Letter from the Editor
Little did I know that attending the 70th Grand Chapter last summer would alter my life and career plans. Throughout the Grand Chapter, I was inspired to see our Fraternity continue to operate at the highest level. I was proud to see the 12 awards presented to our collegiate members, alumni, and chapters by the North American Interfraternity Conference (NIC), the trade association representing 58 inter/national men’s fraternities. To see Sigma Nu recognized and celebrated as a top men’s organization among our peers made it clear that it is an exciting time to be a brother of the Legion of Honor.
After almost 17 years, I have returned to “The Rock” to be a part of the team advancing our Fraternity’s honorable Mission. In my role as the chief advancement officer, I direct the fundraising efforts of the Sigma Nu Educational Foundation and alumni engagement for the Fraternity. The Mission of the Sigma Nu Educational Foundation is to secure and provide enduring resources in support of the Fraternity’s educational and charitable initiatives. Each day, I have the opportunity to see up close the Fraternity’s impact, and I am proud that this latest issue of The Delta highlights the latest updates from the Legion of Honor and provides us with the opportunity to sincerely thank those whose support helps move our brotherhood forward.
In this issue, we bring you profiles highlighting the entrepreneurial spirit of our alumni brothers, including George Passantino and Kevin Borgh (UC Berkeley), Eddy Perez (Georgia State), and Stefan Gleason (Florida). You’ll learn about the exemplary career of award-winning urologist and transplant specialist Dr. Charles Modlin. We also share an insightful Q&A with the Fraternity’s 68th Regent, Brother Maury Gaston (Auburn), as he reflects on his Sigma Nu experience and shares his vision for the biennium.
Since the Foundation owns our Headquarters property, I must point out our story chronicling the Epsilon Epsilon (Oklahoma State) Chapter’s 21-year pilgrimage tradition. As you will read in the story, the chapter has pioneered a Fraternity best practice, and Epsilon Epsilon alumni leaders, including Dr. Bill Spears, have made a transformational impact on the Fraternity with the recent opening of the Spears Family Epsilon Epsilon Center for Excellence.
As is tradition, this issue spotlights outstanding alumni and chapter news and includes our Foundation’s annual donor report for the recent year.
We hope you enjoy this issue and would love to hear from you with feedback and ideas for stories we should consider for future issues. Letters to the editor, comments, and general feedback can be sent to news@sigmanu.org.
Fraternally,
James A. Owens (Charleston)
Chief Advancement Officer