Back to School

After a rewarding summer filled with vacations, incredible experiences, jobs and internships, and brotherhood gatherings such as the Amelia Beef Festival put on by the Scott Family (Clay Scott, Delta Gamma spring 2017, Lee Scott, Gamma Upsilon fall 2013) the brothers of Eta Lambda have returned to Blacksburg and the beautiful Virginia Tech campus to begin their fall 2014 semester. An exciting and memorable semester is in the making as our brothers continue to pursue academic excellence, social extravagance and athletic prominence all while exemplifying the Jordan Standard and upholding the virtues of friendship, justice and learning.

Awards & Accomplishments

To cap off an excellent 2013-2014 school year, Eta lambda received the Peterson Significant Chapter granted by the Sigma Chi Foundation. The Peterson is the highest honor that an undergraduate chapter may attain and represents dedication, idealism, and achievement. Eta Lambda has received the award 8 out of the past 10 years.

This past summer, chapter advisor Edward “Doc” Spencer was named the most outstanding facilitator at the Balfour Leadership Training Workshop held at Ball State University in Muncie, IN. Doc continues to be a vital asset and beacon of guidance and wisdom for not only Eta Lambda but also Sigma Chi as a whole.

Eta Lambda invades Columbus

The weekend of September 5^th-7^th will go down in history for Eta Lambda and Hokie Nation. Over 40 active and alumni Eta Lambda brothers made the trip to Columbus, Ohio to witness our Virginia Tech Hokies battle and defeat the #8 ranked Ohio State buckeyes 35-21 in front of a record attendance of 107,517. Eta Lambda upheld Hokie Respect while also teaching Ohio St. how to have a good time in the process. H-O-K-I-E-S HOKIES!

Fall Rush Begins

Eta Lambda is gearing up for Fall Rush to recruit young men who represent and embody the ideals and virtues of Sigma Chi. The first event is September 9^th at Hokie House from 5pm to 7pm. We encourage everyone to come out and meet the brothers and are excited to cultivate our fall pledge class into men worthy of belonging to the preeminent collegiate leadership organization in the nation.

Published by:

Mitchell Moss (Delta Alpha spring 2015)

Tribune

From roadtrips across the country to religious journeys to Israel, Eta Lambda had quite an interesting Christmas break. Now, we are currently underway with our semester as we continue recruitment and prepare for the upcoming events, pledges, philanthropies, brotherhood events and more.

Eta Lambda is currently in the middle of recruitment for the new pledge class, Delta Delta. We have had one event thus far and we look forward to the next three.  All alumni are invited to attend closed rush which will be held Sunday, February 15.  Remember that the new pledges we recruit will carry on the legacy of our Chapter! If you know of any potential members that live the Jordan Standard, please email one of our rush chairs, Ian Trampe (ijt004@vt.edu), Robert Wineland(rhw4459@vt.edu), or Robbie Martin(Roberthm@vt.edu).

Eta Lambda has decided to try new scholarship award techniques.  This year under the direction of scholarship chair, Sam Schirmer, we paired up the brothers with the lowest gpa and the highest gpa and created a team. The team with the highest overall gpa was awarded $500 down to $250.  We also awarded $250 to the brother with highest gpa in a specific college. In order to receive any award, both partners had to attend 75% of chapter meetings.  This new attendance policy has greatly increased our numbers at chapters.  Our scholarship program has helped our overall average increase to a 3.14, an all time high for Eta Lamdba.  View this document to see which brothers received the awards. Scholarship Awards.

Andrew Bailey Spencer  

Mark’s memorial service will now be held at Christ & St. Luke’s Church, 560 West Olney Road, Norfolk, Virginia, at eleven o’clock a.m. on Tuesday, August 6, 2013. Please be advised that parking is on-street. A reception will follow service at Norfolk Yacht and Country Club. Private burial will be at Forest Lawn Cemetery.

This is the Church where Reilly and Mark were married and its sanctuary seating capacity exceeds that of The Church of the Good Shepherd where Mark regularly worshiped. The family will receive friends at H. D. Oliver Funeral Apartments, Norfolk Chapel, 1501 Colonial Avenue, from six o’clock p.m. to eight o’clock p.m. on Monday, August 5, 2013.

Friends,

It is with deep sorrow that we must announce a great loss to the Eta Lambda Chapter. Our brother, Mark Warlick, passed away after his long battle with cancer. Mark is a member of the graduating Class of 1978, and Zeta Pledge Class. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends. Rest in peace brother.

—

Mark Bridger Warlick, formerly of Hunters Trail in Norfolk, and recently of 66th Street in Virginia Beach, died at Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital, on Wednesday, July 31, 2013, after a nearly four-year battle with lung cancer. He was 58. A native of Richmond, Virginia, Mark graduated from Midlothian High School and earned a B.A degree in 1977 from Virginia Tech where he served as student body President, was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity, and became one of the Hokies most ardent lifetime fans. He attended the Marshall-Wythe School of Law at William and Mary and earned a Doctorate of Juris Prudence in 1980. He practiced law in Norfolk with Crenshaw, Ware and Martin for three years before he found his passion in commercial real estate and joined Goodman Segar Hogan. After five years in the commercial real estate business, Mark and his friend Miles Leon formed First Commercial Real Estate Services. Miles and Mark, then young mavens of the Hampton Roads commercial real estate scene, had an immediate impact on the local market through their entrepreneurial spirit, gregarious manner, and sharp minds. Alan Nordlinger and the late Alan Nusbaum observed these talented young men from across town for four years before asking them to join forces with the venerable S. L. Nusbaum Realty Co., where Mark found his professional home for the past twenty-one years. S. L. Nusbaum was far more than a place of work – it was an extended family. Mark flourished in the Nusbaum environment, being awarded the Hunter A. Hogan, Jr. Hampton Roads Top Producer Award seven times, the CREC Gold Award twenty times, the CoStar Hampton Roads Power Broker Award four times, and numerous other distinguished honors. In 2012, he received the Hampton Roads Commercial Alliance Person of the Year Award in honor of his legendary volunteerism in the community.

With great humility, Mark sat atop the Hampton Roads commercial real estate world as the consummate professional who dealt with colleagues on a friendly, collegial basis. He served on the Norfolk Board of TowneBank and was active with many professional organizations, including the Society of Industrial and Office Realtors. Mark was active in the greater community civic and charitable organizations in many ways as well. He served as a member and Chairman of the Norfolk Planning Commission, was a member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center Board of Visitors, and was active with the United Way Foundation, which he chaired from 2005-2007. He also chaired the NATO Azalea Festival and Family Services of Tidewater. In sum, Mark understood fully the importance of “giving back” and he gave back generously.

However strong were the passion and pride Mark brought to his professional and civic work, clearly this took a back seat to his passion for and pride in his family and friends. After an extended bachelorhood, he finally found “the one”, the love of his life, Reilly Petersen Warlick. He fell for Reilly in the very early stages of his career, and she recognized the “spark” in Mark. Reilly and Mark were a fantastic team, and as a team, they found great professional and personal success and happiness. Reilly has revered her vow of marriage “in sickness and in health” as she selflessly devoted herself to Mark’s care and quality of life throughout his difficult and valiant effort to survive lung cancer. She loved her husband and has modeled awe-inspiring strength. The greatest fruit of their union manifests itself most notably in their two beautiful daughters, Christian Bridger Warlick and Windsor Jens Warlick. Mark was a proud and doting father, and his big brown eyes and indomitable spirit will live on in his special girls. Mark’s mother, Helen Warlick, and his sister, Kelly Warlick Stitzer, have been his angels of unconditional love, showering Mark with support throughout his life, and particularly over these few years of uncertainty and struggle. He so loved them and their visits. He loved and missed his father, Junius Bridger Warlick and his sister, Cheryl Warlick Schropshire, who preceded him in death.

After Reilly, his “girls”, and his family, Mark treasured his friends. And there are many! Virtually joined at his hip, both before and after his cancer diagnosis, have been a host of close friends. A greater demonstration of friendship over the last six months by these men and their spouses, and many, many other members of Mark’s “A Team” would be very hard to find.

Mark Warlick will be remembered for many wonderful things, both professional and personal, but, perhaps most vivid, will be memories of a man who loved people, loved to have a good time, enjoyed his Captain Morgan and Diet Coke with a lime, was a can-do player, and was always there with a smile, a handshake, or a warm embrace. Whether planning a tail-gate party for watching his beloved, one-and-only Hokies play football, refurbishing an authentic “woodie” for use at the Beach, donning a bright pink blazer as Chairman of the Azalea Festival Parade, or cajoling his friends and colleagues to shave their heads to raise money for cancer research, Mark was an all-in marvel. He faced cancer and its effects with courage, hope, and a sense of humor that helped his friends and family take the journey with him.
Mark is survived by his wife Reilly and daughters Bridger and Windsor, his mother Helen and sister Kelly, and by many extended family members and care-givers who loved him endlessly: his mother-in-law Barbara Petersen, sisters and brothers-in-law Kristen and Ran Randolph of Virginia Beach, Rhonda and Lynn Durham, Jr. of Midland, Texas, Chuck and Margie Griffith of Alexandria, Virginia, and Leigh Stitzer of Chesterfield, Virginia; nieces and nephews Jessica Schropshire, Ryan Schropshire, Christine and John Allen, and Adam Stitzer, all of Richmond, Virginia, Ranny Randolph, Christian Randolph, and Peyton Randolph, all of Virginia Beach, Chuck and Lauren Griffith of Jacksonville, Florida, Chris Ripley, Matthew and Kathryn Ripley, all of Norfolk, Trevor Durham of Salt Lake City, Utah, Caitlin and Matthew Cohen of Los Angeles, California, Alexis and Jonathan Durham of New York City; and grandnieces and nephews Cole Durham of New York City, Mordecai Cohen of Los Angeles, California, and Charlotte Allen of Richmond, Virginia.

The family would like to give its most heartfelt appreciation to Mark’s world-class medical team – Dr. George Saman, Dr. Mark Socinski, Dr. Pasi Janne, and Dr.Barbara Parks who were more than physicians, they were friends, and to caretakers Thomas Spencer and Audrey Alexander.

Should friends desire, memorial contributions in Mark’s honor may be made to Virginia Tech, the United Way Foundation of Hampton Roads, Norfolk Academy, The American Cancer Society, CaringBridge, or a charity of your choice.

-Written by Rhonda Durham

Last spring Sigma Chi’s Eta Lambda chapter was again given the opportunity to host Derby Days on Virginia Tech’s campus. The past decade has been a huge success in showing the New River Valley how large of an impact our chapter can make for Children’s Miracle Network on a year to year basis. CMN relies extensively on donations to purchase prenatal care equipment which makes our efforts to raise money that much more important. It is with pride that the Eta Lambda chapter has continually been placed among the top donors each year for CMN. An aspect of our fraternity we wish to extend far into the future.

However this year the chapter was faced with a reduction in not only the length of the events but an unusually low participation rate due to national pressure on sororities not to take part in our philanthropy. With 3 of the 5 top donating sororities in 2012 electing not to participate (including number 1 and 2) the challenge to meet our target goal in monetary donations was becoming an increasingly difficult task for 2013. But in true hokie fashion, other parts of the Greek community rose to the occasion to help make another memorable and meaningful week for Children’s Miracle Network and Sigma Chi.

Before the week the goal was set at 20,000 dollars with 8 to 10 participating sororities over a span of five days. After only 6 sororities fully committed to the week and the university reduced the week’s duration from 5 to 3 days, this total was not the most feasible goal. To break it down, the week had 60% participation with a 40% reduced event duration to raise 100% of what was raised in previous year; a daunting proposal. Despite these obstacles the week was carried through to the end without any major issues. In years past, critics of our philanthropy have argued that the focus of the event was lost as the week progressed due to various factors .Although our chapter did not fully agree with many of these critiques, we refocused our aim in maintaining the integrity and purpose of the week. Through these revitalized efforts and the support of all those that fought to keep Derby Days a premier philanthropy on this campus, we were able to donate more than 15,000 dollars to the New River Valley’s Children’s Miracle Network.

The results of Derby Days 2013 surpassed all expectations and are truly a representation of the character of Sigma Chi’s national organization as well as the deep sense of community here in the New River Valley.

-Steve Farmartino, Derby Daddy

The 2013 Huntsman Charity golf tournament was held at Hidden Valley Country Club in Roanoke, Va.  The tournament featured 104 players in which teams of four battled in a captain’s choice format.  The Huntsman Committee consisting of Michael Wood (13’), Ian Trampe (14’), and Mark Hourigan (15’) raised over $10,000 for the Huntsman Cancer Institute.  The $10,000 is the most money ever raised from the Huntsman.  The winning team, with a score of (-16) consisted of Mark Hourigan, Mark Hourigan Jr., Jeff Trampe, and Ian Trampe.  The Huntsman Committee would like to thank Head Golf Professional Michael Abraham at HVCC and his entire staff for helping coordinate such a successful tournament.

We’re getting excited for Derby Days!  This year, Derby Days will occur from April 7th – April 12th.  To stay updated with the point standings, we’re going to using our Chapter Facebook Account www.facebook.com/SigmaChiVirginiaTech as well as our chapter Twitter Account @VTSigmaChi for the quickest updates.

Game Starts at 2:00 pm and should end by 3:30pm

When:
4:00 – 7:00 PM

Who:
All Alumni Brothers, Active Brothers, Sweethearts, Family Members, Pledges, & Prospective Pledges. In the RSVP, please state the # in your party.

What is provided:
Hamburgers, Hotdogs, Chips, Salads, Condiments, Rolls, Dessert
Beverages – Water, Soda, Beer, & Ice

What to Bring:
Cash, Check, Chair, Hat & Coat for Outside Activities           

Cost:  
$10 – Actives & Family Members
$10 – Alumni Members of $45 for 45^th Anniversary Club
$15 – Alumni & Guests

Payment accepted day of event. Free to Children under 12 years of age

RSVP:  By April 12^th

Jeff Francis / anotherdamnyankeehokie@gmail.com / 610.715.4265
Eddie Brewer / ebreweriii@aol.com / 804.240.3192

Below you will find a picture with information regarding Spring 2013 Rush. We encourage anyone and everyone to come out and meet the brothers of Sigma Chi at these events.

Brothers,

If you’re not aware, we’ve recently set up a Facebook page to keep alumni, friends, the community updated with the Eta Lambda chapter on a more personal level.  If you have a minute, please check out & like the page at https://www.facebook.com/SigmaChiVirginiaTech.  We will continue to publish feature articles on this website as well, seeing as the Facebook page is for quick content and updates.

In Hoc,

Mark Wilkinson
Chapter Editor

In a recent article written by The Daily Beast, Sigma Chi took the spot as the #1 fraternity across the country.  The methodology for the rankings included number of active chapters,  number of alumni government officials, as well as funds donated to non-profit organizations and philanthropies.

Sigma Chi’s rankings were as follows:

Active Collegiate Chapters: 246
Number of Congressional Alumni: 11
Number of Presidential Alumni: 1
Funds Donated through Sigma Chi Foundation: $1,436,883

To see the complete list, view The Daily Beast’s article here: http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/08/05/college-rankings-2012-top-fraternities-photos.html

Below is the updated Fall 2012 Rush Schedule.  Dates and times are subject to change, so please check back for more information as dates get closer.

Tentative Rush Schedule, Fall 2012:

Times and Locations will be updated as the events get closer.

• September 10th – Recruitment begins with Greek 101 – See IFC website for details

• September 11th (5 PM – 7 PM) – Meet and Greet with Sigma Chi brothers at Hokie House. Come out for free food, pool, music, and more

• September 14th (4 PM – 6 PM) – Basketball at War Memorial Gym. Come out meet the brothers and play a few games of pick-up basketball

• September 19th – Steak & Cigar Night – Enjoy a tender steak and a stogie at the Sigma Chi house

• September 23th- Closed Rush – Invite only event at the Sigma Chi house

• September 24th – Bid Handout

• September 26rd – Bid Acceptance

For more information about recruitment, please see the Events tab of our webpage.

This year, brother Bill Roth is celebrating his 25th year of being the lead play-by-play announcer of both Virginia Tech football and basketball games.  Bill, a member of the Gamma Sigma pledge class, also hosts weekly radio shows featuring Frank Beamer and James Johnson.

Throughout his 25 year tenure here at Virginia Tech, Bill has been honored as Virginia’s Sportscaster of the Year a record nine times and thus dubbed the title “The Voice of the Hokies”.  Bill continues to remain active with our chapter and joins us frequently for rush events and pledge meetings.

Recently, Virginia Tech Athletics announced that they’ll be offering a limited edition commemorative print of Bill Roth and Mike Burnop celebrating their 25th year to anyone who donates $25 or more to the Roth/Burnop Endowment. This endowment will fund a scholarship in their names.

To learn more about brother Bill Roth, feel free to check out his bio at Hokie Sports.

This summer, brothers Sean Cooper and Connor Mckenna were fortunate enough to be selected to attend Sigma Chi’s 2012 Horizons retreat at Snowbird Utah.  Horizon’s is a leadership development experience created specifically for Undergraduate Sigma Chi brothers from Chapters across the nation. The program is offered at no cost to participants due to the generous support of the Sigma Chi Foundation.

“Horizons was an eye-opening experience that challenged my character and strengthened my leadership abilities”, Cooper added as he reflected on his experience.  “Being able to meet brothers from chapters all over North America gave me an incredible opportunity to exchange ideas and learn from other chapters.”

Each year, brothers from across the nation have the option to apply to the Horizons program.  Thanks for representing us Sean and Connor!

Eta Lambda Sweetheart, Lauren Fargis, was crowned Chapter Sweetheart at the recent Spring Formals held in Myrtle Beach, SC!

Lauren, a Sweetheart for 3 years, is from Richmond, VA and is working on a double major in International Studies and Sociology with a minor in French. She is also a member of Delta Gamma Sorority. Lauren is scheduled to graduate in May 2013.

Congratulations Lauren on being named Chapter Sweetheart for the 2012-2013 school year.

On June 29th, 2012, Bill Fairchild of the Eta Lambda Chapter was appointed to the Virginia Tech Board of Visitors by Governor Bob McDonnell.  Previously, Fairchild was a chairman of R. W. Murray Co., a privately held contractor in northern Virginia.

On behalf of the entire Eta Lambda chapter, we’d like to say congrats bill!

Two Members of This Year's Winning Team

This past Saturday, April 14th, the Eta Lambda hosted their 5th annual Huntsman Golf Tournament to raise money for the Huntsman Cancer Institute in Utah.  With 92 players participating in the tournament, the Eta Lambda took over Draper Valley Golf Club in great numbers.  This year the Huntsman Chairmen, Mark Wilkinson (’13), Daniel Hughes (’13), and Ian Trampe (’14) were able to sponsor all 18 holes of the course and raise donations from parents, businesses, sororities, and brothers.

On behalf of the entire brotherhood, we’d like to give a big thanks to all of our sponsors, especially the Perdue Family.  Each year, we hold the tournament in honor of Duane Perdue, an undergraduate brother of the Eta Lambda chapter who passed away from Leukemia in 2008.  On May 5th, the Perdue family will be holding the Duane Perdue Memorial Golf Tournament at Hanging Rock Golf Course.  If anyone is interested, feel free to find more information at http://www.duaneperduegolftournament.com/.