Brother Jack Wheeler 1937 – 2011
Texas Beta has produced many great brothers over the years, but none deserves the ”Hall of Fame of Texas Beta” more than past Sigma Phi Epsilon Grand President Jack Wheeler.
SigEps have truly benefited from Jack’s leadership and his consistent promotion of Sig Ep’s cardinal principals, especially “Brother Love”. Jack was quoted as saying, “I’ll admit that one of the three principles is way ahead of the others in my life. It’s ‘Brotherly Love’. I don’t want the future to overlook the emphasis on the principles, and I want all brothers to recognize to themselves, and others if they can, that they ‘love’ each other. If you love strongly, the other two principles must follow.”
Jack served Sigma Phi Epsilon as Texas Beta chapter counselor, AVC president, district governor, national grand president from 1975-77, and life trustee of the Sig Ep National Educational Foundation.
Not only was Jack honored by Sig Ep with the fraternity’s highest honor, “the Order of the Golden Heart”, but in 1990, Jack and his wife Kate, a Chi Omega, endowed the “Honor of Philias Award” which is presented at Conclave for an outstanding example of “Brotherly Love”.
Jack grew up in Gorman, Texas where he graduated as Salutatorian in 1956. This would be where he would meet the love of his life Annye Kate Blair. The two would eventually bond in marriage in 1964.
The first steps of Jack’s SigEp journey started in Denton, Texas in 1959 where he pledged Texas Beta while attending North Texas State College. In 1961, Jack became president of the student body and eventually graduated with a BBA and MBA all in the same year. Jack recognizes and thanks Texas Beta brothers Dan Hinkle ’61 (who led him to pledge), Bob Wilkins ’61 (who taught him the integrity of the fraternity), Don Raburn ’60 (for his concern for others), and Bob Ezell ’60 (for teaching him responsible leadership).
Yes, Brother Jack excelled on many fronts at North Texas, but none would be more evident than the examples displayed with ‘Brotherly Love’. “It might be a thank you or an arm around a brother, but the ultimate before graduation is to look your brother in the eye and tell him in words that you love him. It will be the greatest change a brother can make – and he will take that ability with him for the rest of his life. If I have caused this message to be learned in life by other brothers, my life with SigEp will be complete” – Jack D. Wheeler
Even though Brother Jack passed away on September 25th, 2011, one day short of his 74th birthday, Jack will “forever” be remembered for his love for his fraternity in the “Hall of Fame of Texas Beta”.
Brother Frank Martino 1929 – 2007
It’s not common that you see a brother be selected to the Texas Beta “Hall of Fame” after attending and graduating from the University of Texas, but that’s just the case with one of the most recognized SigEps of all time.
Frank was born on March 29th, 1929 to Frank N. and Elda Nilson Martino in Dallas, Texas and eventually attended legendary Woodrow Wilson High School. Frank was the second of three sons in the Martino family; their home was filled with animals, noise, laughter and plenty of sibling rivalry. Frank actually attended UT-Austin for college, joining the Texas Alpha chapter with Sigma Phi Epsilon in 1946. In 1948, Frank would be elected as president of Texas Alpha. During this time at UT-Austin, Frank would court the woman he would eventually share everything with, that being Betty Jean Newman from Denton, TX. He would marry the beautiful Chi Omega in Denton on July 23rd, 1949. These two were inseparable, ultimately travelling the world together.
Frank was a forceful, dynamic man whose large stature was only the physical expression of an expansive personality. He always said that the fastest way to the top was to work very hard and marry the boss’s daughter; well, he did. Frank joined his father-in-law Rowe Newman at his apparel business Russell-Newman as a route salesman in 1949. After taking various jobs in sales and operations for the company, Frank was named Russell-Newman president in 1969. By 1982, all four sons had joined the company, which now has four generations of management with Frank’s grandsons employed there as well. Frank served as president and chairman of the board at Russell-Newman, various subsidiaries, and numerous other independent business and real estate ventures.
His sense of accomplishment was also combined with a humble dedication to his family, the North Texas community, charities, his Church and even his fraternity. During the 50s and 60s, Frank would be heavily involved with converting local fraternity Phi Alpha Tau at North Texas College to Sigma Phi Epsilon. Frank utilized Conclave and his strong network of brothers nationally to convince Phi Alpha Tau to go SigEp. The transition was a success in 1952 and because of the continuous growth in manpower, Frank would help acquire properties and housing to appease the positive change involved with SigEp in Denton. Around this same time, Frank would be elected as the SigEp national grand president. Later in the years, Frank would also be given SigEps highest honor which is the “Order of the Golden Heart”. In 2007, Frank was actually able to see the doors open to yet another new fraternity house, this being at the newly constructed SigEp fraternity house at Maple Street on Fraternity Row at the University of North Texas.
In that same year, Frank took part in another life-changing mission trip in South Africa with his Church and was unfortunately involved in an accident that would take his life. Frank was 78 years old.
Brother J. Frank Martino has always been there for Texas Beta since its inception in 52’ and it’s for that reason that he will always be forever remembered on the Wall of Honor and in the Texas Beta website.
Brother Bill Harvey
Brother Bill Harvey learned a long time ago that if a job was worth doing, then it was worth doing right! Diligence meant everything to Bill, as well as mentor Frank Martino, and it’s for that reason why Bill will always be remembered as one of the Godfathers of Texas Beta.
Bill graduated from Decatur Baptist Junior College in 1955 with an Associate Degree in Science, but his proudest honor while in Decatur might just be the fact that he met his beautiful wife-to-be Doris Minhinnette. That fall, he and Doris would continue their relationship and enroll at North Texas State College. After learning the campus life at North Texas in 55’, Bill decided to pledge Sigma Phi Epsilon in 56’. While active at Texas Beta, Bill’s true colors would shine bright acting as both Treasurer in 57’ and Vice President in 58’. Yes, Bill was always there for his brothers through thick and thin as an active and an alumni.
Upon graduation, Bill would be employed by Russell-Newman Manufacturing Company where he would work for 14 years with fellow Sigma Phi Epsilon brother Frank Martino. During this period, Frank and Bill would work very closely with the active chapter at Texas Beta, leading them to be the #1 ranked fraternity on campus in both academics and athletics. While working with the Texas Beta Alumni Householding Corporation, Bill would reside once again as Treasurer. While working with the AHC and Martino, Bill would have a lot to do with the success with Texas Beta fraternal housing advancements in the 1960s.
“The things that I remember most while being active in Texas Beta in the 50s was just the fun involved with the education process and social events at North Texas. It was a huge challenge to work with different types of people in the fraternal system and at the university, but looking back, it was indeed that learning experience that I seemed to enjoy the most while a Sig Ep at North Texas”. – Bill Harvey
Brother Dean Davis
While at North Texas, Dean Davis would be a member of local chapter Phi Alpha Tau which would turn into Sigma Phi Epsilon. With this transition, Sig Ep would be the first national fraternity at the University of North Texas, thus initiating a movement for many national fraternities and sororities to the UNT campus. While active, Dean diligently served the fraternity in many capacities including president. After graduation, brother Dean would make his way to law school at the University of Texas.
His first assignment out of law school in 1958 was appointment as Assistant Attorney General of Texas under Attorney General Will Wilson, where he served for three years. A short time later, after he entered private practice in 1961, he would lay the foundation for the healthcare expertise and credibility that would serve him for a lifetime when he helped write the first legislation to authorize the newly created Medicaid program in Texas.
As the founder of Davis & Davis, the firm retained a number of significant clients for more than four decades. He served as general counsel to the Texas Hospital Association (THA), Texas Pharmacy Association (TPA), Texas Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors (TAIFA) and the Texas Hospital Insurance Exchange (THIE), one of the largest writers of malpractice insurance, by number of hospitals, in Texas. He established THIE at a time when insurance companies were leaving the state because of a malpractice crisis, and hospitals, especially those serving rural and smaller communities, could not obtain suitable insurance coverage.
Yes, Dean would be named by many in the industry as the “wise man” of the Texas healthcare community over a stellar career of half-a-century of counsel and litigation. One of Dean’s proudest achievements though would involve the appointment to National Chairman of the “1 Million Dollar Campaign” for the new Sig Ep house in 2005. His leadership and monetary gift with fundraising would be the difference with the completion of this crucial project. At the present time, Dean Davis remains “the most significant donor in Texas Beta history”.
