The Upsilon Ups
Issue 3 • February 2011 • www.illinois-pikapps.com
The flags of Pi Kappa Phi and University of Illinois fly during an autumn day in the tailgating lots of Memorial
Stadium this past year.
Marking a milestone
Alumni Chapter plans celebratory weekend
By Adam Nekola
Alumni Chapter Chaplain
CHAMPAIGN - If they could
only see us now.
The founding fathers in 1921,
that is.
Forget the fact that this newslet-
ter is making it’s way to hundreds
of alumni instantly through invis-
ible signals in the air. Disregard
that well over 1000 members have
been initated after them.
All that’s important is that the
Upsilon Chapter continues to pro-
duce leaders; that with the name
‘Pi Kapp’ comes respect.
“Despite some problems over the
years, Upsilon has still persevered,”
said Gene Giannotta (Y1030),
Join other alumni in Champaign
We’ll be setting up online registration through the national office and sending out formal invitations; but until
them email the alumni chapter at ac@illinois-pikapps.com to express your interest in coming!
90th Anniversary
alumni chapter president. “It’s a
testament to the strength of the Pi
Kappa Phi brotherhood and the
quality of leaders that Upsilon has
produced.”
To mark the occasion, the Upsi-
lon Alumni Chapter is planning a
reunion weekend in Champaign -
only a day after the original found-
ing date of May 19. It promises to
be one of the largest gatherings of
brothers in years.
Friday, May 20
Brothers and their guests will be
welcomed to Champaign with a
reception at the chapter house at
7 p.m. The house, built in the fall
of 2005, has already seen 300 new
members come through it.
Pi Kappa Phi, Upsilon Chapter, University of Illinois • Est. 1921
The style follows a new trend in
fraternity houses to more closely
resemble an apartment. Six four-
bedroom units house seven broth-
ers each, in addition to a smaller
first-floor unit.
Other features include a below-
ground parking garage, a second-
floor study room, and an elevator.
Saturday, May 21
The Orange and Blue Golf
Course in Champaign has been
around almost as long as the chap-
ter has. Built in 1950, it’s a pillar
of local golfing in Champaign. Be-
ginning at 8 a.m., five tee times are
currently available for alumni. Get
‘90th’ • Page 4
Ten alumni
ride RV to
homecoming
2010 had some successful
events; leaves hope for a
fun and exciting 2011
By Adam Nekola
Alumni Chapter Chaplain
The meeting between Illinois’ and
Indiana’ football teams was more
than a game to the historians.
It marked the 100th anniver-
sary of the first homecoming game,
played in Champaign - and a few
young alumni decided to mark it
with a first of their own.
Recruiting friends, Tim Quirsfeld
(Y1039) and Dan Wolff (Y1048)
rented an RV and hosted the first
alumni-chapter sponsored tailgate in
See ‘2010’ • Page 4
President’s letter
Upsilon Chapter
has lived through
changing times
Fellow Alumni Brothers,
Ninety years is a long time. My
grandma turned ninety last May.
I remember thinking about all the
things she’s lived through, a list that
impressed the history buff in me.
The Depression, World War II, the
Cold War, the turbulent sixties and
Vietnam, Watergate.
I never lived through these myself,
instead witnessing them from the
safe distance of the History Channel
on TV, something that wasn’t even a
household item until the ’50s, when
my grandma was in her thirties and
firmly entrenched in the bustling
life of a housewife with two little
See ‘President’ • Page 4
Issue 3 • February 2011 • www.illinois-pikapps.com
Upsilon alumni Alex Stezskal and Tommy Carrato lift their bikes at the end of the Journey of
Hope on the lawn of the Capitol Building on Washington D.C. The two rode the route the sum-
mer after their senior year before joining the working world.
‘The summer of a lifetime’
Carrato, Stezskal raise $13,810 in order to ride Journey of Hope
By Dan Wolff
Alumni Chapter Vice-President
Two recent graduates spent
their final summer of freedom
biking across America as part
of the Journey of Hope.
Alex Stezskal (Y 1055) and
Tommy Carrato (Y1056)
represented Upsilon last sum-
mer in the annual Push Amer-
ica event.
Alumni Chapter Vice-Pres-
ident Dan Wolff talked with
Carrato about the experience.
What preparation is need-
ed for the Journey; how did
you get ready?
There’s no good way to pre-
pare yourself for 75 miles of
cycling everyday. To get ready
for the ride we tried to get on
the bike as much as possible
in the months leading up to
the Journey of Hope.
That being said, the ter-
rain in Illinois is so flat that
regardless of how much riding
you do before the trip you’re
going to struggle in the Si-
erra Nevadas and the Rocky
Mountains so the goal is to
be in good enough shape to
be able to handle that initial
shock and be able to grow
stronger throughout the trip.
So how did the trip start
off for you?
Meeting the team in San
Francisco was an incredible
experience. Both the North
and South routes as well as the
Push America staff arrived at
the University of San Francis-
co a few days before the start
of the ride for orientation.
After getting to know the
guys on our route I knew I
was surrounded by leaders
and I was about to have the
summer of a lifetime.
Did any moments along
the way stand out to you?
The most memorable city
we visited on the trip was
Pi Kappa Phi, Upsilon Chapter, University of Illinois • Est. 1921
Milwaukee because of the in-
credible programming we had
there. We spent three days
working with the people of
Independence 1st, an organi-
zation that serves people with
disabilities in the Milwaukee
area, and had the opportunity
to play wheelchair basketball,
beep baseball, and help kids
with disabilities ride bikes for
the first time.
My favorite memory of
the trip was our second day
in Milwaukee when we took
some young girls on “dates” at
the local mall. I had the plea-
sure of hanging out with a 9
year old girl named Cate who
had Cerebral palsy. We took
‘JOH’ • Page 4
Archon’s report
Champions
and leaders
Upsilon stands above the rest
The Upsilon Chapter’s rode in Gear Up Florida.
hard work has not gone This upcoming sum-
unnoticed in the past mer, Jay Chae will be
year. At Supreme Chap- on the crew for Journey
ter this past summer, of Hope. This fall dur-
we received an award ing our Fourth Annual
for ‘Champion Master Camp Out on the Quad,
Chapter’ with specific we raised $5,500 in one
acknowledgement to our week. In the spring, we
academic achievement are planning to hold a
and our commit- War of the Roses,
ment to service. We which may consist
also received the of events such
‘Commitment as an empathy
to Continued dinner, a Miss
Growth Award.’ Push America
Locally in Pageant, and Pi
Champaign- Kapture the
Urbana, Flag.
we received Our name
‘Friend of the Year’ continues to grow
from CUSR (Cham- on campus; last semester,
paign Urbana Special we had football block
Recreation) which is a with Alpha Omicron Pi.
program we volunteer During Block, we buy
for on a weekly basis. tickets with a sorority
The chapter is very and sit with them dur-
proud of these achieve- ing the home football
ments and looks to im- games. As far as intra-
prove upon them. mural sports go, we had
Over this past semes- great runs into the play-
ter, we initiated 22 new offs in soccer, men’s foot-
brothers and had a 100 ball, and co-rec football.
percent retention rate. I was very proud to
We look for these new win my first champion-
brothers to continue the ship as Athletic Director
Upsilon Chapter’s hard in the Dodge Ball Tour-
work. nament.
We have been very in- The Upsilon Chapter
volved with Push Ameri- looks forward to con-
ca this past year and look tinuing all of its hard
forward to expand on work and commitment
this in the future. This to this Fraternity.
past summer, Tommy
Carrato and Alex Stezs- In Pi Kappa Phi,
kal rode in Journey of Eric Langenfeld
Hope and Mike Yam Y1122
Connect online
Visit our website at www.illinois-pikapps.com
to register; get in touch with other alumni, view
our calendar and see photos from events.
Issue 3 • February 2011 • www.illinois-pikapps.com Pi Kappa Phi, Upsilon Chapter, University of Illinois • Est. 1921

Upsilon Alumni profile Announcements

• Mike Hua (Y1010) and

Rosalyn Nguyen are en-
gaged. Last year, Hua also
took a new job with Booz &
Company in Chicago.

• Rick Barritt (Y1014) and

Angela Simpson will be mar-
ried on June 11,2011.

• Kevin Spitz (Y1020)

became engaged to Casey
Roth. Their wedding is set
for Oct. 29, 2011.

• Sky Opila (Y1037) pro-

posed to Lauren Etmekjian,
who he met through the
fraternity his freshman year
of college. They’ll be married
on Sept. 10, 2011.
Deep under the ground in Nevada, the rumble of trucks and blast of explosives are commonplace. Recent
alum Andrew Ostendorf works in a mining operation in this environment, which he calls ‘amazing.’ • Former Archon Alex

Student turned gold-digger

Stezskal (Y1055) popped
the question to Christle Kiely
while still an undergrad.

• Do you have any news to

report? A new job? A baby
on the way? Send us your
Working in a mine digging for gold turns out to be a blast news - we’d love to fill up
this column!

By Dan Wolff “Working underground is an en-

Alumni Chapter Vice-President tirely new and different experience
than I previously expected and it Contact information
A recent Upsilon alumnus is go- takes time to become accustomed to
Your Alumni Chapter officers
ing for gold in the literal sense. He it,” he said. “My duties underground
are here to help. If you have
is actually trying to mine it out of are to inspect headings and measure any questions or concerns,
the earth. the advances post-blasting, check feel free to contact them.
Andrew Ostendorf (Y1068) was underground drill rigs which drill
recently hired by Newmont Mining for core, and map geologic features President
as a production geologist that are in the area. Gene Giannotta
at the company’s Leeville “You must learn to do (630) 329-7516
Underground Mine op- this in an environment gwgiannotta@gmail.com
eration in northeastern that is very dark, very
Nevada. dirty, and very noisy. It is Vice-President
“My job varies from Dan Wolff
also necessary to always be
(847) 420-5643
week to week,” said Os- aware of the dangers of the A view of the surface drill at Osten- danwolff@gmail.com
tendorf, a 2010 gradu- mine which are numer- dorf’s mining operation in Leeville.
ate. “I am either working ous.” Treasurer
underground ore control, Andrew But being underground feel the ground vibrate, feel the rush Nick Stoczanyn
logging geologic core for Ostendorf is not completely gruel- of air race past you, and it can throw (847) 840-9722
engineering and strati- ing, he said, and it is quite dust everywhere,” Ostendorf said. stoczanyn@gmail.com
graphic data, or computer interesting to watch the In all, with the price of gold at an
modeling in order to determine the heavy equipment move around. all-time high, the industry is boom- Secretary
location of potential ore.” The engineering it takes to operate ing. New mines are coming online - Kevin Spitz
For the last 30 years, the town of a mine 1500 feet below the surface is (847) 989-5463
or continuing to expand their opera-
kspitz2@gmail.com
Nevada has long been a host for gold an amazing feat. One of the most in- tions - around the globe; with major
mining. The world’s three largest teresting experiences is underground mines in the United States, Ghana, Chaplain
gold companies all own large strip blasting. Argentina, Peru, Chile, Australia, Adam Nekola
mines and underground mines in “You hear a loud boom and, de- New Zealand, the Philippines, and (630) 479-6975
the area. pending how close you are, you can parts of Africa. n anekola@gmail.com

Housing Corp. President

Suggest the next alumni profile! E-mail editor Adam Nekola at anekola@gmail.com with the name and pin James Nelson
number of an interesting alumni you know. Tell us his story and get us a way to contact him - or suggest yourself! (630) 334-0177
james.nelson.ii@gmail.com
Issue 3 • February 2011 • www.illinois-pikapps.com Pi Kappa Phi, Upsilon Chapter, University of Illinois • Est. 1921

90th from page 1 2010 from page 1

a group of four together or be randomly the lots surrounding Memorial Stadium.

assigned to a group. Or, for those unfamil-
iar with changes on campus, the under-
graduates will offer campus tours.
At noon, alumni and guests will be in-
vited to return to the chapter house for
a luncheon. Following lunch, the under-
grads will host a model Ritual of Initia-
tion.
The evening will end with a banquet at
the Hawthorn Suites hotel in Champaign.
A block of rooms has been reserved at
the Hawthorn Suites at a rate of $109 a
night. Brunch will be served on Sunday
morning. n
Over a dozen alumni attended the tail-
gate with their guests before and after the
game for food, drinking and pigskin.
Also in 2010, alumni and undergradu-
ates celebrated the fifth anniversary of the
refounding of Upsilon Chapter; Feb. 19
will mark six years since a charter returned
to campus.
In July, the second-annual “Pi Kapp
Day at the Races” was held at Arlington
Park in Arlington Heights. Nearly 30
Parallel-parking the RV on Euclid may sound insane to some,
alumni braved the rain to bet on the hors- but Tim Quirsfeld proved his driving prowess as he aligned
es and share brotherhood. This year’s event the vehicle in front of the Delta Upsilon house (formerly Tau
is scheduled for Aug. 6. n Kappa Epsilon).

President from page 1
girls. Back then, “I Love Lucy” was must-see TV,
phones were stuck in their place, and Ray Kroc had
just come across a prime franchise opportunity in a
California burger joint named “McDonald’s.”
Before all that, back in the late 1940s, when he
was safely back home from the Pacific, my grandpa
went to work on a brand-new house for his growing
family. He built it all himself – a challenging proj-
ect that required creating something tangible from
nothing more than an idea.
It was pretty neat to find, nestled in old boxes
tucked away in my grandma’s bedroom closet, the
ledger he had kept, with a detailed record of every
single item that he had bought for the house, right
down to the very last screw. It’s a point of pride for
me to say that the house still stands today; in fact,
I’m writing this from inside its old, sturdy walls.
I wonder sometimes if my grandpa ever thought
that the house he built would stand for another sixty
years. Did he ever imagine what the world would be
like that far in the future? Did he ever think about
his children, and grandchildren, growing up in that
house? Did he ever think about his own part in their
lives – giving them a place to call home, an example
to measure themselves against?
Even as we look back fondly on a history we may
never have experienced, we are living through it
ourselves. As we admire the monuments others have
built, we are busily constructing our own. The times
may change, the people come and go, things are dif-
ferent, but what remains is what is fundamental.
In a few months, there will be another 90th
JOH from page 2
Cate to Build-a-Bear and got ice cream and she was
nothing but smiles the entire time.
What part was the toughest? Most rewarding
or meaningful?
Riding through Nevada was probably the tough-
est part of the entire Journey of Hope. Despite the
common perception that Nevada is all desert it is
actually the most mountainous state in the coun-
try. We spent six days on US 50 averaging about 90
birthday. It was on May 19, 1921 (the day after my
grandma turned a year old, in fact) that the Upsilon Thank You, Alumni!
chapter of Pi Kappa Phi was founded, at a Univer-
sity of Illinois that was both very similar and very
different than the one we ourselves experienced. We couldn’t put out this mailing or
In the same way I think about my grandpa, I plan events without our generous alum-
wonder about those first initiates of Upsilon. Could ni. The board thanks all alums that do-
their minds have ever conceived of a legacy that nated to the chapter in 2010:
stretched ninety years and grew to include over elev-
en hundred brothers? Ronald Arrighy (Y621)
The house my grandfather built still stands David Bein (Y762)
strong, both physically and in my grandma’s heart. Michael Brzoska (Y671)
Even though age makes living alone impossible, and Terry Burke (Y482)
she may never again be in that house, it remains her Jon Cisek (Y1043)
David Camacho (Y832)
home. The foundation on which it and its memories
Brad Fawcett (Y607)
are built remains as sturdy as can be.
James Fowler (Y518)
Our own personal Upsilon chapter might be dif- Dan French (Y929)
ferent than the one we see today when we visit our Gene Giannotta (Y1030)
alma mater, or even the one seen in the faces of our Frank Giampoli (Y574)
old friends, brothers who have stood with us for Edwin Hamilton (Y473)
years, through thick and thin. The passage of time John Hankus (Y1009)
ensures that we will never again be in that particular Lawrence Inglis (Y445)
house. Joseph Johnson (Y321)
But it also reminds us that, even as things change, Richard Mulcahey (Y820)
the basics remain – the desire for lasting friendship Robert Murphy (Y826)
and the yearning to lead and create. In short, the Adam Nekola (Y1007)
things that led us to Upsilon in the beginning. James Nelson (Y1002)
And so, for ninety years, the foundation on which Robert Newlin (Y412)
it was built and on which so many of our memo- Gary Poleskey (Y551)
ries rest has endured. And while our own house James Pottenger (Y352)
may have passed into history, our home still stands, John Rawot (Y591)
sturdy as can be. Michael Reedy (Y868)
John Roeser (Y328)
– Gene Giannotta, Alumni Chapter President Anthony Saccomano (Y533)
James Schalin (Y537)
John Shustitzky (Y595)
miles a day and traversing up to mountain passes. Kevin Spitz (Y1020)
While our climbs in Utah and Colorado were Nick Stoczanyn (Y1011)
steeper, the never ending high desert landscape was John Stroehlein (Y488)
more mentally draining than anything else on the Frank Stromberg (Y577)
trip. The most rewarding part of the trip was all of Gilman Thrane (Y332)
the friendship visits we had. Overall we visited over Stephen Trahey (Y568)
50 organizations that serve people with disabilities George Walker (Y378)
across the country. Our visits ranged from dances,
to playing sports, to just hanging out and talking If we inadvertently left out your name,
with our friends and each of us learned invaluable we apologize. Please let us know by e-
lessons about people with disabilities and the strug- mailing ac@illinois-pikapps.com.
gles they deal with every day. n