Chapter Update

Posted on November 21, 2011

Brothers:

The officer's of the Greater Nebraska Area Alumni Chapter have decided to postpone the Fall Luncheon until after the first of the year. Alumni events have included the golf outing on September 2, 2011 and the Homecoming Reception on October 7, 2011. Recently some alumni participated in the Initiation on the early morning of October 29, 2011. This was our first pledge class since being reinstated by the University of Nebraska. We have also been busy working with the renovation process that began in September of this year.

Everyone should have recently received an email invitation to our Holiday Reception at Ron Harris's personal residence on December 15, 2012. Please make plans to attend.

A Husker Sig Newsletter should be out in the middle part of December 2011.

The present plan for our postponed luncheon this fall would be to schedule a Saturday morning breakfast in January of 2012 and coordinate it with a tour of 1510 Vine Street. This would provide local alumni the opportunity to take a look at the renovation progress. Completion is scheduled for April 30, 2012.

The Greater Nebraska Area Alumni Chapter has reserved the Nebraska Club on Friday early evening, September 14, 2012 to recognize alumni and rededicate the renovation at 1510 Vine Street. Tours will be available on Friday and Saturday before the football game. A reception is also planned for Saturday at 1510 Vine Street. We want to take the opportunity to thank all of our alumni and students for their efforts over the past three years. We feel that this is a great opportunity for our local alumni in the immediate area to come out and support the Alumni Chapter and the actives and pledges of Alpha Epsilon. This will be a great opportunity to reconnect with some of your pledge brothers that you might not have seen for a period of time.

In Hoc,

Woody Denker
President
Greater Nebraska Area Alumni Chapter

Holiday Reception Planned

Posted on November 14, 2011

Plans for the Greater Nebraska Alumni Association holiday reception have been finalized.  Once again Ron and Chris Harris have generously dontated their beautiful home to host the event.  Please join us Thursday Dec 15th from 6:30-9:00pm at the Harris'.

For full details of event go here

Alumni Updates

Posted on November 15, 2010

John E. Bell ’47 and his wife, Barbara, celebrated their 62nd wedding anniversary June 6.

Jerry D. Colling ’53 is involved with church activities, studies art and history, travels, and enjoys family activities. He runs 5k races but has stopped scuba diving. Jerry volunteers at Rancho Guajome Adobe and Carlsbad Historical society.

Leon D. Wanek ’58 moved back to Nebraska after practicing medicine in Oregon for more than 30 years. He tried retirement in Arizona for nine years but returned home to be near family.

George F. Rambour ’80 has two children with his wife, Lynne; Brooke graduated from the University of Nebraska with a degree in nursing, and Louie is a student at UNL. George enjoys traveling and most recently visited Russia, Mexico, and Portugal. He enjoys elk hunting in Wyoming and spent Thanksgiving 2009 pheasant hunting with the Rice brothers (Lance ’80 and Richie ’84) in South Dakota. George resides in Columbus, Neb., where he is president of Rambour Realty Company.

Got an update?  Email us at info@unlsigmachi.com

Jerry Panzer (1969-2010)

Posted on October 20, 2010

It is with deep regret that we have to report that Jerry Panzer '91 was taken from this world last Thursday, October 14, 2010.

Please keep the Panzer family in your thoughts and prayers during these unexpected and trying times. Funeral services are planned for Thursday in Palos Verdes, California, and a cremation the following day. A second service is pending in Gordon.

A small gathering is planned in Omaha next Thursday October 28th, 8pm at the Parlament Bar in SW Omaha to hoist a glass to Jerry.

Please follow the link to Jerry's obituary for services in California.

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In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Covenant House California at www.covdove.org.

UPDATE: Services in Nebraska will be held on Monday, October 25, 10:30 a.m., at St.

Leo's Catholic Church, 300 North Maverick Street, in Gordon, NE

AE Loses Significant Sig Bus Whitehead '50

Posted on October 16, 2010

Milton E. “Bus” Whitehead Jr. ’50 of Lincoln died June 11, 2010. Bus was born on January 13, 1928, to Milton E. and Gladys Adams Whitehead in Kansas City, Kansas. Bus grew up in Scottsbluff, Nebraska, and attended the University of Nebraska. Bus loved his family, community, country, the University, and Sigma Chi.

Being the first member of his family to graduate from college, Bus remembered the impact Sigma Chi had on his undergraduate years. In October 2008 he said, “If it weren’t for Sigma Chi, I don’t know if I would have stuck it out at Nebraska.” A standout basketball player, Bus held nine scoring records when he graduated from the University in 1950. He was named to the All-Big Seven Conference first team in 1949 and 1950; to the 1950 East-West All-Star Game in Madison Square Garden; and was an AAU All-American in 1952. Bus was a member of the University of Nebraska Hall of Fame and the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame. After commencement Bus was drafted by pro-basketball’s Chicago Stags but chose instead to play on Phillips Petroleum Company’s AAU team based in Bartlesville, Oklahoma. He worked as a salesman for the company during the off-season.

In 1959, after his basketball career, Bus founded Whitehead Oil Company, Lincoln’s largest fuel supplier, which his son, Mark, Kansas State ’79, now runs. Bus was very active in the community and served on numerous boards. He loved his many breakfast clubs, lunch groups, and playing cards with friends. In 2005 Bus was the recipient of the Significant Sig Award.

Bus was married for 56 years and loved spending time with his wife, Jeannie, whom he once stated was “the wind beneath my wings.” Jeannie passed away in January 2009. Bus was a loving son, brother, husband, father, and grandfather. He will be missed by his children: Sydney Uthoff, Lesley Jaggers, Mark, and their spouses; five grandchildren; his sister and brother-in-law. Bus made a tremendous impact on the Sigma Chi brethren and will be dearly missed by all his Alpha Epsilon brothers.

Nebraska Alumni Chapter on the Move

Posted on October 16, 2010

Nebraska Alumni Chapter on the Move!

The Greater-Nebraska Alumni Chapter has gained significant traction this year. Interest and expanded involvement from local and farspread alumni continue to establish an engaged broader base of support as we lay the foundation for our young and talented undergraduate

Chapter to return to campus next year. Dues paying membership has held steady, but the real measure of the Chapter’s vitality is the proactive action of members who are working to affect a comprehensive relaunch plan for the Chapter, establish best practices for the Fraternity and individually mentor undergraduates.

The spring Chapter luncheon and meeting were held at the Lincoln Country Club in April to adopt formal governance essentials. Bylaws were adopted and a new slate of officer leaders was presented. For the first time since gaining Chapter status by the National Fraternity, a full-year alumni event calendar was presented, which signals a strong desire on the part of local alumni to sustain the momentum developed.

The focus continues to be on our undergraduates. We are determined to build upon those values which define a strong active Chapter during our suspension, so that we have a running start when we are approved for reinstatement by the University in 2011. There is an emphasis on scholarship; Chapter Advisor Trey Pittenger ’01 reports strong academic performance and presented scholarship awards at our spring meeting. The high standards of performance instituted by the University, and underpinned by our focus on this aspect of Sigma Chi, are paying off. As this goes to press, 11 of our 18 actives are meeting or exceeding the 3.2 G.P.A. hurdle agreed upon by the alumni Chapter, the University, and the students.

We are also prioritizing our ritual and values and bringing them into full light. A group of alumni instituted a National Fraternity sanctioned exercise called the Jordan Trail. This all-day exercise for alumni and undergraduates provided a rich opportunity to refresh all of us on what it means to be a Sigma Chi and to recommit to the values that make our Fraternity great. We have also established a comprehensive and well-thoughtout program, A Man of Good Character. Based on the Jordan Standard, it calls for a recommitment to Sigma Chi ideals and significant personal accountability.

Finally, we are excited about another core initiative we adopted to help better connect alumni to undergraduates. The Sigma Chi Mentoring Program, under the leadership of Tony Skrdlant ’83 and Kevin Dasher ’90, has been launched. Alumni mentors have had gone through initial formal training and have been matched with undergraduates on the basis of academic interests, professional desires, and temperament. This program, which has been successfully implemented at other Sigma Chi chapters, has been adopted with enthusiasm by Alpha Epsilon alumni and has great potential to enhance the university experience and create contacts for the young men who wear the White Cross.

This is but a snapshot of the positive things going on in Lincoln, as we prepare for reinstatement and reclaiming our historical place at the University of Nebraska. I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that we’ve made excellent progress on many fronts, but the need to expand our base is ever present. If you’ve been away from active involvement with Sigma Chi for some time, if you care about the future of the Chapter at UNL, and if you really want to make a difference in the lives of these young men who follow your footsteps throughout 1510 Vine Street, there has never been a better time to get involved. With even the most minimal effort, you will have a significant impact and you simply won’t believe the gratification you’ll receive. Alpha Epsilon is in forward motion. Come along for a truly gratifying ride. We need you and welcome you aboard, for the Good of the Order.

In Hoc,

Curt Denker ’77
Greater-Nebraska Alumni President
(402) 434-3115
cdenker@pinnaclebank.com