Monthly Archives: April 2012
Celebrating 120 years of the Alpha Delta Phi
Posted on by Nik VanDenMeerendonk
Every year, the brothers of the Alpha Delta Phi eagerly await the Friday evening in February when they gather to celebrate the commencement of their beloved Minnesota Chapter. February 24, 2012 greeted the 120th Annual Founder’s Day celebration. To commemorate 120 years of success, the active undergraduate brothers and the alumni brothers congregated at the Minneapolis Club for an evening of fellowship. Just over 100 brothers from across the States and from many generations gathered together. The event began with a social hour, allowing brothers to reunite with old friends and make new ones. The social hour was followed by a dinner, presentations by active and alumni brothers, and a moving speech from keynote speaker and recent graduate Billy Bronson, MN ’11, who is currently serving as the Chapter Service Consultant for the Alpha Delta Phi International. After dinner concluded, the brothers continued their fellowship back at the Alpha Delta Phi chapter house at the University of Minnesota campus. Laughter and reminiscence carried on into the early hours of the morning as the brothers continued to solidify the lifelong friendships that Alpha Delta Phi cultivates. There are high hopes that the Minnesota Chapter will see 120 more years of excellence. Lucas Glissendorf, MN ‘13 President – Alpha Delta Phi Minnesota Chapter Architecture Major Urban Studies Minor
Failure is part of success
Posted on by JohnKomarek
Professionals Night Networking Event Featuring Kurt Lange, Co-founder of U.S. Internet Ever since he can remember, Kurt Lange, Minn. ’90 was always full of entrepreneurial ideas. Some good. Some, well, not so good. “You know what my great idea when I was in a high school? Selling gum-ball machines,” Lange joked. “You can see how that turned out.” While Lange is not known for his vast gum-ball empire, he is known as a founding member of U.S. Internet, a company co-located around the globe and that provides Wifi to the City of Minneapolis. As an owner of a company that had double-digit growth and continued to hire during the recession, you could say he is a successful entrepreneur. That success didn’t happen overnight, however. He spent many years in a basement before he found his success in the boardroom. At the last ADPhi Professionals Night at Cooper Pub, Brother Lange wasn’t afraid to tell members of the ADPhi Professional Network about each failure he had as a young professional. As Lange built U.S. Internet through long days and nights with failures and victories alike, there’s one thing that he says kept him going: knowing that he loves being an entrepreneur. “Some people want to be doctors, lawyers and such,” Lange said. “Entrepreneurship isn’t easy, but if you love it, just do it. Be like Nike. Just do it.” After Lange’s presentation, brothers from all generations and chapters like Mark Kimitch, Minn. ’05 and Tyler Anschutz, Minn. ’10 didn’t fail to bring up many questions about steps to becoming an entrepreneur and exchanged business cards with Lange and other brothers in attendance like Jeff Stewart, Minn. ’79 and another entrepreneur Ralph Herda, Miami ’77.
Taking the plunge for a special cause
Posted on by Nik VanDenMeerendonk
A truly inspiring sight to behold; hundreds of people flocking to Lake Calhoun to watch, run, jump and warm up in a hot tub – all in support of the Special Olympics as Law Enforcement for Special Olympics Minnesota held the annual “Polar Bear Plunge” this winter. On Saturday, March 3rd, 2012, the University of Minnesota Alpha Delts headed to Uptown in Minneapolis to submerge themselves within the bitter cold waters of Lake Calhoun for the 2012 “Polar Bear Plunge.” As the leading fundraising group from the University of Minnesota, the eighteen current brothers and alumni of Alpha Delta Phi were able to raise $2,635 and make the jump this year while raising awareness and support for the Special Olympics. With friends and family tagging along for the jump, the brothers strolled through the tent to the line that loomed ahead. We reached the patch of water cut out from the ice, and the brothers broke into groups of 4 and advanced to the jump. Cries of “three.. two…one…JUMP!!!” rang out as group after group jumped into the freezing cold water that would take the breath away of every jumper the second they were submerged. Struggling to advance through the water, each brother reached the exit and scampered to the waiting hot tubs to help restore their optimal body temperature. As brother Robert Covey (’14) put it, “as soon as my head came above the water, all I could think about was the hot tubs!” The memorable day at the beach came to a close; the brothers posed for some pictures and returned to the chapter house for some warmth and relaxation after a rewarding, thrilling and chilling experience at Lake Calhoun. Ian Wise ‘14 Chemical Engineering and Management Literary and Philanthropy Chair