Well, sort of. While visiting the Seattle area and Puget Sound with his wife, Collette, brother Dana McManus (70F) came upon a mausoleum. From Dana: “I was up at Roche Harbor over the Fourth of July and ran across some interesting Sigma Chi history. John Stafford McMillan was one of the founders at Roche Harbor and has many plaques and is mentioned all over the island.”

Remarkably, a Sigma Chi was involved in the establishment of the University of Puget Sound. Born on October 28, 1855, in Sugar Grove, Indiana, John Stafford McMillin attended DePauw University where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in 1876 and a master’s degree in 1879. While studying at DePauw, he became a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity on November 21, 1871, and served as consul of the Xi Chapter.

In the early 1900s, McMillin played a role in installing chapters at several universities in the Pacific Northwest. In Washington, Upsilon Upsilon, University of Washington, 1903; Beta Upsilon, Washington State College, 1919; and Gamma Epsilon, Whitman College, 1923. In Oregon, Beta Iota, University of Oregon, 1910; and Beta Pi, Oregon State College, 1916. In Idaho: Gamma Eta, University of Idaho, 1924. McMillin also donated the limestone for the Upsilon Upsilon chapter house, and presided at that chapter’s initiation of his son Paul in 1905.

A staunch supporter of the Life Membership plan adopted in 1925, he became Life Loyal Sig No. 11. McMillin passed away on November 3, 1936. He is buried at Afterglow Vista, a beautiful columbarium, in Friday Harbor, Washington. The mausoleum is cared for and monitored by the Sigma Chi Fraternity’s Monuments and Memorials Commission.

But brother McMillan also developed the Sigma Chi national leadership structure. As a reward, he was named the first Grand Consul of Sigma Chi. For the complete history of Brother McMillan, please click this link: https://www.sigmachipugetsound.org/about/heritage/

Undergraduate brother Nick Palm (24-F) was elected as Consul for the Active Chapter at the spring 2026 elections. He achieved a CGPA of 3.71, submitted his application at the Sigma Chi International scholarship application portal, and he is the first at Fresno Sigma Chi to be awarded a Bell Chapter scholarship.

The award is $5,000 for the 2026/2027 school year, but because he is a Top Five officer with a 3.5 or better CGPA, he will be awarded additional monies.

We have a total of $79,000 to award this August, and the amount Nick will be given will be determined by how many other brothers apply and qualify for our local scholarships.

Brother Rich Klopfstein (74-F) read about brothers Sergio Ilic (87-F) and T.A. Heckel (82-F) and the lobster and wine fest in our December 2025 alumni newsletter. He noted the following, “I read with interest of your Maine Lobster dinner spectacular. I just had a “lazy lobster” on New Year’s Day (warm “lobstah” in drawn “buttah”).

Rich and his brother Daniel’s (80-S) parents have a long and interesting history in Fresno in the culinary arts. In 1970, the owner of the Swiss Bavarian House in Fresno was a restaurateur known as Rene. His full name was Rene Klopfstein, who had immigrated with family from Switzerland in 1959.

Rene Klopfstein had previously worked as an Executive Chef for the Perry Boys Smorgasbord group from 1964 before he “struck out on his own” to open the 600+ seat Swiss Bavarian House in 1970. The restaurant was at the corner of Blackstone and Olive.

Next, Rene Klopfstein with his wife, Marcelle, went on to open two acclaimed fine-dining establishments named Rene’s. The first Rene’s was on Palm near McKinley, and later the second Rene’s was at the corner of West and Bullard, where The Manhattan is today.

More from Rich: “The Sigma Chi Rho Rho Chapter House at the University of Maine (Orono), 50 miles from our home in Bar Harbor and of which my wife Susan is a graduate of UMaine, was recently reoccupied last fall 2025 after being dormant for 27 years. We were one of many donors to the Chapter’s fund raising campaign ($1.2M for repurchasing the House from the University and renovations). We attended the Homecoming game and House Rededication Ceremony in October 2025. I have met many Sigs from this chapter, which brings back fond memories of Sigma Chi Epsilon Eta (A Sig I am). Pictures below are the UMaine Sigma Chi House (built in 1935) and with Tom Murphy, Steering Committee member.”

After qualifying for platinum level Bell Chapter status which qualifies us for leadership training for the entire undergraduate chapter, the first trainer came to Fresno on December 6, 2025.  Brother Joe Cruz who is an active member of the US military, presented to 22 of our active brothers.

Consul Julian Narvaez (23-F) was a participant and said this about the session, “It was really good, actually the facilitator helped us work on problems we are having within the active chapter. I liked how he was able to relate to us and it made the lesson more enjoyable.”

The course was called “Navigating Conflict”  Upon successful completion, a cumulative score of 70% or higher, each brother will be able to claim his Navigating Conflict digital certificate and badge.  These demonstrate the competencies that mastered during this training and can be featured on their Linked-in profile or on other social media sites.  The test was taken that afternoon on the Sigma Chi website.

CNBC 11/29/2025

AI is taking jobs — here’s Coursera CEO’s No. 1 tip for grads to stay competitive

“Greg Hart, former technical advisor to Jeff Bezos at Amazon, became president and CEO of online learning platform Coursera in February 2025. He told CNBC Make It that in the age of AI, it’s important for young people to pursue additional learning alongside a degree.

“The advice that I give to my sons… is one of the best things that you can do is to augment your university degree with micro credentials specifically,” he said in the interview.

Micro credentials are short courses that provide a certification for a specific skill or knowledge and they take less time to complete than a traditional degree or diploma. It’s become increasingly important to supplement degrees with additional certifications, as graduate jobs are at risk of being replaced by AI, Hart said.”

This article is a confirmation of the importance of the Sigma Chi Learning Institute and its leadership training modules.  In March 2025 Epsilon Eta qualified as a Bell Chapter at a level that entitles all undergraduate brothers to obtain this training brought to Fresno annually. The certificates earned will add to their résumés and give our brothers a critical edge in gaining employment.