Article by Keith Hellems, M.D. ’62 [email protected]

Portions of this article are excerpted from an article in the Detroit Free press by Tony Garcia (https://www.freep.com/story/sports/college/universitymichigan/wolverines/2023/08/02/michigan-football-unveils-massivescoreboard/70514657007/)

The installation of the new scoreboards, among other upgrades, at Michigan Stadium is nearly complete and they’re quite large.

The structures, which reside in exactly the same positions as before at the north and south ends of the stadium, are 179 feet wide and 62 feet tall – 85% larger than the previous boards (109 feet by 55 feet). The video boards themselves are 152 feet by 55 feet; that’s a 118% increase from the old boards (85 feet by 45 feet).

U-M officials said each board, by itself, would be the nation’s third-largest, behind only Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium and Purdue’s Ross-Ade Stadium. However, as the Wolverines also pointed out, those fields only have one scoreboard.

The new scoreboards were part of a $41-million dollar project, which also included $8 million in production room upgrades, $5 million to upgrade the audio system and $4 million in “permanent safety additions for access” of the boards.

There are multiple factors, both in the video display that you see but also in addition to all of this, they did a total refurb of the Crisler production studios.

Each board needed two new massive columns, which weigh 60-70 tons apiece, to support the structure, They were transported on trucks from Mount Joy, Pennsylvania.

That was arguably one of the most laborious parts of the process as workers – 40-50 on site at a time, with a combined 13,000 man-hours in steelwork alone and more than 35,000 feet of cabling – crews have been drilling the foundation since winter.

As for the function of the boards, the plan is to use the additional space to have more in-depth stats available to fans during games, as well as show other games’ scores more consistently, to compete with the at-home experience.

“We’re really trying to prioritize what’s done for the fans,” said Jake Stocker, U-M’s director of game presentation and fan experience. “Using this new technology to make it a better fan experience, knowing that people can’t always connect to their cell phones at Michigan Stadium, so we’re giving them that experience.

Furthermore, they’re much higher definition that the boards installed in 2011, now capable of handling somewhere between 4K and 8K resolution (though it’s not an exact comparison, given LED resolution is measured differently than a standard TV).”

“It’s a night-and-day difference,” said one project leader. “The pixel density is increased significantly.”

There are upgrades to the audio system which include new concourse speakers as well as a new system in the south scoreboard. That, combined with the upgrades in the production room, will allow audio engineers more flexibility with the sound at the stadium and the ability to control individual aspects in the stadium.

The Crisler production room – which not only runs the videoboards at Michigan Stadium but is the main production room for U-M’s sites for hockey (Yost Ice Arena), baseball and softball (Ray Fisher Stadium), field hockey (Phyllis Ocker Field), soccer (Michigan Soccer Stadium) and lacrosse (U-M Lacrosse Stadium) – is also getting a full renovation.

Because the bid for the contract came in under budget, the athletic department had enough money left over to upgrade the video boards for the baseball, softball, field hockey and soccer sites, plus Cliff Keen Arena (which hosts volleyball, wrestling and men’s gymnastics). The boards are expected to last “at least 10 years” before upgrades, though it isn’t expected they’d need to be fully replaced.

An article by Isaiah Hole further summarizes the scoreboard features (https://sports.yahoo.com/look-michigan-football-shows-off-192521140.html) . The new scoreboards reside in exactly the same positions as before at the north and south ends of the stadium, are 179 feet wide and 62 feet tall – 85% larger than the previous boards (109 feet by 55 feet). The video boards themselves are 152 feet by 55 feet; that’s a 118% increase from the old boards (85 feet by 45 feet).

Check out the details below:

• Original structures were 109′ wide by 55′ tall edge to edge. New ones are 179′ wide by 62′ tall (85% increase in size)
• Old video screens were 85′ wide x 45′ tall. New ones are 152′ wide x 55′ tall (118% increase)
• Approx. 30,000 ft (or just over 5.5 miles) of new cabling has been pulled on the project.
• To date, almost 35,000 work-hours by the 3 construction teams combined. About 13,000 work-hours just in steel.
• Each new column is between 60-70 tons each and is supported by an approx. 12′ x 65′ foundation pier.
• The columns had to be specially transported 1 at a time from the factory in Mt. Joy, PA.

The backside facing the street, outside of the stadium

You can see that the scoreboards are wider by the two new support columns added to either side. Michigan is keeping the traditional, clean Block M on blue as the logo, as it was with the 2011 design change.

The sides under construction

You can get a better idea of what’s inside by seeing the unfinished portions of the scoreboard, with the supports and cabling that are encased. Of course, when the season begins, the boards will be enclosed and look like one big television.

Inside the stadium

The prior video boards were installed in 2011.

Michigan Stadium scoreboard renderings

Michigan Athletics has provided the following renderings of the upgraded scoreboards.

The 2011-22 boards appear as dashed lines for comparison:

Some of the photos and comments were taken from an article by Alejandro Zuniga, writer for Michigan Insider, 247 Sports (https://247sports.com/college/michigan/article/michigan-stadium-new-scoreboardslights-audio-system-the-inside-scoop-about-the-big-house-upgrades-213537934/)

If you have articles you might write for our Michigan Delta Chi eBlasts let me know. Additions or corrections to this article can also be sent to [email protected].

Article by H. Keith Hellems, M.D. ‘62

During the fundraising campaign I started to gather pages from Michiganensian publications that had the name of Delta Chi in them. I started in 1897 and went to 2008. Delta Chi went off campus during the depression in 1933 and came back on campus in 1949. We plan to publish these over the next months, usually 2 or 3 years at a time for your interest. Below is a brief history of the Michiganensian excerpted from Wikipedia:

“The Michiganensian, also known as the Ensian, is the official yearbook of the University of Michigan.  Its first issue was published in April 1896, the yearbook is editorially and financially independent of the University of Michigan’s administration and other student groups. It is published yearly in late spring by a staff of several dozen students. The book is the second oldest publication on campus, and it contains articles and original photography related to campus life, student activism, university athletics, and current events.

In its earliest form, the Michiganensian served as an illustrated directory, providing information on organizations, fraternities, and athletics. As the publication evolved in the early 1900s, more space was dedicated to writing and photographs, but the publication still focused largely on fraternities and athletics. Now, in its current form, the Michiganensian is composed of photography and stories about campus life, student activism, current events, and athletics.  The 125th issue also split with precedent by including limited fraternity and sorority coverage, amid student criticism of secret societies on campus and a nationwide ‘Abolish Greek Life’ movement.”

To get us started we include the 1933 and 1949 Delta Chi pages.

We are sorry to hear that one of our most outstanding alumni, Bill Thewalt, passed away August 7. He was active in the Michigan Delta Chi chapter as a student and alumnus. He served as vice-president, member-at-large and then as president of fraternity. He was Alumni Advisory from fall of 1960 to spring of 1966 and then was President of the Alumni Board of Trustees in the fall of 1967. He was also the organizer of many of the more successful alumni weekends over the decades, keeping his timeframe brothers in contact with the fraternity. He was a good man.    

Age 88, Bill died peacefully at his home in Grand Blanc, Michigan. Expressions of sympathy may be shared with the family on Bill’s Tribute Wall at detroitcremationsociety.com.

Bill was born April 10, 1935 in Detroit, Michigan to Frank and Ruth Thewalt. He was a big brother to his only sister, Penny (Thewalt) Oberg.

He graduated from the University of Michigan in 1958 with a degree in Business Administration. In his early career he was business partners with his father at Fraher Sausage Co., a wholesale sausage maker, known by the family as the Bologna Foundry.

Because he owned a white dinner jacket, Bill was asked by a fraternity brother to be in his wedding. It was there Bill met Joyce Bogg. In 1968 they were married, and they began their common life in Detroit. In 1970 they moved to Grand Blanc when Bill began his career as a writer for General Motors; Marketing Educational Services division where he primarily developed, wrote and taught training curriculum for the owners and managers of General Motors dealerships.

In Grand Blanc they built a family and became involved in their community’s life. Bill was involved in local politics as campaign manager for a candidate for the Grand Blanc Township Board and later was appointed to the Grand Blanc Township Planning Commission. In his retirement years, he became well known for his pointedly worded letters to the editor.

Throughout the whole of his life, Bill served the organizations he belonged to and supported on leadership or strategic committees including St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, the Episcopal Dioceses of Michigan and Eastern Michigan, Flint Area Wine Society, Flint Community Players, and the Flint Retired Men’s Fellowship. Many have remarked they will miss Bill’s contributions of strategic thinking and his expertly written minutes.

The true joy of Bill’s life was his family. Bill and Joyce enjoyed travelling together, tending to the vegetable garden in their backyard, hosting dinner parties, and supporting the careers, hobbies and interests of their two daughters.

Ever the Michigan man, Bill donated his whole body to the University of Michigan medical school for the advancement of knowledge of its students.

He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Joyce Bogg Thewalt, his sister Penny (Tim) Oberg of Larchmont, New York, his daughters Laura and Sondra, both of Houston, Texas, his nieces Juliet and Jessica, nephews Ted and Matt and many great nieces and nephews.

A Celebration of Life service will occur on Saturday, September 16, 2023 at 2:00 pm at St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church, G-9020 S. Saginaw Rd, Grand Blanc MI. The attire is Maize and Blue. The family will receive visitors following the service.

Donations may be made in his memory to any of the following:

St. Christopher’s Episcopal Church – please specify Restricted – Memorial. Donations received will be placed in the Endowment Fund, Bill was one of the architects of this fund. http://www.stchrisgrandblanc.org/donate-2/ .

Flint Community Players, https://www.flintcommunityplayers.com/support-us .

Bill’s obituary was written by his loving family.

Article by Keith Hellems, M.D. ’62 — [email protected]

I am sure that many of you know about Jim Harbaugh’s planned trips in the spring to various sites for his football team, but I never even heard about such plans until last month’s teleconference with our eDelt board members. Just in case you don’t know, I’m going to give you a brief synopsis.  

Jim Harbaugh was hired to be Michigan’s football coach December 30, 2014. Shortly after this in 2016 he decided to take his players to Italy in the spring of 2017. Harbaugh touts these trips as a bonding experience adding to player cohesiveness in addition to being educational and fun, “with members of the roster seeing places they might not have otherwise,” as Aaron McCann wrote in an MLive article. The 2017 Italy trip was followed by a France trip in 2018 and a South Africa trip in 2019. Because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the program took a two-year hiatus in 2020 and 2021. It returned to their annual travels in 2022 with a nine-day trip around the state of Michigan. In 2023 they took a seven-day trip visiting Cleveland and Canton, Ohio, Washington DC, New York City, and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. 

While in Rome in 2017 on their first trip Jim Harbaugh realized his first venture into international college football trips was a success came during a long dinner in Rome. Harbaugh and his players sat down for a lengthy meal one night in Italy, something that stretched over several courses and took time to get through.  

As reported by Nick Baumgardner for the Detroit Free Press, “Along the way, he realized what was happening. Part was due to technology. And part was due to an incredibly unique experience.” 

“We were all at a dinner that took about 2 1/2, 3 hours, through all the courses. And at the end, I just thanked them all. It was unbelievable,” Harbaugh recalled. “Sharing, telling stories, laughing, really connecting. And I said ‘we should do this more back home.’ Nobody had their cell phones out.”  Harbaugh has frequently discussed putting the “college back into college football,” and he sees this type of team bonding and building as a logical extension. Harbaugh touts these trips as much educational as they are fun, with members of the roster seeing places they might not have otherwise. His staff and players have completely bought in to the idea of sharing this adventure together.  

In Rome they visited the Colosseum, Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Roman Forum, Piazza Navona, and an operatic performance that featured a number of arias from some of the most famous operas ever written, got hands-on instruction on how to fight with authentic weapons while wearing the traditional gladiator tunic and belt.  They also attended cooking classes. 

After this year’s trip, Harbaugh headed to Peru for a mission trip, something he did every offseason from 2009-2015.  

In 2018 while in France they visited Paris making stops at the Eiffel Tower, U.S. Embassy, Louvre and Versailles. They also traveled to Normandy to see the D-Day beaches and cemetery. They participated in a community service project. 

In 2019 while in South Africa they visited Cape Town and Johannesburg. They toured the Robben Island prison where Nelson Mandela spent nearly two decades imprisoned during apartheid before becoming the nation’s first democratically elected president. They checked out penguins while visiting the Cape of Good Hope, climbed Table Mountain, visited Buffels Bay and participated in a rugby and football clinic. After leaving Cape Town for Johannesburg, Michigan’s traveling contingent visited the Apartheid Museum and saw wildlife while on safaris. 

The trips are funded by private donors. The Rome trip cost around $800,000, which included shipment of Michigan’s football gear across the Atlantic Ocean since 3 of the allotted spring practices (NCAA rules) were done on this trip, as Nick Baumgardner wrote. Later trips did not take gear since there were no practices scheduled.    

In an article for The Detroit News, Angelique S. Chengelis wrote, “Two donors – who had wished to remain anonymous until Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh accidently revealed their identities – split the bill for the Wolverines’ spring trip to Paris, which came to just more than $1 million.” The big-money alums were Bobby Kotick and Don Graham. Kotick had paid the $800,000 plus bill for the Rome trip and the Paris trip costing $1,007,268 ($979,641 expenses and $27,627 for security services) was split between Kotick and Graham. It is not clear to me who actually paid for the South Africa trip which according to the Detroit Free Press were said to be $1,154,839 paid to the travel agency organizing the trip and $38,241 listed as “other trip costs.”    

After the covid-19 hiatus of 2020 and 2021, in 2022, a group of team leaders asked Harbaugh to resume the travel opportunities, according to an article written by Alejandro Zuniga for 247Sports. This time they stayed closer to home, with a journey around the state of Michigan with the trips “designed to offer team-building opportunities, with educational components, service commitments and entertainment activities built into the itinerary,” as Zuniga wrote. For example, they “spent a morning riding dune buggies at Silver Lake State Park” and in the afternoon, “they helped to rebuild The Flamingo Club, a once-renowned establishment in the historically Black community of Idlewild in northern Michigan,” Zuniga wrote, “Stops included Mackinac Island, Traverse City and Muskegon, plus time in the Upper Peninsula.” The schedule included time for voluntary workouts, and “the intra-state bus travel gave Michigan fans the opportunity to see their team in a different context,” Zuniga wrote. No practices were planned. 

The 2023 spring road trip went across several states taking a 7-day, 6-night trip which included stops in Cleveland and Canton, Ohio, Washington DC, New York City, and Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.   

In Cleveland they visited the Rock and Roll Museum and in Canton they visited the Pro Football Hall of Fame. As Anthony Broome wrote in an article for The Wolverine, “Michigan has 11 figures present at the PFHOF, including George Allen, Dan Dierdorf, Len Ford, Benny Friedman, Bill Hewitt, Steve Hutchinson, Ty Law, Tom Mack, Ralph Wilson, Jr. and Charles Woodson. The coolest story of the day came in the form of walk-on defensive back Jesse Madden, who is the grandson of Hall of Fame coach and broadcaster John Madden. Michigan made sure to get a photo opportunity of Madden in front of his grandfather’s bust in the Hall of Fame wing of the museum.” 

In New York they visited the Statue of Liberty, took a boat to Ellis Island and visited the New York Stock Exchange in the evening. They got the opportunity to attend a Broadway play and also saw Times Square where there was a rotating Michigan football ad appearing on a prominent billboard. They also visited the 9/11 Memorial, Ground Zero, Empire State Building and Central Park. The trip continued to Washington, D.C., where they toured the African-American History Museum and International Spy Museum. They made stops at the U.S. Capitol, Supreme Court and Arlington National Cemetery. Some even attended a Major League Baseball game. 

I would like to acknowledge the articles of Nick Baumgardner, Angelique S. Chengelis and Aaron McMann sections of which I copied in this article.  

Plans for the 2024 spring trip have not been announced yet.    

With summer getting in full swing, it’s giving us flashbacks of summer during our Delta Chi days. Do you remember the most popular songs that were on EVERY playlist at parties? Don’t worry, we got you!  

Click the links below to view the top songs of every decade starting with the ‘50s!  

Cut a rug to these ‘50s crooners!  

’50s playlist 

Twist and shout to these ‘60s bops!  

‘60s playlist 

Boogie down to these groovy ‘70s hits!  

‘70s playlist 

Jam out to the flyest beats of the ‘80s!  

‘80s playlist  

Jump around to these ‘90s hits!  

‘90s playlist 

Throw it back to these hits from the ‘00s! 

‘00s playlist 

Relive the memories with these ‘10s hits! 

‘10s playlist 

Have you misplaced your last newsletter, are you looking for a particular one, or are you trying to find the newsletter you were featured in? Don’t worry! We have you covered!

If you are looking for a specific recent newsletter, head to our newsletter page to view our past editions. We have archives that date back all the way to March 2014, so head to the newsletter page and read through what our brothers were writing about back then.

Can’t find the newsletter edition that you’re looking for? Let us know by emailing [email protected].

As a child, I didn’t like tricycles and would have nothing to do with training wheels because they just didn’t feel right. I didn’t know it but that’s when I became a student of the physical sciences, fascinated by whatever it was that made cycling like flying, and contemptuous of anything that would conspire to push me to one side or to the other. As a kid, I glued together plastic kit airplanes that wouldn’t fly, before I knew anything about stall speeds, Bernoulli’s Principle, or weight transfer. What really struck my imagination was the amazing things I might build with the leftover bits and pieces from the model kits. With wood and junk, I made all kinds of stuff. Later I would go on to build contraptions that would fly underwater, also pilot a hang glider as well as handle the controls of Pipers and Cessnas.

I barely limped through Michigan with a BSME because I couldn’t get many test answers correct in only one hour, despite attending all the lectures, all of the labs, the books, the example problems. Strategic class withdrawal and light class loads eventually yielded to my efforts. But my secret superpower was the family that you choose, the company you keep. Delta Chi in the late 1970’s was light in numbers but heavy in engineering talent. There was also the easy family atmosphere that drove my feelings of isolation into the corner. And John Russell was there to ballast the ship with his “Now you boys” and his “This ain’t no hotel”. Michigan was a love-hate relationship for me, but I got through it despite. I have recently come to the belief that I am something called neuro-divergent.

Upon graduation, Greg Roda and I set out for the Sunny South on our motorcycles to find our fortunes, stopping in Rural Retreat Virginia to visit JR. I kept in touch with JR over the years on the phone until his tragic death.

My career was a catastrophe in slow motion. I failed to grasp the brass ring a couple times and got fired a couple times. My inability to “sell myself” in resumes and interviews made job-getting that much harder. At thirty four with a mortgage and a kid, I found myself digging ditches and toting equipment for six dollars an hour. I finally had lowered my expectations enough to find something that I could get good at, and strangely I enjoyed the tough physicality of the work.

Fast forward 25 years of becoming a plumbing foreman for mid-sized commercial construction projects, while always retaining that inner physical scientist and futurist, always on the lookout for that one idea that would carry me where I thought I was meant to be.

Turning fifty-nine in 2018 shook me to my core. Late in the evening of that birthday, I looked bleary-eyed into the bathroom mirror and said out loud “I am not satisfied with what I’m looking at.” I then did an intensive review of all my journals and came to the realization that I would have to find my fortune rather than my fortune finding me. Good ideas are a dime a dozen, but you’ve got to make something.

One idea lurking at the edge of my bandwidth for over thirty years resurfaced suddenly in early 2019. I had long-believed that the fourth wheel of a vehicle was redundant in a quest for efficiency and weight reduction. But to make that idea a good one, I had to defeat that long-hated lateral g-force to keep the center of gravity along the centerline of the vehicle. I had determined in about 2006 that the concept was not practical until a thing called a “hubmotor” was available. My understanding of hubmotors from articles in Popular Science magazine was essentially a powered ball bearing with a tire fitted to its outer race. In about January 2019, I saw it hanging from the ceiling of my local bicycle shop. It almost even had a little halo around it. Maybe that was just imagination. I rushed home to consult the mirror again. My dad had a saying ” Are you gonna fish or cut bait?” I was going to fish!

I cut everything out of my life other than my wife and my day job. Seventeen months later I finished a ridiculous-looking thing that resembled a Schwinn being humped by an antique farm implement. That thing rode like a champ around east Charlotte, North Carolina for over a year and a half. It was so fun and handled so well that I had to keep going. Along the way I started the build on another one, tripling the power and inventing a feature that allows it to operate in two “modes”. The motorcycle mode enables the machine to have the same riding experience as that of a motorcycle but with improved surefootedness on rutted terrain, a motorcycle danger zone. The tricycle mode allows the machine to operate just like a tricycle at slow speeds only, enabling reverse and improved cargo carrying capabilities over that of a motorcycle. I have recently been allowed a US utility patent with all of my patent claims intact. You can see the results of my efforts at instagram.com/agencytrike/.

The old guys call it badass while the kids call it sick, and dope.

Either you’re building your dream or someone else is paying you to build theirs. That was a lesson they never taught us in Ann Arbor.

In the bond, Scott Walls ’83

Mark Dunning remembers that Delta Chi was known during his time at Michigan for “academics, down-to-earth brothers, and really good cooking, thanks to Chef John Russell.” He now looks back on his fraternity experience as a source of “camaraderie and mutual support throughout our lives.” 

His most treasured memories from those days include: “Scott Walls’ Coffin Party, where we hauled him onto the third floor of a local sorority, drank shots, and left him, tied up. Our very durable basement, which hosted several raucous parties and drinking games, and ceremoniously burying Greg Roda ‘83‘s motorcycle in the backyard when it finally died.” 

Mark describes the bonds formed through Delta Chi as “long-lasting, valuable, and appreciated,” and notes that he remains in regular contact with Scott Walls ‘83, Jim Fuger ‘82, Dave Deaver, Frank Morrey ‘64, Stuart Popp ‘83, Greg Roda, and Steve Hook ‘82 (until his recent passing). 

He also points to other influential friends from his college years, including “Tim Luker ‘82, Joe Burchill ‘81, Dave Mazzotta ‘84, Jim Slawson ‘82, the Building Corp members, and our Little Sisters. Each were great examples of people who could have a really fun time together while still fulfilling their commitments at school and preparing for their lives. All have excelled in their professions since graduating, as I could tell they would. 

“All of them have at varying points as a support network during life’s inevitable uncertainties.” 

Mark graduated in 1984 from U-M with a BA-English and earned a MA-Industrial Relations from Wayne State University in 1989. He now lives in Atlanta and recently retired following his 39-year career with automotive, medical device, and plastic packaging manufacturing firms in Detroit, Scottsdale, and Atlanta, respectively. Currently, he plays as much golf as possible and is trying to determine where his retirement home should be.  

Are you plugged in to the Delta Chi social media pages? Follow us to reconnect with your alumni buddies online, find out about upcoming virtual and in-person events, and keep up with the latest news from the fraternity.  

National Fraternity Facebook Page: Delta Chi

Chapter Instagram: @umichdeltachi

National Fraternity Twitter: @DeltaChiHQ

Delta Chi is the place where we had a lot of firsts. It’s the place where we first ventured out of our hometowns, the first place we bonded to on campus, and the place where we first learned the true meaning of friendship and how to be real men. Read on to see what your brothers said on how Delta Chi impacted their lives.

“My first road-trip as a pledge was when Dan Springer ‘81 and I drove to Rural Retreat Virginia to pick up our chef, John Russell, and all of his garden produce. JR had never driven in his life, and he was a wonderful steadying influence on ‘you boys,’” Scott Walls ’83 said.

Mark Dunning ’84 remembers that Delta Chi was known during his time at Michigan for “academics, down-to-earth brothers, and really good cooking, thanks to Chef John Russell.” He now looks back on his fraternity experience as a source of “camaraderie and mutual support throughout our lives.”

“The camaraderie of the fraternity brothers and contact with brothers so many years later gave me the incentive to help raise money so that those that follow can have a lifetime experience just as I had,” Keith Hellems ’62 said.

How did Delta Chi impact you? CLICK HERE to share your story with us and be featured in an upcoming eLetter!

Seth Michael Boyer ’18 (1996-2023) passed away peacefully in his home on May 24, 2023, at the age of twenty-seven, after a courageous nine-month battle with brain cancer. He was born in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, on March 16, 1996, the son of Ronald and Charisse (St Germain) Boyer. Seth was a graduate (2014) of De La Salle High School in Warren, Michigan, and earned two degrees from the University of Michigan: Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry (2018) and a Master’s in Physiology (2020). While at Michigan, Seth was the lead author on a published and peer reviewed paper as part of his research on pancreatic cancer. Seth loved learning and was one semester from completing his MBA at the time of his death. He was employed by Lear Corporation where he was supported by many long-time family friends and colleagues. Friends and family remember Seth for his sense of humor, his brilliant mind, his fondness for travel – having visited nearly every country in Europe, his dance skills – having danced competitively throughout his youth, his commitment to Delta Chi fraternity where he served as Vice President, and for the love and friendship he gave to so many people. Seth especially enjoyed watching South Park and other work by its authors, including the Broadway and International play, “The Book of Mormon” which Seth saw On Broadway, in London as well as Detroit. Seth is survived by his parents; his fiancée Erin Bookout (to whom Seth’s family extend their love and deep appreciation for the devotion, and support she offered Seth during his illness); his sisters Ana and Lola; his grandmother Bonnie Boyer; his grandparents Harold and Mary St Germain; several loving cousins; and many aunts and uncles: Randy and Sharon Boyer, Jason and Nicole Permenter, Edward and Diana Krease, James and Dawn Powers, Brian St Germain, and James Draper. Seth was predeceased by his grandfather (who he knew as Papa) Ronald Boyer.

Visitation was held at 5:00 pm. Tuesday May 30th, 2023, at Wujek – Calcaterra & Sons Inc., 54880 Van Dyke Ave. Shelby Township, MI. The Funeral Liturgy followed Wednesday May 31st at 11:00 a.m. at St. John Vianney Catholic Church, 54045 Schoenherr Road, Shelby Township. Interment at Resurrection Cemetery, Clinton Township, at a later date. Memorial contributions may be made to University of Michigan Neuro-Oncology Gift Fund (in memo line if by check) at: https://leadersandbest.umich.edu/find/#!/give/basket/fund/335205?keyword=neuro or by check mailed to:

Michigan Medicine Office of development, Attention: Allison Clark
777 E. Eisenhower Pkwy., Suite 650
Ann Arbor, MI 48108-3268.

Please share memories with the family at their online guestbook at WujekCalcaterra.com

Who doesn’t love a good throwback photo? This month we are taking a trip down memory lane, all the way back to the ’50s, and we sure do have a throwback for you! Check out this photo of Michigan chapter from back in the day.  

Were you there? Are you in this picture? If you remember this photo, CLICK HERE or email us to share a story about it.  

If you have great photos from your glory days to share, log in to upload them to our photo gallery or email them to [email protected]! 

When you’re in middle age, you start to realize how very much you need your friends. After decades of relentless striving — kids, house, career, spouse — we find ourselves coming up for breath at some point in these middle decades. And what remains? With any luck, our friends.  

An Atlantic Monthly article (do yourself a favor and read it at tinyurl.com/lifelongfriends), says that according to the Stanford Center on Longevity, those of us over 40 have aged out of the friendship-collecting business, which tends to peak in the tumbleweed stage of life, and move into the friendship-enjoying business, luxuriating in the relationships that survived as we put down roots. 

The problem? Those friendships are awfully hard-won. Life’s significant upheavals and changes can prove too much for many friendships to withstand. As years go by, some of the dearest people in your life have gently faded away.  

But these bonds with friends are more than an extra in your life story — they are the story. Over and over, we hear stories of how Delta Chi friends drove overnight to be in weddings, wept together at funerals, cheered at the news of new babies, toasted promotions, and gathered together in adversity. In a nutshell: the friendships we gained — and still have — with our fraternity brothers are exquisitely rare in today’s world. 

Author Jennifer Senior says, “Practically everyone who studies friendship says this in some form or another: What makes friendship so fragile is also exactly what makes it so special. You have to continually opt in. That you choose it is what gives it its value.” 

Our Michigan chapter friendships have seen us through so much, but don’t take them for granted. Take a minute to text or call your roommate, or intramural teammate, and tell them that you are thinking of them. Our friendships have fueled these decades since graduation… Let’s keep it going.  

P.S. Don’t have the most recent contact information? We do! Log in, and then head over to our alumni directory.  

Howard grew up living on Hampton Road in Grosse Pointe Woods, MI. In 9th grade he had to write a “Career Book” for English class so chose chemical engineering probably from a love of chemistry (from the Gilbert chemistry set) and fascination with the colored pictures of large refineries and chemical plants in annual reports from Exxon, Mobile, Rohm and Hass, Dow and others. At the same time, he began dating Judy Mitchell who would become his wife and life long best friend. Two life directing decisions made very early in life. 

After graduating from Grosse Pointe High School, he entered Michigan in the fall of 1960 to study chemical engineering and was living in South Quad Huber House. Spring rush brought him to the Delta Chi house where he was welcomed by all the brothers including Keith Hellems who was also from Grosse Pointe. Our pledge class of Bob Sielski ’64, Dave Huggett ’64, Tim Curtin ’64, Jim Richhart ’64, Bob Todd, Jim House, Howard Travis ’63 and Dave Siglin ’64 learned much from Pledge Master Lane Kendig ’62 and we studied, worked and played together spring of 1961. We turned Hell Week into Help Week executing Big Magoo’s (Mike McGuire) many improvement ideas for the party room and serving area plus other improvements to the house. 

∆X was the perfect place to learn how to motivate a group of brothers to work together to accomplish great things.  Translating Lane Kendig’s dream of a Viking ship for a Michigras float into the real thing that won first place serves as great example. As house manager, Howard helped the brothers learn many DIY skills as we remodeled the lavatories, dining room and all the basement rooms except the pit. He was elected A for 1963 which was another excellent experience for learning leadership skills in a low risk environment. Howard married long time sweetheart, Judy Mitchell, in May ’64 with many brothers in attendance. They lived in Ann Arbor that Fall while Howard completed double degrees in chemical and metallurgical engineering.  

In 1965, they moved to Cincinnati when he joined Procter & Gamble’s Engineering Division as a process engineer. During his 26-year career, he held senior management positions in R&D, engineering, manufacturing and product supply in the soap, food and paper business units at both domestic and international locations. Work focused on product, package and manufacturing process development; design, construction and commissioning of manufacturing facilities; plus, ongoing product, process, package and supplier improvements to improve quality and reduce costs. Highlights include design and building of P&Gs Lima plant in 11 months from ground breaking to startup, successful commercialization of Pringles manufacturing plant, and world’s first multi-layer tissue paper and use of a jet engine to dry tissue paper. Assignments took the family to Lima, OH, Jackson, TN and Newcastle, England.  

While at P&G, he was exposed to quality management and breakthrough organization design concepts. He introduced some of the first Deming-based quality improvement projects at P&G. He developed a deep interest in quality and organization design technology and did post graduate work at a variety of locations acquiring expert level capabilities in all strategic planning and major quality/process improvement methodologies. He joined the American Supplier Institute in 1991 to further his skills in this area and became president of ASI in 1993. In 1995 he formed Gandelot & Associates, an organization that specializes in helping organizations better meet their customers’ needs through simultaneously improving the work processes and people systems. He has consulted more than 100 organizations engaged in manufacturing, financial, health care, educational, advertising and non-profits to help them grow by better meeting their customer’s wants. 

Howard has always believed in “giving back” to the communities they have lived in. In Cincinnati, he served on the Wyoming, OH City Council and various city committees, was president of the Wyoming Civic Center, and a Red Cross volunteer. While in Detroit, he was a board member of the Detroit Institute of Ophthalmology that served the visually impaired and served as chairman of 1998 “Eyes on Classic Design” car show featuring more than 225 exhibitors of classic vehicles. While wintering in Savannah, he consulted with the boards of the Landings Association and 

Landings Club to improve work processes and strategic thinking. He is an Elder in the Presbyterian church and has helped build more than 70 Habitat houses. Additionally, he led the four-person team of Frank Morrey ’64, Keith Hellems ’62 and David Falconer ’62 who worked thousands of hours over a three-year period to raised more than $1.1 million that enabled our new ∆X chapter house to be built in 2018. 

Judy and Howard have two children, Brian, an operations manager for System Four a commercial cleaning company in Cincinnati and Colette, who owns a design/build remodeling company in Minneapolis. Additionally, nephew Jeffrey Pilley joined the family at age 13 after both his parents had passed away. Jeff is manager of information systems development for a Boston based investment firm. Judy and Howard summer in northern Michigan and winter in Savannah. 

Howard’s advice can be summed as: lead by example, think strategically and broadly, work hard, get it done as only actions count, help others succeed, and always give back for the riches you have received.

The Delta Chi Fraternity is excited to announce award applications for the 2022-2023 academic year are live!

Each year, Delta Chi recognizes chapters, members, and friends for the amazing things they do on campus, in the Fraternity, in their careers, and in society at large. Delta Chi has three award categories:

• Collegiate Awards (Core Competency, Composite, Collegiate Programming, and Collegiate Individual Awards)
• Alumni Chapter Awards
• Individual & Friends of the Fraternity Awards

Awards are presented during the International Convention on even years and announced virtually in non-Convention years. Each award category has different submission requirements. Award descriptions, details, and submission processes can be found HERE.

Complete your applications throughout April, and help us recognize outstanding chapters, members, alumni, and friends of the Fraternity. Submissions are accepted until 11:59pm ET on April 30th.

Every year, alumni of all ages make the journey back to Michigan for the annual Maize & Blue game to get their tailgate fix, keep an eye on up-and-coming players, and of course, reconnect with their Delta Chi brothers. This year was no exception as alumni spent the weekend having fun, watching Michigan football, and reminiscing with old friends.  

Were you there this year? Did you tailgate? We want to know!  

CLICK HERE to tell us how you spent this year’s Maize & Blue game to be featured in an upcoming eLetter or newsletter! 

Source Courtesy of The Michiganensian

Check out this blast from the past, all the way back to 1962! Delta Chi is featured in Michigan’s Yearbook, The Michiganensian, for the Irish setter named Nick, “wedge award”, and more! Do you remember the time, were you there, did you participate, do you recognize these fellas in the photo? We want to know!  

CLICK HERE and we will publish them in an upcoming e-letter or newsletter. 

We are proud to be a part of the Delta Chi brotherhood. Out of the thousands of Delta Chi alumni, here are just a few of the prominent University of Michigan Chapter alumni that have excelled in their industry.

• George Stalk ’73: Author of “Hardball: Are You Playing to Play or Playing to Win?,” “Competing Against Time”
• George Smith ’99: Former General Solicitor Union Pacific Railway
• Harold Emmons ’99: Former Director Chemical Research Corporation; Former Police Commissioner, Detroit, Michigan
• Hughston McBain ’24: Former Chairman of the Board Marshall Fields and Company
• James Horton ’10: Former Chief Examiner, Federal Trade Commission
• Joseph Chamberlain ’00: Former State Representative, Ohio
• Leonard Scheele ’30: Former Surgeon General of the United States
• Thomas Michalski ’56: City Planner (Who’s Who 1986)
• William Day ’00: Former Federal Judge, Ohio, First ever Delta Chi Federal Judge
• William Morgan ’08: Former Attorney General, Wisconsin
• Bruce Blake ’05: Former Supreme Court Justice, Washington
• Carl Maher ’07: Former District Justice, Iowa
• Robert Day ’40: US Army World War II
• Harrison Weeks ’02: All American Football Player

Check out the full list of Prominent Delta Chi Alumni here.