“He was a remarkable person,” said Joe Spadaford ’69 of classmate Bill Reilly ’69, who died in 2020.
And so, the brothers of the Delta Nu chapter of the professional business fraternity Alpha Kappa Psi decided to establish a fund in memory of Reilly and other brothers who have died.
In honoring th e past, they have prepared for the future by funding internship opportunities for University of Dayton students.
Jerry Martin ’68, a former chapter president, was instrumental in the plan, said Spadaford.
“Knowing how much the fraternity has shaped all our personal and professional lives, we wanted to direct the proceeds of the fund to help support internships for current Delta Nu chapter members and create a link between the great relationships and memories of past brothers with the current students,” Spadaford said.
The Alpha Kappa Psi Memorial Fund provides support for students in summer internships. Accounting and entrepreneurship major Phil Mullen was one of the eight inaugural recipients of the fund. It covers living and travel expenses up to $2,000. The sophomore worked with Young Entrepreneurs Across America.
“The internship meant the world to me,” Mullen said. “From getting out of my comfort zone to learning what grit is, I benefitted tremendously as a human. I grew more in the past six months than I ever did prior.”
“I grew more in the past six months than I ever did prior.”
A core group of alumni have funded the initiative. In addition to Spadaford and Martin, other founding donors are Mike Dolan ’69, Dennis Marx ’68 and Gerry Chadwick ’77. It wasn’t long before more brothers joined the effort including John Ungashick ’69, who made the fund’s first bequest. Fifty brothers have contributed since the fund’s inception with more than $75,000 collected or pledged and more than $100,000 committed as bequests.
“Our culture is of service and giving back,” Marx said.
Among the things the founding members have in common is an appreciation for Bill Hoben, dean of the School of Business Administration from 1963 to 1985.
“This effort is a continuation of Dean Bill Hoben’s legacy,” Marx said. “He provided great support to the fraternity brothers.”
And they are passing that support on to today’s fraternity members.
“The Alpha Kappa Psi Memorial Fund offers a great opportunity for our student members to pursue an internship without a significant financial burden,” said Becca Koetter, a junior accounting major and Alpha Kappa Psi president. “Our chapter is incredibly grateful for the creation of this fund by our alumni last year, and we look forward to relying on this fund for years and years to come.”
Life-changing experiences are what the fund’s founders want to support.
“This is why we are working so hard to grow the fund,” Spadaford said. “We all have so much to be grateful for, and [UD’s chapter] provided a great foundation for our success in life and the special friendships we made.”