Page 1 - Marching Along - Fall 2016

Marching Along
A Publication of Beta Theta Pi at the University of Florida | Fall 2016
Gamma Xi Chapter Alumni Relations Office | P.O. Box 80828, Atlanta, Georgia 30366 | 770-903-3987 | www.ufbeta.org
FROM THE
ALUMNI
ASSOCIATION
PRESIDENT
Greetings,
It has been a quiet summer at the
Beta House on Fraternity Row in
Gainesville. The house took a much
deserved break after a very busy and
successful school year. Unoccupied
during the summer months,
we have been performing “regular and routine”
maintenance on the beloved home of Gamma Xi
so it will be looking good when the fall semester
begins. We are very fortunate to have Brother Paul
Valletta back in charge of directing the summer
house repairs and maintenance. Paul’s career has
been in the construction industry and he was a key
player in the major house renovations performed
five years ago. He knows the house inside and out,
and does a fantastic job keeping things in top shape.
Welcome back Paul!
UF Beta Brothers just returned from the 177th
General Convention of Beta Theta Pi, held this
year in Oklahoma City, on August 4th – 7th. They
usually try to have August 8th fall during convention
“At 9 pm on the evening on the eighth day of the
eighth month in the year 1839, eight earnest young
men…..” – We all know the rest. The dates just
didn’t work out that way this year, but the large
contingent of Betas from UF who attended had a
great experience they will never forget.
Please join me in welcoming our new House
Director, Kathy Estes. Kathy comes to us from
the University of Missouri (aka Mizzou), where she
was a very successful House Director for Sigma Chi
fraternity. Not Beta, but Sigma Chi is a member
of the Miami Triad with Beta Theta Pi and Phi
Delta Theta, so we’ll let it slide. Kathy, or Mom
Kathy as the brothers will soon be calling her, is very parking lot attendant with fellow summer crew
experienced in the running of a fraternity and we
are looking forward to her leadership at Gamma
Xi. During the interview process she stressed that
(continued on page three)
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT: BEN FOWLE ’06
By Fred Wallrapp ’79
Ben Fowle ’06 always knew he was interested Ben has recently been elected as President of the
in building; he just hadn’t decided what to build. Gamma Xi Housing Corporation. The housing
When it comes to building, you can build brick corporation, whose formal name is the Florida
and mortar structures, or you can build up the Beta Student Aid Fund, owns the house and the
people in your life. Ben has done both. I always land it resides on. In this position, Ben will have
find interesting a Beta Brother’s story of how they an opportunity to build on the legacy established by
became interested in the fraternity. In Ben’s case, Brother Brian Brasington, who served in this role
his Beta journey started when his freshman dorm for the past 12 years. Brian, in addition to countless
mates at Riker Hall (coincidentally named after a other things, oversaw the renovation of the chapter
Florida Beta, Harold C. Riker) were interested in house and the successful fund-raising campaign that
pledging Beta and brought him along to the house made this possible during his tenure as president. If
one evening to meet the Brothers. you have not seen the house since the renovation,
please stop in the next time you are in Gainesville.
This was during a dark time in the history of Beta
at UF. The 2002 fall pledge class was disbanded Ben graduated with a master’s degree from the
as the chapter went through a reorganization that UF School of Building Construction in 2011. He
saw its membership dwindle down to 40. When is currently continuing his love of building as a
Ben pledged in the fall of 2003, there was a lot of Project Manager with Brasfield & Gorrie General
building required to get the Gamma Xi Chapter Contractors. They are busily working on the
back on track. Ben held the house manager position renovations to the Stephen C. O’Connell Center
while living in the house and worked on a variety of at UF, which is scheduled to be completed by
house improvements and social event projects. Ben December 1st of this year. The first event planned
and his pledge brothers, many of whom he is still after the center’s reopening is the fall graduation,
friends with, worked very hard to get the chapter scheduled for December 10th.
going in the right direction, and that legacy has been
continued by the brothers who have followed them. Beta had a profound impact on Ben’s life,
Today, Beta Theta Pi is one of the strongest and (continued on page two)
most desirable fraternities on the UF campus.
Among Ben’s favorite memories during his college
tenure, was the summer of 2014, which came to be
known as Summer Crew. Summer is usually a time
of rest between the hectic spring and fall semesters,
but the guys that lived in the house during that
time took full advantage of this freedom. Between
classes, re-constructing the back deck, and building
the game room bar (both removed to make way
for our beautiful renovation), Ben worked as a
compatriots. After work, the guys frequented Jack’s
Bar downtown, unwinding from the craziness of
Gainesville evenings. When not working during
the evening, Ben could be found enjoying a meal
at Grog House Bar and Grill, which his father still
thinks serves food.