DNR Nongame Wildlife Fund
500 Lafayette Rd, Box 25
St. Paul, MN, 55155

Led by the efforts of Br. Steve Ehrfurth and Br. Brian Bergson, MN alumni from all over have been tirelessly sharing memories and stories at this page to help keep Jerry’s legacy alive.  Throughout the past week, I have been deeply moved and touched at the response of brothers — those that knew him and those that didn’t.  The loss of Jerry is undeniably tragic, but it has served to reunite old friends and bring otherwise silent brothers out of the woodwork to honor a man that had immeasurable impact on people.

Some select quotes from those Alpha Delts fortunate enough to know Br. Garati in person:

“I remember living in the house during the summer of 1990 with Jerry. I lived in the room a top of the stairs and Jerry was next door. He rode his 10 speed bike everywhere he went. Both of us were trying to figure out what to do with school in Fall. We helped each other get through that summer as we dealt with our own personal situations.”

“He was a great guy and true Brother….I have nothing but positive memories…always a smile…..Heaven is a better place tonite by his mere presence….RIP Jerry Garati…I loved his great Lou Holtz imitation.”

“He was always very low key and never took or sought excessive recognition for anything. He was always around during work weekends and worked his ass off. He stuck to our late 80′s group pretty much, too.”

“He was devoted to things he cared about, like hunting, cycling, and friends. He was always the first bro. cleaning up the morning after a house party, even when he wasn’t living at the house, and even if he had not gone to the party. He was also the first bro. to volunteer. He was always in fashion: fishing gear, camouflage, spandex and biking cleats – always in season. He once had a cycling accident on his way to the house. An area of his thigh became swollen to the size of a large grapefruit through is biking shorts, but it didn’t bother him even though it was an alarming sight for anybody in close vicinity. His nickname for pretty girls was “betty.” He was appreciative of bettys, dated a couple bettys, and would frequently refer to bros. as bettys. As we all worked towards graduating, Jerry took a job painting planes for Northwest Airlines. He confided that he would scratch the ADPhi letters discretely on the underbellies of the planes he painted. He was studying to become a member of the ground crew for Northwest when I graduated and lost contact with him. My final memory of him was that he was upset when a pilot unloaded on him because he brought a plane to a full stop too fast, startling the pilot and jostling the passengers (he was still practicing afterall). He was laughing as he told the story and typically irreverent toward anybody who took themselves too seriously. Before cell phones (at least phones smaller and less heavy than a car battery), email, and social networking, I would occasionally fly through MSP and, while looking out the window at the ground crew, wonder what happened to Jerry.  Although I know nothing about his life the past 20 years, the person who made an impression on me surely made an impression on everybody who was lucky enough to know him. I am grateful to have known him.”

If anyone has memories, stories, or photos of Jerry, Steve Ehrfurth is putting together a memorial piece to give to his family. Please send any story or photo contributions to:

Steve Ehrfurth at steve.ehrfurth@gmail.com
or Brian Bergson at bergson@comcast.net

Nik VanDenMeerendonk, MN ’05
Secretary
Alpha Delta Phi MN Alumni Board

*UPDATE*
The following is Br. Garati’s obituary from the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

“Garati, Jerry Steven beloved son, brother, uncle and dear friend, age 46, of Bloomington passed away peacefully on May 11, 2012, with his family at his side. Survived by parents, Al and Jan Garati; sister, Gwen Garati; and niece, Breanne Garati. Jerry was an avid fisherman, hunter and a true lover of nature and the outdoors. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations are preferred DNR Nongame Wildlife Fund, 500 Lafayette Rd, Box 25, St. Paul, MN, 55155. Jerry will be laid to rest in a private family service. He will be missed deeply by all those who knew and loved him.”
- published in the Star Tribune on May 16, 2012

Finals week is approaching, and on behalf of the alumni, I’d like to wish all of our active members luck on their final exams.  It’s always great to see how much work you put into your philanthropic and social efforts throughout the school year, and it’s important to let you know that your academic pursuits are not forgotten.

Finals week can be one of the biggest hurdles you face throughout your college career, and when it becomes daunting, it’s easy to feel isolated in frustration.  Please know that the alumni are here to support you and hope you are doing all you can to not only maintain a good name for your fraternity, but for yourselves as well.  We’ve all been there, and while the material may have changed, some study methods remain tried and true.

- Find study partners and quiz each other.
- Make sure you understand all your notes.
- Make charts, diagrams, graphs, lists and flash cards.
- Try to avoid pulling all-nighters if possible (although this works better for some)
- Turn off the video games for the week.
- Turn off or silence phones during study sessions.
- Limit your use of Facebook, Twitter, etc. to minimize potential distractions.
- Remember to eat healthy and exercise.
- Get plenty of sleep.
- Help other brothers study and prepare for their own exams when you can.

Finals week should be viewed as a time when your normal routine may need to be changed a bit to prepare for everything you’ve been learning this past semester.  Keep your priorities in check for the week and you’ll do great.

You may even discover some new study aides to help you along the way.  If you never listen to Taylor Swift but you’ve found her music helps you remember Calc VII and the names of prominent Baroque painters, by all means crack open those books, throw on a little “Teardrops On My Guitar” and go pop some neurons!

Stay focused guys.  You’ve come all this way and this is the last challenge of the school year.  We’re all proud of you for what you’ve done for this chapter, and we look forward to hearing about each of your positive academic achievements after finals week!

Nik VanDenMeerendonk, MN ’05
Secretary
Alpha Delta Phi MN Alumni Board

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

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.

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

A $1,000 GRAND PRIZE will be awarded to that single entry which shows the greatest level of overall excellence in one of the six categories: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, photography, film, and music/lyrics.

The 2012 SELEF Literary Competition is open to all undergraduate college students associated with SELEF at select schools.  As you may know, the Literary Competition has been gaining strength within the last few years. We have received more entries, of higher quality, from more participants around the country and Canada.  Alpha Delta Phi would like to thank you and congratulate you for making the effort to support our literary tradition.  We wish you the best of luck in the contest, and in the development of your own individual literary endeavors!

Please see the rules and details of the competition at our designated facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/notes/samuel-eells-literary-and-educational-foundation-literary-competition/2012-literary-competition/403558029654927

or visit the official SELEF Literary Competition page:

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Samuel-Eells-Literary-and-Educational-Foundation-Literary-Competition/152992471378152

Please be sure to contact the Foundation Headquarters if you have any questions.

John “Jingles” Jacobson
Class of 2009
Licensed Mortician
St. Paul, Minnesota

Rodney S. “Rod” Dickey, 85, of Edina, MN passed away Thursday, March 1, 2012. The memorial was held March 8, at Mount Olivet Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, MN.

Rod was born on January 9, 1927 in Cincinnati, OH to Clarence and Una Dickey. He grew up in Sioux Falls, SD. He is a graduate of Washington High School (Sioux Falls) and the University of Minnesota, where he served as President of Alpha Delta Phi fraternity. Rod’s college years were interrupted by World War II, when he entered the Army. The war ended while he was en route to Okinawa. He served on General MacArthur’s staff in Manila and Tokyo.

On August 1, 1953, Rod married Margaret Ranseen. Their marriage was an example to all of love and commitment. They were blessed with two daughters, Susan and Jane, Rod’s career began with Travelers Insurance Company in Fairmont, MN, as Farm Loan Representative. He held a similar position with Northwestern Mutual in Sioux Falls, SD. The family moved to Storm Lake, IA, where they lived for 24 years. There, Rod served as President of the Federal Land Bank. In 1980, Rod and Margie moved to Minneapolis, where Rod returned to Travelers Insurance Company as head of the Farm Load Division until his retirement.

Rod loved all sports. He was an avid golfer and loved to watch football, baseball, basketball, and of course, golf. He was a man of great integrity and humility. He valued education and independence, stressing both while raising his family. He battled COPD and other medical challenges with grace and courage, while always maintaining his sense of humor and gratitude for a wonderful life.

Rod was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, William L. Dickey. Survivors, wife of 58 years, Margaret “Margie” Dickey of Edina, MN; daughters, Susan Leach (alan) of Fort Worth, TX and Jane Kestel (Jeff) of Storm Lake, IA; grandchildren, Jill Kestel of Omaha NE, Megan Kestel of Omaha, NE, and Alec Kestel of Ames, IA; nieces, Diane Carey of Leesburg, VA and Pam Micciche of Falls Church, VA.

You may have noticed a number of emails in your inbox regarding an event called “Professional’s Night.” This on-going networking event is open to all brothers of the Alpha Delta Phi in or around the Twin Cities area.

After a successful inaugural event, Professional’s Night has started featuring some of our noteworthy brothers in the ADPhi Professional Network.

At a crowded table inside the Bulldog North East, Steve Thompson Minn. ’95 of Microsoft Corporation lent the fraternity his time and his expertise. Thompson explained his transition from a Political Science major from the College of Liberal Arts to a taking a leadership role in a highly technical field.

“I did a lot of consulting for many different clients to start my career,” Thompson said. “It took a lot of hard work and networking, but soon found myself at Microsoft.”

Thompson, as a former alumni and active president, is no stranger to leadership. “I took what I learned from the fraternity and my college courses and applied it to every client I worked with to ensure that the job was done correctly,” Thompson said. “People noticed.”

Members of all ages and generations shared their professional perspectives. From former U.S. Congressman Bill Luther Minn. ’67 to recent alumni Dan Johnson Minn. ’11 and Dan Hassing Pennisular ’10, brothers spent the evening connecting and sharing ideas.

“I enjoyed speaking with generations of alumni about his professional work,” Johnson said. “As a member new to the alumni network, I felt welcomed and engaged in great networking and conversation with industry professionals.”

Johnson could be seen discussing everything from how to begin your own consulting business to politics with Thompson.

Former U.S. Congressman Luther made his way around the table to meet with members of the ADPhi Professional Network and to speak with Thompson.

“It’s been years since I’ve been able to meet with such a great group of Alpha Delts on a day other than Founder’s Day,” Former Congressman Luther said. “I’m quite pleased that events like Professional’s Night are happening and I look forward to many more.”

Check your email inbox for messages regarding upcoming Professional’s Night events.

For more information or to request to become a Featured Alumni for an upcoming event, please contact John Komarek at john.komarek07@gmail.com.

John “Jingles” Jacobson
Class of 2009
Licensed Mortician
St. Paul, Minnesota