100 Years Strong: Several Alumni, Undergraduates Pitch in to Celebrate Ohio Chapter’s Centennial
Alpha-Omega Zeta celebrated its 100-year anniversary this month, attracting alumni from around the country. Some traveled hundreds of miles to attend the centennial celebrations, Alumnus Steve Ellis said.
“I’d say about 175 people attended the banquet,” Ellis said. “There was great representation from the current chapter … The brother who traveled the farthest came all the way from New Mexico. The banquet was just a great celebration of our chapter.”
A planning committee made up of several alumni — Brian Nonno, Doug Keown, Kevin Burgess, Bill Patterson, Mark Crouse, Michael Thompson, Chris Taylor and Chavan Hemmings — spent the past year and a half organizing the centennial celebrations. Together, members of the university’s Alumni Advisory Board and planning committee were able to get a lot of communication out to the chapter’s many brothers, from email blasts to personal phone calls. Their hard work is the reason so many were able to attend.
“It was thought by many to be the best party in a long time that the brothers had seen,” said Doug Keown, President Emeritus of Alpha-Omega’s Alumni Association. “Thanks to all who enjoyed the weekend and we hope to see more brothers returning after this great time.”
After Ellis graduated in 1982 from Ohio University, where he served as High Alpha and social chair of the chapter, he spent more than 30 years in Corporate America. But he remained heavily involved with the university and the Lambda Chi chapter he called home for four years.
At the centennial celebrations, he was able to see brothers he hadn’t seen in years — decades even — and catch up.
“I connect regularly with probably a couple handfuls of brothers, and we get together frequently,” he said. “But what is really great is not only do we have these lifelong friends, but some of my fraternity brothers I haven’t seen in decades came back and it was as if we had just talked days or weeks ago. That was pretty fun to be able to still have those connections, to still have that strong of a bond.”
The celebrations included a cookout at the chapter house, an alumni board meeting, a luncheon, a game of trivia and the banquet. Brother John Laws was honored for his Outstanding Alumni Service for his years of help to the Zeta and General Fraternity.
Ellis served as keynote speaker. He talked about three things during his address: what Lambda Chi Alpha stands for; OU’s unique heritage as a university; and the chapter at OU.
“From how we support each other to how much our philanthropies have grown,” Ellis said. “We talked about leadership and how we learn to build consensus and civil discourse around our differences. We talked about how Lambda Chi really teaches us to be stewards of our organization and how we’re responsible for self-governing. Those are great life lessons that we all learned through our experiences in the chapter at Ohio University. We shared stories. We reminisced. And we remembered those who have passed on over the last 100 years.”
He was especially impressed by the undergraduates’ involvement in organizing the celebrations.
“As soon as our current High Rho, Ryan Crowley, and myself were elected back in November, we were filled in on the details of the centennial from members of our Alumni Association,” High Alpha Trent Comfort said. “He worked tirelessly with alumni planning the Founders Weekend. As Founders Weekend came closer, the chapter really pulled together to ensure it would be a great success. Members were constantly helping pick up supplies, clean and prepare the chapter house, set up events for the weekend, and help with countless other little details to make the weekend go as smoothly as possible. I could not be more proud of each and every member of the chapter for contributing.”
Comfort is a junior studying engineering technology and management. He was so happy to be at the helm of the chapter as it reached this milestone, he said.
“Today’s day and age, fraternities around the country don’t see 100 years on campus (that often), but we made it. I could not be more proud of this chapter, where it came from, and where it is going,” Comfort said.
The Pittsburg native is happy to call Ohio home now. He was also happy to meet so many brothers who have as well.
“The undergrad relationship with area alumni is great, and this centennial only strengthened it even more,” he said.
So what does being a Lambda Chi mean to a current undergraduate and a member who graduated 36 years ago?
Their answers are actually pretty similar.
“To me, this defines the true brotherhood Lambda Chi has,” Comfort said. “Alumni and brothers who haven’t seen each other in years meet up again for this one weekend and pick up right where they left off as if they just saw each other yesterday. This means no matter where you go in life, you will always have your brothers in Lambda Chi to be there for you.”
“I am blessed to have a great fraternity, both nationally and here at OU,” Ellis said. “Both alumni and active members are dedicated to our principles and ideals and are willing to work hard to engage alumni. I am so proud of be a member of Lambda Chi Alpha.”
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