Sweet Happenings from Your Sweetheart – Issue Six

March 24, 2011 · Michelle Rodio

Contributing authors: Trevor Simms and your Sweetheart

Eta Iota Competes in Greek Week 2011!

Embry-Riddle held its annual Greek Week competition the first week of March — Eta Iota didn't win, but the brothers gave a valiant effort and had a great time. Monday's "Minute to Win It" (2nd place) featured a soda-can stack, tissue-box emptying, water bottle toss, and cup/golf-ball stacking challenges. Tuesday brought a chariot race; Wednesday a cardboard-and-duct-tape boat race that capsized halfway across the campus pool; Thursday a relay of egg-on-spoon, wheelbarrow, three-legged, army-crawl, and saltine-eating races; and Friday a tug-of-war (2nd place).

Meet the By-Law Committee Chairman — Peter Sanchez

From Cherry Hill, New Jersey, "Sensodyne" was the 784th initiate (Gamma Nu) and a Tri-Province Chapter Liaison. He studies Aeronautical Science with an International Relations minor, enjoys Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, and finished in the top 10% of AFROTC last semester.

Meet the Pool Chair — Paul Edward McCarthy

From Stratford, Connecticut, "Take Two" was the 787th initiate, switching his major from Aerospace Engineering to Aircraft Maintenance Science. A certified private pilot, he enjoys skateboarding, snowboarding, RC vehicles, paintball, and rock climbing.

Meet a Professional Rugby Player — George Ishmael Apudo

From Nairobi, Kenya, "Pretty Much" (Gamma Nu, Roll Book #788) is the current SGA Representative and Steward, studying Aerospace Engineering with an International Relations minor. Before Riddle, George killed a hyena in self-defense with a spear and played professional rugby in Kenya — he plans to found the first Aerospace Industry company in Africa, and has been dubbed Eta Iota's "Chief Hyena Exterminating Officer."

Meet a Floridian — Raphael Kai-Makena Alland

From Sarasota, Florida, "Ripe" was the 785th initiate and a Tri-Province Chapter Liaison, majoring in Aerospace Engineering with a High Performance Vehicles minor. He enjoys SCUBA, surfing, shooting, and racing cars, graduated top of his high school class, and carries a semi-professional polo handicap.

Meet a U.S. Veteran — Phillip Yopp

From Memphis, Tennessee, "Wet Willy" (Gamma Mu, Spring 2010, the 772nd initiate) served in the U.S. Army before coming to ERAU, where he studies AMS and has served as PR Chair. He enjoys dirt bikes, baseball, fishing, boating, and building things.

Where Are They Now?

Ken Bording was in Eta Iota's very first pledge class, the 15th initiate. Born in Memphis and raised near San Francisco, he entered Army Rotary Wing Aviation training in 1965, flew UH-1H Huey combat assault missions in Vietnam, trained Republic of Korea pilots, and returned for a second tour flying CH-47 Chinooks in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia — 2,400 flight hours, 2,150 in combat. He joined the FL Army National Guard and enrolled at Embry-Riddle in August 1969, pledging Sigma Chi Delta and becoming president of the founding Alpha pledge class, initiated with all the Founding Brothers on 3/6/71. He took over as Quaestor just as the chapter was working out how to lease the run-down former motel that became the Chapter House — somehow, it worked. He graduated ERAU in 1971, became an FAA Air Traffic Controller in Jacksonville, married Cathleen "Colleen" Saunders in 1974 (their son Steven is now a Lt. Col. flying B-52s), returned to active Guard duty in 1981, earned an MBA from ERAU in 1990, and later served as the Army Reserve subject matter expert on the $197M AVCATT virtual training simulator program. He retired from the Army in Feb. 2000 as a CW5 with over 7,000 flight hours across four aircraft types, and has since worked as Safety and Security manager for the H.J. Heinz plant in Jacksonville.

Ramano Sprueil (Alpha Chi, #475, initiated 5/4/91, "Miner") transferred to the University of Florida in 1991 to study Psychology/pre-med, graduated medical school in 1998, and moved to Dallas for his Emergency Medicine residency — he now works as an ER physician there. He's been a chapter advisor at two chapters and currently serves as Grand Praetor for the Northern Texas Province. He's traveled to 37 countries.

Rob Papandrea married his wife Kim last month in St. Thomas, the first stop on a 7-day cruise — the night before the wedding, his pledge brother Scott Rehn turned out to be dancing 10 feet away, having booked the same cruise days earlier without knowing. Small world.

Around the House

Eta Iota celebrated Greek Week and Greek unity with a pig roast alongside Delta Chi. HI Consul Taylor Quackenbush competed in Alpha Xi Delta's annual Xi Man competition, helping raise over $4,200 for Autism Speaks and finishing 1st Runner Up. Eta Iota also hit Facebook, with fan pages for "Sigma Chi – Eta Iota Chapter" and "Eta Iota Sweetheart" (the Sweetheart profile runs under the name "Swet Hart," the closest approximation Facebook's real-name policy would allow).

40th Birthday is Almost Here!

In just over a week, Eta Iota celebrates its 40th Birthday:

Thursday 3/31: ERAU campus tour & welcome reception, 4-7pm
Friday 4/1: Golf tournament at Spruce Creek Country Club (11am-5pm); "Living the Spirit of Youth" BBQ & house party at 520 S. Ridgewood, 6pm (wear jerseys!)
Saturday 4/2: House Corporation Meeting & Luncheon at the Hilton (noon-2pm); Parrothead Cocktail Party (6-7pm) and Margaritaville Banquet (7pm-midnight) — wear a luau outfit!
Sunday 4/3: Chapter meeting at the Hilton, 11am-1pm

40th Birthday shirts are available for $20, with proceeds going to the active chapter.