Beta Sigma Chapter of Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity. From the Desk of the Noble Ruler

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1 Texan Crescent Beta Sigma Chapter of Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity Box T-2595 Stephenville, Texas Fall 2003 Tarleton State University From the Desk of the Noble Ruler The time sure does fly when you re having fun! Spring 03 is now a distant memory. Spring Break and Chili Fiesta have been reduced to a pile of pictures and stories. So what do we have to look forward to? Fall 03 of course. Beta Sigma never forgot about what it means to be an AGR. Brothers were off and running with our new Summer Recruitment Plan. AGR was all over the place. You could find us at the state FFA convention in Houston, Tarleton recruitment events and even at houses all over 1191 West Jones the state talking to Tarleton freshmen and their parents about what Alpha Gamma Rho could offer them. The second week of school Beta Sigma initiated 5 new brothers from the summer recruitment plan. It had been almost 4 years since a summer class was initiated and we could never be more excited. Plans are already in the works for Homecoming 2003 and the Fall Spectacular. This is bound to be the best year yet for AGR. Spring 2003 we were tied for first place in GPA for Tarleton fraternities, and this fall WE WILL be number one. Please browse through the Beta Sigma web page every few weeks to see what is coming up next for the chapter. Homecoming events are posted and the Fall spectacular is just a month away. Fraternally, John Hagaman #181 Eric Whipple and John Braden help cook food for a family dinner. Greetings from Jones Street! The AGR House continues to be the calling card for all brothers. 12 brothers are calling the house home this semester. Several renovations have occurred over the summer and this semester. This summer the back porch of the house was re-constructed with new screens, a fresh coat of paint, and a new floor. For the past month several brothers have been remodeling the downstairs bathroom. As many of you remember, the bath had an old sink, bathtub and toilet. Everything was ripped out down to the bare walls. A new sink and toilet was installed with all new tile and paint. It is really a sight to see. The chapter has also implemented a House Clean-Up Plan. This plan divides the chapter into different groups that are in charge of cleaning different areas of the house. It has really helped keep the house clean without a few brothers doing all the work. We invite any and all alumni to stop by the house to see all that we have done. Calendar of Events October 17,18,19, 2003 Dove Hunt (Please call the house if you are interested in attending. The phone # is ) October 25, 2003 Homecoming Alumni luncheon and meeting following the parade

2 We are bound to repeat the mistakes of the past if we refuse to learn from them. This statement may have more meaning for the current men of Beta Sigma that it ever would have for us as active members. While listening to our officer team discuss the fall semester during their officer retreat in August I had quite the epiphany, realizing how cyclical our beloved fraternity could be. As I studied the composite photo, I could not help but marvel at the growth and numbers that Beta Sigma has been blessed with. Unfortunately, I was also reminded of in the fraternity and the side effects of such growth. The question of Quantity or Quality? has always been in the minds of fellow brothers during a fall semester, this semester is no different. The radical growth and immediate membership decline that is so apparent in the composites in the Chapter Room of the Beta Sigma house begs the question, Is Beta Sigma setting itself up for another fall? Adviser Report I say, quite earnestly, NO! Today s active members possess tools at their disposal that we could not have fathomed during the fraternity s infancy. A foundation exists within so many of our active alumni that will guide our active brotherhood through any tough times that may arise. During the meeting I began to digress from the pitiful state that I had began to create for our future when Cody Lane spoke to the officers of the quality brothers that are produced from summer recruitment activities. Brother Michael Bosco also attended the meeting, his words of fraternal wisdom created a resounding atmosphere of confidence and support for our officers efforts. Michael, we truly appreciated your efforts to attend! My thoughts immediately turned to individuals such as Dr. Al Lilly and Rick Tennyson; two local alumni who s quiet yet impacting efforts many times are thankless and go unnoticed. Therefore, I gathered a collective sigh, realizing that many of my worries about Beta Sigma s future are unfounded due to you, the alumni. I have personally challenged the membership to handle their growth delicately, remaining positive in attitude and ever mindful of the past. Each officer has clearly established goals for the fall, along with the understanding of the potential Beta Sigma possesses. I would also like to challenge you, the alumni, to make an effort to regain a level of contact with the fraternity that you deem appropriate to your situation and schedule. Your memories and experiences with Beta Sigma are valued by the current membership and are appreciated by all. The impact that a personal visit to the house or to a regularly scheduled meeting is immeasurable. More importantly, your presence at homecoming is your chance to bring to fruition the phrase, Making Better Men, for many of our young brothers. Your life experiences, career aspirations, and influences on the fraternity are significant to the membership, and we would value your presence. I would like to say thank you to all of the alumni who do so much for our brotherhood, your time and efforts are truly the lifeblood of our efforts. Finally, to all of our alumni, please contact me if you would be interested in making the pilgrimage back to Stephenville in order to share some of your personal wisdom with our current brothers. I will be more than happy to facilitate your stay, as well as provide a forum for you to share your unique experiences with the Beta Sigma of now. We hope to hear from you soon! Fraternally Yours, Kyle W. McGregor, Advisor Beta Sigma, Alpha Gamma Rho (254) or- mcgregor@tarleton.edu Right: Delta Zeta and ALpha Gamma Rho, Cruise the Island Below: AGR Heath Hodges and alumni Rick Tennyson. Photo Alubum

3 Web Site Visit our new and improved web site: or the chapter at Greetings from Iraq From1LT John Kerby Once again today s weather report is hot, windy and sandy, with no chance of rain. We are finally having a cold front this month of 110, which is a great change from the previous 130 s that we were experiencing. After a 14-hour flight, 2 weeks of preparing our equipment in Kuwait, and a 3-day convoy, I am currently located in Saddam s hometown of Tikrit, Iraq. This is the 1 st conflict that the 4 th Infantry Division has been in since the Vietnam War. While the 3 rd Infantry Division took over Baghdad, 4 ID was racing north behind them to continue the fight from Baghdad North to Tikrit. Since then 4 ID has been conducting various raids to find Saddam, decrease the weapons in Iraq, and even trying to rebuild the country. My niche in the big 4 ID picture in ensuring communications is flowing over a 20,000 square mile WAN network that also extends into Europe and down to Kuwait. I am currently holding the position of Systems Integration Officer aka Battle Captain in the 124 th Signal Battalion Operations and Planning Shop (S-3). My principle job is to monitor the WAN network and ensure that the internet, secret Internet, voice and video telephone conferencing is flowing across the network to allow the commanders to talk to their units. Right now I am staying at Saddam s Main Palace complex in Tikrit; it is basically a fancy military complex with two gigantic palaces and 40 other smaller palaces. Unfortunately for us by the time we arrived all of the buildings were looted, and everything including the curtains and light fixtures were removed. Instead of living like an evil dictator we are living like basic training soldiers (40 or 50 soldiers in one room on green Army cots.) Due to the looting it took us 2 months to finally fix the electricity in our house, and from time to time we have running water for showers, but overall it keeps getting better. CRESCENT PUBLISHING SERVICE This issue of the Texan Crescent was published through the Crescent Publishing Service (CPS). This is a special project of the AGR Home Office to assist chapters in improving communications with alumni. Chapters pay a small fee for the service, below the actual production cost, to encourage regular contact. This project is made possible by donations from alumni like you. Please consider contributing using the enclosed card. Since arriving in Tikrit back in April, I have had a few chances to get out and see the various signal sites across our network and even ride in a black hawk helicopter. The common people in this country have little to nothing and the small upper class has anything and everything. When traveling across this country it is like stepping back in time, there might be 1 tractor in an entire village, so all of their farming is done by hand. The hay is not bailed, but instead piled up, and it is not uncommon to see young boys and old men Sheppard s herding sheep, goats, or cattle down the side of roads. The people in Iraq have little to nothing and they earn less than one dollar a day in normal wages. Meanwhile, the upper class have BMW s, fancy houses, and in the case of Saddam he has let his people starve, for fancy palaces with Italian marble walls and floors. Overall, with or without WMD the people of Iraq will have a better quality of life after the American Army has left. Right now electric, water and gasoline are more available to the Iraqi s. The medical system and school systems are serving the citizens again, with medical supplies and schoolbooks flowing into the country. There are only a few idiots left that oppose a better Iraq by shooting at us, but soon they will be 6 feet deep along with their leader!! Take care and God bless, 1LT John Kerby 124 th Signal Battalion 4 th Infantry Division Tikrit, Iraq

4 Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity Beta Sigma Alumni Association For 2003 (as of 10/5/03) Contribution Levels Alumni Contributors Alumni Dues $25-49 Fred Bahrenburg, Iowa State Tim Boeder, Tarleton State David Cox, Tarleton State Don Cawthon, Texas A&M - Commerce Jeremy Cuellar, Tarleton State Steve Gandy, Tarleton State Al Hoggatt, Tarleton State Michael Keith, Tarleton State Thad Koenigsfeld, Missouri Kyle McGregor, Tarleton State Bradley Obenhaus, Tarleton State Stephen Reich, Tarleton State Bobby Waddell, Tarleton State Joe Edd Workman, Tarleton State Order of The Shield $50-99 Zerle Carpenter, Tarleton State Trent Dansby, Tarleton State Elmer Kelton, Tarleton State Chad Mock, Tarleton State Brad Owens, Tarleton State Order of The Lamp and Tree $ John Bearden, Tarleton State John Kerby, Tarleton State Lionel Lane, Tarleton State Joe Moberley, Tarleton State Mitch Tooley, Tarleton State Paul Wikerson, New Mexico State Roger Wittie, Tarleton State Order of The Wreath $ Order of The Sickle and Sheaf Order of The Crescent and Stars Contributions totalling $1,000-2,499 lifetime Michael Bosco, Tarleton State Cody Lane, Tarleton State Al Lilly, Colorado State Contributions totalling $2,500 and above lifetime David De Jong, Cal-Poly SLO Donald De Jong, Cal-Poly SLO Rick Tennyson, Tarleton State Alan Vander Horst, Cal-Poly SLO

5 Alumni Relations Report What can I say the Beta Sigma Chapter is growing faster then ever? So far the fall has many of us undergraduates busy, but yet just like always Beta Sigma never stops. Thank you to all of you who attended the 11 th annual Pink Rose Formal at Canyon West Golf Club. The undergraduate brothers were especially pleased with the event and I hope you all were too. Dr. Johnny Johnson was the guest speaker for the evening. And like always, he definitely had some remarkable things to say. Brother Chance Vann was the auctioneer for the evening. Once again the auction brought over $3, The auction was done a little differently then usual. We decided to split the profits between the general account (receiving 25% of the funds) and the educational fund (receiving 75%), this will allow for all to benefit. The flag, which hangs in the living room of the AGR House, was purchase by Rick and Julie Tennyson. Not to exclude all of the other buyers during the auction. Thank you to all. In closing I would like to say congratulations to all the Beta Sigma Brothers who are taking the next step in life, whether it be getting married, starting a family, or just doing well. I hope to see all of you at homecoming this year. Don t forget to swing by if you are in the Stephenville area some time. God Bless. Fraternally Freddy Clark #172 VNR Alumni Relations It s not too late to pay your alumni dues for 2003 Send $25 to: Cody Lane C/O Beta Sigma Alumni Association 108 Sanchez Creek Court Weatherford, TX or call Special Deliveries Summer Initiate Class 2003 #232 Travis Thompson Royce City, TX #233 Aaron Charles Carney Collinsville, TX #234 Levi Adam Sassor Lone Oak, TX #235 Brady Pendleton Stephenville, TX Sydney Ann Lane July 30, lbs. 4 oz. 17 1/2 inches long Parents: Ranae & Cody Lane Morgan McKinzie Cox September 2, lbs. 11 oz. 17 3/4 inches long Parents: Cyndy & David Cox #236 Jason Charles Gaston Burleson, TX Note: All of these new brothers were summer recruited.

6 Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity North Ambassador Drive Kansas City, MO NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Kansas City, MO Permit No RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED Texan Crescent Alpha Gamma Rho remembers September 11th