Author Archives: Bill Palmer

Brother Sid Barling Enters Chapter Eternal

Sid BarlingSid Shelby Barling, Jr., 72, a founding member of Eta Iota (class of ’71) passed away January 21, 2016. He was born in Oakland, California and resided in Orange Park, Florida. Fellow founding brother Terry Owens remarked that Sid was “instrumental in the founding of the chapter”.

In his early years, Mr. Barling lived in Arkansas, and graduated from Cutter-Morning Star. He served four years in the Navy, and then worked at the Tampa Fire Department. He graduated from Embry Riddle University in 1971 with a bachelors’degree in Aeronautical Science. He was one of the founding brothers of the Sigma Chi, Eta Iota chapter. After college, he flew with Shawnee Airlines in Orlando. He obtained his General Contractor’s license in 1976, and he specialized in commercial construction.

After returning to Orange Park, Mr. Barling, an avid fisherman, became a member of The North Florida Bassmasters where he served as president for many years. Many people knew him as the announcer for the Working Man’s Tournament on Thursday night at Whitey’s Fishcamp. For a year, he served as Worshipful Master at Cabul Lodge in Green Cove Springs.

Mr. Barling is survived by his wife of 44 years Carole Barling, son; James Shelby Barling, daughter; Jessica Jewell (Justin), brother; John Barling, sisters; Becky West, Barbara Heiner and Liz Griffin, 2 grandchildren; Sydney Jewell and Summer Jewell, sister-in-law; Donna Drake (Ed), and mother-in-law; Kathryn Blalock.

A graveside service will be held privately for the family 11 AM Thursday, January 28, 2016 at Holly Hill Memorial Park, 3601 Old Jennings Road Middleburg, FL. All are invited to attend the celebration of his life on Thursday from 4 to 7 at Whitey’s Fishcamp 2032 County Road 220, Fleming Island, Fl In lieu of flowers please send memorial contributions to Haven Hospice Custead Care Center, 745 Blanding Blvd Orange Park, FL 32065. Arrangements by HARDAGE-GIDDENS HOLLY HILL FUNERAL HOME. Please leave words of comfort at www.hollyhillfunerals.com.

Obituary source: http://holly-hill.tributes.com

Ready for an Alumni Brother Retreat!

In January 1990, the Alpha Tau pledge class was initiated.
In honor of the 25th Anniversary, I was inspired to plan a simple reunion get away to reconnect with our brothers and their families. But of course this event is open to all alumni, spouses, families, undergraduates, etc.

(view a PDF of this information here: 2015 Alumni Brother Retreat

Hershey, PA.
June 19, 20 & 21 2015

Friday June 19, Arrival
Golf outing TBD. Planning to golf at Hershey Country Club in AM with start time in the late morning.
www.hersheycountryclub.com
Troegs Brewery Tour and Tastings: 2:30, 3:30 and 4:30
www.troegs.com
Friday night is open for dinner, campfires, etc.
Note: The Saturday ticket to Hershey Park includes free admission on Friday evening for 2 hours befor the park closes.

Saturday June 20:
Hersheypark, Boardwalk at Hershey (Waterpark), ZooAmerica.
www.hersheypark.com
These three attractions are all included in the one full day ticket.

Sunday June 21
Group Canoe/Kayak 3 hr trip on the Swatara Creek
Outfitter, Cocoa Kayaks of Hershey
www.cocoakayak.com

Cost Estimates
Lodging: Cabin (sleeps 4), $115 per night, Campsite, $65 per night
Troegs Brewery Tour, $5
HersheyPark Ticket
Adult Age 9-54, $33.50
Junior/Senior Ages 3-8 or 55-69, $28.50
John Wrightington: FREE
Canoe/Kayak Trip
Single Kayak: $40
Tandem Kayak: $60
Canoe: TBD, but probably similer to above.
*You can bring your own kayak if local and save rental fee.
* The kayak/HersheyPark ticket prices are based on group discounts. Need 20 people in order to secure that pricing. Lodging price is regardless of group size.

Accomodations:

Hershey Park Camping Resort (www.hersheyparkcampingresort.com)
I have reserved just a modest number of cabins and campsites for the two nights so far in as close proximity as I could based on availability so we can visit with each other during course of the weekend and have campfires and beers at night.
NOTE: All cabins have electricity and air conditioning. There was no availability for any cabins with plumbing. They are heavily in demand and were not available for reservations. The campground does have the bath/shower houses available.

For those not wanting to camp:
Hershey Lodge
www.hersheylodge.com
Hotel Hershey
www.thehotelhershey.com

The above two hotels are affiliated with Hershey Park and have free shuttle service.
Hotel Hershey is the top of the line hotel with a great Spa for the spouses!!!!

Optional activities:

The Troegs Brewery in town also offers free self guided tours you can schedule at your convenience.
Tanger Hershey Outlets www.tangeroutlet.com/hershey
Hershey Gardens www.hersheygardens.org
Hershey Story Museum www.hersheystory.org
Gettysburg – www.destinationgettysburg.com
Flight 93 Memorial – www.nps.gov/flni (about 2.5 hour drive west of Hershey)
Spa at Hotel Hershey www.thehotelhershey.com/spa (reserve in advance)

Contact for reservations:
Mike Gehman, 215 804 5072
m.gehman@comcast.net
Full payment will be needed by February.

Update on Brother Ron Moore ’73

You may recall that on August 17th, a notice was posted on the passing of Brother Ron Moore (HI, ’73), on July 31st of this year.

We  received the following note from his wife, that those that knew Ron might be interested in.

The original poste stated, based on the data in our records,  that Ron and his wife were  just shy of their 45th wedding anniverary. As you will read below, that was out-of-date information.

Ron’s current widow wrote:

Thank you for sending the notification of Ron’s death to his fraternity.  He was still quite proud of his association with Sigma Chi.  I want to point out that Ron and were married only one year before he died. 

 At the time he was at Embry-Riddle he was married to a woman named Colleen.  They divorced in 1982.  He was married to another woman, coincidentally named Diana, 1995-2006, with whom he had two wonderful daughters.  He was very healthy, fit, and active when we married June 6, 2012.  Tragically, we learned onSeptember 5 that he had lung chancer.  Also, our address is 6506 Michigan Avenue, Benton, AR 72015.  The Worth Street address [given in the original message]  was one of his previous local homes.
 
Diana Moore <dstockt@sbcglobal.net> 

Bill Palmer Releases New Book on Air France 447 Accident

Eta Iota alumnus  Bill Palmer ’79, has just released a new book “Understanding Air France 447.”

The book provides the insightful details behind the 2009 crash of Air France 447, an Airbus A330 lost in the Atlantic Ocean north of Brazil.

What you want to know.
What you need to know.

Weather, human factors, and lots interesting of airplane detail are covered in this “must read” narrative. The factors behind the crash, the errors made, and how the crew may have been powerless to avoid them are covered in detail, along with what has been done and needs to be done in the future to prevent this accident from happening again.

Bill is currently an A330 captain and has instructed and written many materials for his A330 fleet.

Understanding Air France 447 is currently available as an ebook from Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com and through the iTunes store.

See the book’s companion website understandingAF447.com for details.

The book is receiving excellent reviews and retails for $9.99.

Brother Ron “Crash” Moore ’73 Enters Chapter Eternal

I am sorry to inform you of the passing of one of our Eta Iota alumni into the Chapter Eternal.

Brother Ron “Crash” Moore ’73, was initiated in September 1972 as roll number 99, just 18 months after the chapter’s founding. He died at the age of 65 on July 31st, 2013 just two weeks shy of he and his wife Diana’s  45th wedding anniversary. They lived at 6925 Worth Ave E,  Benton, AR 72015

Ron had last listed his job title as USAF retired “world’s greatest fighter pilot.”

An obituary is found on line at: http://bentoncourier.com/content/ronald-gerald-moore which reads:

Ronald Gerald Moore, 65 of Benton met our Lord on July 31, 2013. He was born May 27, 1948, in Pontiac, Mich., to Lloyd Gerald Moore and Joyce M. McKendry Moore.
Ron was an intelligent, energetic, outgoing person, and the kind of friend we’d all hope to have and to be. He enjoyed flying, golf, auto sports and traveling.  He served in the U.S. Navy as a weatherman in the early 1970s. After completing college at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, he entered the U.S. Air Force and was trained as a navigator, then qualified as weapon system officer. He was then selected to attend Air Force pilot training. He continued to serve as a fighter pilot, holding many commands until he retired in 1997. He continued his aviation career as a private corporate pilot until late 2012.
Of all his many accomplishments during his distinguished military career of almost 30 years, his treasure and his love are his two wonderful daughters.
Col. Moore was preceded in death by his father and by his sister, Victoria Moore Hunt.
He is survived by his wife of one year, Diana; two daughters, Victoria and McKenzie of Benton; his mother, Joyce Moore of Metamora, Mich.; his siblings, Thomas Ivan Moore of Orlando, Fla., Winfield Clyde Moore and wife Colleen of Metamora, Mich., Christine Moore Sierakowski and husband Walter of Metamora, Mich., and Michel Moore of Flint, Mich.; eight nephews and four nieces; and several great-nephews and great-nieces.
In addition to family, Col. Moore leaves many friends to cherish his memory.
A memorial service is scheduled for 2 p.m. Monday, Aug. 5, at Dial & Dudley Funeral Home, with Brother Carl Wright officiating.
Visitation is planned one hour prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity or to Saline Memorial Hospice House.
Online guest book: www.dialanddudleyfuneralhome.com.

 

All honor to his name.

 

H. Bruce Harrison Enters Chapter Eternal

I am sorry to report that Eta Iota brother Hubert Bruce Harrison ’74 passed away in his home on March 2, 2012, after a brief but tenacious battle with cancer.

Here is a link to his obituary:http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/charlotte/obituary.aspx?n=h-bruce-harrison&pid=156253053&fhid=10177

His daugher, Julia Harrison Hayes, reports that he  stayed in contact with brother Gary Michael Dyer, who was also her godfather.
There will not be a funeral, as he found them depressing.  Instead, there will be a celebration of his life in April.

 

 

 

Brother John deLafosse Enters Chapter Eternal

Eta Iota founding brother John deLafosse passed away today, December 13th, after a battle with cancer.

John deLafosse

John was one of Eta Iota’s founding brothers, initiated on it’s founding date March 6, 1971 as rollbook number 2.
The final entry on John’s carepages.com page reads:

 

Farewell

Dearest Friends and Family,

John has taken his last flight west. He died Tuesday, December 13 at 1340 in Beaufort, SC, just
a mile or so from his storied Parris Island. We were all with him when he left: his daughters,
Malissa and Lindsey, and their husbands, Rob and Chris were at his bedside with me. He was
listening to Michael Buble’s “Home” when he left us.

John was given compassionate and gentle care in his final days and he will be cremated this
week. He had long insisted he wanted no memorial service and we are honoring that request. As
a family, we will gather at Kill Devil Hills, NC and scatter his ashes; a fitting tribute, we think,
to a man who simply loved to fly.

John was born on August 28, 1947 in Odessa, TX and grew up in the Texas Panhandle,
graduating from Tascosa High in Amarillo in 1965. That’s where he began washing and gassing
airplanes in exchange for flying lessons.

He spent his freshman year at Texas Tech, joining the U.S. Marine Corps as a Reservist and
graduating from boot camp at Parris Island Marine Corps Depot on November 4, 1966. He
always claimed that the Marines taught him lessons he used all of his life and he was “proud to
claim the title of U.S. Marine.” One of our simple pleasures, living here in Bluffton, was driving
over to Parris Island frequently to attend the graduations held on the parade deck. John loved
shaking hands with those newly minted Marines and thanking them for their service.

He graduated from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach where he was a
Founding Father of the Eta Iota chapter of Sigma Chi. He was also a campus Flight Instructor
and trained many students who would become lifelong friends as he moved into commercial
aviation.

Flying for Zantop, Ozark, TWA, Piedmont, and US Airways, John flew everything from a DC-
6 to a Fairchild, a DC-9 (“if you’re going to hit the ground, you want to do it in a DC-9”), a
737, MD-80, F-100, and F-28. His favorite time in the industry was as an Instructor Pilot on the
Airbus 319/320 in Charlotte, NC for US Airways. He was a superb instructor.

After enduring endless furloughs, John’s flying career finished with stints at CitationAir and
NetJets, and finally, as a private pilot on a Citation-XL for D.E. Rice Construction Co. in Borger,
TX. He came full circle, back to the Texas Panhandle, still doing what he loved.

John had two wishes for his life: to live long enough to raise his daughters and to fly until he
died. Both were granted and he was a happy man. Professed to Christ, John was at peace with
himself. I was truly blessed to be married to him for 20 years. No one has ever made me laugh so
much.

If anyone wishes to honor him, donations may be made to the Jasper Animal Rescue Mission
(JARM), P.O. Box 1179, Ridgeland, SC 29936, where we volunteered. He was a staunch
supporter of our 2nd Amendment rights and gifts can also be made to the NRA at 11250 Waples
Mill Rd., Fairfax, VA 22030.

Please forward this to those folks who knew him that I may not know. Thank you all so very
much for your love, your kind words and your prayers.

I will leave you with this: one of the things John used to say to our daughters as they were
leaving the house each day was, “Don’t forget to sing along and have a good time!” I think he
would say that to all of us now.

Love,
Teresa

33 Catamaran Lane
Bluffton, SC 29909
843.645.4424
tadelafosse@gmail.com

Bill Dlhosh’s wife Shannon, passes away, Help requested

Bill and Shannon DlhoshAs you may have heard, the wife of brother Bill “Pickle” Dlhosh ’92 passed away on October 17th. Shannon was only 42 and now Bill has the biggest challenge of his life in raising his 3 daughters: Lily 13, Emma 10, and Allison 5 without their Mom. Luckily, Bill has a great support network of family, friends, neighbors, and the brothers of Sigma Chi.

Many brothers made the trip to Atlanta to attend the service and to support Bill and the girls including: James “Gassi” Ahrens, Mitch & Nikki Nimey, Rich & Carmen Schooley, John Wrightington, David Hines, Brett Reasner, Todd Weeber, Gary Granger, Larry Hesterberg, Chris MacDougal and Bill Ulm’s wife Pam. There were many other brothers who wanted to make it, but couldn’t. Bill was very appreciative of all the love, support, and strong arms around him.

the Dlhosh DivasSeveral of us are working together to build a support mechanism for Bill and the girls to help fill the gap left behind with Shannon’s untimely passing. We are working closely with their neighbor and Shannon’s best friend Mandy Cross. We have set up a bank account tied to a Paypal account to help Bill financially support raising his 3 young girls.

Gassi has built a website (dlhoshdivas.org) for the family to focus the donations in one spot so the money gets to Bill and the girls. There are 3 levels of donations:


Short Term – Girls gymnastics, girls scouts, field trips, clothes, school supplies, bills, etc…


Medium Term – House repairs including roof, gutters, plumbing, carpet, etc…

Long Term – Girls college fund through 529 program

FEE NOTE: When using payment buttons, a fee of approximately 3% will be deducted from the donation by Paypal as their fee. To make 100% of your donation go to the fund, use your Paypal account to “send money” to dlhoshdivas@aol.com and fund the payment with either your Paypal account, or bank account. (John Wrightington is the account administrator for that paypal account. You may see his name when processing the payment.)

Bill has been very humbled and appreciative of the generosity everyone has shown his family. Several brothers have donated already and many have pledged their support.

If you’d like send a check, for 529 College Savings Plan you can make checks out to “Georgia Higher Education Savings Plan” or “Bill Dlhosh” for expenses and house repairs:

Bill Dlhosh
c/o Mandy Cross
4804 Hunters Trace
Powder Springs, GA 30127

Eta Iota Wins 2011 Henning Award for Life Loyal Sig Memberships

Congratulations to the members of the Eta Iota chapter of Sigma Chi at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University-Daytona Beach for winning the Fraternity’s 2011 Henning Award, which recognizes the undergraduate chapter with the highest percentage of new Life Loyal Sigs throughout the school year. The award is named for 18th Grand Consul William C. “Pop” Henning, DEPAUW 1890, who is Life Loyal Sig No. 1.
In tribute to their loyalty and support, the Eta Iota chapter will receive a custom Life Loyal Sig plaque to display in the chapter house, as well as a $1,000 scholarship from the Fraternity, to be used for one of the following purposes:
– Recruitment (recruiting event, scholarship for brother-to-be, etc.)
– Educational (upgrades to the house library, scholarship fund for an active undergraduate, etc.)
– Brotherhood retreat or similar event that builds unity within the chapter
– Philanthropy (costs associated w/ hosting a fundraiser)
The award and plaque will be presented to their chapter at the 2011 Balfour Leadership Training Workshop, which will be hosted July 28-30th at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
To those of you who are Life Loyal Sigs, I want to personally thank you for your unyielding desire to perpetuate our brotherhood by becoming a lifelong member.
For those of you who are not yet Life Loyal Sigs and would like to take the first step toward becoming one today, please visit our secure payment form at lifeloyalsig.org, or call John Loes, director of membership programs, at  (847) 869-3655      , ext. 218.
IHSV,

John Loes, director of membership programs
(847) 869-3655      , ext. 218
john.loes@sigmachi.org

 

House Corporation June / July 2011 Newsletter


Brothers,

Happy 4th of July Brothers and Happy 156th Birthday to Sigma Chi.  After taking a look at last month’s email, I realized I never sent out last month’s update.  So there are a number of things I must bring you up to speed on.  First, congratulations to everyone, especially the efforts in last year’s Board of Directors and Trustees on winning the 2011 Outstanding House Corporation Award.  Not only were we the only school in Florida but the only corporation in the South Eastern United States to be bestowed this honor.

Read this newsletter as a pdf

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