September Newsletter
Gentlemen:
Several Delts have inquired about the evolution of 603 WW Inc and we thought now was the time to provide a little detail.
This group started in 2016 in Crawfordsville at the 40th Reunion of my Class at Wabash 1976. A number of us were concerned about the Chapter at Wabash in the aftermath of a terrible tragedy-the death of a Freshman in the Fraternity House some years earlier. The local Fraternity Chapter had been disbanded by both the College and the National Fraternity and there was a lack of clear direction for the future of the Delt House at Wabash.
The result of these 2016 discussions was the creation a few years later of 603 WW Inc. which is a well run Alumni group with several areas of interest.
Areas of Interest:
The ongoing Alumni Life and camaraderie of the Men who have lived in the House at 603 WW. Many of us find great enjoyment seeing and visiting with our friends from our College days and meeting and creating relationships with other Alumni -both younger and older. These Alumni Events -open to all- are 'pay as you go' events with a ticket charge covering the food and beverage and whatever else. These are not tax deductible expenses. The largest of these Alumni Events is the biennial gathering in Crawfordsville for the Monon Bell game. In 2018 we had over 80 Delt Alumni bring their families to the 'Squatfest' at Wabash for some part of the weekend .It is a great event.
A second 603 WW activity is the mentoring of undergraduates with regard to career placement . Dave Benak,79 and Mike Shaver '73 lead a team of interested Alumni creating round table discussions for undergraduates and direct personal contact with Delt Alumni. This has proven successful in two specific first job placements this year and a valued experience for others in the job seeking phase of a senior year in College. Contributions to this Career Placement / Mentoring activity are welcomed and clearly are deductible expenses.
A third area of interest to the 603 WW Group is helping to provide a runway for undergraduates headed to Graduate School. We are establishing a program of support for undergraduates taking entrance and placement examinations for graduate education. This activity will reimburse undergraduates for some part of costs incurred in the Graduate School Admissions process. Further we hope to identify among our number Men who have had successful Graduate School experiences and are willing to share knowledge of the Admissions and Placement process with current students. Obviously this process will need funding on a Annual basis as the anticipated cash need will be somewhere in the $5,000 - $10,000 range to support the testing fees. This effort is being chaired by Mark Noffsinger '78 who may be reached at eglelk5@aol.com if you have any questions or would like to contribute to the cause.
I should also say that the College has a program in place which assists all Wabash students with the cost of LSAT testing...there are no programs yet for other Graduate School pursuits.
Another piece of the current 603 WW design is the creation of a permanent financial Endowment-the income from which can be used for various purposes to be determined by the 603 WW Board. We are in the very early stages of putting together this Endowment and we are making good progress. We need to build this Endowment to a level where the income can be meaningfully helpful to programs. To be clear we are not now, nor do we anticipate , any Endowment spending in the near term. Gifts to the Endowment are fully tax deductible and welcomed via PayPal, Zelle or a personal check.
In sum, we have in place an Alumni Group with an interest in the Graduate life of the fraternity with an emphasis on assisting undergraduates in various areas. Program development is expanding and certainly open to ideas from interested members of the group. Depending on our fundraising and financial successes, we envision activities like tuition support at the Graduate School level. The agenda is an open one.
Current 603 News:
We have two email addresses:
603.ww.inc@gmail.com [for Annual $50.00 dues payments , other gifts including Endowment and designated gifts to programs like Graduate School Test Prep Fees]
603WW1@gmail.com-[for general 603 WW correspondence].
Please enter both addresses in your email address book so that you will receive regular 603 mail without trash / spam issues.
The 603 Board has announced the creation of the Austin Brooks/ Thaddeus Seymour Award to be given biannually to a Member of 603 WW Inc. The Award recognizes service to the 603 Community and indicates the high regard in which the Award Winner is held by his fellow Members. Nominations should be addressed to Roger Wilson '76 at 603WW1@gmail.com. The 2020 deadline for nomination is September 30, 2020.
The Board has announced a Fall 2020 Alumni Event scheduled for the weekend of October 30-November 1 at Camp Rotary which is 5 miles from Crawfordsville. Charles Hutchins, Jim Evans and Randy Allen are organizing this event. The Camp Rotary gathering is, in part, a 2020 replacement of the Annual Monon Bell Weekend gathering in Mud Hollow which has been cancelled. Please make an effort to attend-it will be well worth your time. Details to follow.
The Camp Rotary website is: www.camprotarycrawfordsville.org.
All activities involve a 'pay as you go' charge which will be very reasonable. You will receive a separate invitation from the Committee - all RSVP's, inquiries and responses should be addressed to: Rob Matthews at 603WW1@gmail.com
Overall, we are a Graduate Group of Men each of whom have benefited from the experience of living at the 603 WW address and wish to share with others going forward. We need Members to accomplish this. We would welcome you and your fraternity brothers to join in. There are easy links available for Zelle and PayPal to submit Annual Dues and Endowment Gifts....
Zelle: www.zellepay.com Send Funds to this email address: 603.ww.inc@gmail.com
PayPal: www.paypal.com Send Funds to this email address: 603.ww.inc@gmail.com
Each site asks for an easy registration and a Credit Card Link...very easy way to send funds to 603WW.
Contributions / Annual Dues can also be submitted by US Mail to:
R.S. Matthews, Jr.
6275 North Catls Run Road
Chino Valley, Arizona 86323-9173
Lastly, an informative and interactive web site for 603 WW Inc. is in the developmental stage. Watch for details.
Please let me know if I can answer further questions.
Dick Sword '76