A successful 100th Anniversary
We had a beautiful day for golf at the Emerald Valley Golf Club.
The 100th Anniversary of the Oregon Alpha Chapter was a resounding success! When we imagined what we wanted this event to be like three years ago, we envisioned a weekend where we would celebrate our 100 years, earn our charter back, and welcome our newest members to their home at 729 E. 11th. That’s exactly what happened!
The weekend kicked off with an early bird reception at Falling Sky Brewing, owned by brother Steve Such, ’90-1272. The highlight of the evening was the 729 Lager Beer that Steve created just for the occasion.
On Friday morning, twenty-eight golfers teed up at the Emerald Valley Golf Club on a beautiful day for a tournament. The team of Nate Zoucha (’96-1389), Steve Forsberg (’97- 1399), Jeff Rulis (’97-1406), and Daniel Leong (’95-1368) took first place. Thank you to Dave Eaton (’77-954) and Tom Phalen (’74-909), for organizing the event!
Nearly 200 people gathered at the house for the Friday BBQ. The house looked great!
The first big event of the weekend was the barbecue at the chapter house. The 175 people who attended enjoyed reconnecting, listening to outstanding DJ music by Zach Hoffman (’93-1334), and consuming the food spread prepared by Bob Hastings (’74-897). The highlight of the event was the unveiling of the Phi Kappa Psi shield and name on the front of the house. You can find a highlight video of the event on our You Tube channel.
Brother George Hosfield (’76-942) worked with the athletic department to give us behind-the-scenes tours of two amazing athletic facilities on Saturday. In the morning, it was the world-class Hayward Field that solidified Eugene as Tracktown USA (as if there were any doubt). In the afternoon, we were treated to tours of the Hatfield-Dowlin football complex and Duck football practice as the team prepared for the season. Both facilities represent Oregon’s commitment to excellence in athletics. It’s no surprise that recruits walk away from their visits with Oregon on their short list.
Bob Marchesani presented the Oregon Alpha charter to chapter president Ryan Vanderburg.
Then it was time for the main events. First, the national officers of Phi Kappa Psi conducted a ceremony to award Oregon Alpha its charter and welcome the undergraduates as brothers. Twenty of the 24 undergraduate members were in attendance, and looked sharp in their tuxedos. This would not have happened without the support of our national organization and the University of Oregon, the planning and work of the Chapter Advisory Team, and the dedication of our expansion consultant (PJ Sarkar (’20-AZ Beta) in guiding these young men to achieve this goal.
The social and dinner event was held at The Graduate Hotel and featured the only glitch of the weekend — only one bar was provided, for a fraternity event no less! But, we persevered by going to the hotel bar! The evening featured a presentation by Bob Marchesani, Phi Kappa Psi Executive Council President, and Caitlin Roberts of the University of Oregon Fraternity and Sorority Life office.
Alan Scearce, John Ghilarducci, Mark Hallquist and Mitch Vance looked sharp at the social hour.
House Corporation President Eric Mueller (’93-1340) also recognized the achievements of several outstanding brothers including:
• Hal Dick (OH Zeta ’55): Founded COMCOA Communications with brother Bob Danielson (’61-666), 53 years ago, and produces Duck Tales to this day.
• PJ Sarkar: The expansion consultant and live-in advisor who has worked with the undergraduates for two years to earn the charter.
• Bob Hastings: The winner of the first Malcolm Epley Memorial Award for an alumnus who demonstrates an outstanding spirit of service to Phi Kappa Psi and the community.
We also enjoyed a 10-minute video telling the story of the last 100 years which was created for the event by brother Tom Olsen, ’91-1303. And, with everyone’s emotions on edge, brother Mueller worked the crowd to raise nearly $30,000 for the chapter. Thank you to all the brothers and others who supported this fundraising effort.
Needless to say, this event could not have happened without the tireless efforts of our alumni volunteers serving on the House Corporation Board, Chapter Advisory Team, and 100th Anniversary Committee. A huge thank you goes out to brother Bob Hastings (’74-897) who chaired the event.
This is not the end of the work. Earning the charter, moving back into the house, and throwing a great event is just the beginning. Our ongoing success will require alumni involvement, financial donations, and undergraduate mentoring. Learn more about how you can support your chapter so we can make the 125th Anniversary even bigger!
