Fifth Annual Toys for Tots Party

December 8, 2007

Picture by Sarah Swatosh

Rho-Kappa Tekes, Alumni and Actives and Friends gathered at the home of Steve PK52 and Keri Wertz for our Fifth Annual Toys for Tots Party. Steve fried up some Jamaican Jerk chicken wings. Keri composed a variety of cheese and fruit platers, Will Birdsong PK62 offered a classic crab dip and a creation of his "Asian Meat and Potatoes" (Roasted Flank steak with a light spicy saté sauce on a fried lotus chip). Our friend Sarah Swatosh created a fine array of tiny fruit tarts, chocolates and chocolate dipped strawberries. As for me I was in charge of taste testing the Rum Punch. It was all fantastic.

Sebastian Völcker, PK15

Picture by Sarah Swatosh

Sargeant Brad Bullock, Lance Corporal Brad Bullock
Jack & Patrick

Will Birdong PK62

Sarah Swatosh

Dodie Kerber-Hescock and William.

The Virginia Province hels its Annual Province Educational Conference at Radford (October 27, 2007)

Picture by Herb Huser, GPA

Five of the six Active Virginia chapters were represented with 25+ undergraduates in attendance. The Omicron-Omega Chapter hosted this conference in their student center at Radford University. Rho-Kappa of Longwood sent two members Epiprytanis A.J. McEllen, Mike Alley and candidate Brandon Nash. GPA and organizer Herb Huser, Regional Director Adam Ferris, Grand Hegemon Chris Hanson, and Province Advisor Sebastian Volcker were in attendance.

Educational agenda included: state of the fraternity update, model of a successful chapter, strategies for success with the six attributes of TKE, ritual clinic, recruitment seminar, risk management overview, and Teke Trivia game.

Summer Teke Fling 2007

Gray Lipford PK113, Mike Estes PK007, Scott Koenigsberg PK4, Will Birdsong PK62, Sonny Merchant PK12, Stuart Hallett PK9, Sebastian Volcker PK15, Steve Wertz PK52, Joe Hopkins PK176, Damien Coy PK196.

Darryl Morris not pictured because he left to attend the birthday of a two year old and the Actives are not pictured because they were lost.

For the past champions click here

Front: Keri Wertz (Silver), Lori & Gray Lipford (Bronze), Sonny Merchant (Silver)
Back: Steve Wertz & Sebastian (Gold, completing a trifecta!)

Assembling the Tiki Bar

Laura Koenigsberg has form

Assembling...

Lori & Gray

Keri & Sonny

The True Teke Athletes
Sebastian & Steve

Will & Sarah

Rho-Kappa's XXth Anniversary

Twenty Years!

40 Rho-Kappa Tekes, Active and Alumni and significant others came together to celebrate twenty years of Teke at Longwood University. The anniversary was celebrated with an evening cruise on board the Schooner American Rover out of Newport News.

A big thank you to Frater Clay Hughes and his committee for organizing the event.

For more pictures CLICK Here

Cpt John Monihan in 2004

Earlier this week 320 Virginians were ordered to the Sand Box by the White House. Three more Virginia Guard Units; Company A (South Boston) and Company E (Roanoke) of the 429th Brigade Support Battalion, and the 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Staunton) will start a 13 month Federal Service in May.

Our own John Monihan PK133, promoted to Major in February of this year, is part of this new deployment. John serves as the S6 (Communications, Command, Control, & Computers) of the 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team of the Virginia National Guard. John is familiar with this line of work as he served as the S6 as a Captain of the Virginia National Guard 276th Engineer Battalion during his first tour in Iraq in 2004-2005. After a training period in Mississippi John and his unit are expected to be boots on the ground in Iraq by July or August 2007. In his civilian life John works for America On-Line.

As you can well imagine this new deployment will upset his home life. For John, this means leaving behind the lovely and courageous Kathy Higgins Monihan and their brand new baby girl, Lauren (born 9-14-2006) and for Kathy and Lauren it means leaving Virginia for Ohio were Kathy's Mom lives. Kathy is also working towards a degreee in Nursing.

John and Kathy at their Wedding in 2003

John is in the process of moving the family website www.monihans.com to a new host, and will be redesigning the site shortly, it will include a blog of his deployment. Thank you for keeping John, Kathy and Lauren in your hearts while they face this new challenge. John also has a blog on http://www.themonihans.blogspot.com/

RICHMOND, Va. – Maj. Gen. Robert B. Newman, Jr., the Adjutant General of Virginia, announced that approximately 149 Soldiers of Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 116th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Virginia Army National Guard, Staunton, will enter active federal service at their home armory on May 1, 2007. The Guardsmen are currently scheduled to travel to their mobilization station, Camp Shelby, Miss., after a short period of duty at their home armory.

These Virginia Army National Guard Soldiers are being ordered to active federal service for 13 months beginning May 1, 2007 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.