The Quarterly

From March 24-26, the Lambda Colony at Washington and Lee University hosted a cup stacking fundraiser in support of appendix cancer awareness and research in honor of Hank Mayer. Through donations tied to a speed stacking challenge, the colony raised $1,044 while engaging students in a fun and meaningful cause.

Brother M. Roy Burns, a Lambda Chapter alumnus, was sworn in this spring as a member of the university’s Washington and Lee University Board of Trustees. A 1999 graduate and Robert E. Lee Scholar, Burns currently serves as Managing Director and Co-Head of Financial Services at TA Associates. As a student, he was active in Sigma Nu, the Interfraternity Council, and the inaugural Williams Investment Society. Burns has remained deeply engaged as an alumnus through reunion giving efforts and alumni admissions work, continuing a distinguished record of leadership and service.

Over the weekend of January 17, members of the Lambda Colony at Washington & Lee University in Lexington, Va., hit the trails for a community cleanup. The men volunteered to help pick up trash and debris along the Chessie Trail. During the same weekend, the members also had the chance to enjoy a visit from the brothers of Nu Chapter at the University of Kansas, who were in town for a pilgrimage visit to see the Fraternity’s headquarters (pictured).

Eric Herrera, a young alumnus of the Lambda Chapter and cofounder and CEO of biotech startup MaverickX, is earning national recognition for innovation in the energy and green technology sector. Herrera was recently named to the 2026 Forbes 30 Under 30 list for his work developing bio-based chemicals that enable safer, more efficient natural resource extraction. Launched alongside fellow Lambda alumnus Jesse Evans, MaverickX utilizes biochemical processes inspired by naturally occurring organisms to extract metals and oil in ways that are more cost-effective and environmentally responsible. The company’s breakthrough technology grew out of Herrera’s scientific fieldwork, including research expeditions to extreme environments such as the Arctic and Antarctica. Since its founding, MaverickX has attracted significant investor interest, raising millions in early funding while advancing solutions designed to improve worker safety and reduce the environmental impact of traditional extraction industries.

On September 24, Washington and Lee University announced its 2025 Five-Star Distinguished Alumni Award recipients, recognizing graduates who exemplify leadership, service, and professional excellence. Among this year’s honorees is Joseph “Woody” Rutter, a Lambda Chapter alumnus and lifelong educator whose career has spanned teaching, administration, and nonprofit leadership. Rutter dedicated more than three decades to Salisbury School and later served as headmaster of Beaufort Academy in South Carolina. His civic and volunteer work includes leadership with the Historic Beaufort Foundation, Thumbs Up, Inc., and the Public Library Foundation of Beaufort County. Internationally, he has been recognized for his educational outreach in Lithuania and long service with ASSIST Scholars.