Ron Henson ’61

Posted on January 3, 2012January 3, 2015 by Alpha Tau Omega - Gamma Zeta Chapter

Q) Why did you join?

A) The guys I met during Rush Week

Q) Tell us about your favorite memory of the fraternity

A) Butch Smith, T.J. Smith, Bill Dietrich, Pete Fernandes, Bill Monroe

Q) What kind of influence has the fraternity had on your life since graduation?

A) Great memories

Q) With whom do you still stay in contact? Who would you most like to find?

A) Schmulbach, Rod Hanson, Bill Monroe. Have lost Butch Smith’s Address. Have never been able to locate Bill Dietrich.

Q) Tell us about your family: Do you have children?Continue reading→

David Roberts ’81

Posted on January 3, 2012January 3, 2015 by Alpha Tau Omega - Gamma Zeta Chapter

Q) Why did you join?

A) Being the oldest in my family and not knowing much about college when it was time to decide where to live, my mom described the fraternity as compared to the dorm. The fraternity deal sounded much better.

Q) Tell us about your favorite memory of the fraternity

A) Food fights, Road Rallies to pick parking spots for the year, Fixing up room #2, intramural sports, walk out

Q) What kind of influence has the fraternity had on your life since graduation?

A) During rush we used to have a saying douche bags breed douche bags. It has always helped me in making choices about some things that are close but not just right and the value of patience in waiting for the right situation. Also as president I learned that as a leader of an organization, the way to raise everyone else’s level of motivation was to raise your own.

Q) With whom do you still stay in contact? Who would you most like to find?Continue reading→

David Teuscher, MD ’83

Posted on January 3, 2012January 3, 2015 by Alpha Tau Omega - Gamma Zeta Chapter

Q) Why did you join?

A) I pledged at the end of my freshman year after I had time to look around campus and meet some of the brothers. I found guys with similar interests who knew how to play winning sports, excel in academics, and find plenty of time for having fun.

Q) Tell us about your favorite memory of the fraternity

A) Running for Urbana City Council in 1979. A dozen of the brothers became deputy voter registrars, and everyone pitched in to help me beat a long term incumbent. It was the first time a student Republican had ever served. We had several campaign events at the house including the election night victory party. The mayor and the Republicans on City Coucil came to 1101 Pennsylvania with the press.

Q) What kind of influence has the fraternity had on your life since graduation?Continue reading→

Mark Zieba ’00

Posted on January 3, 2012January 3, 2015 by Alpha Tau Omega - Gamma Zeta Chapter

Making friends and enjoying college were two important criteria considered by Mark Zieba ’00 when he joined the fraternity as a first semester freshman. “My brother, Matt, is two years older than me and was an ATO at the University of Illinois. I met a lot of his friends in the house and everyone seemed to get along well. I decided that joining was a good opportunity.”

Mark’s educational pursuits didn’t end when he graduated in 2000 with a major in kinesiology from the University of Illinois at Champaign. He enrolled in the dental school at the University of Illinois in Chicago and graduated in May 2004. He is now a dentist in private practice at Webster Dental, 2829 North Lincoln Avenue, Chicago. In addition to his brother Matt who is in the Marketing Director at ATI Physical Therapy in Chicago, Mark remains close with many of his fraternity brothers. “Actually, there are too many to name so I won’t try. I don’t want to leave out anyone.”Continue reading→

Cary McMillan ’80

Posted on January 3, 2012January 3, 2015 by Alpha Tau Omega - Gamma Zeta Chapter

Cary McMillan ’80 grew up in Urbana, so he and his friends from high school naturally had their sights set on attending the University of Illinois. They also had the advantage of participating in rush the spring before his freshman year. Seniors scheduled to enter the University the following fall were given the opportunity to come to campus for a weekend and rush all three stages.

There were dozens of fraternities on campus at the time, but he gravitated toward Alpha Tau Omega.

“The Gamma Zeta Chapter had a lot going for it,” Cary said. “The house itself was the nicest on campus and the older guys were great. They made you feel comfortable right away.”Continue reading→

Jack Klues ’77 – Sharing the ATO Pride

Posted on January 3, 2012January 4, 2015 by Alpha Tau Omega - Gamma Zeta Chapter

Thank you to Jack Klues ’77 for participating in this Q&A.

Why did you join ATO as an undergraduate?

I initially was interested in a fraternity because I was looking for a social and living situation which would help me shrink a big university into a more manageable and navigable size. However, I can remember my first couple of introductory experiences at ATO which deepened my interest in joining. ATO was a house of true respectful brotherhood and was above all the juvenile hazing crap that still went on at other houses in those days. It was also filled with guys who loved sports and competition which I liked.

What is the funniest memory from your ATO days?

Continue reading→

Richard W. Paterson ’53

Posted on December 10, 2011January 4, 2015 by Alpha Tau Omega - Gamma Zeta Chapter

Richard Paterson ’53 passionately loved nature, sports, his community and his family. Richard’s passion forathletics was a thread running throughout his life. He was an outstanding high school athlete himself, inducted into the Champaign Central Hall of Fame in 1970. He remained a loyal Champaign Central fan and proudly continued to serve, until present, on the Champaign Central C-Club. He coached his three daughters on various youth swimming, softball and flag football teams and most recently received much joy watching his eight grandchildren compete in numerous sports.

Click here for full obituary.

James E. Simon ’61

Posted on November 30, 2011January 4, 2015 by Alpha Tau Omega - Gamma Zeta Chapter

CHAMPAIGN – James E. Simon 73, of Champaign passed away Wednesday (Nov. 30, 2011) at his home in Champaign.

He was born Oct. 16, 1938, in Carbondale to Ernest and Mary Curd Simon. He married Rebecca Jeffries on Sept. 5, 1964 in Carbondale and she survives. He was preceded in death by one brother and his parents.

He was a professor of architecture at the University of Illinois for 32 years, retiring in 1998. Prior to coming to the University of Illinois he was employed at C.F. Murphy Architectural in Chicago.

He belonged to the A.T.O. fraternity, was a master gardener and loved to travel the western United States.

Services for Professor Simon will be private and memorial contributions should be directed to the James E. Simon Trust with the University of Illinois Foundation or to the Master Gardener Program with the University of Illinois Extension Service.

Arthur C. Litchfield ’50

Posted on November 27, 2011January 4, 2015 by Alpha Tau Omega - Gamma Zeta Chapter

Arthur Clinton Litchfield, 85, passed away on November 27, 2011 at the Tores Home after a long illness. In 1943, at the age of 17, Arthur enlisted in the US Navy where he served for 25 months. He then completed his education at the University of Illinois, graduating with a degree in Chemical Engineering in 1950. He worked for many years in Illinois and in New York for Fleischman’s Yeast where he was a pioneer in the development, packaging and marketing of dry yeast to the public. He later worked in a similar capacity for Anheuser Busch Inc in St. Louis where he became a Vice President in 1983. Throughout his career Arthur traveled to many countries advising at yeast plants around the world.

Click here for the full obituary.

Claude Van Anderson ’50

Posted on November 11, 2011January 4, 2015 by Alpha Tau Omega - Gamma Zeta Chapter

Claude Van Anderson ’50 passed away on November 11, 2011. He was a graduate of Sullivan High School, where he played football, basketball, and golf; and the University of Illinois, where he had significant success in basketball as a four-year letterman and played in a NCAA Championship game. He served in the U.S. Army, playing on the U.S. Army basketball team to entertain the troops. After college and his army career, Van continued to play basketball, leading the Court Street United Methodist team to a city championship. He received a congressional appointment to West Point, unfortunately he was disqualified due to being colorblind. Over the years this was often apparent in his choice of clothing colors. After graduating from the University of Illinois, Van was offered a professional basketball contract with the Sheboygan Redskins, which he turned down in favor of beginning his career and raising his young family. Van began his career at Illinois National Bank, which became Amcore Bank, where he rose to the position of Senior Vice-President while providing significant leadership to the community.

Click here for full obituary.