Ad Astra - Steve Wells '56

Paul "Steve" Wells (1934 - 2015)

Steve is survived by his wife of 50 years, Darcy Gearhart Wells. Other survivors include Steve's son Steven, his wife Gina and their three sons, Riley, Grady and Avery. Also surviving Steve is daughter Stacy Chapin, her husband Jim and their three children, Ethan, Maizie and Hunter. Additional survivors include Steve's brother Ned Wells, many cousins, nieces, nephews and their families.

He is preceded in death by his father, Paul E Wells, his mother Anne Massar Wells and his brother, Robert Wells.

Steve graduated from Mount Vernon High School in 1952. In 1956, he graduated from the University of Washington School of Pharmacy and has been a Husky fan ever since! Following college, he spent 2.5 years in Germany serving in the Army Medical Service Corps. Upon his return, he came back to Mount Vernon where he ran the family drug store, Wells Drug.

In 1964, he married Darcy Gearhart. In 1970, he designed and patented a shipping concept for hauling product out of shallow ports. This was the beginning of his many travels to Asia and Europe. In 1978, Steve and his wife, Darcy started Tyee Trading Company and spent many years traveling to Hong Kong, China and Taiwan. Tyee Trading eventually became Mobile Merchandisers Corporation which designs and manufactures display racks. Son Steven is now the president.

In 2010, Steve was diagnosed with Alzheimer's Disease which was eventually re-diagnosed as Lewy Body Disease. Steve's wife, Darcy, cared for him until just a few short weeks ago when he was put into the wonderful care of Ashley Gardens in Mount Vernon.
Steve was a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church. He loved watching his grandchildren and their many academic and athletic endeavors. He loved to travel. He also considered all of his employees at Mobile Merchandisers family. They were very important to him.

Steve's service will be Tuesday, April 14 at St. Paul's Episcopal Church at 415 S. 18th Street, Mount Vernon, WA 11:00 am with a reception to follow at the church.

Please send memorials to: 'Team Steve' for Burlington Alzheimer's Walk on September 19, 2015 (Go to ALZ.org), Hospice of the Northwest (227 Freeway Dr, Mount Vernon, WA 98273), St. Paul's Episcopal Church (415 S 18th St. Mount Vernon, WA 98274 or a charity of your choice .

Published in Skagit Valley Herald Publishing Company on Apr. 12, 2015 

John Zaepfel '58

John Zaepfel '58

John Zaepfel '58 talks about his father, John Zaepfel, during the ceremony dedicating the completion of the new track and field at Zaepfel Stadium in Yakima, Wash. Tuesday, March 24, 2015. (MASON TRINCA/Yakima Herald-Republic)

John Zaepfel honored several people in late March.  On March 22 he was a speaker at the memorial service for his college buddy and lifelong friend, Jerry Ryles '58 at the Overlake Golf Club gathering. 

Then a few days later he was back in his high school stomping grounds for the rededication of Zaepfel Stadium honoring his father.   As reported by the Yakima Herald, The stadium is named after Zaepfel, a former district athletic director and coach.

Zaepfel Jr., 79, made his way from Southern California to return to his hometown. He reminisced about bits of advice his father gave — his belief that character counts, the importance of equality, going all-in on something, to name a few — that left a lasting impact on him and others. Zaepfel Jr. said he hopes current and future students will adhere to his father’s words.

“Dad’s mission in life was to make a difference for young people,” he said. “It was always about the kids. His legacy is not about wins and losses or balls and strikes. It’s about what he taught and what he stood for.”

You will find the full article and a video interview of John at this link: http://www.yakimaherald.com/news/latestnews/3026452-14/zaepfel-stadium-enters-new-era-with-track-dedication

Ad Astra - Jerry Ryles '58

Our fraternity lost a friend and loyal Fiji on March 5th.

Jerry Ryles '58

Follows is the obituary that appeared in the Seattle Times: 

Gerald F. Ryles     1936 ~ 2015

Gerald F. Ryles, 78, passed away on March 5, 2015 after a long illness. Gerald, known to family and friends as Jerry, is survived by his wife of 55 years, Ann Birkenmeyer Ryles, and the couple's three children, Grant Ryles of Fremont, CA; Mark Ryles of Moraga, CA, his wife Ann and daughters Kate and Sarah; Kelly Silver of Clyde Hill, WA, her husband Barney and children Baillie, Eli and Trudy. Jerry is also survived by his brother Mike Ryles and his wife Mary of Austin, TX.

Jerry was born to Janie Geraldine Ryles and Luna F. Ryles on April 3, 1936 in Walla Walla, WA. He graduated from Pomeroy High School and received a BA in 1958 from the University of Washington, where he was a proud member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, Purple Shield and Oval Club. He was also President of the Associated Men's Students (AMS). He completed ROTC at UW where he was the distinguished military graduate of his class and served in the Army after graduating from UW.

After earning his MBA from Harvard Business School, Jerry and Ann lived on the East and West Coasts and eventually settled in Orinda, CA where they raised their children. During his business career of 41 years, he worked in a broad range of industries for a number of companies, including General Foods, McKinsey & Company and Microserv. He served on the Board of Directors for several public and private companies. At the time of his passing he was on the board of Zumiez as well as the Washington State Board of Accountancy. Jerry was a founding member of the Mentoring Program at the University of Washington Business School and he took great pleasure in dedicating himself to mentoring students and graduates. Apart from career pursuits, Jerry and Ann enjoyed traveling together to many wonderful places around the world.

Jerry will be remembered as a generous friend to many, always patient and with plenty of time for everyone he met. He loved statistics and facts and had a wonderful sense of humor. Above all, he was devoted to his family, who were the center of his life.

A memorial service will be held at 2:00 pm on Sunday, March 22nd, 2015 at the Overlake Golf and Country Club, 8000 NE 16th St, Medina, WA 98039. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Henry G. Kaplan Cancer Research Fund, http://www.swedishfoundation.org/kaplan.

Published in The Seattle Times from Mar. 15 to Mar. 18, 2015

March 2015 Luncheon - David Seeley '86

David Seeley '86 -- former attorney for Marlon Brando and current attorney for estate of Marlon Brando

Following graduation from Univ. of San Diego School of Law, Seeley found himself working in the Prosecutor's offices for Clark County (WA).  After ten years prosecuting criminals for various crimes that included several notorious killings, David joined a law firm in Kirkland, WA.  Two months after launching this private practice, David received a call from Joann in Kalama asking him if he would consider doing legal work for Marlon Brando.  Thus began a very engaging and colorful presentation to our monthly luncheon group.

David's father was a Fiji in Class of '56 at Univ. of Idaho.  David was Class of '86 at Washington, and his son Matt is Class of '17 at Washington.

A few highlights -- In 2002 the Hotel Tetaroa was replaced by "The Brando" which currently offers a unique experience for $ 3,000 per night with a 3 night minimum.

Much of David's charitable focus is with the Tetiaroa Society which pursues Brando's dream to protect the atoll and its 23 island.  The current operations include a research station "Ecostation" that accomodates up to 18 researchers.

You can reach David at his law firm --  seeley@livengoodlaw.com  or call to 425.822.9281

Rob Outcalt '86 introducing our speaker, David Seeley '86 (in white shirt below painting)

Georges Yates '86, Scott Reusser '84, 

Rob Outcalt '86 and Brent Bergman '86

Ad Astra - Len Patricelli '64

Lenny Patricelli '64

Leonard (Lenny) Sam Patricelli

Seattle native Leonard (Lenny) Sam Patricelli passed away on Saturday, January 24th, 2015. He was 72.

A family man extraordinaire, he was happiest when sharing his life with his wife, Linda, his children, Marty and Andrea, their spouses Lea and Jason, his stepdaughter Carrie, her husband, Rob, and his six grandchildren, Collin, Simon, Mallory, Toby, Catie and Ellie. Lenny attended John Muir Grade School, Franklin High School, and the University of Washington where he was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity. He was a veteran of the Army Reserves. A proud Italian and avid history buff, he was a member of the Bellevue Sons of Italy Lodge, the Italian Interest Club at Trilogy, the Puget Sound Civil War Roundtable, and the Veterans Club at Trilogy. Football and golf were also a big part of his life. He retired from Alliant Tech Systems in 2002.

A celebration of Life Service will be held on Saturday, March, 7th, at the Latter Day Saints Church on Redmond Ridge at 1:00 pm. The address is 7115 224th Ave. NE, Redmond, WA 98053.

Published in The Seattle Times on March 1, 2015

January 2015 Luncheon - UW Head Basketball Coach Lorenzo Romar

Thanks to Jack Rhodes '60 and former Tyee Club President, Coach Lorenzo Romar has been an annual speaker at our luncheons since he first arrived on campus more than a dozen years ago.

Romar talked much about the current team and the benefits from their working out together for the summer of 2014.  He shared the skills they develop along with timing and intuition.  Following the summer of hanging in the gym, Romar also explained the points that require coaching attention as they begin the formal practices in preparation for the season.

Romar turned to recruiting by asking the group which was the best of his previous recruiting classes.  This led to quite the commentary from the audience as Romar revealed his three best recruiting classes of his previous dozen years.  Using this to frame his comments, Romar then addressed each of the announced recruits for this year's class, reviewed their strengths, and compared each to one or more of the prior recruits of year's past.  Needless to say, we were left with the distinct impression that this is likely to be the best recruiting class of the Romar era.

Romar clearly enjoyed the give and take with our group, because he dedicated nearly 50 minutes of his time to his presentation and the extended Q & A period.  As always, we appreciate Romar's return to our luncheon, his many insights and coach's comments, and we appreciate Jack Rhodes '60 for arranging Romar's being our speaker.

Jack Lynch '64, Ron Crockett '61, and Coach Lorenzo Romar

Note:  In April 2010, Romar signed a 10-year contract extension on a deal that pays him $1.7 million annually and expires after the 2019-20 season. It was the third extension since his original deal in 2002.

Favorable comments about Greek System by University of Washington

To our University of Washington fraternity and sorority alumni: For nearly 120 years, fraternities and sororities at the University of Washington have been synonymous with leadership, service and community. The University is proud of the fact that graduates like you are among our most accomplished and supportive alumni. Therefore, we’d like to share with you some recent developments in the UW Greek community and provide an update on our goals for the future. As you may know, in 2009, the University established the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life as a part of the Division of Student Life. David Hotz directs this new office, supported by two full-time staff and several student interns and volunteers. This office advises both the Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Association. The Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life supports 34 fraternities and 19 sororities with a total membership of approximately 4,500 students. Recruitment continues to be strong, as evident this past summer and fall when over 600 men joined fraternities and 680 women joined sororities. Furthermore, the average grade point among UW fraternities and sororities is a 3.34, which remains consistently above the overall undergraduate average. Joining a fraternity or sorority at the UW offers rich opportunities for personal and professional development, as members learn and test their leadership and community engagement skills in the context of an intensive and, at times, challenging living situation. Unfortunately, from time to time, you will see or hear media coverage of the greater fraternity and sorority community across the country that often overlooks or discredits the value that positive Greek life experiences can add to the education of our undergraduates. The University is working with fraternity and sorority leaders on ways to ensure that our students leave the UW not with just a diploma, but also with the tools needed to become productive and successful members of our community.  UW fraternity and sorority leadership reaches all across campus, with members involved in various schools and colleges, ASUW student government and activities, intercollegiate athletics, club sports and more. Thirty years of student development research has demonstrated that deep, engaged experiences in college yield benefits to college students in terms of higher GPAs and the increased likelihood of remaining in school and achieving graduation. Additional research points to longer-term life benefits affecting wellbeing, career engagement and earnings. At the UW, we are aware that fraternities and sororities play a central role in offering exactly these types of experiences, leading to the establishment of a strong foundation for student success. We truly believe that our fraternities and sororities are among the best in the country. Nonetheless, we are driven to discover ways to improve. Over the next several months, we will provide more information about our Greek community, including ways you can be further involved. If you have any questions or ideas to share, please contact me at djsuite@uw.edu or David Hotz at dhotz@uw.edu. Or, visit us online for more information about the UW Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life. Sincerely,   Denzil J. Suite Vice President for Student Life

THIS MESSAGE WAS SENT BY: UW Office of the Vice President for Student Life 101 Gerberding Hall, Box 351266, Seattle, WA 98195 Phone: (206) 543-4972 © 2015 University of Washington | Contact Us | Privacy Policy This e-mail message was sent to gcraig9@msn.com