Beta Mu Review PI KAPPA ALPHA • UNIVERSITY of TEXAS • FALL 2016
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THE BETA MU REVIEW PI KAPPA ALPHA • UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS • FALL 2016 Beta Mu Receives Orians Award for Third Consecutive Year Academics and Alumni Relations Priorities he Texas Pikes are concluding a great fall T2016 focused on academics, philanthropy, athletics and brotherhood. We have had a great time connecting with many alumni and their families this semester at various events recapped in this newsletter. We were pleased to initiate 34 new members in December. Meet these new brothers on page 7. Awards Abound at Above: Peggy and John Rathmell ’76 and Anne and Meade Bauer ’78 enjoyed being together National Convention at the Texas-Oklahoma game in October. Beta Mu received a number of awards at Pike’s 2016 National Convention in New Orleans. For Left: Pike freshman new members Cole Martinez, the third successive year, Beta Mu received the Arthur Gorling, and Landon Hackley enjoyed Raymond L. Orians Chapter Excellence Award. meeting U.T. President Greg Fenves at a The Orians Award is given to only 20 chapters, campus reception in September. signifying Pike’s highest performing chapters. Our men also received the Best Alumni Relations Program Award, the Scholarship Award, the 100 Active in Academics Man Chapter Award and an award for commit- and Philanthropy ment to Pike University. The Beta Mu Alumni Academics remain a priority at the Pike house. Advisory Board was also selected for the third The overall Pike membership GPA is 3.2 per year running as one of the top 20 operating the University’s most recent semester rankings, alumni boards in the fraternity. We are proud of placing our men ninth of the 29 IFC fraternities each of these accomplishments. at Texas. We hosted the Pike pancake sup- per again this fall where Beta Mu raised over $10,000 to benefit Dell Children’s Hospital pediatric cancer research. Thank You, Loyal Alumni As always, we thank our involved alumni for their commitment to Beta Mu Chapter. Dallas area alumni held a fun summer gathering in June, and special thanks to alumni John Ward ’85 and Kyle Moore ’86 who hosted a career advisory session on careers in global corpora- tions in Dallas in August. More than 45 alumni also gathered in Dallas in October for Sunday brunch following the Texas-Oklahoma game. In 2016, Beta Mu Chapter celebrates its 96th We’re proud of our recent May graduate year at The University of Texas at Austin. There Kevin Elwood ’12, a member of the inaugural has never been a time to have more pride in class at U.T.’s new Dell Medical School. Graphic from the Pike pancake supper where being an active member or an alumnus of Pi He’s pictured with lead med school donor Beta Mu raised $10,810 to benefit Dell Kappa Alpha. We encourage Pikes, alumni and Michael Dell at the school’s White Coat Ceremony in September. Children’s Hospital pediatric cancer research. friends to visit when in Austin. INSIDE: Alumni Spotlight • 3 Loyal Beta Brothers • 4-5 Welcome, New Pledges • 7 Alumni Update • 8 The Beta Mu Review Getting to Know Lucas Anderson ’14, Beta Mu’s 2016-17 Chapter President Alumni Spotlights ucas Anderson is Pike’s new 2016-17 Lpresident. As a sophomore, he served as Beta Mu treasurer and as a rush captain. He is a junior from North Carolina and is studying finance in the McCombs School. Lucas was tapped into Texas Cowboys in spring 2015. Q: Tell us where you were born and raised and about your parents/family growing up. I was born in Winston-Salem, N.C., and raised in Mooresville, N.C., which is a suburb about 25 miles north of Charlotte. I attended a local private school with a graduating class of 75 students and spent most of my time growing up playing AAU basketball. My parents are both physicians: my father is an emergency room doctor and my mom is an anesthesiologist. I Pike President Lucas Anderson ’14 (center) have one younger sister who is in junior high. with pledge brothers Kris Kubin ’14 and Brad Swanson ’14. Q: Being from out of state, what attracted you Keith Bellinger ’77 to the University of Texas and to Pike? particularly college and professional basketball and football. Coming from out of state, I was drawn to the University of Texas because of the prestigious Q: Who would you invite as the four guests at business program, the city of Austin and the your fantasy dinner party? school size. Not knowing anyone at the school, I was very interested in joining a fraternity to best Four guests I would invite to a dinner party acclimate myself to the new environment. I was would be Jesus, Steve Jobs, Michael Jordan and immediately drawn to Pike as I really felt like George Washington. I fit in after getting to know the rush captains and actives during orientation. Another reason Q: What is your most remarkable Pike memory was that I was one of the first guys to sign in thus far? my pledge class so it gave me the opportunity to Stewart Skloss ’84 help build my pledge class during rush, which My favorite Pike memory so far has to be the really excited me. completion of our SWAMP Party build in 2014. Seeing the finished product of something so Q: What is your major and what are your many of us put extensive time into felt awesome career interests/long-term goals? and really gave me pride in being a Texas Pike. This year’s party, held in late November, was I am a finance major in the McCombs School of the 66th year of SWAMP and is still one of the Business and am pursuing a career in investment biggest Greek parties on campus. banking. Long term, I would like to start or man- age a private equity firm while living in either Q: What priorities or other initiatives do you Dallas, Austin or Charlotte. plan in the year ahead while serving as Beta Mu president? Q: In between your Beta Mu duties, being a dedicated student and Texas Cowboy, what do Other initiatives I plan on undertaking while you do for fun? Do you have any hobbies? president include continuing to evolve our rush structure and process, expanding the role of the For fun, I really enjoy playing basketball and great ladies in our Pike Sweetheart program and fantasy football as well as attending concerts. further involving/developing the active members I spend a lot of time keeping up with sports, of the chapter through Pike committee service. Matt Phelan ’09 2 www.texaspikes.com Pi Kappa Alpha Brothers in Texas Spirits Business Q&A With Keith Bellinger ’77, Stewart Skloss ’84, and Matt Phelan ’09 he craft spirits business in Texas has been a booming industry for the state. In 2003, there were 60 craft distillers operating in the United States. The Ttotal has now reached 760, according to the American Distilling Institute (ADI), and 200 more are under construction in 2016. A few Pike brothers have entered this industry and taken leadership roles in their own craft distilleries around Texas. Cheers to these brothers’ success! eith Bellinger ’77 is the president and of partnership, and lasting friendship and the Keith: Unfortunately, my career took me up to KCOO of Balcones Distilling LLC in Waco, overwhelming desire to be successful at every- the Northeast for the past three decades, which Texas. The distillery was founded eight years thing I do. The advice I was given back at school made regular contact challenging. But now I am ago and has grown rapidly ever since. The com- was to choose a career that you will enjoy and be back in Texas and with the advent of Facebook, pany finds their energy and drive by the motiva- the best that you can be. You will most certainly I have been able to reconnect with several broth- tion to create something new and genuine, fol- face road blocks along the way, but stay true to ers and hopefully more to come. lowing the Texas whisky tradition. Balcones has your values and goals. Always remember where won over 140 national and international awards you came from and treat others as you wish to be Q: What led or motivated you to your present in those eight years and has released 10 unique treated. Plus, your friendships with your broth- spirits sector work? whiskies and spirits. Balcones was named the ers last the test of time and separation, no matter Keith: In 1987, I was living in Durham, N.C., American Craft Whiskey Distillery of the Year where your success takes you. and I needed a job. I found one with a wine in 2016. You can reach Keith at kabellinger@ importing company in New York City and now hotmail.com. Q: What is your favorite Pike memory? the rest is history. The alcohol beverage industry Keith: There were so many. I would say is big in terms of value, but small in terms of Q: How did Pike influence you and what advice Ethylene’s Fried Chicken and the fellowship people and contacts. do you have for today’s Pikes in school and around it, because everyone showed up for it. planning a career? But I have many more that I do not wish to be Q: What degree did you earn from U.T.? Keith: The fraternity helped make me the old memorialized in print. So call me. Keith: A bachelor’s degree in accounting in man I am today.