t read Roman) is this weekend. April 15-17, 2011. We will start the ball rolling for the 125 Year Anniversary (November 4-6) and have tons of fun. Saturday as usual is the big day, great for the family, with with BBQ, softball, and sunshine.

See you at the House!

See who’s coming on the Facebook event page for Alumni Weekend.

Softball Field: Southwest Williamson County Regional Park (Address: 3005 County Road 175, Leander, TX, 78641)

Announcing the 125 Year Anniversay Celebration of Iota Chapter

We have the privilege and honor to officially announce the 125th Anniversary Celebration for the Iota Chapter of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity. The celebration will take place during the weekend of November 4-6, 2011 on the campus of Southwestern University in conjunction with the SU Homecoming festivities.

We have a full schedule of events planned, from casual to black-tie formal, from social to uniquely fraternal. Here’s a preview:

  • Friday, November 4: Registration and Poker Tournament Fundraiser
  • Saturday, November 5: SU BBQ lunch, Reception and Tower Tree Dedication, Awards & Memorabilia Receptions, Iota 125th Banquet, House Party
  • Sunday, November 6: Model Initiation, Farewell Lunch, Time Capsule, Group Photo

As Fall approaches, look for emails from us with more details, additional activities, and calls for action. For now, we encourage you to do the following:

  1. SAVE THE DATE: Mark it on your calendar and tell your wife/significant other. An event like this only happens every 125 years.
  2. CONTACT YOUR PLEDGE BROTHERS: It’s great to catch up with other bros and to see how the house looks, but nothing beats sharing warrior tales with the guys who helped get you through it.
  3. RESERVE A ROOM: Reserve your room now and encourage other bros to do the same. Take over a wing of a hotel and plan to have housekeeping earn their pay when you pull away on Sunday.
  4. CONTACT US: One thing that will really help us to know who knows about this is if we hear from you. Let us know you got this email, that you know the date, and let us know the best way to reach you.
  5. UPDATE YOUR INFO: Make sure you don’t miss any important information by updating your contact info: https://iotachapter.org/alumni/
  6. ATTEND THE ALUMNI WEEKEND KICKOFF: The Alumni Weekend XXXVIII (38 for those who don’t read Roman) is April 15-17, 2011. We will start the ball (barrel?) rolling with BBQ, softball, and social refreshments.

If you have questions or need assistance in making plans, or if you would like to assist, please contact Erik Harpst or Scott Hanson. We look forward to hearing from you soon and to seeing you in November (if not before).

AEKDB,

Erik Harpst & Scott Hanson

Erik: loeran(at)aol(dot)com
Scott: j_scott_hanson(at)yahoo(dot)com

P.S. As a reminder, we strongly encourage you to make hotel reservations now. If you haven’t been back in a while, SU Homecoming draws a large crowd, so rooms are already going fast. Here are some hotel picks we’ve had good experiences with in recent years:

* Comfort Suites – Ask for the SU Homecoming Discount – 512.863.7544
* Country Inn & Suites – Less expensive (and nice) than Comfort – 512.868.8555
* Holiday Inn Express – New property, not as conveniently located – 512.591.7890
* This site claims to have 10 other G’Town Options: www.tripadvisor.com

Homecoming 2010, Annual Alumni Meeting

The annual meeting of the Iota Alumni Association will take place at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 6, 2010 at the Kappa Sigma House. We encourage all active and alumni brothers to attend.

Here’s the Full Weekend Schedule: [Invitation for Iota Friends & Brothers] [SU Official Schedule]

Saturday, November 6th:

  • 10 a.m.: Coffee & Donuts
  • 11 a.m.: Homecoming Parade
  • 11:30 -1:00: Lunch on the Mall (tix from SU)
  • 3:00 p.m.: Active/Alumni Chapter Meeting
  • 4:00 p.m.: Open House, The Sig House is 50 years old this year!
  • 7:00 p.m.: Dinner at the House
  • 10:00 p.m.: Homecoming Party for Alumni

Sunday, November 7th:

  • 10:00 a.m.: Coffee & Donuts, before you head from home

Also, the actives have published a Fall Newsletter on the status active chapter: [Fall 2010 Iota Chapter Newsletter]

Homecoming and Reunion Weekend Website

The Wake for Bruce

Join friends and fraternity brothers for a final festive good-bye to our dear friend Bruce W. Barrick.

This event will be:

Saturday October 23,2010
4:00 PM – we run out of stories

ARTZ RIB HOUSE
2330 South Lamar
(close to Hwy. 71)
(512) 442-8283

Information: Erik Harpst
(281) 433-3198

Update 10/17:
We are trying to get a head count .  Please email, text, or call ASAP. Forward this to anyone who might be interested. Erik’s cell:281-433-3198

Joe Dowdy Frazer

We received word over the weekend from Brother Roger Davidson about the passing of Brother Frazer.

From Brother Davidson: “He was in school at the same time I was. He was on the football team, a good Kappa Sigma….attended homecoming in 2008.”

Our condolences go out to all of the family and friends of Brother Frazer on behalf of his Iota Brothers.

We’ll update this post with any links we can find on Brother Frazer and his obituary.

Alumni Dues for 2010

Brothers,

In an effort to cut costs for the Alumni Association of Iota, we are sending your invoice for the 2010 Alumni dues electronically. In the past three years since I took over fundraising for the chapter, I have gotten the actual mailing with stamps down to 100 brothers from 500.

If you have not already received an email or other notification, please print the attachment below.

Please open the attached document, print a copy, and put a check in the mail. Or, use the Donate link to the right. Dues are $100 per alumni. As I have said in the past, if everyone pays their fair share, then we don’t need to ask for extra.

That being said, as we’re starting the final push for the 125th anniversary, any extra will go toward that celebration.

If you are a recent grad or still in graduate school and need a payment schedule, please reach out to me via email. Our recurring payment system is down until further notice.

[PDF] IotaChapter_Alumni_Dues_2010

My address:
Alan Haworth
9135 Drumcliffe Ln
Dallas TX 75231

Alan Haworth Named to Elite List of Dallas Area Wealth Managers

Texas Monthly contacted a business services provider for their annual survey of financial advisors, who asked over 100,000 high net worth consumers and financial services professionals to evaluate wealth managers in the Dallas area. The final list was vetted down to a small group.

Alan Haworth was selected in the Investments section of the 2010 Five Star Wealth Managers. The link below provides the re-print of the Texas Monthly article, highlighting the 2010 Five Star Wealth Managers for Dallas, Texas. This is on the newsstands now.

Congratulations Alan!

2010 FIVE STAR Wealth Managers

On the Passing of our Brother Bruce W. Barrick

UPDDTE III, 7/20 – below
UPDATE II, 7/16 – below
UPDATE I, 7/15 – below

The Iota Alumni Association is saddened to report on the death of Bruce Barrick.

Available accounts report that he was found in his home in Austin today and appears to have died of natural causes.

We will keep this post updated as information on services becomes available.

____________

I encourage everyone from our community of friends and brothers to add comments to this post. Share your memories as we all prepare to say a final goodbye to our Brother Bruce.

UPDATE III

Here is the updated information on Bruce Barrick’s funeral:

AUSTIN

Visitation: Wednesday, July 21, 2010 5:00-7:00 pm
Weed-Corley-Fish Funeral Home
2620 South Congress Ave.
Austin, Texas 78704
512-442-1446

Funeral: Thursday, July 22nd, 2010 10:00 am
University United Methodist Church
2409 Guadalupe Street
Austin, Texas 78705

HOUSTON

Visitation: Friday July 23, 2010 4:00-6:00 pm
George H. Lewis & Sons Funeral Home
1010 Bering Drive
Houston, Texas 77057
713-789-3005

Funeral: Saturday, July 24, 2010 10:00 am
Glenwood Cemetery (Grave site service only)
2525 Washington Blvd.
Houston, Texas 77007
713-864-7886

UPDATE II – via Erik Harpst

Bruce’s service will now be at University Methodist Church, Brother Chuck Merrill’s church. In case you are unaware, Brother Merrill was a longtime pastor at this church and a huge supporter of Iota and all it stands for. Chuck passed away a few years ago, and after his death, Bruce began an SU scholarship fund in Chuck’s name.

Austin: Thursday July 22nd 10:00 am University Methodist Church on Guadalupe
Houston: Saturday July 24th 10:00 am George H. Lewis and Sons Funeral Home
The only possible change with the Houston date would be a time change from 10:00
to 9:00 am.We should have final updates by Monday.

I will be sending important info and updates to the official Iota web site at iotachapter.org . Check it out, there are great photos of Bruce and posts from brothers. Feel free to leave your own thoughts or memories of Bruce.

AEKDB
Erik Harpst

UPDATE I

Brothers and friends,

There are two Barrick services TENTATIVELY planned. Bruce will attend both of them.

Austin: Thursday, July 22, 2010. 10:00 am, University Christian Church, at UT (see UPDATED II above)

Houston: Saturday, July 24, 2010. 10:00 am, George H. Lewis & Sons funeral home

Bruce requested a wake. Bruce’s 60th birthday bash was at a beer hall in Austin. Maybe a similar bash would be appropriate. When it gets cooler. Like September. Seriously.

We are looking for pictures of Bruce for photo boards to be displayed at the funerals. If you have some, please email them to this address ASAP.

Bruce deserves to honored in the same way that he insisted his deceased brothers were honored. He will get that, and more.

When details are confirmed it will be passed on.

AEKDB
Erik Harpst

Bruce Barrick SU Homecoming 2006

Bruce introduces the late Rev. Chuck Merrill

Bruce and Norwood

Alumni Weekend 2010 Schedule

UPDATE: 4/9 5:34pm Central See link below for directions to softball field.

When you arrive at the house, please register at the registration table where we will take your name, contact information, and $10 weekend contribution.

Friday April 9th

– Registration table opens on front porch @ 8:00 pm

– Friday evening there will be a casual gathering at the house.  Come on by!

Saturday April 10th

– Registration table opens on front porch @ 9:00 am

– Active/Alumni chapter meeting @ 11:00 am

– Lunch @ noon

– Softball from 3:00-6:00 pm * (field: Leader-Cedar Park Youth League Park)

– Return to the house for Saturday evening fun

* Maps will be provided on Saturday to the field.

See who’s coming from Facebook.

Starting a family, AA Crenshaw looks to pass the torch

In an email to Iota alumni this week, Brother Marshal Crenshaw announced the very happy and welcome news that he and his wonderful wife Molly are expecting their first child later this year. After six years of service in the capacity of Alumni Advisor for Iota Chapter, Marshal also announced his intention to step down once a suitable replacement can be found.

On behalf of the Iota Alumni Association and six years of recent Iota actives, we’d like to express our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Marshal.

Beginning now and through Alumni Weekend (April 9-11), we will be taking nominations and actively seeking out candidates for consideration.

If you’re interested in this role, please join us next weekend or contact any alumni/active brother or leader who submit your name as a nominee. Marshal will play an important role in selecting and training his replacement.

Actives Support Peace Conference, Continue Rob Atkinson’s Legacy

Guest post by Brother Martin Fergus:

Dear Kappa Sigma Friends & Brothers,

I am proud to announce that the 2010 National Student Peace Alliance Conference will be held at Southwestern University on February 26-28. This conference will focus on evidence-based programs that are effectively reducing and preventing violence both at an international and domestic level. The conference will bring together 500 pro-active, pro-peace and solution-oriented young people from across the country to unite around a common, and practical, goal — peace.

Such a prestigious honor for our University could not have occurred without the hard work of the recently deceased Rob Atkinson, the national legislative director for SPA, and the hard work of many other active Iota members involved in Student Peace Alliance at SU. This Conference will most certainly make an impact in Texas as well as on Kappa Sigma nationally.

As we want to make this conference as effective and impactful as possible, Kappa Sigma actives are launching a fundraising campaign to support the conference with the goal of raising $1000 by the date of the conference. We are one month away.

Please consider making a contribution to help provide the proper resources and financial support students need to make this conference exceed the University’s expectations and make a difference in Student’s lives.

You can donate at: http://www.studentpeacealliance.org/give/give or mail a check payable to “Student Peace Alliance” at The Peace Alliance, PO Box 27601, Washington, District of Columbia 20038. If you are interested in sponsoring the conference or would like more information please call 325-518-5889.

Sincerely,

Martin Fergus A.E.K.D.B.

President Student Peace Alliance Southwestern Chapter

325-518-5889

fergusd@southwestern.edu

http://www.studentpeacealliance.org/conference