The Baechtle Nuptials

Congrats to Matty Baechtle '01 who tied the knot a few weeks back to the former Miss Carla Francischetti. The ceremony in Pleasanton, New Jersey did not feature Brother Baechtle demonstrating his kung fu skills, nor brandishing the firearm that he carries for his day job with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. It did, however, feature plenty of Bon Jovi.

Brothers in attendance included Scott Barghaan '00, Kevin Burns '00 Mark Tumelty '01, Mike Phillips '01, Mike Francavillo '01, Minas Kourouglos '02, Joe Benanti '02, Dan Smith '02, and Pete Jerauld '03.

Kill the Elephant!

Brother Jack Goodson '04 sends word from Kingsport, Tennessee, where he's a sportswriter for the Kingsport Times-News, a 50,000 circulation daily newspaper in Northeast Tennessee. His focus is prep and college coverage -- game leads, features and previews.  His specific beats include high school soccer and University of Tennessee football.

A fun fact about Kingsport, Tennessee, courtesy the always-reliable Wikipedia.  In 1916, townsfolk demanded the death of Mary, a five-ton Asian elephant, after she stepped on the head of her assistant trainer & killed him.  Mary was "hanged by the neck from a railcar-mounted industrial crane ... as dozens of children fled in terror".  What does this story have to do with Jack?  Not a damn thing, I just wanted an excuse to use that title for a post.

Jack sent along the above picture of the 2000 pledge class out at the Challenge Discovery ropes course up in Doswell.  I understand no elephants were harmed in the making of that team.

Chuckles Takes a Wife

Brother Eric Wilborn '00 tied the knot out in Portland, Oregon earlier this summer. He's the pimp on the left. His beautiful bride Kristin can't believe she just married this clown. Guest Mike Pacchione offered the following observations:

Few grooms have the courage to dress like a gangster for their wedding. Then again, few grooms are like Eric Wilborn. This was the first wedding I'd ever been to that featured a happy hour before the ceremony. True story. If you don't think the wedding included

• The groom wearing a hat during the ceremony;
• An actual part of the ceremony in which the bride and the groom put Hawaiian leis around each other's necks;
• The longest kissing of the bride you've ever seen (long enough for the whole head left-center-right rotation);
  
• Me giving Wilborn "the grip" just for old times sake; and
• The happy couple walking off to a Bob Marley song

...if you don't think the wedding included all these things, you obviously don't know Brother Wilborn very well.

One more shot to fully appreciate that shirt...

And the happy couple on their minimoon in Washington State...


Congrats, Bro.

The Final Summer

10 years ago this week, the last brothers to live in the lodge moved out. It marked the end of a long-standing tradition of rent-free accommodations for those with summer jobs in Richmond. The next summer, fraternity row would be under construction, as the old Lambda Chi, Pi Kappa Alpha, and Sigma Chi lodges were torn down to make way for an expanded Robins Center parking lot. The summer after that, our own lodge would undergo a renovation that would forever limit it's ability to house (the kitchen & shower were both displaced).

For that last summer, three brothers called the backrooms home: Christian Shwarzkopf' '99 and yours truly in the Brothers' Room; and Tommy Hayes '00 in the Little Sisters room. For May term, six additional brothers somehow found a place to sleep inside. The beds & dressers were rented; every other bit of furniture was taken from whatever the brotherhood had chosen to store up there for the summer. That meant futons and crate furniture galore. The decor was dorm room chic. If memory serves, that's Miss February 1998 alongside my bed:

A summer at the lodge entailed unbearable humidity, a shower that actually made you feel dirtier, and a fantastic venue for weekend beer pong. With no cable, televised entertainments were limited. But there was always something going on at the Row. One guy living at Sigma Chi asked if he could use our shower once a week (what did he do the other 6 days?) and another guy living at Fiji taught me the two chords necessary to play Every Rose Has Its Thorn on the guitar (thank you, Russ).

From Brother Hayes:

Lots of memories from that summer. The 3 day power outage. The attempt to watch the 100 greatest movies of all-time. The futility of keeping the lodge clean, even after ponying up however much cash for the pre-move-in professional scrubbing. Drunken stumbling back and forth to the pool house. Your eviction of Joe Manning's junk onto the front sidewalk. . Trying to string a line of blankets from the ceiling so that the cool air generated by that measly window A/C unit in the brothers room not only stayed in the back of the lodge but also flowed over to the sister's room. Schwa cooking strange concoctions of mushrooms and onions. Random brothers from the 1970's stopping by looking for drinking buddies.

Outside of evicting Brother Everlasts' belongings in a fit of anger, it was a fantastic way to spend the summer. Any of our predecessors have their own memories of living at the lodge?

Seven Minus Four

Behold Michael Giancarlo Pacchione '00 (aka Murph): the most prolific blogger of Beta Beta. A fact that should surprise no one that knows Murph since he always had the most to say about the most random things. This former Grand Scribe has taken his ability to opine to new heights with his Seven Minus Four blog. Recommended for your daily reading. A taste:

If Superman had stayed on the planet Krypton, he would have been just another dude. I wonder how often he thinks about that.

I have no problem with people eating ice cream for breakfast. I recommend mint chocolate chip. It feels like you're brushing your teeth.

I don't like when my salad leaves are described as "fresh and young." I feel like a spinach pedophile or something

"Is there anything -- ANYTHING -- more awkward than a dance circle forming and no one venturing into the middle?"

For those unfamiliar with the mind of Brother Murph, here's a primer. For years, he refused to look straight at a camera while being photographed (always top right). He hates exclamation points. A native of Wyndmoor, PA, he's now out in Portland, Oregon teaching (!) real college students. And dressing like Magnum PI.

Oh, and why Seven Minus Four? Because three.com (his favorite number) wasn't available. Enjoy.