Pete Metzelaars

What a great way to end the Chapel Talk Season – a tight end touchdown!

Pete answered questions from the guys and talked about his thoughts on the upcoming NFL season (Want to know?  Watch the video!).  Most of all, he passed on a couple of gems that he has used throughout his life and ones that will serve our guys well.

Besides talking about the impact his faith has had upon his life, he talked of being “successful” and being “significant”.  In Pete’s mind, success is achieving one’s goals.  Work hard, Pete would tell you, and anything is possible.  His definition of “significant” was powerful.  Being “significant” in his dictionary is having a positive impact on others. Be successful, he urged, but make sure you’re significant.

Words to live by…for Pete…and for all Little Giants.

A Great Shirt

I never did get a good photo of the front of this shirt.  But I can give you a couple of hints on what it says…then I’ll just let you fill in the visuals.

There’s a W, A, B, A, S, H, 4, and 7.  Got it?

Parker Sawyers and His Wife

Parker Sawyers ’05 and his family live and work in London – just a few blocks from Buckingham  Palace.  They are “on the tube” in a feature about the Royal Wedding done by Indy channel 13 (WTHR.)

David Shane, Class of 1970 and member of the Board of Trustees, has long been a strong friend of Wabash College.  David also actively supports the Indianapolis community in many ways.  On March 22, as President and CEO of LDI Ltd., he accepted one of four awards presented by the United Way of Central Indiana for its 2011 Spirit United Award.

Barnes & Thornburg LLP, LDI Ltd., OneAmerica and St. Vincent Health won the award, which recognizes exemplary and consistent volunteer and financial support for UWCI’s mission and community priorities: vital human services and Ready to Learn, Ready to Earn. This is the third year in which the award has been presented.

Westminster Abbey

If it seems as though you cannot escape the news of the Royal Wedding and you live here in the states, imagine living and working in England just minutes from Buckingham Palace. Wabash alumnus Parker Sawyers ’05 and his family are experiencing just that and seem to be handling it quite well. With the historical event less than a day away, they spoke with WTHR Channel 13 in Indianapolis via Skype (link).

Paul Deffenbaugh [Class of 1980] is Chief Content Officer of Deep Brook Media, and former Editorial Director of Reed Construction Group.  Paul will be part of a two-member panel on the Killer Construction Content webcast on May 16, providing his own editor’s perspective on how construction marketers can more effectively develop a content plan and strategy, along with implementation tips. 

     “[Paul] has more than 20 years in residential construction. His background includes editorial Director for the Residential Construction Group at Reed Business Information for Professional Builder, Professional Remodeler, Custom Builder, Housing Giants, and HousingZone.com. In addition, Paul was co-founder of the Remodeler’s Guild, a national remodeling company. Deep Brook Media develops content and strategies for leading construction brands.

     He has appeared on CNBC, Wall Street Reports, and CBS This Morning. He is a three-time winner and five-time finalist of the coveted Jesse H. Neal Award for editorial excellence, and has been recognized several times by the American Society of Business Publication Editors and the National Association of Real Estate Editors. Paul earned a degree in Philosophy from Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Ind. and has a Master of Fine Arts in creative writing from George Mason University in Fairfax, Va.”

 The Liberal Arts Leap from Philosophy to Creative Writing to Construction Media — if you would like to hear Paul’s webcast, click here  for free registration.

Information courtesy of American Consumer News.

New Broad Ripple Restaurant

There’s a new restaurant in town and it describes itself as “a grilling experience with a heart-healthy American cuisine”.

Sounds like it should receive the official “lipitor” seal of approval!

Here’s the web link.

The difference?  Well, two Little Giants are running the place – David Dessauer 80 and Chuck Mack 67.

You want more?  Here’s more.  They’re serving Sun King beer – brought to you by two more Little Giants – Omar Robinson ’60 and his son Clay ’97.

Coach Steve House

Coach Steve House – semi-retired – gave the Chapel talk last Thursday.  He didn’t solve world hunger, turn Wabash co-ed, cure AIDS, or give us another perspective on the gentlemen’s rule.

In all but a few minutes, he simply shared some of the funnier moments in his life.  How did it go?  Superbly.  No one fell asleep, for sure.  I think our guys were ready for a break…of any kind.

You see, we’re at that time of the year where the weather changes constantly, papers are due, jobs are needed, finals are looming, internships still need to be found, grad school are waiting for some and others are on the wait list side, and summer vacations are closing in rapidly.

So, a 40 minute break from all that was more than welcome by our young men. (And to tell you the truth, by some really old men there as well.)

At the end of his talk, Coach got serious and talked about how important Wabash was to him and his family.  Special isn’t a special enough word.

David lost sight in one eye at the age of 14.  He lost his vision completely in 2007.

Crossroads in life…he saw what needed to be done and took the path of making a difference.

David is a co-founder and two time chairman of the Lighthouse of Collier, Inc., a non-profit organization in Florida that provides assistance for those with vision loss.  You can read more about the organization here.

David’s story was recently told in the Magazine of the Sigma Chi Fraternity.

Some Little Giant, I’d say.

Many thanks to John Dewart ’10 for sending the office the information.

We’ve all probably seen the NCAA “dumb jocks” PSA about student/athletes going pro in something other than sports, right? Well, I was thinking of that the other day as the year is drawing to a close and another group of outstanding Wabash student athletes are ending their athletic careers headed for greatness in something else.

A previous post talked about the architecture students in Michael Bricker’s Art 210 class and the student projects. I had to attend the presentation by Joe Johnson ’11 (pictured below). You see, Joe is coming to the end of his career as the starting second baseman for the Little Giant baseball team and is preparing to GO PRO in something else. While I know Joe quite well (a great competitor and campus leader) and have seen him in action on the field and on campus, I thought this to be an opportunity to see one of the many incredible student athletes at Wabash as he prepares for his professional career. All the best to Joe and the rest of the student athletes in the class of 2011 as they graduate.