Phi Kappa Psi - Penn Pi

Brother Darby says:

Also, about two weeks ago I was in Denver, CO for work. I left that info on my status page on facebook. Low and behold Jon Herskovitz contacted me, and let me know he lived there. So while in Denver I had a chance to hangout with Jon and Mike Morrow and have some drinks.

It was quite a turnout for Winkel’s going away party as friends and family came together to eat, drink and celebrate Winkel (but mostly to eat and drink). A few brothers showed up including the ever elusive Eveslage (who had apparently left a few minutes before I got there at 5 p.m.), Oswald, Lopcko and Scott Morris! There was talk about Burdick showing up later, but I had to leave around 7 p.m. to head back to NYC.

Winkel we wish you good luck and a safe return.

In other news, here is some found footage of brother Reznick when he was reporting about AIDS activist Sean Sasser. This was when he was a reporter at KCRG Tv in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

For those of you who haven’t heard, there was an article about Gerald in 2006 in the Orlando Sentinel:

“Anchor Makes Move”
Scott Maxwell
Orlando Sentinel

After anchoring the weekend news on WKMG-Channel 6 for more than five years, Gerald Reznick has decided to leave the anchor desk — because he can no longer see well while sitting there.Reznick said this week that he has been diagnosed with Stargardt’s disease, a form of macular degeneration, which left him struggling to read scripts under bright lights that aggravate his condition. In recent weeks, he resorted to trying to memorize his lines. But after finding that difficult, even struggling on air a few times, he decided: “I need to retain some dignity.”

Reznick, 37, is not leaving the station. Instead, he has decided to take a weekday reporting job — a move that news director Skip Valet described in a staff memo as a “courageous decision.” What started more than a year ago as a small fuzzy spot in Reznick’s left eye continued to worsen.”For me, it’s been dramatic,” he said. “Not only the ability to read, but not being able to recognize people’s faces.”As Reznick understands it, the chances are very good that he will ultimately go blind, at least legally so.But he is determined to continue working, even if it means learning new reporting techniques, vowing, “I will find a way.”

Good Brothers, friends . . . Romans . . . stamp collectors-

The good people of America have finally called upon 1LT Winkel to stand up and defend the country. Scary thought, I know – all I can say is sleep well tonight! I don’t have a lot of details, but right now I am scheduled to go to Afghanistan in September with 2 months of prior train-up stateside. I talked to many of you about this possibility at our recent gatherings and I want to thank you for the earnest words of support and encouragement. Those are the kinds of things that make a soldier feel good about the mission they are assigned.

Obviously there is some business to take care of before I go - one last “home town throw down”. I put an evite together, but don’t have everyone’s proper addresses. It’s going to be Sat., June 28th from 2pm to 11pm at St. Michael’s picnic grounds near Phoenixville, PA. A family & kid friendly day and, who knows, maybe a little more than that in the evening. So I am sending this out to welcome you and your families to attend, because I’d love to see you all again before I go. Some of you don’t even live in the country, much less the state, but if you happen to be available that weekend let me know!

Live ever, die never –

Winkel

Prettyman has been promoted.

See all the images here.

BONUS

Here are two photographs from the past. Just a follow up from the conversations at the Founder’s Day 2008 meeting.

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We all know that you need at least three brothers for quorum for it to qualify as a reunion. Goodman, Guiley and I met up in Encinitas, California along with our spouses and spawn. Here we are striking our most West Coast gangsta pose.

…and here’s the Cherian and Guiley offspring.

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Here’s a picture of Fennimore from around 1990 when he came to visit me and Eveslage at the Student Assistance Center at SAC.

And here he is at the reunion last December. Same look!

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(Click on the above image for a larger view)

The fifth annual Penn Pi reunion was a success as the brothers met at The Devil’s Alley on Chestnut Street for drinks and dinner. It was good to see some brothers who I haven’t seen in about 15 years (Oswald, Suranie) and others who I have never seen before (Christoff and Blatz). Sadly, Pappy did not make an appearance, but a drink was hoisted in his honor.

After some of the guys left (due to their 10 p.m. curfew) the remaining went down to the Irish Pub. The ban on Conallen has apparently been lifted. Alas, most of us found that not much has changed at the Irish Pub - the music is very loud and the male to female ratio is still skewed 10:1 male.

Fennimore seemed to have the best time as he held court with several ladies who were there as part of a bachelorette party. We left him to his own devices as it got later in the night. Here’s hoping that he made it home in one piece or at least found a couch to sleep on before heading back to New York City.

Let’s see if more of you can join us next year!

To view the slideshow - click here.

The 5th Annual Penn Pi Reunion was a success. Brothers came out of the woodwork and there were a few surprise visits as well. Pictures and commentary will be coming soon. In the meantime, here is an early assessment from Brother Winkel on the evening’s festivities.

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It was great to see all those who showed up for this years annual reunion. To those who couldn’t make it, you missed a truly banner evening. Special thanks to Stan and Steve for putting it together. I’m sure Stan will post an update to the web site and fill in some of the important details, but I wanted to put out some of my own personal highlights/awards.

FUNNIEST: How to you choose between Fennimore’s self-effacing Rodney Dangerfield and Caponi’s witty Dennis Miller? You can’t - it’s a tie.

BEST DRESSED: Cherian was the height of dignity and the respectable modern man, however Fennimore’s bombastic modern day Brat Pack look had me waiting for Frank and Dean to walk up and say hello to him. In this long standing rivalry George gets the edge.

BEST HAIR: There wasn’t much competition here as not only was Blatz’s hair impeccable, his candid admittance that he uses Grecian Formula (just a little and only on the sides) was refreshing tone setter for the honest conversation throughout the evening.

BEST BEARD: The early favorite had to be Eveslage with a look that was part Greek Philosopher, part vintage porn. However Mentzers Gorton’s Fisherman/Freudian look and Gaboriault’s rugged yet refined Admiral Peary/Brokeback Mountain look were also strong contenders. The jury is still out here.

MOST TALKED ABOUT ABSENTEE: Mr. Tom Herdelin Esq. (see below if you’re wondering why.)

BEST QUOTE: There were many, but one man was full of them and gets my overall MVP of the evening - “I don’t save lives, I sell ties“, Fennimore.

Good times fellas, hope to see more of you next year or even sooner!

Happy Holidays,
Winkel

Wexler and I met up in Delray Beach, Florida for lunch. He’s doing well in his new career as a firefighter.