Inside

This

Issue

A Message from the Alumni Association President

Join Us for the July Work & Fun Weekend – July 8, 9 and 10

     The Work Stuff

     The Fun Stuff

May Work Weekend was a Success!

May Alumni Social Event –Whirlyball

Friday, July 8, 2022 – Punch Bowl Social – RSVP

Saturday, July 9, 2022 – July Work Weekend – RSVP for SATURDAY

Saturday, July 9, 2022 – Work Weekend Cookout – RSVP

Sunday, July 10, 2022 – July Work Weekend – RSVP for SUNDAY

Brothers,

We are working together to build a self-sustaining alumni association that will benefit the alumni, the active fraternity members, and the chapter house that we all called home at some point. I am pleased to report that right now we are headed in the right direction and are picking up speed!

In our last issue we outlined all the improvements that were made at 11016 Magnolia at our March 2022 work weekend. In this issue we summarize the results of our equally successful May work weekend below, and we lay out the plan for our next event on July 9 and 10. Our Housing Committee is also hard at work planning future repairs that will need to be done professionally. It’s not all about work though! In this issue we also talk our successful alumni social event in May and tell you all about the upcoming events we will be holding in conjunction with the July work weekend.

Beyond our events, the April 29 issue of the Paragon went out to 341 brothers. This issue is going out to 394 brothers. Thank you so much for spreading the word! We’ve initiated over 800 brothers in the history of our chapter, so there’s still room for improvement. Please mention the Paragon to any brothers you are in touch with, and if they didn’t receive it, please send their contact info to Nathan Kossover at secretary@oabphikaps.org.

I would like to thank everyone who planned, executed, and/or attended our alumni work weekends held thus far.

A special thank you goes out to David Sutula, Robert Stalder and Eric Malkin, who demonstrated our motto of “Give, Expecting Nothing Thereof” when they generously covered the cost of sending one of the actives to the National Leadership Conference in San Antonio this summer.

Thanks are also due to the many brothers who donated to defray the expenses of our work on the house, and especially to Davey Rowan for his hard work on the infrastructure that drives this newsletter and our website. You have all made a huge difference!

Currently, a small group of alumni is driving this effort.  We could use some help; after all, “many hands make for light work.” I would ask all of you receiving this newsletter to consider how you might apply your time, talent, or treasure, to assist our mission. Please contact me at president@oabphikaps.org or Nathan Kossover at secretary@oabphikaps.org  if you would like to volunteer your assistance. You’re also welcome to attend one of our meetings and see what we’re working on.

Finally, welcome to the newest member of our alumni association, Ryan Paddock, who graduated from CWRU last month. Congratulations Ryan, and I hope to see you at many of our upcoming events.

Yours in the Bonds,

Nicholas DeCenzo
President, Ohio Alpha Beta Alumni Association

  Join Us for the July Work & Fun Weekend – July 8, 9 and 10

The Work

On Saturday & Sunday July 9 & 10, we will be gathering at the house to build on the success of our May Work Weekend. We will start at 8am both days with a light breakfast and coffee. We will prioritize and assign projects from the following list based on volunteer registrations.

1. Reframe and replace rotted boiler room window and create combustion air supply.

2. Repair/replace deck stair, reattach deck railing at brick column, secure paver stairs

3. Replace multiple panes of glass in Parlor interior door

4. Repair non-functional Study lighting with LED retrofit kit

5. Close holes under deck and front porch to prevent future wildlife entry

6. Complete any remaining demolition in basement where there is mold or water damage

7. Repair/replace emergency lighting and emergency exit signs

8. Secure outdoor speaker wiring

9. Repair kitchen ceiling, replace fluorescent lighting

10. Repair bar lighting and ceiling

11. Interior patching & painting

12. Replace broken/missing staircase spindles if available

13. Junk cleanout

14. Landscape maintenance

 We know that not everyone is necessarily capable of doing construction, so we have also identified several projects that are less physically taxing.

1. Create lists of everyone on each composite to improve our alumni database.

2. Digital photo of every composite.

3. Digitize award applications, historical documents, minutes, etc.

4. Create list of composites needing repair or that are missing.

5. Make a list of the composite vendor and find their contact information online so that we can contact them for potential replacement of missing or seriously damaged composites.

6. Search for vendor to restore and digitize historic blueprints
   of the house.

There’s a lot to do, and we look forward to your assistance. A light breakfast and lunch will be provided both days. If you’re interested in joining us, please RSVP for SATURDAY and/or RSVP for SUNDAY. Please contact Patrick Glynn with any questions. Feel free to come for the entire weekend, one day, or one hour. Or just swing by to say hi!

On Friday, July 8, we will be kicking off the weekend at Punch Bowl Social (1086 W. 11^th St. Cleveland) starting at 6pm. We’ll start with dinner and drinks, and then socialize while enjoying some of the many available activities, including minigolf, bowling, and bar games.

 Everyone will pay their own way, but we ask that you RSVP no later than Wednesday, July 6 so we can confirm the count.  The reservation will be under the name “Ken.”

All brothers and significant others are welcome whether or not you can join us for the July Work Weekend!

We hope to see you there! Please contact Kenichi Nagano with any questions.

On Saturday, July 9, we will be having a cookout on the house starting at 6:00 pm. Burgers, Hot dogs, sides, etc.

All brothers and significant others are welcome whether or not you can attend Work Weekend!

RSVP so we can have the appropriate amount of food on hand. Please contact Davey Rowan with any questions or dietary needs.

  May Work Weekend was a Success!

On May 14 & 15, eleven alumni gathered at 11016 Magnolia to make some much needed improvements to the house. Too many projects were completed to list them all here, but some highlights include:

1. Major demolition was completed in three rooms in the basement to address water damage.
2. Dry wall was removed around one of the plumbing stacks. We are evaluating quotes to have professionals replace this stack, as the original cast iron has started to deteriorate.
3. Temporarily patched several holes in the roof. We in the process of quoting out more permanent repairs by professionals.
4. Many gaps in the exterior trim were sealed to prevent water entry. The paint was touched up after sealing.
5. To improve the physical security of the house, the opening in the back fence was closed off. Latch guards and other security measures were installed on all exterior doors.
6. The kitchen stove was repaired. Minor repairs were performed on both the main kitchen sink and the hand washing sink.
7. A window was repaired in the chapter room.
8. New carbon monoxide detectors were installed on each floor and new filters were installed in the high-capacity dehumidification system donated by Gregory Vishey in 2021.

In addition to these efforts, alumni coordinated contractors during the weekend who:

• Used hydrojetting to clear multiple clogged exterior drains to help keep water out of the basement. We are seeking additional quotes to repair a collapsed underground sewer line that is fed by our gutters.
• Removed and ground a dead tree in the front year and did extensive trimming of the mulberry tree over the firepit.

Over the course of the weekend, we invested a total of $5,401.47 in the house, which was covered through past donations. Of this total, $2,092.72 went to building materials and supplies, $2,393.73 went to outside contractors for stump grinding, tree trimming, pest control and snaking sewer lines, and the remaining $915.02 went to tool and dumpster rental. We wish to thank all our prior donors whose financial support in years past made this work weekend possible. If you would like to support our planned work for July, please donate via Paypal on our website.

During the work weekend, we also identified some additional areas that need professional attention:

• The back staircase leading to the server room from the driveway has major erosion issues and there are missing bricks. We believe water may be entering the basement via this area. We are getting quotes to repair this damage.
• Electrical contractors are giving us estimates to repair some outdated wiring.
• We are seeking estimates to replace the ANSUL fire suppression system in the kitchen.

Our plan is to correct all the ways that water was entering the basement before we rebuild the rooms that were demolished.

Many thanks are due to our intrepid volunteers, who traveled to Cleveland from five different states and all over Ohio:  Eugene Choi, Nicholas DeCenzo, Jason Dolan, John Dutton, Eli Jones, Kenichi Nagano, Neal Pence, Tony Rossi, Davey Rowan, Robert Sepsi, Steve DeBrosse, and many actives.

Extra thanks go to Patrick Glynn for leading this event!

While repairing the stove, Jason Dolan suddenly remembers what almost happened to Hansel and Gretel.

Robert Sepsi inspects what we found after the dry wall surrounding the stack came down. We love the smell of cast iron in the morning!

The front door to your favorite house with new latch guards installed.

  May Alumni Social Event - Whirlyball

Year in and year out, the best rush event in the late 1990s and early 2000s was Whirlyball. For those who never had the pleasure, WhirlyBall is a combination of basketball, wiffle ball and bumper cars. On May 13, 17 attendees tested their skills on the courts at Whirlyball Cleveland in Bedford Heights. Dinner followed at Don Ramon's. A good time was had by all!

Many thanks to Kenichi Nagano for coordinating this fun evening!

Brothers and guests compete for bragging rights in a friendly game of Whirlyball.

For more photos from the May Work Weekend, please visit us on Facebook.