 Unsolved Mysteries of Ohio Alpha Beta |
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Here are four unsolved mysteries of the Ohio Alpha Beta chapter. Do you know the answers?
Where is the 1973 composite? In 2023 and 2024, we repaired or replaced every damaged and missing composite, so we currently have hanging on the walls of the house almost every composite dating from 1954 when we didn’t even own the house yet through the newest 2024-2025 composite. There are only two exceptions. The 2020-2021 composite never happened during the chaotic pandemic school year, and the 1973 composite has completely disappeared. All is not lost, though. We’ve already replaced the 1965 and 1969 composites using personal copies provided by our brothers. If you have a personal sized 1973 composite at home, we’d love to borrow it so we can do the same!
Who was Frederick Keady’s big brother? In September 2024 we started documenting our family trees. Over the next several months we determined that every current undergraduate brother was descended from a single family tree. We pushed that tree all the way back to the current “biggest brother”, Frederick Keady ‘66. Unfortunately, Brother Keady passed away in 2019 and we haven’t been able to identify his big brother… yet. If you happen to know who Brother Keady’s big brother was, please let us know. And if YOUR big brother or little brothers aren’t on the website, let us know who they are and we will fix that!
Who will join the Ernie Schmidt Club next? Since our February Paragon, Vincent Ferraro ‘70, William Danso ‘05, and Davey Rowan Jr. ‘00 all joined the Ernie Schmidt Club, pushing the total number of members to 27. Thank you, Brothers! Who will be the next brother to make a monthly financial commitment to support the alumni association? You can answer that question by joining today on our website.
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We would also like to thank Joel Third ‘60 for his generous one-time donation to the Ohio Alpha Beta Alumni Association. Thank you, Brother Third!
When Did You Last Visit the House? Has it been a while? We have a number of events coming up that will give you the chance to change that and check out all the work we have been doing. This issue of the Paragon has information about the Spring Initiation on April 4 and the Founders Day Celebration on April 11. And don’t forget to mark your calendars for our Summer Work Weekend on July 18 & 19 and our Fall Work Weekend on October 10 & 11, which is also Homecoming Weekend for Case. Whether you come to visit or come to work, we’d be delighted to welcome you.
If you can’t make one of those dates but you will be in Cleveland at another time, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’d be happy to arrange a tour for you during your visit.
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| You are Invited to Initiation |
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You are Invited to InitiationWe invite you to join us on Saturday, April 4 as we initiate our newest brothers into the Ohio Alpha Beta chapter that night. Initiation will be at Eldred Hall. The Long Walk will start around 8 pm, with the undergraduates heading to Eldred Hall to set up shortly after. Alumni who want to participate should arrive at Eldred between 9:30pm and 10:00 pm. Don’t forget that Initiation is a formal event. And if you run into an associate member before that, remember that they think Initiation will be later in the semester, so don’t mention it to them.
Earlier that evening the associate members will be taken out to dinner by the active chapter at Mallorca at 6:00pm. Alumni are invited to join the active chapter for this dinner. If you are interested, please reach out Alessandro Herrada at axh863@case.edu. Alumni will cover their own costs.
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| Join Us for Founders Day Weekend Celebrations |
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Join us on April 11th in celebration of Phi Kappa Theta's Founders Day! Alumni & their guests are invited to join the undergraduate chapter for a reception and cocktail party at 4:00 at the Phi Kappa Theta House. Later that evening this year's Founders Day event will be held at Negative Space on April 11th from 7:00 PM to 11:00 PM. Dress attire is formal.
Please RSVP to Cameron Markowitz by Friday, April 5. Prepayment of $40 is required via the undergraduate chapter PayPal account @phikapohab, or speak with Brother Markowitz to make alternate arrangements.
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| Senior Showcase |
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Here is your opportunity to support our graduating seniors as they leave Case and move out into the world. The Phi Kappa Theta Senior Showcase highlights graduating seniors and recent alumni as they begin their professional journeys and seek guidance in advancing their careers. We invite alumni working in related fields to connect with these individuals on LinkedIn, offering mentorship, advice, and networking support.
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Matias Torres - https://www.linkedin.com/in/matias-torres-mt/
- Major: Economics
- Minors: Computer Science, Mathematics
- Intended Industry: Technology / Software; Administrative or Coordination Roles
- Seeking Assistance: Job search
- Preferred Location: New York City or Cleveland
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Abhinav Khalin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/abhinavkalhan/
- Major: Chemistry
- Minor: Japanese
- Intended Industry: Healthcare / Medicine
- Seeking Assistance: Job search, networking
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Kevin Wyatt - https://www.linkedin.com/in/k-wyatt/
- Major: Mechanical Engineering
- Minor: Business Management
- Intended Industry: Engineering / Manufacturing
- Seeking Assistance: Job search, networking
- Preferred Location: California
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Hayden Caldwell - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hayden-caldwell/
- Academic Level: Master's Student
- Major: Computer Science
- Minor: Business Management
- Intended Industry: Technology / Software (open to tech consulting or software engineering roles)
- Seeking Assistance: Job search, networking, industry-specific certifications
- Preferred Location: Willing to relocate
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Matthew Sutherland - https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-sutherland-24b6b7262/
- Major: Biochemistry, Medical Anthropology
- Minor: Chemistry
- Intended Industry: Open (likely biochemistry-related)
- Seeking Assistance: Job search, networking, resume & cover letter
- Preferred Location: East Coast (flexible)
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James Jiang - https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-jiang-58913b257/
- Major: Biomedical Engineering
- Minor: Business Management
- Intended Industry: Healthcare / Medicine (open to alternatives)
- Seeking Assistance: Job search, resume & cover letter, networking, graduate school preparation, industry-specific certifications
- Preferred Location: Open to any location
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Arnav Reddy - https://www.linkedin.com/in/arnav-reddy-72537324a/
- Major: Biomedical Engineering
- Minor: Electrical Engineering, Business Management
- Intended Industry: Engineering / Manufacturing / Design
- Seeking Assistance: Job search, networking, graduate school preparation, interviewing
- Preferred Location: California or Chicago
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| Giortaste Awards |
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At the 2026 Giortaste Greek Life Awards ceremony, our chapter earned the distinction of receiving six total awards, the most of any fraternity in the Greek Life community. Giortaste recognizes outstanding achievements in chapter development, leadership, scholarship, service, and community impact across Case Western Reserve University Greek Life.
Our chapter received two chapter-level awards recognizing excellence in programming and community engagement. We were honored with the Outstanding Education & Development Event Award for our Unity Event at Headlands Beach, which promoted community building, active engagement, and meaningful dialogue among members. This award recognizes events that educate participants while strengthening connection and personal growth within the chapter.
We also received the Outstanding Service Event Award for our work with the Lutheran Men's Shelter, recognizing our commitment to service in the greater Cleveland community. This award highlights chapters that organize impactful service initiatives and demonstrate strong participation and dedication to supporting others without expectation of compensation, exactly in line with our chapter's model to "give expecting nothing thereof".
In addition to chapter awards, four brothers were individually recognized for their outstanding contributions to the fraternity and the Greek community.
- Nick Ojeda: Outstanding Education & Development Chair, for leadership in building community, promoting engagement, and creating meaningful learning experiences for members.
- James Jiang: Fraternal Legacy Award, one of the highest individual honors, recognizing exceptional impact on both the chapter and the greater Greek community.
- Matthew Sutherland: Glenn Nicholls Character of Distinction, awarded to individuals who consistently live their values and challenge themselves and others to grow.
- Jack Joseph: Outstanding Scholar, recognizing dedication to academics, professional development, and contributions to the community through scholarly achievement.
Receiving the highest number of awards among all fraternities reflects our chapter's continued commitment to the pillars of scholarship, leadership, service, citizenship, and brotherhood. These recognitions demonstrate the strength of our programming, the dedication of our members, and the positive impact our chapter has on both the Greek Life community and the greater university. Our success at Giortaste 2026 represents not only individual accomplishment but the collective effort of the entire chapter to uphold our values and strive for excellence in every area of fraternity life.
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L-R: Matias Torres ‘26, James Jiang ‘26, Antonio Maia ‘28, Isaiah McMahon ‘28, Nick Ojeda ‘26
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| Spring Work Weekend is a Success |
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This past weekend the Ohio Alpha Beta Alumni Association held its first work weekend of 2026. We started the weekend with two contractor projects.
- In the past brothers have cleaned the first floor gutters during work weekends, but we decided that asking our brothers to climb higher than that was a poor decision, so we paid contractors to come in on Friday. All of the gutters were professionally cleaned and we also received estimates to replace or repair some damaged gutters.
- Two new garage doors were installed over the weekend. Jason Dolan ‘02 arranged for the doors to be donated and installed via one of his professional contacts for the Wayne Dalton company, a division of Overhead Door. Thank you, Brother Dolan!
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New garage doors
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With both of those projects and assorted prep work completed, brothers and friends met at Boss Dog Brewing in Cleveland Heights for dinner on Friday night.
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L-R: Davey Rowan ‘00, John Dutton ‘02, Danita Grigsby, Neal Pence ‘01, Carrie Pence, Jim Miller ‘71, Patrick Glynn ‘00, Kate McConnell, Nathan Kossover ‘01, Ken Nagano ‘01.
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On Saturday and Sunday, a number of projects and maintenance items were carried out. Highlights included:
- Several of the original tiles on our front porch had broken over the years. Patrick Glynn drove all over Cleveland on Friday to find matching tiles, and they were installed on Sunday afternoon.
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Front porch tile repair
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- Our insurance company stated that we needed to improve the handrail on the first floor leading from the side entrance to the main lobby. We pay close attention to what the insurance company tells us, so a new rail was installed on Saturday and painted on Sunday.
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First floor handrail
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- Over the last several work weekends we have continued to renovate the basement bedroom known as the “Wine Cellar.” The Wine Cellar has been framed out and had dry wall hung. We should be able to finish this work at our Summer Work Weekend (July 18 and 19, mark your calendars now!) and have the room ready for a brother to move in for Fall 2026.
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"Wine Cellar"
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- Right next to the Wine Cellar is a half bathroom, which has been the focus of our work for the last few work weekends. As of last Sunday, it is functional, with sink, toilet, lights and fan all installed. We still need to install proper flooring and do some painting, but it can be used.
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Half Bath
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Beyond these projects, a number of items were taken care of. Yard work was done. We tested all the GFCI outlets. We flushed the hot water heater and tested some water lines. There was some painting and molding repair around the first-floor public bathroom. Jim Miller ‘71 and Sameer Shenoy began building out an electronics schematic of the house, noting where all the outlets, lights and switches were in each of the public rooms. Matias Torres ‘26 compiled a list of all the houses appliances, with model numbers, serial numbers and links to the appropriate manuals so we have them readily at hand.
On Saturday, Stephan Oeschsle from the National Office dropped in to say hello. Brother Oeschsle is the Director of Fraternal Operations for National and a graduate of Ohio University. This was his third work weekend.
In addition, David Cesarotto ‘68 dropped in to visit on Sunday. We made sure to show him the restored 1965 composite; Brother Cesarotto contributed the personal copy that made that restoration possible. Rich Jerdonek ‘69 and his wife Julie also came by on Sunday and got a full tour of the house. To quote Brother Jerdonek, “I was surprised how much it looks like it did 60 years ago.“
In addition to the entire undergraduate membership, the following alumni attended one or both days of work weekend. Thank you brothers!
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William Danso ‘05
Steve DeBrosse ‘03
John Dutton ‘02
Patrick Glynn ‘00
Adam Gousie ‘25
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Nathan Kossover ‘01
Jim Miller ‘71
Ken Nagano ‘01
Neal Pence ‘01
Davey Rowan ‘00
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Our Summer work weekend will be July 18 and 19. Our Fall work weekend will be October 10 & 11, which corresponds to Homecoming weekend. Whether you come to work or come to visit, we’d love to have you join us. More details will follow as we get close to those dates.
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| Chapter Eternal: Raymond Russell '12 |
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Aaron Gordner ‘11 and Dave Kushal ‘10 reported the passing of alumnus Raymond Russell ‘12, who died on February 5. His obituary may be found here.
The Ohio Alpha Beta Alumni Association extends its condolences to the family, friends and fraternity brothers of Brother Russell. May his memory be a blessing.
If you are aware of the passing of one of our brothers, please inform us by responding to this email. Thank you.
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