Great Time at the 105th!
Thanks again to Ken Bryan ’88, Ken Shine ’85, John O’Leary ’84, Andy Levy ’84, and Alan Laves ’82 for organizing the weekend and helping ensure a great turnout. We had more than 100 alumni, undergraduates, and guests attend the weekend, from the class of 1974 to the class of 2021.
After an informal reception at the Chapter House, dinners were organized for Friday night by pledge class eras, and I was thrilled to go with a large group to Boston Beer Works. We had Betas from the class of 1980 (Steve Adams, John Kerins, Bob Melvin), 1981 (John Zayhowski), and many members of my pledge class of 1979, who mostly graduated in 1983 (Jim Danna, Seth Davis, Dave Eisen, Pat Fowler, Bob Labarre, Craig Richards, Steve Silberberg, Pete Van Voast), as well as some guests. It was a great chance to reconnect and share some stories, as well as for me to see some Brothers I hadn’t seen since graduation.
The 105th also featured a Euchre tournament. As Ken Bryan recalls: Late Saturday morning, April 28, 17 Betas gathered in the back room of Uno’s in Kenmore Square for an “unsanctioned” Euchre mini-tournament. (Euchre is a “tricks and trump” style card game popular in the Midwest that was often played in the Beta house at 119 Bay State Road in the 1980s and 1990s). Partners were chosen by lottery, resulting in the clever team names of “Chessty” (Bill Chesterson ’82 and Andy Chess ’86), “Springoberg”(John Springsteen ’91 and Steve Silberberg ’83), “Three-Headed Monster” (Ken Chay ’91, Ken Shine ’85, and Tony Dipesa ’86), and “Cheaters” (Bob Struble ’85 and me). Each team played every other team in spirited competition with full rations of color commentary.
After several hours, the flying cards settled and Euchre veterans Bob Ramstad ’90 and Kee Wee ’89 (three trophies each) had the best record (5-2) and were crowned the champions of the Beta Upsilon 105th anniversary Euchre tournament, with all the ancient rights and privileges to which they are thereby entitled. If you are a Euchre fan or if you fancy a great Beta reunion experience, you should consider joining the 24th annual Ronald Abarquez Beta Upsilon of Beta Theta Pi Euchre Tournament of Champions and Thrill Show Spectacular this autumn in New Orleans (November 1-4). Please contact Alan “Tex” Laves ’82 at alaves@akingump.com for more details.
The Saturday banquet was the main event, held at the MIT Museum. This was a great venue, and everyone enjoyed the fine food and drink. This event brought everyone together, including many of the undergraduates, who got to really understand the Beta Upsilon spirit. We were happy to welcome Regional Chief Martin Lewison, Columbia ’88, who represented the General Fraternity. In addition to an update on the Chapter from President Michael Castillo ’19, we recognized Ken Bryan for his outstanding organization and leadership of the whole weekend with a Beta cheer.