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The original Alpha Beta chapter of Phi Kappa was founded at the Case Institute of Technology on May 31, 1941. We have been a constant presence on campus through eighty years, a university merger, and the fraternity merger we celebrate today on Founder's Day. In those eight decades, we have initiated more than 800 brothers into what is now the Ohio Alpha Beta Chapter of Phi Kappa Theta.

Unfortunately, we do not have 800 email addresses in our database. If you know of a brother who did not get this edition of The Paragon, please forward it to them. And if somebody forwarded you this newsletter, please reach out to Nathan Kossover and he will make sure you get the next one!

Yours in the bonds of brotherhood,

Nicholas DeCenzo
President, Ohio Alpha Beta Alumni Association

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Upcoming Events
May 13, 2022
Whirlyball & Winking Lizard

May 14-15, 2022
Work Day - May

July 9-10, 2022
Work Day - July
News
New Brothers!
On April 29, 1959, Phi Kappa and Theta Kappa Phi fraternities merged together into Phi Kappa Theta fraternity. A lot has changed since that first Founder's Day, but our brotherhood continues to grow. The Ohio Alpha Beta Alumni Association is pleased to welcome our Spring 2022 initiates:
 
  • Gage Bunker
  • Hayden Caldwell
  • Smyan Thota

Congratulations, brothers!
March Work Day is a Success
A group of alumni performed needed maintenance at 11016 Magnolia over the weekend of March 19. Over two days, many projects were completed, including:
 
  • improved rainwater drainage and reduced moisture in the basement by installing new underground drains and clearing out the window wells
  • replaced the dryer ventilation ductwork and vents
  • replaced the pull-down staircase to the attic
  • temporarily patched a roof leak to the side of the Greenhouse and above the Parlor (additional work will be required but an active leak was stopped)
  • prepared the Loft for occupancy by repairing wall damage and cleaning out the room
  • prepared the Abyss for occupancy by installing a new light fixture and cleaning out the room
  • repaired a hole in the floor in the second-floor mop closet (the hole was made earlier to inspect a plumbing stack that needs replacement)
  • repaired or replaced all hallway lighting
  • repaired light fixtures in the chapter room
  • resolved several electrical issues
  • removed vines from brick to stop damage to mortar
  • replaced an exterior door lock that was not working properly
  • cleanup and disposal of some miscellaneous junk and unusable furniture

The actives assisted with many of the projects. Alumni participants included:

Eugene Choi – Atlanta, Georgia
Steve DeBrosse – Cleveland area
John Dutton – Cleveland area
Joe Gall – Cleveland area
Patrick Glynn – Phoenix, Arizona
Kenichi Nagano – Cleveland area
Neal Pence – Urbana, Ohio
Tony Rossi – Baltimore, Maryland

A special thank you to Brother Gregory Vishey, owner of Vishey Consulting and Inspection of Lexington, Michigan, for providing a thorough inspection report on the condition and maintenance needs of the house in 2015 and 2021. In 2021, Greg also donated a high-capacity dehumidification system to remove moisture from the basement and joined 12-14 actives and alumni to perform remediation work in the basement.

Upcoming Work Days
On Saturday, May 14 and Sunday, May 15, we will be gathering at 11016 Magnolia to complete several projects for the ongoing maintenance of the house. Two major projects are planned:

  • Our house was built back in the days before PVC pipes. All five of our main plumbing stacks are still the original cast iron, which is reaching the end of its expected life span. We will be hiring a plumbing contractor to replace the stacks with PVC that will should last us the next 100 years, but in order to reduce the cost of the contractor, at the May Work Day we will be removing enough of the walls around the stacks to be able to easily access and replace them.

  • At the March Work Day we installed new exterior ground drains to lead water away from the house when it rains. Unfortunately, we discovered the need for this project when some water damage occurred in the basement. We will be removing damaged dry wall in the basement.

  • Depending on how long it takes to complete these two projects, there are some smaller items that may also be addressed.

Please RSVP for the May 14-15 Work Day on our website. If you have questions, please reach out to Patrick Glynn.

We will hold our July Work Day from July 9 to July 10. Watch for more details in the next issue of The Paragon!
Alumni Rush
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. Why should rushees have all the fun? Join the Ohio Alpha Beta Chapter Alumni Association on Friday, May 13 at WhirlyBall Cleveland in Bedford Heights. We have reserved a court from 6pm to 7pm, which should be enough time to play 4 games. After that we will head over to the nearby Winking Lizard for dinner and drinks.

WhirlyBall costs $20/head, payable day of event. Winking Lizard is out of pocket. We would appreciate your RSVP at www.ohioalphabeta.org by Sunday, May 9. Guests are welcome but please include them in your RSVP. Please reach out to Kenichi Nagano with any questions you may have.
 
New Alumni Board
Please congratulate the new and returning members of the board of the Ohio Alpha Beta Alumni Association.
 
  • President - Nicholas DeCenzo
  • Treasurer - Christian Carson
  • Secretary - Nathan Kossover
  • Member-at-Large - Dave Rowan
  • Member-at-Large - Kenichi Nagano
  • House Improvement Chair - Patrick Glynn

There is always more work that needs to be done. If you are interested in helping out, or would like to attend a meeting and see what is going on, please reach out to Nathan Kossover.

The Ohio Alpha Beta Alumni Association exists to connect the over 800 alumni of the Phi Kappa Theta Ohio Alpha Beta chapter at Case Western Reserve University through events, newsletters, and other gatherings.

Our subsidiary organization, the Ohio Alpha Beta Housing Corporation, exists to own, maintain, and improve the Ohio Alpha Beta Chapter House located at 11016 Magnolia Drive, Cleveland, OH, 44106.

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11016 Magnolia Dr
Cleveland, OH 44106
United States