Good Day Brothers,
I pledged in Fall of 1966 with the Unlucky 13. And after 57 years, I still have relationships with my pledge brothers and brothers that pledged before me and after me.
During my last year as an active, I put together all the brothers' names by pledge class and wrote a newsletter giving a commentary on each brother. Steve Frady posted on Facebook. I maintained the informational database until Steve Frady took it over and kept it until he graduated and then we both maintained it for many years. We stayed connected with Brothers either through mail or phone. Yes, this was before email and websites and the Internet and cell phones. When Jordan Wu was president, we started to get PSC and SN back together and Geoff Law was Alumni Chair at that time.
Sigma Nu started in '82 with some very smart Pi Sigma Chi brothers knowing we would not last if we did not go national and Pi Sigma Chi / Sigma Nu has been a proud fraternity doing service for CPP since 1957 We all know what happened to Sigma Nu-Kappa Gamma a few years back.
In the early 2000’s one of my Pi Sigma Chi brothers, Mike Pexton, suggested we have a legacy group. Steve Yoss, John Vandevelde, Jack Carlino, and Jordan Wu kept that going for scholarships, which were awarded to the Sigma Nu actives.
We continue to have our events; however, we have had no new active brothers turning into alumni, which was disconcerting to most of us. We all hoped for re-colonization in the fourth or fifth year after we were removed. A couple of years ago, while waiting for the SN National and CPP to allow us to recolonize, Jordan Wu it indicated we should have a website rather than just social media when we are recolonized at CPP.
For the last two years, Robert Marshall, John Vandevelde, John Mairs, and I researched, evaluated, and then implemented our new website. These brothers poured their heart and soul into adding functions and features and contacted brothers to register and update their profiles. Additionally, John Vandevelde ensured we were a legal entity and Robert Marshall wrote/edited all communications.
Well brothers, at 76 years old I want to thank Juan and his brothers for taking us national but it’s now time for the SN brothers that pledged in the '80s, '90s and 2000s to pick up the ball and ensure that Sigma Nu Kappa-Gamma, once again, is recolonized and becomes the dominant Fraternal service group at CPP. We have our legal infrastructure in place, operating funds, scholarship funds, and a website that can do events, taking donations, shopping for paraphernalia, includes a new Networking exchange, and the ability to help Brothers that need assistance.
Now that the infrastructure is in place, I am retiring as Membership/Website Chair, along with Robert Marshall, who is retiring as Communication Chair. We will need replacements for those positions and especially for recolonization positions.
The Sigma Nu-Kappa Gamma fraternity will only succeed if the Sigma Nu alumni brothers reengage to have a successful recolonization so that we get new alumni for our Legacy Organization. You now have proof of our recolonization as communicated by Jordan with an extraordinarily successful ‘Meet the Greeks’ event at CPP.
I can tell you I am personally thankful not only for my Pi Sigma Chi brothers, but for all the Sigma Nu brothers that I have interacted with over the years.
After all these years I can look back and fully appreciate my experiences in the fraternity during school and after. Also, the fact I can meet a new SN brother and have an instant bond (next week I am having lunch with Tao Portugal, who lives 4 miles from me). I have friends who don't believe that after 57 years we still get together and with SN new brothers.
My final request is that every SN brother has the same experiences during and after CPP that I have had by paying it forward now so that we have a successful recolonization.
It is worth it.
Thank You Brothers!
Bruce Brandenburg Fall ‘66
Heart Attack
P.S. Many of my PSC brothers are passing so it is imperative as an SN brother you reengage at some level including talking to your social circle of brothers as we are only here for so many trips around the sun!
