Sigma Chi Alumni Chapter of Fresno

Archives for January 2021

DR. ELMER “BUD” RICHTER ALL HONOR TO HIS NAME

“Dr. Elmer “Bud” Richter, a community giant who served a number of organizations in the Valley and established the Jan & Bud Richter Center for Community Engagement and Service Learning at Fresno State, passed Thursday January 28th.” 

The Fresno Bee https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article248876944.html

Brother Richter, S’47, Alpha Omega, Stanford University was 94. He is survived by his wife Jan of 72 years; son Brad and granddaughter Renee Vandermeer and her husband Nick; and two great-grandchildren Matthew and Maci. 

Brother Richter was a longtime supporter of Fresno State athletics and was on the steering committee for the construction of Bulldog Stadium. He was the recipient of the community’s highest honor, The Leon S. Peters Award in 2006. He served on the Fresno State Foundation Board of Governors from 1979 to 2006, when he was awarded emeritus status.

He joined the family business, Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company, following graduation from Stanford in 1949 and rose to the position of Chief Executive Officer. The company was founded in Fresno in 1895 as the Richter Bottling Company and was sold in 1977.

Brother Richter was dedicated to the Sigma Chi Fraternity and both Alpha Omega and Epsilon Eta Chapters. He was a longtime loyal Sigma Chi Alumni Chapter of Fresno member and supporter of our scholarship program. The following are memories of local Alumni Chapter Brothers.

“Bud Richter was a true gentleman and helped our Chapter in its early development.  I was honored to work with Bud when I was Public Relations and Fund Development Director for Community Medical Centers and he was a Board Member.  Bud not only contributed to the Chapter in our various campaigns but also raised funds.  He was always there when we needed him, even though he was a Stanford Sig.  He also gave Summer jobs to our Brothers at Pepsi, which he managed and his family owned.” Order of Constantine, Chuck Sant’Agata, S’56    

“Outstanding brother!  And we all are proud and glad that we can call Bud our Brother.” Order of Constantine, Tom Downing, F’62

“In April 1965 when I was elected to the city council, Bud took me to lunch. “Remember this,” he told me, “there is no expiration date on honesty, integrity, and trustworthiness”. I called on him often during those hectic years and he was always available and helpful, mainly because he lived by those words. Significant Sig, Elvin C. Bell, F’57

“He was a Stellar Individual, God Fearing, God Preaching… Even taught my dad a few things…  he was a good friend! And he will be missed” Bill Smittcamp, S’73

“A true gentleman has joined our Chapter Eternal and we are better men because of Brother Bud Richter. God bless you Brother Richter and we send our condolences to Jan and family.” Brad S. Fischer, S’78

“Bud gave me job at Pepsi when he broke the Union yoke and gave many FSU students a job when he was the active CEO at Fresno Pepsi. He was a wonderful man and Brother for Sigma Chi. When I was honored as a FSU Top Dog, he was the first to congratulate me as I came down from the stage. We all shall miss him.  All Honor To His Name.” Significant Sig, Dante Simi, F’58

Services are pending for Brother Richter. Dr. Saúl Jimenéz-Sandoval, Interim President, California State University, Fresno has ordered flags to half-staff at Fresno State on the date of his service.

White Rose Scholarship Fund: https://www.fresnosigsalumni.org/product/donation/

First Monthly Zoom Meeting in 2021 Draws 27 Brothers including 10 from Outside the Fresno Area

It was a fun meeting as Sigma Chi Alumni Chapter President, Brad Fischer (78-S) dispensed with most business and allowed for more interaction between brothers. Chapter Advisor Dusty Lacefield (12-F) gave a brief report about the Active Chapter, and House Corporation President John Ballinger (65-S) showed photos of the new south-wall signage and landscape refresh at the Chapter House.  The improvements were spearheaded by past Consul George Matoian (79-S) who donated the funds necessary for the signage on the south wall of the Chapter House. As the project took shape it expanded as other alumni took up the challenge to improve the House with the belief that this work will improve the Chapter’s image in the community and give it more visibility for rush.

It was really exciting talking with brothers who we have not seen for decades. President Brad has discussed continuing to schedule Zoom meetings after the lockdown is lifted as a way of getting to enjoy each other regardless of our location. He announced that at our February 18 Zoom meeting we will have as our guest speaker Saúl Jiménez-Sandoval, Interim President, Fresno State, who will give us an update on the activities at the University.

Brothers in attendance include John Ballinger (65-S), Dave Barns (61-F) “Sun City, AZ”, Don Beauregard (62-S), Marv Broderson (63-S) Danville, Jim Calandra (60-S) Seaside, Past Consul Tom Downing (62-F) Past Consul, Richard Egan (77-F), Brad Fischer (78-S), Past Consul Rod Gavroian (76-S) Past Consul, Jim Green (58-S) “Grants Pass, OR”, Wil Herring (76-F) “Abilene, TX”, Dusty Lacefield (12-F), Rick Nelson (65-S), Dan O’Brien (61-F) “Sun City West, AZ”, Mike Patton (63-S), Paul Porter (74-F) “Livingston, TX”, Gary Renner (62-S), Paul Renner (65-S) “Denver, CO”, Dave Reuland (69-F), Bill Robinson (70-F), Chuck Sant’Agata (56-S), Larry Spikes (75-F) Hanford, Jack Tacchino (66-S), Norm Winslow (57-S) and Kevin Wren (74-F).

This is a Game Changer for Sigma Chi

Our Sigma Chi undergraduate brothers at Fresno State have ample tools to differentiate ours from the other fraternities on campus:

  • A GPA exceeding the all men’s average
  • $38,000 in scholarships for the 2021/2022 school year
  • The 100th anniversary of Sigma Chi on the Fresno State campus, 1921-2021
  • The finest chapter house at Fresno State
  • Strongest alumni support

And now all Sigma Chis in North America have one more arrow in their quiver. The Sigma Chi Learning Institute (SCLI) was formally accepted as a candidate for accreditation by the Middle States Association Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, the Fraternity and SCLI announced Monday, January 11. This is something Greek-letter leadership education has never achieved!

Besides the learning aspect of the program which is something non-Greeks cannot easily achieve, once the program and its components are accredited, it will be a game changer for our undergraduate brothers’ résumés. Surveys have shown that 70% of employers weigh extracurricular activities higher than an applicant’s cumulative GPA.

For more information please click here: https://www.fresnosigsalumni.org/sigma-chi-leadership-institute-earns-accreditation-candidacy-from-middle-states-association-commission-on-elementary-and-secondary-schools/

For more details from Sigma Chi International click here: https://sigmachi.org/groundbreaking/

Sigma Chi Leadership Institute Earns Accreditation Candidacy from Middle States Association Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools

A milestone for Sigma Chi and a groundbreaking moment for Greek-letter organizations, the Sigma Chi Leadership Institute (SCLI) is formally accepted as a candidate for accreditation by the Middle States Association Commission on Elementary and Secondary Schools (MSA-CESS), which is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education, the Fraternity and SCLI announced Monday.
“This status is one that Greek-letter leadership education has never before achieved, and it instantaneously places an added value and benefit to becoming a Sigma Chi,” said Sigma Chi Leadership Institute Chairman Mike Greenberg, ILLINOIS WESLEYAN 1982. “This added layer of third-party validation highlights that Sigma Chi is the preeminent leadership brotherhood aimed at changing the world for the better.”
SCLI’s candidacy approval marks a new milestone for Greek-letter organizations. All aspects of the organization from its leadership to its faculty and staff to its curriculum and services are on track to meet the MSA-CESS standards for accreditation.
Sigma Chi members will be able to earn SCLI’s certificates, credentials and micro-credentials that display their character, values and ideals to future employers or chapter members — a differentiator undergraduates can use to elevate the Sigma Chi experience across campuses in North America.
Sigma Chi’s leadership certificate offerings will enhance, evolve and demonstrate a mastery of important leadership and social skills identified to be underdeveloped in today’s collegiate experience according to industry research.
“Sigma Chi Fraternity continues in its goal to be the preeminent leadership development fraternity within the fraternal world,” said Grand Consul Steve Schuyler, ARIZONA 1979. “This accreditation candidacy milestone by SCLI comes after several years of a shared vision, investment of time and capital, and just plain hard work. This step is just the first of many as we seek to redefine fraternity membership and create value through the personal and professional development of our existing and future members and select third-party partners. I invite all of you to watch for upcoming and future news on SCLI and our quest.”
The leadership development arm of the Fraternity and a pioneer in Greek-letter education, SCLI was formally unveiled in 2019 following more than two decades of work in groundbreaking educational programming opportunities. This work began with the development and launch of the pioneering Horizons Huntsman Leadership Summit in 1999 and continues today following the launch of Sigma Chi Online and the transformative Preparation for Brotherhood new member program in 2016.
In 2020, Sigma Chi became the first Greek-letter organization to offer its own state-authorized education to its members for the development of transformational leadership following SCLI’s approval by the Illinois Board of Higher Education’s Private Business and Vocational Schools Division. It also marks a landmark moment for alumni whose decades of generous funding and support for Fraternity programming through the Sigma Chi Foundation have enabled the SCLI training courses and certifications that allow Sigma Chi members to become Transformational Leaders.
“This is a groundbreaking moment for the Greek-letter world and further builds a case for the ongoing support from our alumni and donors, showing what Sigma Chi can and will become through hard work and support,” said Sigma Chi Foundation Chairman John Forst, GEORGE WASHINGTON 1984. “By no means is our work complete. This accreditation candidacy signifies that our support for this work and our members is as important today than at any moment in our Foundation’s history and we must do everything to ensure its success.”

 Watch the webinar with Michael Greenberg where he explains how this project is a game changer for Sigma Chi. You will provide your name and email address and then be sent to the webinar.
Additional details on the accreditation candidacy, initial leadership certificate programs and educational partnerships will be unveiled over the coming weeks at sigmachi.org/scli.

George Matoian Gets More than He Bargained for with Donation

Past Consul, George Matoian (79-S), contacted House Corporation President, John Ballinger (65-S), and offered to make a donation to improve the Chapter House. John presented a wish-list, and George chose to add EX letters on the south wall of the Chapter House. Word spread and soon other Fresno State alumni wanted to add to the project. What started out being a $2,000 sign ended up a $12,000 project that included adding EX letters to the south fence and refreshing the landscaping south of the House.

There has not been are really visible sign that could be seen from the south for several decades. The new signage will enable visitors to find the fraternity easier, and the landscaping improvements will enhance its image on campus.