Section III

1. Section III Ralph F. Burns "Mr. Alpha Sig" Responsibility for a Lifetime Click Once

2. “Ralph Burns Represented, to me, the ideals of Alpha Sigma Phi Fraternity. I feel truly blessed to have known Ralph and have been able to call him my Brother.” The words to the right from Brother Leonard Hultquist began the tribute to Alpha Sigma Phi’s Executive Secretary Emeritus, Ralph F. Burns. And what a tribute it was. From the fraternity world. From neighbors. From friends. And from the countless Alpha Sig Brothers whose lives he touched and enriched. On September 25, 1993, Brother Ralph passed into the Omega Chapter. But the legacy he left us will remain as long as the Mystic Circle forms; as long as one man reaches out to another and calls him Brother. Stan Thurston, Iowa State ’66 Grand Senior President 1994-96 “My admiration of Ralph Burns is boundless. Not only Alpha Sigma Phi, but the entire fraternity world has suffered a great loss.” Click Once Click Once It is said that every organization needs a conscience. In many ways Ralph Frank Burns was Alpha Sigma Phi’s conscience. Its heart and soul. Alpha Sigma Phi was Ralph Burns. And Ralph Burns was Alpha Sigma Phi. Emmet Hayes, Standford ’31 Grand Senior President 1954-56 Click Once Click Once

3. For 61 years Brother Burns pledged his life to the principles and ideals that bind us as a Fraternity. And his life exemplified what is good about the fraternity movement in our nation. Click Once Every man who pledged our Seven Points and entered the Mystic Circle for the 61 years of Ralph’s service had been influenced by Ralph’s guidance and unfailing commitment to Alpha Sigma Phi was deep. His love of our Fraternity broad. And his belief in our Ritual complete. You could see it in his smile; feel it in his touch; and experience it – as thousands of undergraduates and alumni did at scores of conventions and leadership conferences – when Brother Burns gave his unfailingly warm greeting and extended the Grip of our Brotherhood. Click Once Ralph felt to the very depths of his soul, that he was indeed, his “Brother’s Keeper” God so loves Alpha Sigma Phi, he gave us Ralph Burns. Leonard Hultquist, Alabama ‘60 Click Once

4. Ralph Frank Burns was born in New Castle, Pennsylvania, May 12, 1912, to James Andrew Burns and Louise Amanda Snyder Burns. He attended high school in Youngstown, where he took his vows of Brotherhood into Epsilon Chapter in February 1932. Ralph served as Epsilon Chapter’s President and Rush Chairman as an undergraduate, and earned a degree in social work at his 1935 graduation. Click Once His job in a social agency in Cleveland helped him carry out his natural desire to serve others. But, his keen interest in Alpha Sigma Phi did not go unnoticed by his supervisor, also an Alpha Sig from Ohio Wesleyan. When the call went out from the Fraternity national office in New York City that a new Executive Secretary was needed, Ralph was encouraged to interview for the job. The rest, as they say, is history. Brother Burns served as Executive Secretary of Alpha Sigma Phi from 1936 until his retirement in 1976. Click Once

5. “Forty years passed by pretty quickly, really,” Brother Burns said at that time. “It seems like there was always some major challenge to deal with: depression, war – something to keep you busy.” how true that was. For 40 years, Brother Burns kept the flame of brotherhood alive as he pulled, tugged, cajoled, soothed and shepherded Alpha Sigma Phi through good times and bad. Some 29,000 men, more than one-half of all Brothers initiated in the 148 years history at the time of Brother Burns’ passing, became members of Alpha Sigma Phi under Ralph’s guidance. He guided Alpha Sigma Phi through the throes of the Great Depression, the calamity of World War II, the uncertainty of the Korean Conflict and the upheavals of the Vietnam War. All along the way, Brother Burns appeared guided by a mission: a mission to share the ideals of our Brotherhood and to give men an opportunity to share a foundation in honesty, decency, and integrity. Click Once During the first decade of the “Burns Era,” just as the Fraternity was learning how to deal with the effects of The Great Depression, World War II broke out. The Fraternity has just completed the 1939 merger with Phi Pi Phi Fraternity and revamped its national constitution. Chapters had achieved great momentum, but success suddenly changed and most chapters were closed as Brothers headed overseas for the war effort. Click Once

6. With no membership dues coming into the national office, there was little money available to run the Fraternity and Ralph was forced not obtaining a full-time day job in 1943, while still voluntarily writing letters to alumni and Brothers overseas by night. Ralph’s new job was a prestigious one as the Executive Manager of the New York City Association of Life Underwriters. His administrative and managerial talents and extraordinary “people skills” were very highly regarded by the Association and they fought hard to retain Ralph as the war was winding down. Despite significant financial inducement to remain with the Life Underwriters, Ralph knew where his heart really lay, and he, therefore, returned to the Old Gal on a fulltime basis in 1945. Click Once Alpha Sigma Phi used to be a Brotherhood that added final polish to a man. Today’s undergraduates don’t have the benefit of value-setting and skills development that used to come from family, church community, and school. So now we must provide a lot more than polish. The challenge and need is great. But we know from over 136 years of experience that the program Alpha Sigma Phi offers is sound, that it meets the ideals of our country. Click Once Ralph F. Burns In 1982

7. Thus, as Americans returned to college and to their fraternities, Alpha Sigs found a familiar face ready to greet them. Ralph’s contact with Brothers during the war years eased the transition back into operation. Ralph and Alpha Sigma Phi were back on the job! But changes were in the works. Ralph led the Fraternity through another merger in 1946, this time with Alpha Kappa Pi Fraternity. And by 1949, he and the national office had moved out of expensive New York City to the small college town of Delaware, Ohio, home of his alma mater, Ohio Wesleyan University. It was from these offices that for three more decades Ralph would make his treks to chapters from coast to coast. Click Once Ralph was the symbol of all the good qualities of the Fraternal association. Ralph’s grace and spirit lives on in each of the lives of those of us who shared a moment with him. John L. Blackburn Missouri Valley ‘49 Click Once

8. Through all the changes and challenges of his career, Ralph had an important constant: A loving family. Brothers attending National Conventions over the years would find his wife, JoAnna Burns, running the registration table or doing a myriad of other activities in order to help out. And Alpha Sigma Phi is definitely a family affair for the Burnses. Alpha Sigma Phi is definitely a family affair for the Burnses. The elder son, Bruce, joined Zeta Chapter at Ohio State in 1963. the younger son, Jonathan, however, attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, which did not allow fraternities at that school. However, a special, secret invitation went out to Jonathan from the Grand Council in 1984 offering him the opportunity to become initiated at special ceremonies during the National Convention at the University of Illinois. No one was more surprised or proud to discover the identity of the special initiate than his father, seated in the front row of the initiation hall. So now, both burns sons were Brothers to their father. And so, too, is one of Ralph’s grandsons, Bruce’s son, Scott, another West Point graduate who was initiated at the National Convention in Chicago in 1994. Years of service, hard work, and persistent dedication to a cause are reasons enough to laud anyone’s career. Yet these superior qualities of Ralph Burns created just the framework of the man we call “Mr. Alpha Sigma Phi.” Consider the following “Burnsian” characteristics: Click Once Click Once

9. Brotherhood. “When Ralph is talking with me I feel like I am the most important person in the world,” many Brothers consistently reported. “I remember Ralph for so many things, but particularly, his memory. I have been to hundreds of meetings with Brothers of all ages in our Fraternity and Ralph could always remember names and your chapter of initiation with ease,” says Robert Cabello, Eastern Michigan ’70. “I asked him once why this apparently meant so much to him to figure out who was who – and then announce it with so much enthusiasm. He responded, ‘because regardless of age, chapter origin, or background, we all need to see the diversity and sharing within our Brotherhood.’” Click Once From National Conventions, to chapter visits, to undergraduate sojourns to National Headquarters, Ralph could be seen spending time with Brothers. After his retirement, his presence at national gatherings provided a spiritual sense of the continuity of our Brotherhood. His warm smile, his laugh, and his genuine interest in everyone with whom he spoke were all Ralph Burns hallmark. Ralph never lost focus of the undergraduate experience of brotherhood. His time, attention and unnerving memory left many lasting impressions on undergraduate members including what it means to be a Brother. And when eh met a Brother – no matter under what circumstances – he always greeted them with the Secret Grip and a smile that gave hint to his uniquely kind and gracious soul. Click Once

10. Of course, the secret of Ralph Burns is obvious to anyone who spent any time with him. If Will Rogers never met a man he didn’t like, then Ralph Burns never met an Alpha Sig he did not truly care about. When you were talking with Ralph you were, indeed, the most important person in the world to him. How much easier that must have made it for him to remember names over the span of decades. He didn’t remember names, he remembered Brothers. Also, the observer would also note that Ralph extended this privilege to others beyond the Alpha Sig Brotherhood. He considered brotherhood among all persons, a natural credo, and eh especially valued his deep relationship with thousands of Interfraternity brothers throughout his life. Every Alpha Sig knew Ralph Burns. And at times, it seemed that Ralph Burns knew every Alpha Sig. Click Once When I think of Ralph Burns, I smile. He was that kind of guy. He had a gift of making everyone around him feel special. It was all the more special because Ralph was so blissfully unaware of his effect on people. He was the most humble man I have ever known. Click Once Alan Breedlove, Penn State ‘77

11. Charity. Service to mankind is a top Alpha Sig ideal. While Ralph spent nearly his entire professional career in service to the Old Gal he did not let it stop there. He was a Rotarian for many years and was named a “Paul Harris Fellow” by his local chapter. He headed the community United Way drive, and was a dedicated volunteer for his church. Upon his “professional” retirement from the Fraternity in 1976, he quickly signed up for additional volunteer work. He was the volunteer Secretary of the Fraternity's Educational Foundation, and continued to play key roles at national meetings and alumni gatherings. Click Once Despite the vast breadth of the body of colleagues, friends and Brothers with whom Ralph worked through the years, it was not uncommon for him to greet a Brother after a score of years without personal contact and to recall the office or offices the Brother held as an undergraduate, his chapter, and initiation year. Robert Kutz, California ’67 Grand Historian Click Once

12. Ralph also took his deep religious beliefs and Alpha Sig convictions about the goodness of mankind to the streets. Also with his retirement, he was able to increase his Delaware, Ohio, community activity, from which many local charities benefited. He served as president of the Delaware Rotary Club, vice president of Grady Memorial Hospital’s board of trustees, president of the Hayes Athletic Boosters, chairman of the Untied Way campaign, and served as a board chairman for his church, Asbury United Country Fair, where he manned the gate collecting tickets and having good-natured fun in catching folks, and often his own friends, who would try to slip past him and into the reserve sets without a ticket. Until his passing, Ralph maintained the enthusiasm and pace that would tire men half his age, and he was usually found using that energy in service to others. Click Once Ralph believed in the importance of the undergraduate experience. To him, our charge to “foster college homes” meant more than merely providing a house in which to live. It meant providing a family-like atmosphere through which young men became gentlemen, scholars, and patriots. Click Once

13. Gentleman. In days gone by, many people understood and appreciated the simple phrase, “He is a gentleman.” Today, commonly used terms like “true professional” or “well-bred” are sad substitutes for the humble grace for which a true gentleman aspires. It includes all things that are good – like honesty, fait, and trust. It excludes all that is tawdry. Words defy a complete explanation of “gentleman” except to say that after spending time with Ralph, one would invariably walk away thinking, “What a delightful gentleman.” Click Once All of this is not said to suggest that Brother Ralph was perfect. He could certainly apply a sharp “needle” in just that right way to get under one’s skin. But, he made sure that his target survived, and he always made up for it later. And rarely did Ralph give up the last word in any heated discussion! Click Once

14. There is no award that Ralph received, nor one ever created, that truly attested to the legacy of love and brotherhood he gave to Alpha Sigma Phi. He has received both of the Fraternity’s highest awards, the Distinguished Merit Award in recognition of his professional accomplishments, and the Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his dedication to the Fraternity. In 1984, the Grand Council named him an honorary “Third Founder” during the kickoff of the Educational Foundation’s “Third Founding Endowment Campaign.” he also received Fraternity Executives Association’s Distinguished Service Award and the National Interfraternity Conference’s highest commendation, The Gold Medal, which included him with other notable awardees such as Ronal Reagan and Barry Goldwater. Click Once Ralph Burns was interested in others. He cared about people. That’s how he lived his life. Rather than wasting away, he died with his boots on, a dignity he richly deserved. William P. Swartz Sigma Alpha Mu Click Once

15. Yet, Ralph’s reaction to any of these honors was always filled with the humility of a servant, just as was his reaction to the standing ovation and cheers given him by the students at various National Leadership Conferences and Conventions. “Thank you,” he said on one of these occasions, “for letting me share this wonderful experience of Brotherhood with you.” Click Once But so entwined were Ralph Burns and our Fraternity, that he was often called “Mr. Alpha Sigma Phi,” a title which increased his humility even more. At his last National Leadership Conference in 1993 in Somerset, New Jersey, he told an emotional group of alumni members: “You cal me ‘Mr. Alpha Sig’ and I’m not. You are. You and all the undergraduate members who make up our Fraternity. You are what makes it great and I am so grateful to be a part of it.” Click Once

16. And that concept of brotherhood he also shared and bolstered throughout the fraternity world. Gale Wilkerson, president of the Delta Tau Delta Educational Foundation, noted what many Alpha Sigs had heard from Ralph on numerous occasions: “We could be an hour into serious interfraternity discussions and deliberations on fraternity budgets and Ralph would raise his hand and bring everyone back to reality by asking the question “What does this have to do with improving brotherhood in our chapters?” Click Once Ralph had the unique ability to inspire others to perform seemingly beyond their capabilities. We know that God will raise him on the breath of dawn; make him shine like the sun; and should him in the palm of His hand. We are comforted by knowing that, at this very moment, Ralph is touching the face of God. Greorge W. Spasyk Executive VP Emeritus Lambda Chi Alpha Click Once

17. His decades of uninterrupted service made it particularly fitting that Brother Burns passed away in a truly remarkable way within the circle of Brotherhood that marked his life. “We were concluding a long joint meeting of the Grand Council and Educational Foundation Trustees when we asked each member to tell what the Fraternity means to him,” recalls John Chaney, Indiana ’67, then executive director of Alpha Sigma Phi. The Brothers responded in roster order from the most junior to the most senior and, of course, “Ralph was the last to speak. He gave a moving recitation of the Fraternity’s history, our triumphs and adversities. Click Once “He spoke of what the Fraternity meant to him and why he chose to remain involved. He expressed his pride that both his sons are Alpha Sigs and stated that although he was not a wealthy man, he was a millionaire. He said how happy he was that the Fraternity's Mission Statement drew on Christian faith and our Supreme Being. And he challenged us to be ever mindful of the reasons why our Brotherhood exists and thrives.” Click Once

18. “He closed his remarks, as he so often did by reciting our open motto – Causa Latet Vis Est Notissima (The Cause is Hidden, the Results Well Known). The room fell silent, contemplating his message and the depths of its emotion. A few moments later, Ralph slumped in his chair.” He was gone. Click Once It’s hard to imagine his passage to the Omega Chapter beginning anywhere more appropriate than within the loving embrace of the Mystic Circle. And it’s hard to imagine his passing without thinking about the huge Sig Bust that must be on going in heaven. To have seen Ralph Burns was to see peace. A peace that can only come from his total contentment to offering his life in service to his fellow man. For that, Alpha Sigs, and all others who knew him are grateful. Click Once The Cause is Hidden, the Results Well Known? Well known, indeed. Thanks, Ralph. Click Once