Shippensburg, Pennsylvania – Being closed for 17 years hasn’t stopped the alumni members from the Shippensburg Chapter from coming together for an annual golf outing. The annual gathering began when news of the death of a brother reached alumni members.

On September 17, more than 50 brothers with graduating years spanning the mid-60’s to the mid-2000’s — from California, Texas, Colorado, Maine, Pennsylvania, and points between — took part in golf, dinner, the re-telling of stories of the glory days, catching up on each other’s careers and families, and simply touching base to stay engaged as brothers for life.

This all started when were taken by surprise that our friend lost his battle against a disease he had fought for over a year,” recounts brother Dan Lista, Shippensburg University ’80.  “We were disappointed in ourselves for losing touch with him because we weren’t there to offer support during his time of need.

The men of the Beta Epsilon Chapter came together for his memorial service and then afterward at a golf event in his honor to raise money for his wife and daughters as a symbol of their friendship and brotherhood.

Right there and then, we vowed to do better at staying in touch with each other despite the years and the miles that separated us, and to use the annual golf outing to raise money to help whichever brother or his family is most in need at the time, Dan explains.

Proceeds have been donated to multiple causes. Some of these causes include a brother who suffered a stroke and debilitating neurological damage, to ease the stress on the family of a brother who faced legal trouble and incarceration, to those who have lost jobs, suffered accidents or illnesses, and to the families of those who have passed away.

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Since the event started 12 years ago, the Beta Epsilon Golf Tournament has given away a total exceeding $30,000. The most recent outing raised $3,000.