The Donne Witch Project

From the Donfather himself:

I lived in the lodge for a while with Brother Joe Baird (Chapter Celestial). It was a weird Summer indeed. Joe and I had been reading the demented tales written by the other-worldly H. P. Lovecraft. Ghouls and critters from other dimensions and all that. Really spooky stuff. On several occasions, we heard strange noises "out back" and more than once found doors that were closed, wide open. It was the time of The Haunting of the Lodge. Or perhaps it was the beer and grain alcohol punch.



It was also the time of the hamburger. Joe and Brother Bill Powell were working Channel 12 block parties, and Joe would bring back literally boxes of frozen patties. I swear we ate hamburgers for every meal for months, and I mean nothing else. It became a real mission to stick to our "diet."

Brothers would drop in all the time for hijinks and hanging out. The lodge during that time was a real hangout where brothers would congregate. Often times we would cook up pranks to pull on other frats or UR in general.

At one time, we had brothers living in the brother's room and the girl's head, as we called it. There was a closet with a pull-close wooden curtain where the bar is now. I believe it was either Brother Jim Soyars or Pete Kucera that were living in that space. Also, the doors were never locked (different times). There was always someone in the lodge. It was used constantly, 24-7.

 
I still have great nostalgia for The Grand Old Lady, and still cannot go there without waves of memories coming back.

Roadtrip

Anyone considering heading to Charlottesville for the September 6 UR vs UVA football game, feel free to connect with Brothers Donne Storino and Gene Donner, who plan to attend with their lovely wives. From Brother Storino:

It's not too late for us to support the Spidermen as they face the I-A Hoos. C'mon guys show your Spider spirit! Ed Ayers will be at the tailgate, so you will have an opportunity to "bend his ear" a bit, which I intend to do. I am always looking to get a word in for Kappa Sig and the Foundation.

The UR Alumni Office is hosting an official tailgate tent at the corner of McCormick and Alderman Roads starting at 1:30. Tailgate plus a game ticket runs $50 adult/$40 child under 12. For just the tailgate, it's $34 adult/$24 child. To register, the Alumni Office has an online registration form or you can call them at 804-289-8027.

Members of the Spider Club can hitch a ride on a chartered bus leaving from the Robins Center at noon. The bus ride costs $34/person, or $50 for the bus ride plus a game ticket. For more infomation on the bus, click here or call the Spider Club at 804-289-8759.

A Word From Our President

From the April 30, 1965 Collegian:

The Kappa Sigs have been spending their week busily recuperating from their big Stardust Weekend. Brother Storino broke a new record during the weekend, sharing his date with over 3/4 of the Brotherhood. "After all," quoted Brother Storino, "if you can't trust a Brother, who can you trust?"

The Beta Beta Record

The Beta Beta Record was a website built ahead of the chapter centennial in 1998. The site surveyed 100 years of chapter history, through words and images of the brothers that lived it. Though it's a little out of date 10 years later, it's still worth a scroll down memory lane.

Update. According to Brother Wayne Bradshaw '69, the above picture was taken by him, sometime in 1969, and shows Herbie Arnold '70 and Randy Walters '69.

Rodney Poole Profiled in UR Alumni Magazine

Brother Poole '69 was profiled in the Summer 2008 issue of the Richmond Alumni Magazine:

Rodney Poole performs an amazing balancing act. He is one of the foremost adoption attorneys in the nation. He also serves as senior vice president and general counsel of The Wilton Companies, a firm that owns and develops apartments, office buildings, industrial properties, and shopping centers in central Virginia.

“My time is supposed to be split 50/50,” he says. “I like to say that means 50 hours a week on each.”

Adoption law is personal for Poole, the father of two adopted children, a biological daughter, and a stepson. He inherited his passion for helping adoptive families from his late father, Travis, an attorney and former foster child who was dedicated to placing children in permanent homes. Poole grew up knowing he wanted to follow his father’s example. After graduating from the University of Virginia School of Law, he joined the elder Poole in establishing Poole & Poole in Richmond.

Approximately 3,000 cases later, he is a leader in the field. Poole is a past president of the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys. He also served for nine years as liaison between the academy and the Association of Administrators of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (AAICPC), helping to build relationships that make it easier to adopt children across state lines.

He is a recipient of the AAICPC’s Mitchell Wendell Jurist Award in recognition of “extraordinary accomplishment on behalf of children,” as well as the Angel in Adoption Award from the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute.

In 2002, Poole joined Henry L. Wilton and UR Trustee Rich Johnson, B’73, in the acquisition of The Wilton Companies. In five years, they have quadrupled the value of the company’s real estate portfolio.

Poole’s family, which includes wife Lauree and mother Helen, is actively involved with UR. Each year a deserving student benefits from an accounting scholarship the family has established in memory of Poole’s two late brothers, Travis Jr., B’73, and Craig, B’73.