New Sig Fiji Newsletter is Now Available: Spring/Summer 2015

The Spring/Summer 2015 issue of The Sig Fiji newsletter from Sigma Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta is now available to download!  Click here for the link.

This is a GREAT issue, the first for Sigma's Corresponding Secretary Ryan Parmater '16! 

In this issue:

• Tribute to the late Chase Gage (wonderful, moving tribute)
• Meet the Spring 2015 Pledge Class
• Meet the New Cabinet
• Thanks to the Seniors
• Fiji Island 2015 pics
• Ad Astra: Jon Joyce (Sigma '59)
• 3-on-3 Tournament
• 2015 Pig Dinner Recap

The hard copies were mailed last week to all Sigma Graduate Brothers.  A HUGE thanks to Craig Olson '74 for donating nearly all of the design, printing, and mailing!

If you have comments or suggestions for the next issue, please email Ryan Parmater at: parmaterr@wittenberg.edu

Thanks, Brothers!

Fraternally,

Skip Buckley '80

Perge!

Condolences and Congratulations: Four Days in the Life of Sigma Chapter

 

"Enjoy your achievements, as well as your plans.

Keep interested in your own career, however humble;

it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time...

 

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.

But do not distress yourself with imaginings.

Many fears are borne of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself...

 

With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,

it is still a beautiful world.

Be careful. Be cheerful.

Strive to be happy."

 

-- Desiderata

For a fraternity chapter that has existed for 131 years, you might not think that four days would make a difference.  But it did. Some lives will be changed forever.  From May 14, 2015,  to May 17, 2015, Sigma Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta at Wittenberg and its Brothers endured the very depths of remorse and consolation with the loss of a friend and Brother, and the very heights of joy and celebration with the graduation of 15 Senior Brothers.

At approximately 1:30 a.m. on Thursday, May 14, Charles Quincey "Chase" Gage IV '17 lost his life in a one-car, rollover crash outside of Springfield, Ohio.  His only passenger, Fiji Brother Derek Williams '18, survived the crash with minor injuries.  Chase's obituary is here.

And just a little over 48 hours later, while his Brothers were still shocked and in mourning, 15 Sigma Fijis graduated from Wittenberg University.  The graduating seniors remembered Chase on their caps...

With Chase still deeply on their minds, the seniors still matriculated in the presence of family and friends...

And then the Undergraduate Brothers of Sigma Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta decided to honor Chase by planting a beautiful Red Oak tree on the fraternity lawn.  Chase ran his own landscaping business for several years, and he loved Oak trees.  On Sunday, May 17, with about 100 students, guests, and Brothers present, Sigma Chapter performed a Phi Gamma Delta ritual service in memoriam of an undergraduate brother and planted the tree.  Wittenberg University President Dr. Laurie Joyner attended and offered remarks.

 

 

 

Photo credit to Craig Olson, Sigma '74, who did an extraordinary job editing this photo in honor of Chase.

Our beloved Sigma Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta / Fiji at Wittenberg University since 1884 has survived World War I, World War II, the Depression, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and countless other challenges and tragedies over 131 years.  And it will survive this...

"Take kindly the counsel of the years,

gracefully surrendering the things of youth."

 

-- Desiderata

 

Fraternally,

 

Skip Buckley '80

 

Perge!



Sigma 2015 Pig Dinner and Golf Outing Registration Now Open!

 

Sigma Chapter's 131st anniversary Pig Dinner and Golf Outing will be held on Saturday, April 18, 2015, and YOU ARE INVITED!  See below for the link to the registration form, but here is the schedule for the weekend:

Friday, April 17^th

                            All Day         Open House at the Chapter – Stop by

                                                the House for a Tour

                                                from Undergraduates!

 

Saturday, April 18^th

                            9:30 am       Annual Meeting of the Sig Fiji Alumni

                                                Association Board of Trustees

                                                (All Graduate and Undergraduate

                                                Brothers are welcome to attend!)

                          12:00 pm       Informal Buffet Luncheon (for

                                                non-golfers) – Chapter House – Free!

                          12:00 pm       (Optional) Lunch for Golfers at

                                                Windy Knoll Golf Club – Cash Order

                                                from Menu

                            2:00 pm       (Optional) Annual Golf Outing at

                                                Windy Knoll Golf Club –

                                                Shotgun Start!

                            6:30 pm       Pig Dinner Fellowship Cocktail

                                                Hour / Cash Bar: Chapter House

                            7:30 pm       131^st Anniversary Norris Pig

                                                Dinner: Chapter House

                                                Keynote Speaker: Bill Downing

                                                (Sigma ’15), International Fraternity

                                                Archon Councilor

                                                Symposiarch (MC): Dale Finley

                                                (Sigma ’58)

                            All Day:        Open House at the Chapter –

                                                Stop by the House for a Tour from

                                                Undergraduates!

 

Sunday, April 19^th  

                          12:00 pm       Open House at the Chapter –

                                                Stop by the House for a Tour from

                                                Undergraduates!

The RSVP form was included with the latest Sig Fiji newsletter recently mailed, and a formal invitation was mailed last Friday and should be received soon.  BUT...you can download the registration form at this link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwImNLvWpcx_Wnd3WFBwazRTUDg/view?usp=sharing

We hope all Sigma Brothers can join us!  Please share these links with other Sigma Brothers you know.  Questions?  Please email me at gabjr33@comcast.net.  And be sure to see the photos below from past Sigma Pig Dinners and Golf Outings! Thanks, Brothers!

Skip Buckley '80

Perge!

Fall/Winter 2014 Sig Fiji Newsletter Now Available!

 

The latest issue of The Sig Fiji newsletter is now available!  Copies were mailed to all Sigma Graduate Brothers late last week, so you should be receiving it in the mail any day now.  If you don't receive one, please BE SURE that our International Headquarters in Lexington, Kentucky, has your current mailing address - send a quick email to phigam@phigam.org to request that they update your preferred contact information.

But, you can view and download the current issue RIGHT NOW at this link:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwImNLvWpcx_dTVwWi14SmtyNjA/view?usp=sharing

In this issue, with lots of photos:

- Complete chapter updates
- Thanksgiving Dinner recap
- Fall pledge class profiles
- New Cabinet announced
- Pig Dinner and golf outing on April 18, 2015 - registration form included
- Chapter house library gets upgrade
- Sigma's LinkedIn group page approaches 200 Brothers
- Mystery Fiji paddle surfaces
- Andy Nelson '95 honored
- Sigma hosts food trucks
- Archon Councilor Bill Downing (Sigma '15) update
- Sigma band: Gino and the Dirty Milk Boys

We'll soon begin preparation of the Spring/Summer 2015 edition of The Sig Fiji newsletter, so send your news and updates to our new Corresponding Secretary and The Sig Fiji newsletter editor Ryan Parmater at parmaterr@wittenberg.edu.  Or, to me at gabjr33@comcast.net.

Thanks, Brothers!

Fraternally,

Skip Buckley '80

Perge!

Sigma Chapter Achieves 17th Consecutive Semester Above All-Men's Wittenberg GPA

Congratulations to the Undergraduate Brothers at Sigma Chapter for continuing an important legacy in one of our most important fraternity values: Scholarship.

For the 17th CONSECUTIVE SEMESTER, our Sigma Brothers achieved a 2014 Fall Semester grade report that exceeded the Wittenberg All-Men's GPA (AMA).  Beginning with the Fall Semester in 2006, Sigma Chapter has set an unprecedented course of beating the AMA at Wittenberg.  That's 8-1/2 years straight - that's huge!

There is still room for growth, however, as our Sigma Brothers remain 4th on the list of Witt fraternities.  They have already set Scholarship as among their highest priorities going forward, with a chapter GPA goal of at least 3.0.  Here's the latest Fall Semester Wittenberg fraternity rankings:

The Spring 2015 Semester begins on Monday, January 12th, and our Sigma Brothers will begin in earnest their ambitious Rush plans of bringing in about 15 new pledges or so.  Let's hope that they prioritize Scholarship among the characteristics of prospective Rushees!

Well done, Sigma Chapter - excellent job!

Fraternally,

Skip Buckley '80

Perge!

Sigma's Annual Thanksgiving Dinner Philanthropy is on Wednesday, November 19, 2014 - YOU CAN HELP!

Sigma's first annual Thanksgiving Dinner in 2012.

Our Undergraduate Brothers of Sigma Chapter are planning their annual Thanksgiving Dinner for the Springfield and Wittenberg communities, and YOU can help make it a success by attending in person and/or donating! 

This is a HUGE event for Sigma Chapter and Phi Gamma Delta, and in 2013 over 600 people were fed a full Thanksgiving dinner at 20 West Ferncliff AND $8,000 was raised for the chapter's favorite charity, Springfield Promise Neighborhood.  THIS YEAR, in 2014, our Sigma Brothers hope to feed 800 people and raise $10,000.  That would be incredible!

The details:

  Phi Gamma Delta Thanksgiving Dinner

  Wednesday, November 19, 2014

  4:30 pm to 7:30 pm

  Sigma Chapter House - 20 West Ferncliff Place, Springfield

  $5/person for FULL dinner - Lincoln Elementary School students eat for free

Here's how YOU CAN HELP:

• If you can be in the area, please attend!  Even offer to help - feeding 800 people over three hours in our chapter house takes a LOT of help!
• Consider becoming a Sponsor!  The sponsorships range from a measly $100 up to $1,000 - business or personal sponsorships available - and you get some GREAT benefits!  You can view the options, see the cost levels and benefits, and learn how to become a sponsor at this link to a one-page PDF: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwImNLvWpcx_dGFVcHBsbmkwOHc/view?usp=sharing
• If you can't attend and a sponsorship is not possible right now, the Chapter STILL NEEDS YOUR HELP with a general donation for Springfield Promise Neighborhood!  Here's a link to a secure web site where you can learn more about the event, see a short video featuring Sigma Graduate Brother Ben Imlay'14, understand how your donations help needy students in Springfield, and then donate securely online via GoFundMe using a credit card:  http://www.gofundme.com/tgf2014

This is a huge, huge undertaking for our Brothers at Sigma Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta!  I hope all of Sigma's Graduate Brothers will take a moment to support our chapter in some way - donate, sponsor, attend, volunteer, or just send an encouraging note to the event chair Chase Beach '15 at beachc@wittenberg.edu  I know he and his Brothers would appreciate your support.

Good luck Sigma Chapter!  I can't be there in person, but I've donated $100!

Fraternally,

Skip Buckley (Sigma '80)

Perge!

New Sig Fiji Newsletter - Now Available to View and Download!

The Spring-Summer 2014 issue of The Sig Fiji newsletter is now available to view and download!  Hard copies were mailed to all Sigma Graduate Brothers last week.  But here's the link to the digital edition:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BwImNLvWpcx_bW1ieUJtbVVva2c/edit?usp=sharing

Please take a couple of moments to catch up on Sigma Chapter.  In this issue:

• Undergraduate Chapter Updates - several!
• Ekklesia Report on FIVE Sigma Awards
• 130th Anniversary Pig Dinner Re-Cap - with photos
• Meet the Spring 2014 Pledge Class - excellent article!
• SFAA Strategic Planning Committee Reports on Plans and Progress
• Summer 2014 House Repairs at 20 West Ferncliff Place - with photos
• Sigma Brothers use Spring Break for Service Projects
• Breast Cancer Awareness - New Philanthropy? Need your feedback.
• "Blast from the Past" - See the 1964 edition of The Sig Fiji Newsletter

Wittenberg's Fall Semester is in full swing, and our Sigma Chapter is already active.  Fall recruitment for upperclassmen begins soon, and the chapter hopes to take a strong fall pledge class. 

REMEMBER...HOMECOMING IS ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 25TH!  Please plan to stop by the chapter house if you're returning to campus.

We'll keep you updated - check back here often!

Fraternally,

Skip Buckley '80

Perge!