Alumni donate to Scholarships and Better Water!

Our 2026 Goal: Add $8,000 to our CSF to add another annual SLA scholarship!

The 2026 SAJ Weekend of Giving is another chance to build on this momentum. Every dollar donated during the campaign goes 100% directly to Theta Upsilon’s Chapter Scholarship Fund, which is professionally managed and distributed annually to our own undergraduates. With our CSF now approaching $80,000, if we add another $8,000 in donations this year, we will add another SLA annual scholarship!

To help us reach this year’s goals, four alumni have created five matches to encourage every brother to reflect on the impact Kappa Sigma has had on his life and to take the opportunity to help the next generation of Kappa Sigs at Miami University!

• 2:1 Match for Alumni from 1967-79:  Brother Jim Lewis (Initiation Class '74) will match every donation two to one from Theta-Upsilon Alumni up to $2000. 
  
  
• 1:1 Match for Alumni from 1980-1989:  Brother Michael Schoedinger (Initiation Class '86) will match every donation from Theta-Upsilon Alumni initiated from 1980-1989 up to $500 total.
  
  
• 1:1 Match for Alumni from 1990-1995:  Brother Clay Hunt (Initiation Class '90) will match every donation from Theta-Upsilon Alumni initiated from 1990-1995 up to $500 total.
  
  
• 10 First Time Donors Challenge:  Brother Wes Bren (Initiation Class '85) will donate $500 when there are 10 FIRST time donors to the Theta-Upsilon Chapter.
   
• Five Donations 1996-2015:  Brother Wes Bren  (Initiation Class '85) will donate $500 when Five Theta-Upsilon Alumni initiated from 1996 to 2015 have made donations this year.

To donate and see the progress go to our Chapter's page. The donation site is open during March 6-8 only.  Donors will be recognized on our donor page.  

Celebrating Our 2025 Scholarship Award Recipients

The impact of our generosity is immediately visible. This December, a record ten Theta Upsilon undergraduates received scholarship awards from the Kappa Sigma Endowment Fund—an unprecedented milestone for our chapter. These awards included the three named scholarships from David E. Ledman Scholarship ($2000), the Clifford Browne II Scholarship - ($1000), the Brian P. McDowell Scholarship ($1000), along with six Donald C. Dilley Scholarship Leadership Awards recognizing academic excellence, leadership, and service. In addition, Theta-Upsilon benefitted from the Toby H. Taylor Scholarship bequeathed to Chapters in Southern Ohio.  Brother Taylor is past WGM, WGP, WGMC and past DGM of Ohio.  See January’s post for the names of 2025 award winners. 

Cossa Challenge coming up Very Soon!  Seeking Donations to help purchase Water softeners.

The KSTUAA Board voted February 22 to devote the proceeds of the years Cossa Challenge to the Housing Company to raise awareness of a needed project that Theta Upsilon Housing Company is researching: Installation of Water Softeners.
As most of you remember, Oxford, Ohio, is notorious for its extremely hard water, often exceeding 20 grains per gallon due to the region’s limestone-rich groundwater. 

Without a water softening system, these high mineral levels lead to rapid scale buildup inside plumbing, water heaters, and appliances, significantly shortening their lifespan and increasing maintenance costs! Installing a softener is a proactive investment that protects the property’s infrastructure from internal corrosion and ensures tenants don't face constant issues with clogged showerheads, inefficient heating, or mineral-stained fixtures.

More details will come out closer to NCAA Basketball Selection Sunday.  Contact Brad Mikes or KSTUAA&Gmail to make sure you get an invite to our private March Madness game.

DGM Bren organizes Great Lakes District Conclave as his Southwest Ohio District hosts and Theta-Upsilon plays an important role

The 12th Annual Great Lakes Conclave was the result of a year‑long effort led by District Grand Master, Wes Bren IC '85, who planned, organized, and emceed one of the largest district conclaves in the country. Undergraduate members and volunteers of the Theta-Upsilon Chapter were involved in the planning and logistics.

More than 300 Kappa Sigma undergraduates and volunteers representing over 40 chapters, colonies, and interest groups across all of Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Western Pennsylvania traveled to Cincinnati for a full day of leadership development, training and brotherhood! Distinguished national officers including the 

Worth Grand Master of Ceremonies, Brother Nick Snowberger and Past WGS, Dan Tierney attended as VIPs and speakers, underscoring the significance of the GLC event which is known as one of the best conclaves in the nation.  Theta-Upsilon GM, Ryan Bowyer had the honor of introducing the WGMC.

Under Bren’s direction, this year’s Conclave expanded dramatically—introducing vendors, door prizes, and four awards for the first time. The G. Miles Arnold Journey Award recognized the chapter that made the greatest investment to attend, multiplying distance by number of attendees. The Military Heroes Month Excellence Award honored a chapter or colony whose November service best supported the program and the Wright State Colony Brothers Bren and Rob Miller IC '86 have been assisting was named the winner and presented with U.S. flag flown in service overseas on December 10th, Kappa Sigma’s founding date. A special expansion award recognized chapters that submitted multiple leads to help the Fraternity expand to new campuses without active chapters was won by two chapters.  

And the tongue-in-cheek. crowd‑favorite... The Brother Boyd Bristle Trophy, inspired by Brother Boyd's handlebar moustache and some similarity to some well know Cincinnati brands brought energy and humor as attendees cheered to select the winner. 

The event, hosted on UC's campus with extra room included a 50% increase in the number of breakout sessions and panels, three new roundtables, providing more options and topics to help Chapters and their leaders! 

This years event also expanded to Friday night with two events to promote brotherly fellowship and networking. For the undergrads, a Euchre tournament benefiting a MHC charity was hosted by the UC chapter with support from Miami, Capital, and Wright State. Miami members designed the championship hats.   For Alumni Bren organized an Alumni Happy Hour at New Riff Distillery, complete with tours! Bren, who turned 60 the weekend before brought a Busken Birthday Cake to the evening festivities featuring a composite photo from 1988-courtesy of his Kappa Sig sweetheart. 

Bren also brought together most of the 33 volunteers he oversees in the district for a team dinner at iconic Montgomery Inn Boathouse restaurant along the river. Longtime volunteers mixed with new volunteers with initiation years ranging from 2025 to 1974! 

Bren made sure there were many nods to the hometown throughout the weekend including: donuts from Graeter’s, Skyline 3‑ways as a lunch option (over 120 ordered!), Pringles  and Grippo’s BBQ chips, and Rhinegeist beer and KY Bourbon at the closing reception. 
The Conclave’s scale, creativity, and execution reflected the hard work and collaboration of two planning teams and Bren’s year‑long leadership—delivering an event that strengthened chapters across the region and provided Miami University’s members with a model of excellence in fraternity leadership and a life lesson that Kappa Sigma is not for a college term only!

Fricker Report Publication Delayed

 See the article on GLC above to understand why... ;-)

 

Super Bowl Squares to Fund the display of more Composites within the Chapter House!

The 2026 edition of the KSTUAA Super Bowl Squares offers a prize pot worth $1000 with the KSTUAA portion helping to pay for additional composite reprints! 

The 2026 Project: Putting our legacy on display at the Chapter House  

Over the decades, all but a few of the composites were stolen or damaged beyond repair. The original vendors couldn't provide replicas saying their archives had been destroyed in a fire. 

So in 2021 KSTUAA began a process of collecting the the personal prints of the miniature composites that used to be handed out. These were usually about 14-16" wide.  Thanks to the help of Brothers Bill Weirough, Doug Buse, John Jahoda, John Wilson, Norm Witzler, Mark Morgan,  Brad Mikes, Wes Bren, Larry Rosinski, Timothy Storer and Robert Dittrich we secured 28 replicas in good condition.  Still missing are a few from 1971-1973 and many from 1996-2012 (See below for more details.)

The replicas were taken to a photography studio that were able to retouch and printed at a larger size of 28" x 18" with an 1/4" acrylic front and pvc back. (We also secured digital files from these prints for future use.) These were installed in the Shoe Box in the second floor hallway in 2022 creating a wall of the first two 1/2 decades of Theta-Upsilon. 

Above: Brother Joe Turner was happy to show his young face to a
family member on a recent visit to Oxford. 

The cost to do this is about $250 each, covering the print, fabrication and installation. To cover the missing ones and start the process with the new era (2022-2025) will take more than $5000.  

Above: Composites are displayed chronologically in two rows. The single row is the gap of missing 1971-1973 composites.  

What years are we missing Composites?  

We are needing alumni to send the missing miniature composites for the following years:

1971, 1972, 1973,

1996, 1997, 1999,

2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011-2012 

If you have one of these missing years, please email us immediately so we can share how you can help us complete the set. 

You can help by buying some Super Bowl squares!
The Kappa Sigma Super Bowl Squares split the pot will generate $1000 in prize money and $1000 for KSTUAA for this project (1/5 the expected cost.) 

 

The Kappa Sigma Super Bowl Squares Game Format:
The Kappa Sigma Super Bowl Squares is our simple take on a perennial favorite where alumni can pick squares with two numbers that reflect all the possible combinations of the last digit in any score. Pick the square that matches the AFL and NFC teams scores during a quarter end and you are a winner!!! 20% of the prize will be awarded to the winner in each of the first three quarters and 40% of the prize money will be award to the alumnus matching the final score!

Instructions:
Send us the game squares you want e.g. A1, C7, F5, I2, J10 and email to KSTUAA@gmail.com. (Squares are awarded based on the first to reach us, based on email sent times with dues paying Alumni getting priority on ties) Duplicate choices will be assigned nearest open spot by KSTUAA.

The Tables showing available squares will be updated each day: CLICK HERE to see the Table of Available Squares (May need to "right click to download" if it doesn't display)

Make payment with PayPal here. $20 per square for anyone that has paid KSTUAA Dues (so if you haven't paid dues add the $25 KSTUAA Alumni dues) If you already have paid Dues... THANK YOU and its just $20 a square.) You can also use Venmo (@KSTUAA) or personal check. 

Aren't sure if you'd paid your Dues? Check the Donor's page for the list of current donors  and confirm your status (Alumni that have paid KSTUAA dues are highlighted in a light green color). 

Remember extra donations go to pay for this great project. Please be generous!

Grab a beer and see who else shows up when Bracket Master Mikes will pick the column and row numbers Live on Zoom Saturday, February 7 at 11:00 AM ET the day before the big game! (let us know if you want to be included in the zoom.)

Then enjoy Super Bowl LX and win up to $1000 happily knowing you are helping our Chapter!

We will post this years winners below in an update. 
Good Luck and AEKDB

(Updated Feb 9) This year's Winners!!!
Q1 Seattle 3 - New England - 0
****Winner: Clay Hunt
Q2 Seattle 9 - New England - 0
****Winner: Ed Kessler
Q3  Seattle 12 - New England - 0
****Winners: Patrick Reedy
Final Seattle 29 - New England - 13
****Winner: Robb Warren

A record TEN Theta-Upsilon members receive scholarship awards from the Kappa Sigma Endowment Fund in December!

Thanks to the generosity of our alumni over the last several years during Stephen Alonzo Jackson Weekend and those alumni that have become Jackson Men our Theta-Upsilon account in the endowment fund has grown to $80,000 which produces one $500+ scholarship for ever $12,500 (six this year) and we also have three annual scholarships named after our alumni $1000-$2000 each.

 

Our members fill in an applications and the process is managed by the Endowment funds with the awards being announced December 10 (Founders Day.) 

Eight very deserving undergraduates from our Theta-Upsilon Chapter received monetary scholarship wards from the Kappa Sigma Endowment Fund this fall.

• David E. Ledman Scholarship Award $2000 - Andrew Rossi IC 23- Former GP & Scholarship Chair.
• Clifford Browne II Scholarship Award $1000 - Ryan Kellogg IC '24, Former GT
• Brian P. McDowell Scholarship Award $1000 - Mike Skidmore IC '24
• Toby H. Taylor Scholarship Award (past WGM and Ohio DGM) $1000 - Nickolas Turbyville IC '25 current GMC

In addition 6 Donald C. Dilley, Jr. Scholarship-Leadership Awards were given out:

• Kyle R. Hendricks IC '23 Former GM & GS also 'SAJ Incentive Individual Scholarship bonus'
• Jake Francis IC '24 Former GMC, current MHC Chair
• Zachary Sharpe IC '24
• Dawson Bok IC '24
• Ben Bayler IC '23
• Andrew Weirman, IC '23 Former GS 

Thanks to all the Alumni that have donated to the Kappa Sigma Endowment Fund over the recent years. The 2026 SAJ Weekend of Giving which delivers 100% of the donation will be in the first weekend in March. Let's keep adding Scholarships!

If you would like to help get the word out to make sure this year's campaign is another success, contact Wes at KSTUAA@gmail. 

Reconnect. Update. Our 60th Anniversary Is Coming!!

Since the earliest days of our Theta‑Upsilon Chapter, our alumni have taken pride in a brotherhood that lasts far beyond a college term—or, heaven forbid, just a pledge class! 

One of the clearest expressions of that commitment has always been our effort to keep alumni connected through accurate directories, updated contact lists, and well‑organized gatherings.

That tradition started early. Our first alumni event was held in 1969, just two years after our founding and most recently our 55th in April 2022. We’ve celebrated milestone reunions for our 20th, 25th, 40th, 45th, and 50th Anniversaries. 

And now, the next major milestone is on the horizon!

In April 2027, we will gather in Oxford for our 60th Anniversary Reunion—calling home every brother initiated between 1967 and 2026 to celebrate the Order and the lifelong relationships that began here.

But before we can send invitations, we need your help.

Step One: Update & verify our Alumni Records

We want to reach as many of our 1,337 initiates as possible. To do that, we’re updating contact information, confirming Big Brother/Little Brother pairings for our family trees, and working to restore composite replicas for display in the Chapter House.

Since August, members of the KSTUAA Board have been personally contacting alumni across different eras. Here’s where things stand (confirmation rates reflect the last six months):

• James Lewis ’74 — Classes of 1973–1977 (50 Brothers, ~18% confirmed)
• Brad Mikes ’82 — Classes of 1980–1982 (62 Brothers, ~39% confirmed)
• Mark Rowland ’83 — Classes of 1983–1984 (26 Brothers, ~4% confirmed)
• Chris Elder ’85 — Class of 1985 (17 Brothers, ~24% confirmed)
• Mike McNally ’86 — Classes of 1986–1987 (57 Brothers, ~3% confirmed)
• Patrick Reedy ’89 — Classes of 1988–1989 (57 Brothers, ~5% confirmed)
• Clay Hunt ’90 — Classes of 1990–1991 (52 Brothers, ~4% confirmed)
• Shawn Isham ’92 — Classes of 1992–1993 (64 Brothers, ~6% confirmed)
• Brian Schmidt ’22 — Classes of 1994–1996 (102 Brothers, ~1% confirmed)
• Emmett Jones ’22 — Classes of 1999–2001 (91 Brothers, ~1% confirmed)
• Abdul Avdiu ’22 — Classes of 2022–2025 (78 Brothers, ~96% confirmed)
• Wes Bren ’85 — everyone else...
• 1967–1972 (88 Brothers, ~2% confirmed)
• 1978–1979 (31 Brothers, ~3% confirmed)
• 1997–1998 (66 Brothers, ~2% confirmed)
• 2002–2015 (246 Brothers, ~1% confirmed)

We’re making progress—but we need your help to close the gaps.

How You Can Help (Takes Less Than 2 Minutes)

1. Update your contact information: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/Z58PY3G
   
   
2. Share a brother’s mobile number: Email us at KSTUAA@gmail.com
   
   
3. Invite brothers into our private LinkedIn and Facebook groups. See links here: https://kstuaa.blogspot.com/p/links-and-resources.html
   
   
4. Take a look at the Chapter Celestial List. 

Every update strengthens our network and ensures no brother misses the 60th Anniversary invitation. 

Upcoming Alumni Events (2026–2027)

Great opportunities to reconnect, support the Chapter, and build momentum toward our 60th.

• Feb 8, 2026 — Super Bowl LX Squares (benefiting the Composite Project)
• Feb 20, 2026 — Alumni Happy Hour in Cincinnati
• March 6–7, 2026 — Stephen Alonzo Jackson Weekend of Giving
• March 15, 2026 — Cossa Challenge / NCAA Bracket
• April 1, 2026 — Charter Day Celebrations (59th year)
• April 19, 2026 — Senior Appreciation & Transition Event
• June 12–14, 2026 — Miami Alumni Weekend
• June 13: Open House & KSTUAA Annual Meeting
• Sept 12, 2026 — Fricker Cup (Cleveland)
• Sept 11: Alumni Happy Hour
• Homecoming 2026 — Date TBD (two HOF inductions)
• Dec 10, 2026 — Founders Day Happy Hours
• Feb 2027 — Super Bowl LXI Squares
• April 2027 — 60th Anniversary Reunion & Fricker Cup (Multiple HOF inductions)

Save the Date. Update Your Info. Spread the Word.

The 60th Anniversary will be one of the largest gatherings in our chapter’s history—and we want every brother to be part of it. Updating your information today ensures you’re on the list and helps us reconnect with brothers we haven’t heard from in years.

A.E.K.D.B.

We thrive when you share your Time, Talent & Treasure

The Kappa Sigma Fraternity, KSTUAA and the Theta Upsilon Housing company are ALL not-for-profit organizations.  That means their success depends on members being generous with their time, talents and your treasurer.  A word of Thanks to everyone who has donated in the past, and a call to everyone that the need for help is every year.

A word about Time

In the last issue of the Fricker Report (Feb 2025) we highlighted on pages 8-13 over 50 Theta-Upsilon Alumni serving on the KSTUAA Board including the Chapter Advisory Council, The Communication and Events Committee, and sub-committees for HOF Nominations and Fricker Cup Rules committee; The Theta Upsilon Housing Committee and 9 serving as volunteers within the Kappa Sigma Fraternity as DGMs, AAs, AAAs and ADGMs!  Clearly, our alumni have stepped up to fill a need since we lost our charter in 2016!

A word about Talent

One of the unique programs the KSTUAA Chapter Advisory Council organizes is the Alumni Docent program. We have over 120 Alumni that have volunteered to jump on a 45 minute call to share their insights with an undergraduate interested in that industry or career.  We need more and you can sign up here.

Some words about Treasure

There are several ways that you can support Theta-Upsilon and Kappa Sigma financially. For those alumni wanting to make a tax-deductible donation, There are four ways and two that are most important and timely. In addition, there are ways that you can help our Alumni Association and our housing company. Unfortunately those donations are not tax deductible at this time.

Tax-deductible options

The Five Campaign (Dec 5-7) / Legacy on the Lawn capital campaign

This December 5th The Kappa Sigma Endowment Fund has scheduled a brief campaign to raise money for the Kappa Sigma International Headquarters expansion. The Five Campaign, named after the five founders (Founders Day is December 10th) and the other fives that are symbolic inside of Kappa Sigma, will run through the weekend 12/5-7. Alumni are encouraged to make tax-deductible donations to help pay for the expansion.

Over $9 million has been raised to date. Additional details are on the website. Brothers Chris Broome IC ’89 and Wes Bren IC ’85 have already donated to the Legacy of theLawn Campaign but their donations don’t count towards our 5K goal on Dec 5.

Alumni who are interested in leaving a legacy promoting Theta Upsilon and showing their support are encouraged to give generously and to buy naming rights for everything from chairs and plaques to pillars, and even if you have a spare $1 million handy, one of the entire buildings.  

Emmett Jones IC ’22 former Grand Master, Grand Treasurer, UAC member, now serving as Secretary of KSTUAA is our chapter's ambassador. Each Chapter has been asked to donate at least $5000 to the campaign. If the exceed this amount, the Chapter will receive some bonus FACE points which are always helpful.

Large and small donations are welcome!     

KSTUAA will track your donations and include them on this year's page of donors on our website. Contact Emmett Jones or Wes Bren if you’d like to donate before Dec 5.

Stephen Alonzo Jackson Weekend of Giving – March 4 every year

What has become a strong tradition for our alumni has been the Stephen Alonzo Jackson Weekend of Giving held around his birthday.  During the weekend 100% of the donation can be assigned to a Chapter’s endowment account in the Kappa Sigma Endowment Fund.

Last year, over $51,000 was donated by 90+ Alumni into our Chapter's endowment fund to create an annual Named Scholarship worth $2,000 each year in the name and honor of Dave Ledman IC ’81 who joined the Chapter Celestial a few months before.

The previous year, our alumni donated over $65,000 to create two Named Scholarships of $1,000 each honoring Brother Cliff Brown IC ‘91 and Brian McDowell IC ‘91.

Donations during the weekend go 100% to scholarships for our chapter. And the chapter receives an annual scholarship of $500 or more for every $12,500 raised.

Other Tax-Deductible options

There are some other ways to make tax-deductible donations of which a percentage benefits the chapter. These include signing up to be a Jackson Man. We have eleven brothers who have done this.

And you can also become a lifetime dues member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity. Three of our members have done that.

Non-Tax Deductible Donations closer to home

If the tax deduction is not important to you, you can make other donations and contributions to assist Theta-Upsilon more directly.

KSTUAA (a 501-c-7 not-for-profit organization)

The first area is to donate to the Kappa Sigma Theta Upsilon Alumni Association, which organizes events for alumni to participate, publishes communications, and assists our Chapter through special projects organized by our Chapter Advisory Council. Last year's completion of the trophy/conference room was made possible from donations like this.  All donations made to KSTUAA are acknowledged on our donors page.

In addition, you can describe your gift to benefit the Memorial Fund.  Donations designated to this give us money so we can send flowers to the family of a brother who has joined the Chapter Celestial on behalf of all Theta-Upsilon Alumni.

Theta Upsilon Housing Company (a 501-c-2 not-for-profit organization)

Another option for our alumni to play a significant roles is to assist our housing company with special projects and to reduce the debt incurred when we opened up the Chapter house. See the Fricker report. To make the needed renovations to bring up the facilities up to code which allows us to generate income from having renters again, TUHC took on lines of credit for the renovations.  Over $600,000 was needed to complete work on both facilities. Unfortunately, due to code limitations related to room size and occupancy, we limited to less than 50% of tenants of the past. This results in less than ½ the rental revenue of the past, placing the TUHC board in a challenging financial place.  

Time, Talent & Treasurer

The saying goes, if you aren’t donating in in one, you need to make up for it in the others.  Please make a commitment to help us ensure a healthy, vibrant Chapter that is the pride of Miami University.

For more information, contact Wes Bren.

x

2025 Homecoming was a success!

Miami Homecoming 2025 featured a warm welcome of twenty plus alumni and a well attended Theta-Upsilon Alumni Hall of Fame induction ceremony of Brothers John Henry IC '85 and Craig Izzo IC '88.

Behind the scenes alumni were busy at work helping the Chapter. The Theta Upsilon Housing Company held its annual meeting inside the Trophy Room and the KSTUAA Chapter Advisory Council met with the EC to discuss some key mentoring initiatives like the Alumni Docent program.

With a football victory and a beautiful day to walk uptown later in the day, it was a successful weekend from all angles!

The commitment of alumni was also on full display with TUHC President, Matt Smith IC '87 flying in from England for the weekend. He was joined by TUHC Treasurer, Jim Lewis IC '74 who drove in from Virginia. KSTUAA Board Member and Chair of the Communications & Events Committee, Brad Mikes IC '82 drove in from Greenville SC. KSTUAA President, Clay Hunt IC '90 drove in from Columbus as did Brother Izzo.  HOF Committee Chairman, Rick Sippola IC '85 and recent graduate Kirt Sippola IC '22 came in from Cleveland.   District Grand Master and KSTUAA Board Member and Chair of the CAC, Wes Bren was present with other CAC members, Jay Cavender IC '80, Nathan Varnum IC '87, Craig Izzo, and were joined on a conference call by David Brinkman IC '81 and Fernando Romero IC '22 for their meeting with the Executive Committee before the HOF ceremony. Another two dozen additional alumni came to Oxford. 

Theta-Upsilon demonstrated what… Not for a college term only…. Means!!!

The Chapter also did a nice job hosting! Saturday started with undergraduates at the house to welcome alumni as they came in that morning. Coffee, donuts, a guest book and name tags greeted the alumni at 406 E. Withrow. After the HOF Ceremony, alumni and undergraduates returned to the Chapter House for BBQ and beverages in a jointly sponsored event by the Chapter and KSTUAA (your annual KSTUAA dues at work!)

This year the HOF ceremony was moved to Pearson Hall to bring a little more formality to the program. It began with an inspiring welcome by KSTUAA President, Clay Hunt and was followed by the Chapter's current Grand Master, Kyle Hendricks. Brother Sippola provided some history and context for the Hall of Fame and then introduced this years inductees.

Brothers Henry and Izzo both shared remarks about their careers and how the Kappa Sigma experience had helped them in life. Afterward the HOF plaques were presented, both Brothers took question from the undergraduates.

The event was concluded with a couple group photos to commemorate the event. The following Hall of Fame members were in attendance: Rick Sippola (class of 2000), Wes Bren (class of 2017), Jim Lewis (class of 2022), Brad Mikes (class of 2023)

Alumni are encouraged to submit HOF nominations before December 15. A Link to the form and the Criteria can be found on the HOF page on this site.

Young Alumni Win 2025 Fricker Cup!

Fricker Cup 2025: A Record-Breaking Day in Columbus

The 11th annual Fricker Cup brought together 44 enthusiastic participants on a stunning September afternoon at Safari Golf Club in Columbus, Ohio — marking the largest turnout for a non-reunion year event. A special shoutout goes to the twelve recent graduates (Classes of 2022–2025) whose presence plus a dozen more first time participants helped set this new record! 

The event pulled in Brothers from beyond Columbus including some from elsewhere in Ohio and Indiana, many brothers from Chicago, one from Atlanta and one from Spain!

The great weather at the Safari Golf Club was a huge relief for those that remember the last time the event was held in Columbus (Dublin Weather Greets the 2018 Fricker Cup Participants!) 

The tournament, first held in 2014, has become a cherished tradition — and this year’s contest delivered a thrilling finish worthy of Fricker lore.

New Champions Crowned. 

Brothers Jacob Mileski IC ’22 (Charter Class) and Paxton Thompson IC ’22 claimed their first Fricker Cup victory with a net score of 63 — 13 under par. Their win, by a single stroke over three-time champions Scott Rich IC ’89 and Tim Ruppelli IC ’87, marks the first time post-rechartering alumni have earned the honor of touching the Cup without invoking the Curse of Fricker.

Winners Mileski and Thompson surrounded by
the Fricker Cup Rules Committee

Daniel Yoho IC ’11 playing in the tournament won both closest to the pin contests including the split-the-pot hole with $420 in going to support the Chapter's Scholarship fund (Stephen Alonzo Jackson Weekend of Giving in March 2026.) 

Seventeen Alumni also responded to the call to become or update their Alumni Docent profiles (A professional networking program for our undergrads. See details here.  Create your own profile here.) The event registration also included KSTUAA Dues which helped raise another $1000 for KSTUAA which will help cover a part of the Homecoming/HOF Induction expenses on September 27, 2025.  

Winning the longest drive was 2016 Fricker Cup Champion Rick Sippola IC '85.   

Jon Stevens IC '87  won the longest putt. 

Partners, Mike White IC '84 and Clay Hunt IC '90 won a consolation prize for having the worst score of the afternoon, 15 over par Net 87.  The team was congratulated for playing fast and not getting bogged down in slow play like previous winners.  

This year's memorable and very successful event was planned by The Fricker Cup Planning & Rules Committee of John Henry IC '85, Dave Bouve IC '86, Brad Flinders IC '86, Brian Harding IC '86, Ed Kessler IC '87, Jeff Meek IC '87, and Frazer Donaldson IC '88 and helped by local host: Brad Storts IC ’89.

A special shout out also goes out to Brother John Schoger IC '87 who not only supervised the split-the-pot hole but also on the day of the event organized a group PowerBall purchase with the estimated jackpot of $1.79 Billion with the caveat of using $20 Million to purchase a new Chapter House! Alas none of the groups tickets came up with the 11, 23, 44, 61, 62, 17pb   

Next year’s event is currently planned for Cleveland with the following 2027 event happening during the 60th Anniversary reunion in Oxford.  Check back on the Fricker Cup page for more details.

The first Fricker Cup was played at Hueston Woods course near Oxford in 2014, eleven years ago.  Ever since, with the exception of 2020 due to Covid two alumni have had their names added to the impressive trophy.  

This years format was a partner scramble, with each partner needing to contribute at least 6 drives. The event started with a lunch at the facility and a boisterous awards ceremony followed the round at the club house.

Like previous Fricker Cups, KSTUAA hosted an alumni gathering Friday night open to all Theta-Upsilon alumni whether they were participating in the golf tournament or not. A large group of over 25 alumni and guests from three decades gathered at The North Market in Dublin.  

Friday evening event at the North Market provided the opportunity for
non-golfers to celebrate brotherly fellowship with those that had travelled in for the Fricker Cup.

After the Fricker Cup, Saturday evening alumni joined the group at several establishments in the Dublin area.  Brother Ed Bennett IC ’85 brought one of his pumpkin rolls to share at the end of the evening. The recipe is based on a John Henry family recipe that Ed learned about while still an undergraduate and has been making annually for family and friends ever since!  It was a sweet finale to a weekend full of camaraderie, competition, and tradition.

Winners Mileski and Thompson surrounded by other recent graduates.

McGonagle & Turner finished 2 over, Rich & Rupelli finished in second at 8 under

Harding & Zevchik finished 3 under; Flinders & Bouve also finished 3 under

Loisel & Varnum  finished 1 over; Kessler & Stevens finished
tied for fourth place at 6 under

Payne & King finished -5 under;
Mileseki & Thompson finished in first place at 9 under

Donaldson and Izzo finished 3 over;
Bren & Arthurs finished even in 15th place

Heuser & Romero finished 4 over;

Ebbling & Hughes finished 3 under

Zuchowski & Dixon finished 6 over

Storer & Merkle finished tied for 4th place at 6 under

Renz & Henry finished 3 under;
Sippola & Antonelli finished 1 over

Lynch & Yoho finished 3rd place with 7 under

K. Sippola & Q. Sippola finished 3 under

Hunt & White finished 15 over in 22nd place.