Rick Neel '73: DTD at MC #33

Hello everyone,

I’d like to start off by wishing all of you a Happy Holiday season. May your Holidays be happy and healthy for you and your family. And may 2007 be the best year yet for all of you. With that in mind, I’d like to share a link with you. If you didn’t receive it from Marietta College in an email, check this out. It was put together by Chris Devine ’04, enjoy it. http://www.marietta.edu/advancement/ecard/

I have received several comments from guys over the last week or so, and will share them with you here. Also, I have some address additions and a correction for you. As usual, please check out the alumni address list at the Delt website. Hops has kept it as current as possible, and everything I get, I send on to him.

Here we go with the notes from brothers.

Lance Koved sent:

Rick,
You are doing a great job with this. I have enjoyed seeing a lot of old names.

That’s one of the major reasons I do this. Hope that you took a minute, Lance, to drop some of them a note. Bet that they would like to hear from you!

Ted Smith responded to me with the following note concerning my last email.

Thanks for your very nice compliment about me making you feel comfortable as a pledge. You were always a cool pledge and a good guy!
Ted

That’s what I like to hear, Ted, it means that people are reading this thing. Thanks!

Speaking of Ted Smith, Jess Raines sent me this email concerning Ted and Channel 10 in Columbus. Is this is what networking is all about? :-):

Rick,

Thanks for bringing and keeping us together. After your last e-mail I have just contacted Ted Smith trying to get my 22,000 animated Christmas lights featured on 10TV. Hopefully, Ted will come through.

Let me know what the results are, Jess! Hope that it works out for you and gets Ted some GREAT ratings.

Bruce Miller sent me the following copy of a letter he sent to the chapter via their Web site:

Dear Brothers,

I was very impressed when I first read Brother David Borrelli’s essay concerning diversity in the June edition of The Rainbow. After reading the letters to the editor concerning David’s essay in the September issue, I have been reminded that times haven’t changed a lot in much of our closed-minded society.

From the first days of Beta Delta Epsilon, the local fraternity that would later become Epsilon Upsilon, the concept of brotherhood was quite clear. Our idea of brotherhood in 1966 centered on an acceptance of young men of integrity who would do more than just participate in Chapter activities. They would also commit themselves to support and encourage each other and to work for the betterment of the greater college community.

In those first years we pledged athletes and scholars, musicians and geologists, writers and biologists, teachers and economists. We did not pledge men because they were — or were not — white, black, Asian, Christian, Jewish, gay or straight. But all of those “types” did become brothers and all added their individual strengths to the solid foundation of our Chapter.

I am proud of our Chapter’s history. My pride has been renewed by the Chapter’s continuing academic excellence and by your accomplishments in the community. But I am especially proud of your commitment to our most important tradition: the ideal of a brotherhood that is never compromised by labels, that accepts a man for his worth, respects him for his efforts and values him for his contributions.

Fraternally,
Bruce Miller
BAM ’70

I guess that I wasn’t really done with the diversity article. Not that it is a problem. For me, whatever you guys want to talk about, I’m all in favor of.

From Chapter President Craig Sundstrom we get this:

Just wanted to let you know that as finals are wrapping up, a few of us are working on assembling a full inventory of our Ritual equipment. It’s been particularly busy the last few weeks, but we haven’t forgotten. At that point, we’ll be able to know exactly what we’re after.

Thanks for everything!

Craig Sundstrom

That is a good thing to hear. Remember, we are in the middle of a fundraising effort for new ritual equipment for the chapter. Please consider sending a check to: The Crescent Colony of Marietta Inc. make a note on the check that it is for the new ritual equipment. Send it to Bob Ferguson at 507 Wooster St., Marietta, Ohio 45750. Thank you.

Alexander Kalkhofer (an undergrad) sent to me:

Rick,

I love all the effort from the Alumni and especially yours, Rick. I am really excited for the 40th anniversary. It is going to be my first year as an alumnus.

I just want to let you know that we as well are getting ready for the 40th here in the house. Recently I rounded up some guys to get all the pledge paddles we could save (some were ruined by the flood.)

I have made several trips to Wal-Mart to get paints, stains, hanging materials or other things needed to make this house rock, even though I don’t think the school is going to reimburse me for my expenses. I have already clear coated must of the paddles and hung them up on the wall upstairs.

I know our brothers are going to love to see their paddles taken care of. Also we have added a few Delty painting to the walls, I am sure you would all approve. I am going to try to talk to Hops to see if we could get a virtual tour or pictures of the house. However I just want to thank you because even though you all are not here, I can feel the connections as brothers to help us be the best we could be and have a rockin' 40th!

Nice to see that the undergrads are getting excited about OUR 40th anniversary. Hope that the same can be said about you all. Remember, it is in October 2008. Make your plans now.

Along that line, I have a thought to throw out for your consideration. What do you think about setting up a display of memorabilia of items of interest from different eras? For instance, my Big Brother has often said that he wants to send back his jersey from the early ’70s. I have a glass from a formal during my years. What do you have? Do you think that it would make a nice display at our 40th?

Finally, I have some names for you to add to your email lists. Hope that someone here is that brother that you really want to talk to!

Lee Boveroux (I owe you a huge apology. I have had your name in my addres slist for a long time, but you haven’t been included in any of my mailing lists! Sorry, Lee), James Berry, Trevor Brown, Pete Campbell, Brian Dobis, Russ Keller, J.J. Nekoloff, Mark Nye, Richard Schneider, Doug Stewart, Joe Wood and Johnathan Young.

Among the names I listed last week looking for email addresses, Hartsy sent me this name and snail mail address. Drop him a line and ask for his email address. Steve Vietze: 2310 Glen Drive, Maysville, KY 41056. I’m going to skip asking for help this week. Mainly because I have to check off the names I have already asked for, so look for a new list next time.

Best wishes to you for a happy holiday season. Have a good week, I’ll write to you after the holiday!

Rick Neel ’73