LONG BEACH – Jay Ross represented the UAA as an Alumni Club in good standing at the Convocation on Aug. 2. Alec Jossens, 1st Counselor, represented the active chapter and deserves extra accolades for attending all of the 9:00 a.m. business sessions while his other brothers were still sleeping from some late nights. Jossens served on the Budget Committee, which approved the budget for the new biennium. Ross was Chairman of the Credentials Committee, which certified active chapters, alumni clubs, and alumni for voting. The chapter was honored as a 100-Man Chapter and for the second highest GPA during the past semester.
During the opening remarks of the Convocation, which was held the week prior to the Summer Olympics, Ross acknowledged Dr. Chris Koutures, who was in Beijing as a trainer for the U.S. Volleyball Team, and Elvin “Ducky” Drake, who as UCLA track and field coach went to the 1960 Rome Olympics to coach Bruin athletes Rafer Johnson and C.K. Yang (teammates who won the gold and silver medals in the decathlon, capped off by a thrilling 1-2 finish in the final event, the 1,500 meters, in which Johnson ran a person best time to finish 2nd in that race behind Yang and clinch the Gold Medal).
Ross also acknowledged the two Upsilon alumni who served as Grand Sage, Stedman Gould (1954-56) and William Cutbirth (1962-64). Frank Fryberg, of Penn St., the oldest living Past Grand Sage (1964-66), mentioned that he was friends with Cutbirth and spoke highly of him and also knew James Pablo Rivas and Ed Kwak also attended the Grand Chapter banquet. Our compadres at Long Beach St. won a Grand Sage’s award for top chapter in the “Campus with 10-19 fraternities” category. Long Beach St. alumnus Nelson Ferris (an early employee of Nike and confidant of Phil Knight), LMU alumnus Ed Panconi, and LBSU alumnus Tim Leslie (a California state senator) were honored with Founders Awards.