Happy 140th Birthday, CalGreeks!
Recipient of the CalGreeks/Order of Omega/Gamma Sigma Alpha Outstanding New Member Development Program Award is… Sigma Phi Epsilon.
Recipient of the CalGreeks/Order of Omega/Gamma Sigma Alpha Outstanding New Member Development Program Award is… Gamma Phi Beta.
Recipient of the CalGreeks/Order of Omega/Gamma Sigma Alpha Christopher J. Wootton Outstanding Scholarship Program Award is… Kappa Alpha Order.
Recipient of the CalGreeks/Order of Omega/Gamma Sigma Alpha Outstanding Scholarship Program Award is… Pi Beta Phi.
Recipient of the CalGreeks/Order of Omega/Gamma Sigma Alpha Jillian H. W. Costello Community Service/Philanthropy Program of the Year is… Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc.
Recipient of the CalGreeks/Order of Omega/Gamma Sigma Alpha Community Service/Philanthropy Program of the Year is… Delta Upsilon.
Recipient of the CalGreeks/Order of Omega/Gamma Sigma Alpha Most Improved Chapter Award is… Delta Upsilon.
Recipient of the CalGreeks/Order of Omega/Gamma Sigma Alpha Most Improved Chapter Award is… Alpha Phi.
Recognizing years of dedication, the recipient of the CalGreeks/Order of Omega/Gamma Sigma Alpha Advisor of the Year Award is… Jojo Lam of Gamma Phi Beta Sorority.
The inaugural recipient of the CalGreeks/Order of Omega/Gamma Sigma Alpha House Director of the Year Award is… Katie Sokolski of Delta Delta Delta Sorority (unable to be present).
Recipient of the CalGreeks/Order of Omega/Gamma Sigma Alpha Faculty/Staff Member of the Year Award is… Andy Goldblatt of the University’s Office of Risk Management.
For her initiative and leadership in coordinating volunteers for the Berkeley Project, Pre-Call Day and Post-Big Game community clean up, and this week’s Greek Week Berkeley Marina clean up, giving out her personal cell phone number, working with chapters dealing with City and neighbor issues, and pulling together the disparate City of Berkeley departments and agencies for the betterment of all students living in the City, the recipient of the Fraternity and Sorority Life Award for Special Assistance is… Shallon L. Allen of the City of Berkeley.
Aristotle divided friendships into three types, based on the motive for forming them: friendships of utility, friendships of pleasure, and friendships of the good. Friendships of the good are ones where both friends enjoy each other's characters. As long as both friends keep similar characters, the relationship will endure since the motive behind it is care for the friend. This is the highest level of philia, and in modern English might be called true friendship. It is fitting, therefore, that the highest recognition for a lifetime of living the pillars of Cal fraternity and sorority life: leadership, scholarship, friendship, and service is induction into the Philia Society; an honor limited to no more than five Cal fraternity and sorority alumni per year.
Congressman John Garamendi received a bachelor degree in business from Berkeley where he was both a football player and wrestler in addition to being a member of our Sigma Chi chapter. As well as receiving an MBA from Harvard Business School, Congressman Garamendi served in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia. He was a member of the California State Assembly for two years and State Senator for 14. He was the inaugural California State Insurance Commissioner from 1991 to 1995 and returned to that position between 2003 and 2007. He was U.S. Deputy Secretary of the Interior from 1995 to 1998 and the 46th Lieutenant Governor of California between 2007 and 2010 at which time he was elected to Congress for California’s 10th Congressional District. Recognizing his lifetime commitment to the University and the four pillars of Cal Greek Life: Leadership, Scholarship, Friendship, and especially public Service, Congressman John Garamendi is inducted into the Philia Society.
Ivan J. Houston graduated Berkeley in 1948 with a degree in business administration. He was a three-year letterman in track and field and a member of our Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity chapter. In his book, Black Warriors: The Buffalo Soldiers of World War II Mr. Houston details his experiences with the 3rd Battalion in Combat Team 370 of the 92nd Division – the first all-Black U.S. Army infantry unit to fight in World War II. The mission of the untested African American troops was daunting: to cross the Arno River and break through the German’s heavily fortified Gothic Line stretching 170 miles across the spine of Italy. The campaign continued for almost a year with hand-to-hand, house-to-house fighting during which time Mr. Houston was blown through the door of a villa and hit in the shoulder by shrapnel for which he was awarded a Purple Heart. He also received the Bronze Star for meritorious conduct/heroic achievement, three Battle Stars, and the coveted Combat Infantryman’s Badge.
Upon his return to the U.S., Mr. Houston faced the same segregation he left. He was forced to live miles from campus with Black shipyard workers since there was nothing available to African Americans in Berkeley. After graduating, Mr. Houston became an accountant with Golden State Mutual Life Insurance Company where he eventually served as Chief Executive from 1970 to 1990. Ebony Magazine named him as one of the 100 Most Influential Black Americans; he was the first African American on several corporate boards, including a few Fortune 500s; and Pope John Paul II named him a Knight of the Order of St. Gregory the Great.
Recognizing his lifetime commitment to the University and the four pillars of Cal Greek Life: Leadership, Scholarship, Friendship, and Service, Ivan J. Houston is inducted into the Philia Society.
Dean Richard “Rich” Lyons received a bachelor degree with highest honors in finance from Berkeley where he was a member of our Sigma Alpha Epsilon Fraternity chapter. He received his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and spent six years on the faculty of Columbia Business School, and as Chief Learning Officer at Goldman Sachs in New York before coming back to Berkeley for a third time. Prior to becoming the Bank of America Dean of the Haas School of Business, Dean Lyons served as acting dean and as executive associate dean and Sylvan Coleman Professor of Finance. Recognizing his lifetime commitment to the University and the four pillars of Cal Greek Life: Leadership, Scholarship, Friendship, and public Service, Dean Richard Lyons is inducted into the Philia Society.
Ambassador Nicholas Veliotes received a bachelor degree in business from Berkeley where he was a member of our Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity chapter in addition to the Order of the Golden bear and Skull and Keys. From receiving his commission in 1955 until his retirement in 1986, Ambassador Veliotes served as a Foreign Service officer in several positions throughout the Middle East, as Assistant Secretary of State for the Near East and South Asia, culminating in serving as ambassador to Egypt and Jordan. He was awarded the State Department’s Distinguished Honor Award and the Presidential Superior Service Award, as well as other international awards for his contributions toward peace in the Middle East. Recognizing his lifetime commitment to the University and the four pillars of Cal Greek Life: Leadership, Scholarship, Friendship, and especially public Service, Ambassador Nicholas A. Veliotes is inducted into the Philia Society.
Recipient of the CalGreeks/Order of Omega/Gamma Sigma Alpha Emerging Fraternity Leader of the Year Award is… Justin Sayarth of Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity.
Recipient of the CalGreeks/Order of Omega/Gamma Sigma Alpha Emerging Sorority Leader of the Year Award is… Kimberly Willis of Gamma Phi Beta.
Recipient of the CalGreeks/Order of Omega/Gamma Sigma Alpha Mark K. Bingham Fraternity Man of the Year Award is… Austin Peck of Delta Upsilon.
Recipient of the CalGreeks/Order of Omega/Gamma Sigma Alpha Sorority Woman of the Year Award is… Vishalli Loomba of Delta Delta Delta.
Recognizing his work as chair of the CalGreeks’ Strategic Planning Committee through 2009 and 2010, the recipient of the CalGreeks/Order of Omega/Gamma Sigma Alpha Award of Community Distinction is… Del Tacconi, volunteer advisor for Sigma Chi Fraternity
With 104 members and a chapter GPA of 3.41, the recipient of the CalGreeks/Order of Omega/Gamma Sigma Alpha Chapter of Excellence Award is… Alpha Chi Omega Sorority.
Grounded in its principles of “Manly Deeds, Scholarship, And Love for All Mankind,” with 11 members and a 3.14 GPA, the recipient of the CalGreeks/Order of Omega/Gamma Sigma Alpha Chapter of Excellence Award is… Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
With a mere two years back on campus, 75 men, and a 3.2 GPA, the recipient of the CalGreeks/Order of Omega/Gamma Sigma Alpha Chapter of Excellence Award is… Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity.
With 15 members and a 2.95 GPA, the recipient of the CalGreeks/Order of Omega/Gamma Sigma Alpha Chapter of Excellence Award is… Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
With 71 members and a 3.37 GPA, the recipient of the CalGreeks/Order of Omega/Gamma Sigma Alpha Chapter of Excellence Award is… Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity.
With actions dictated through their founding values, this chapter’s members work hard to uphold the 89 year old legacy that their chapter has created in the Bay Area. The recipient of the CalGreeks/Order of Omega/Gamma Sigma Alpha Sorority Chapter of the Year Award is… Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
These men are setting an example to their chapters nationwide for their commitment to leadership, scholarship, friendship, and service. The recipient of the CalGreeks/Order of Omega/Gamma Sigma Alpha Fraternity Chapter of the Year Award is… Tau Kappa Epsilon.
