The Alpha Eta Reflector FALL 2010/SPRING 2011 EDITION

VOLUME 3, NUMBER 1 ALPHA ETA CHAPTER

SAMFORD UNIVERSITY

“Our purpose is to establish a tradition of love, wisdom and strength of character, growing closer to our Lord, impacting our world and pursuing a brotherhood of excellence.”

Gentlemen of Alpha Eta,

The 2010-2011 school year saw much success at the hands of the current brotherhood. It was a year that opened its arms to receive 26 new brothers into the chapter; a year that saw another scintillating performance in Step Sing yielding a third consecutive top 3 finish; a year in which our beloved chapter raised nearly $5,000 for PUSH America in 10 days, which put us in the top 10 among all Pi Kapp chapters in philanthropic fundraising. One quote that seemed to resonate through Dunbar Hall during recruitment week was, “It is just a great time to be a Pi Kappa Phi,” which was even further validated after this year. We are looking forward to a great remainder as we finish up this semester, and hope to see you all back at Shelburne Lane for our many upcoming alumni events.

- Jordan Cole, Historian

From the Desk of the Archon Pi Kappa Phi’s Alpha Eta Chapter was chartered at Samford University in the year 1925, only 21 years after the Fraternity was founded nationally in 1904. We are one of the oldest and strongest Pi Kappa Phi chapters in the nation, and it is the core values of integrity, leadership, and tradition upon which we were founded that have formed us into the chapter that we are today. Pi Kappa Phi currently has over 140 chapters nationally, and over 100,000 initiated brothers. At the Alpha Eta Chapter, we now have a brotherhood of over 80 men, with leaders in many organizations across campus including: Samford Ambassadors, Student Executive Board, Student Government Association, Student Recruitment Team, Student Judicial Council, Samford New Student Orientation and Connections Staff, multiple NCAA Division 1 Athletes, and many other organizations. Pi Kappa Phi is deeply involved in its philanthropy, Push America, which was founded in 1977. Push America is a unique charitable organization, being that it is the only Greek philanthropy founded by, and comprehensively run by its sponsoring fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi. The purpose of Push America is to promote disability awareness and serve people with disabilities. Push America hosts a number of national events including Journey of Hope, a 4,100-mile bicycle ride across the United States, and Build America, a traveling construction team around the U.S. to camps that help children with disabilities. Over the past few years, we have put a great deal of effort into revitalizing our alumni network. We are in constant contact with many Pi Kappa Phi Alpha Eta Alumni, both in Birmingham and abroad. We have a network of alumni that is a true family, not just connections for career and future purposes. You do not cease to be a brother of our chapter when you graduate from Samford. I am extremely proud to call myself a brother of Pi Kappa Phi, and even more so, a brother of the Alpha Eta Chapter. There is truly no other experience in my entire life that has been more valuable, educational, or fulfilling, than my membership and leadership in this fraternity. -John C Woods AH 1321

By The Numbers… We are a fraternity of leaders. Our involvement in and around campus is affirmed by administration, faculty, staff and peers alike. Some of the recent leadership positions include; 2008-2009 SGA Vice-President, 2009-2010 SGA President, 3 of the past 4 IFC Presidents, 2 (of 5) Male Orientation Leaders for Summer 2009, 2 (of 3) Male Orientation Leaders for Summer 2010, 3 (of 4) Male Orientation Leaders for Summer 2011, 13 CONNECTIONS Leaders, 3 Samford Ambassadors including 2009-2010 President of Samford Ambassadors, VP of Senate on SGA’s Executive Board two years running, 2009 Greek God, 2008-2009 Greek Male of the Year, 2009 Samford Tennis Team Captain, 2009 Samford Marching Band Drum Major, Cumulative GPA of 3.03 for 2010, 6 SGA Senators 2010-2011, Current Senior and Sophomore Class Presidents, 2009 President of the Freshman Honor Society, 2009 Homecoming King, 2009-2010 Outdoor Club Vice-President, Nearly $5,000 raised for PUSH America in 2010 (ranking 9th among active chapters), Order of Omega members, 2009 Step Sing Champions, 2010 Step Sing First Runner-Up and 2011 Step Sing Second Runner-Up.

Psi Class On September 21st, 2010, the Alpha Eta chapter welcomed the newest addition to the brotherhood. With 26 newly initiated brothers, the Psi Class is expected to be a great asset to this fraternity, with their wide variety of personalities, qualities, abilities and backgrounds.

Nathan Thomas McIntosh – PCP Cody Phillip Gardner Andrew Scott Brown Andrew David Hall Ryan Seth Carpenter Jacob Barron Hamilton Patrick Wilkins Carroll Robert Francis Jackman Nicholas Daniel Cappadona Joshua Blake Lingreen Luigi Redford Chun Andrew Loyd Daily Mays Andrew Mark Cottingham Ryan Christopher Cline Plemmons Conner Edward Davis Jonathan Carey Quisenberry Tyler Anderson Davis Richard Elliott Smith Drew Miller Davis Johnson Tyler Revels William Andrew Davis William Thomas Wilson Daniel Charles Denning Justin Kyle Young Mason David Erwin Thomas Michael Barzizza

PUSH America Our chapter has had an exceptional year in terms of fundraising for our national

philanthropy, Push America. Push America is a non-profit organization founded through Pi Kappa Phi in 1977 with the goal of enhancing the quality of life for people with disabilities. Money raised through Push America initiatives is directed toward the renovation of facilities across the country to make them more handicap-accessible. Our first fundraising activity of the year was our annual “Push-a-thon” drive led by our associate members during Homecoming weekend. For this event, associate members pushed each other around campus in wheelchairs asking faculty, staff, alumni and fellow students to donate to the cause of Push America. Not only was this event a strong fundraiser, but it also raised awareness about the difficulty of navigating a college campus for those in wheelchairs.

The following week we hosted “War of the Roses Week.” This event incorporated seven sororities and two independent female teams in a series of disability awareness activities and competitions to support Push America. Activities included a flag football tournament, talent show, date auction, penny wars and pie-a-thon. Teams were granted points based on their performance in each activity. Points were tallied at the end of the week, and Phi Mu received the first place trophy.

In addition to the competitions, a major highlight of “War of the Roses Week” was an “Empathy Dinner” hosted in the cafeteria. This event was open to all students, not just War of the Roses participants. Approximately 400 students entered the cafeteria and were assigned a simulated disability by a Pi Kapp brother. For instance, their fingers were taped together to simulate cerebral palsy or they were asked to wear a blindfold to simulate blindness. Students were then required to serve their plate, eat a meal and converse with people at their dinner table, while being inhibited by their simulated disability. Our goal was for students to leave the event with a greater understanding of what living with a disability is like.

Overall, “War of the Roses Week” was truly a campus-wide event. Nearly 700 students took part, and we received strong support from various organizations, such as Beta Alpha Psi, Campus Dining, Campus Outreach, Campus Recreation, the Division of Student Affairs, Residence Life and University Ministries. Our fundraising total from “Push-a-thon” and “War of the Roses” was $4,606. Currently, we rank 10th out of 155 Pi Kapp chapters in total fundraising for the 2010-2011 academic year, and we are only $1,000 from breaking into the top 5. If you would like to contribute to our fundraising efforts, log on to pushamerica.org and follow the “Give to a Chapter” link.

-Dan Hall AH 1314

STEP SING Step Sing this year was another great success. Directed by Will Phillips, Thomas Sholtes, and Cameron Phillips, the sharply dressed and freshly-groomed brothers of the Alpha Eta chapter dazzled the audience with this year’s fun, yet professional theme, Anchormen. Loosely based around the life of Ron Burgundy, intermingled with current newsworthy events, the show was the quintessential embodiment of pure class, containing the full spectrum of human emotions. Several audience members even claimed to have been moved to tears with the heart-wrenching harmonies while simultaneously jumping for joy at the energetic and impeccably flawless choreography. In what is commonly being referred to as “the biggest blunder in Step Sing judging history,” this clearly superior show was awarded second-runner up. However, the brothers of Pi Kappa Phi continue to hold their heads high, proud of their accomplishment and knowing that they, yet again, produced a crowd favorite. In addition to being the only Greek group to place, this year also marks the third year in a row in which Pi Kappa Phi has finished among the top three, winning in 2009 with “Open for Business” and placing 1st runner-up in 2010 with “Rock It.” With many possible themes already in the woodwork, next year’s show is sure to be yet another groundbreaking performance.

-Will Phillips AH 1296

Alumni Spotlights Young Alumnus There are few things more important to a man than the legacy he leaves. As men of Alpha Eta, we strive to establish a tradition of love, wisdom and strength of character, growing closer to our Lord, impacting our world, and pursuing a brotherhood of excellence. From active brothers to our esteemed alumni, we take pride in the legacy we have built. We often don’t realize what this legacy calls and leads us to do. For Brother Chad Henry Turner, it led him to invest his life in a group of young men in Orlando, FL. The question “why?” demands to be asked. Why spend time with a group of four restless, clueless, hormone infested teenagers? Why choose to walk alongside them through some of their most challenging years? I am quite confident that Turner wasn’t attempting to pre-rush these high schoolers, but instead intentionally chose to befriend them and invest in them his tradition of love, wisdom and strength of character. For three years, once a week, these five people established their own brotherhood; friendship, loyalty, life lessons, struggles, victories and real change happened. Here’s the rub: Chad wasn’t doing any of this to get credit. No one knew, and truth be told, no one (besides their mommas) really cared. It didn’t matter to these their friends, to their coaches or the girls. There was a desire, driven mostly by a thirst and hunger for the Gospel (THAT tradition of Love) which propelled all five individuals to do life together. CT, as they called him, challenged and questioned their faith, their doubts, their insecurities, and their pride. He propelled them towards leadership, investment in others, humility through service and ultimately understanding of themselves. Chad was convinced that in order to lead others, you first must understand yourself. By being faithful, available and teachable, these young men grew in wisdom and stature all because of the grace of God, lest they boast in themselves. Chad Turner and his wife Kristen currently live in Lecanto, FL where Chad is the Director of Student Ministry for Seven Rivers Presbyterian Church. They are the parents of two studs, Blaise and Knox. Chad is also the Seven Rivers School head varsity football coach. On the field, in the church and in the “chapter room” of his own home, Chad continues to invest in the lives of young men. The four men he chose to invest in those many years ago are now graduating, some getting married, and some entering the professional world. As one of those young men, I am eternally thankful for the legacy of Brother Turner, and the legacy we now share as brothers of the Alpha Eta Chapter of Pi Kappa Phi. It is quite excellent.

-Marshall Pollard AH 1315

Family Alumnus Although all brothers of Pi Kappa Phi understand that brotherhood and the Pi

Kappa Phi mission of leading does not simply end with graduation, David Corey, a 31 year old Alpha Eta alumnus, has truly embodied what it means to continue to pursue a brotherhood of excellence. David, during our interview, described to me how the chapter during David’s time stood very much similar to the way it is today. In his time, the brothers on campus were known to be genuine and quality guys with a leadership presence throughout Samford in academics, student government, and many other facets of Samford. After graduating from this leadership-oriented atmosphere, David decided to continue to directly serve the national fraternity and became a Pi Kappa Phi National consultant for the Southeast Region. A few years later, he attended graduate school in Washington D.C. at American University to study communications, continuing to pursue the highest of academic standards. He then spent some time as the chapter advisor for the Zeta Zeta chapter. David then returned to D.C. where he lives and works today as the Regional Governor of the Capitol Region, actively safeguarding the reputations and direction of the chapters under his guidance.

When asked how Pi Kapp influences him as a man today, David didn’t hesitate to say that his life would be entirely different if not for his experiences as a brother and alumnus, and he had no doubt that that the fraternity has positively impacted him as a man and a leader. David, with the view of a brother who has experienced brotherhood and leadership within the context of college life, as well as outside the infamous Samford social bubble, had advice for all brothers within college as well as alumni. For those of us still at Samford, he highly encouraged us to continue to improve relations with alumni, many of whom are more than willing to provide connections, internships, and other resources in the name of continued brotherhood. Additionally, David strongly urged brothers and alumni to participate in national Pi Kapp events to further relationships with brothers around the country. Currently, David is training to participate in Gear Up Florida and has already raised over $2,600 for Push America.

-Nick Cappadona

AH 1388

Silver Alumnus Dr. Tom Fuller graduated from Samford in the spring of ’87 after serving the Alpha Eta chapter as historian his sophomore year, vice-archon his junior year, and archon his senior year. In the fall, he moved to Louisville, Kentucky where he began studies at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and also became involved at First Baptist Mitchell, Indiana as a youth minister. Before long, the pastor of First Baptist left to join another church, and Tom was asked to serve as interim pastor. Interim then became full time, and Tom found himself as head pastor of a church at the age of 23. He says that at that time, his plans were to get his PhD and teach New Testament but he felt God calling him in a different direction. He soon changed his track of study to the Doctor of Ministry. After serving at First Baptist Mitchell for eight years, Tom returned to Alabama to take a pastor position at Valleyview Baptist Church in Leeds in ‘96. While pastoring, a pledge brother of Tom’s, Bruce Stallings, who was serving at Covenant Presbyterian in Homewood, mentioned to Tom that he should look into mentoring and assisting some of the students at Beeson Divinity School. Soon Tom had an intern from Beeson working for him and began teaching some classes there as well. In ’99, the dean contacted him about coming on board as a full-time faculty member, and in ’00 he took the position as the director of the Doctor of Ministry program at Beeson. In ’07, Tom’s position changed to the Director of Ministry Leadership Development, Placement, and Assessment (he is aware of the length of this title, and jokes about it). During his time back in Birmingham, Tom has served on the Alpha Eta housing corporation and currently serves as the chapter’s faculty advisor. Tom says not a week goes by that he isn’t in contact with one or more Pi Kapps who graduated with him.

-Jack Wilgus AH 1298

Gold Alumnus Tom Helton was born into the world in 1949 and into brotherhood in 1967. “I predated the house,” Helton said. “All we had was a room in Crawford Johnson Hall, as it was then. You would know it as Beeson Divinity School.” Helton said there was talk of building a house but they just simply didn’t have the funds for it yet. Helton directed a sweepstakes-winning Step Sing show that was impressive enough for nationals to request that they perform it again at Supreme Chapter in Virginia Beach. All Helton could remember about the show was that they sang the song “Fever.” Today Helton serves as Vice President of Business and Finance at Columbus State University in Columbus, Georgia, where he has been for 10 years now. Helton first had experience in higher education administration when he worked for Samford Admissions in 1977 and 1988. Helton’s son and daugher both graduated from Samford, as well. His son joined Lambda Chi Alpha. “I try to forgive him for that,” Helton said, laughing. Helton’s son attended Samford during Pi Kapp’s inactive period from 1989-1991. As a music education major during his time at Samford, Helton says he’s not sure how his career path came to be what it is now. “How I ended up in business and finance, I don’t know,” Helton said. “I guess that’s just what happens.” He said he loves where this path has led him and he could see himself in Columbus for years to come. “Columbus has grown, and our school has grown,” he said. “Things have gone pretty well. I enjoy what I do. We’ve had some alumni reunions the last few years,” Helton said. “We didn’t have a house when I was there but we were a real close fraternity and I still keep up with a lot of the friends that I made.”

-Carson Pyles AH 1313

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? 2000s Sam Davidson, 2003, AH 1057 Davidson is president of Cool People Care and Proof Branding, companies he founded. Both of these companies specialize in aiding nonprofit organizations. His entrepreneurial ventures have been so successful that The Chronicle of Philanthropy named him one of its Top Ten Nonprofit Voices in 2011. He frequently appears on TV, in print, and on radio including appearances in USA Today and Ode Magazine. In addition to being an entrepreneur, Davidson is also a sought-after speaker and a published author. He has written three books, and his newest, Simplify Your Life, will be released in June of this year. Davidson also finds time to volunteer his business skills by chairing the board for Sweet Sleep, a nonprofit organization providing beds for the world’s orphaned and abandoned children. Davidson lives in Nashville with his wife of seven years, Lynette, and their one-year-old daughter Lindley. Visit Davidson on the web at www.samdavidson.net. Trey Nix, 2008, AH 1242 Nix has been involved in politics since he was a student at Samford. In 2007, he took a semester off in order to work on the Obama campaign. After graduation in 2008, Nix continued to work for the Obama campaign in Alabama, Texas, Pennsylvania, and Colorado. He spent the majority of his time living and working in Grand Junction, Colorado. After the presidential election, Nix moved to Washington D.C. to work for Congressman Bobby Bright. From 2009 through 2010, Nix continued his work with Bright by serving as his campaign manager. Upon the completion of the campaign, Nix moved back to D.C. in order to do consulting work. He currently resides in Lebanon, Virginia where he is working for Phillip Puckett’s senate campaign. In November 2011, Nix will return to D.C. where he will break for a few months after traveling non-stop for the past four years. After his short break, Nix will continue to pursue a career in politics.

-Rich Havard AH 1335

1990s Jason Stitt was a member of the Kappa class for the 97’ and 98’ school year at Samford. He grew up in Ft. Lauderdale Florida before his time at the University and became a brother of Pi Kappa Phi in 1998. He graduated from Samford with a major in business administration. Jason dated Rebekah, a Phi Mu at Samford, and the two continued their relationship after graduation and eventually married. They now have a 9 month-old daughter, Kara. He has been the financier at a Bank of America in Huntersville, North Carolina for the past five years now. He attended one of the many Kappa class reunions two years ago in Birmingham and would like to give a big “Hey man,” shout out to Bucky Thomas. Adam Blair – Theta Class Adam Blair grew up in Vestavia Hills, Alabama and chose to join the Alpha Eta chapter when his college career started at Samford University. At Samford, Adam received a master’s degree in accounting and experienced a Jan-Term course in Europe with five other Pi Kapps. He has since been to Europe twice with his family. Adam made good use of his accounting skills and held a term as the Alpha Eta chapter’s treasurer. During his reign, he implemented the credit card machine to make it more convenient for brothers to pay their dues. With an easier flow of money going into the fraternity’s bank account, the chapter was able to take a bus to Nashville, Tennessee for one of their formals. Adam worked in Los Angeles, California as an intern for four months after graduating from Samford. He has now moved back to Birmingham and works as a controller for a healthcare tech called Proventix Systems Inc. He is now married to his wife Karen, and is the father of two sons, Charlie and Jackson. Adam’s favorite moments are the Caribbean and Christmas parties.

-Andrew Bennett AH 1353

1980s Those of you that remember brother Brian Holland from his fraternal days may

recall that Brian was into his fair share of shenanigans. “Causing a mess” is the phrase he chose to describe his frequent behavior as a young Pi Kapp at Samford University. But since that time, his life has been drastically transformed. Instead of adding to the chaos, Brian has devoted his life to bringing back order.

He is currently the head pastor at a church (which he started) called The Phoenix Community of Atlanta located in Duluth, GA. Their mission is to spread the love of Christ to the broken, hurting, desperate, and addicted in the community and to plant churches throughout the area. In addition to the very challenging mission they have set forth, they have committed to reinvesting 100% of their offerings back into the community they serve.

There is no doubt that this is noble, but can a church model like this actually work? For all practical purposes, it has no way of sustaining itself. Think about it. A congregation that has a demographic characterized by “broken, abused, and addicted” individuals paired with the commitment to reinvest the small amount of money they do receive back into the community simply makes no practical sense. However, brother Brian Holland wasn’t intimidated by the seemingly impossible odds of this situation. Sure of his calling, he decided to step out in faith, knowing that God would provide. Remarkably, provision is coming. But, it is coming through a very unusual and unconventional source: coffee beans. Brian began selling his own blend of coffee several years ago in effort to make ends meet. His idea was to ask churches around the area if they would serve his coffee on Sunday mornings and send the proceeds back to his church. The plan was to use the profits on coffee sales to fund church programs as well as allow himself and his staff to have a salary. Unfortunately, this particular effort was met with limited response and was not going to provide the necessary means to sustain The Phoenix Community of Atlanta.

Despite what seemed like failure, something about coffee struck Brian that made him unwilling to give up the idea. “Coffee is unique because unlike many other things, coffee is something that people consume in community and in fellowship with one another. It possesses a unique power to bring people together.” Mesmerized by this idea, he decided to leave the door open to see what God had in store for him and his church.

Not long after this, Brian heard about several missionaries living overseas who grew their own coffee beans. He jumped at the chance and struck up a business deal with them. He could now get the highest quality coffee beans – while paying an ethical (3 times as much as “fair”) price – imported practically to his front door. But before he could close the deal with these missionaries, he needed a way to roast the beans.

A typical roaster runs around $30,000, which is no small chunk of change for a church that has devoted itself to giving away 100% of their revenue. To make matters worse, Brian needed a very specific, and rare type of roaster. But once again, through miraculous circumstances, Brian was able find this very specific roaster. The kicker is that the roaster’s owner let Brian use the roaster free of charge. The owner of the roaster is a Nicaraguan farmer who mills coffee for the Young Life farm there as well as for other missionaries growing coffee in Nicaragua. Consequently, he closed the deal with his missionary suppliers and started his own coffee company. Today, he calls it Phoenix Community Coffee. When you buy a bag of Phoenix Community Coffee, not only are you buying a great cup of Specialty Grade, cloud grown, ethically-traded coffee, you are supporting church-planting pastors like your brother Brian, as well as missionaries world-wide. If

you are interested, you can purchase a bag at www.phoenixcommunitycoffee.org. His church website for The Phoenix Community of Atlanta can be found at www.phoenixatl.org. Brian attributes all of his success to God’s providential hand and continues to put his trust solely in Him as he cares for his family, his church and his community.

He currently resides in Atlanta, GA with his wife Ginney, along with his 12-year-old son Duke, and 17-year-old daughter Emily. Brian and Ginney also have an adopted daughter, Sarah, who recently graduated from North Georgia University and is now a teacher.

-Joe Hunsicker AH 1319

1970s Bill Armistead Since his graduation in the late ‘60s, Bill Armistead Jr. has become involved in many areas throughout his career. Starting as a member in the Samford Republicans, Mr. Armistead continued to follow his strong political interest by joining the Alabama Republicans, serving as Vice Chair for fourteen years. Recently, Bill was elected Chairman of this prestigious organization. He spent five years as the Economic Advisor to the Governor of Alabama. He married rose queen, Emily Golden, and had two kids and is now proud grandfather of five grandchildren. Bill is now working as a consultant for a company called F.I.S, the world’s largest technology provider to banks. Mr. Armistead believes that Pi Kappa Phi significantly shaped his life in many ways and greatly helped him achieve what he has to this day. Robert Ballard Robert Henry Ballard Jr. graduated from Samford University as a business major in 1976. He married Sandy Bolan from the University of Alabama after meeting her at his real-estate company and later at their church in Birmingham – Mountain Brook Baptist. They now have three kids: one eighteen, one sixteen, and one ten-years-old. Mr. Ballard works as a Territory Marketing Representative at Viva Medicare Advantage, owned by the University of Alabama. Mr. Ballard became close with many of his pledge brothers and still carries on those relationships with frequent supper clubs with four or five of his brothers.

-Josh Lingreen AH 1385

New EC Members: John Woods, Archon Major: Economics and Entrepreneurship Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky AH 1321 Bo Morris, Vice Archon Major: Political Science and Journalism & Mass Communication Hometown: Jacksonville, Alabama AH 1331 Corey Jackson, Treasurer Major: Psychology Hometown: Decatur, Alabama AH 1348 Thomas Sholtes, Secretary Major: Accounting Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky AH 1329 Jordan Cole, Historian Major: Entrepreneurship Hometown: Cordova, Tennessee AH 1324 Menza Weiss, Warden Major: Political Science Hometown: Montgomery, Alabama AH 1314 Henry Varnell, Chaplain Major: Management and Entrepreneurship Hometown: Orlando, Florida AH 1362

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