A Legacy Of Brotherhood
Friday, May 27, 2022
Media Contact: Jami Mattox | Agricultural Communications Services | 405-744-8061 | jami.mattox@okstate.edu
As the construction crew places gravel and creates the foundation for the Oklahoma State University New Frontiers Agricultural Hall, alumni and members of Alpha Gamma Rho fraternity have helped prepare for what is to come.
AGR members have been connected to OSU Agriculture since 1921. Multiple student leaders from the fraternity have represented the college in various ways and continue to do so, said Heidi Williams, associate vice president of constituent development for the OSU Foundation.
In the fall of 2021, AGR alumni and current members learned about an opportunity to solidify the connection between the chapter and the college by donating to the New Frontiers campaign to sponsor a study room named after AGR, said Bobby Marchy, AGR member and agricultural communications senior.
“I shared the information because my hope was to help the chapter and alumni see AGR’s values of service and agriculture at OSU,” Marchy said.
The named space can remind students of the AGR alumni who came before them and who desire to see future students succeed, Marchy said.
“I contacted all of the alumni members and told them about the project,” said Dale Elsener, AGR adviser. “I am sure some were aware, but they weren’t aware the undergraduates were willing to participate and help.”
Elsener called Jerry White, 1971 AGR alumnus. White took it from there and began contacting other alumni to start gathering donations.
“Directing our gift toward the room for AGR was a way to benefit two worthy entities,” White said. “Not only are we helping the Ferguson College of Agriculture New Frontiers, but we are also helping the AGR members have a place in the new facility with their name on it.”
The AGR room will be the third-floor student club and study room, approximately 837 square feet. Any student can use the AGR study room, White said.
The naming opportunity level for the room was $200,000, but the gifts topped $217,000. Donors contributing $25,000 or more will be recognized on a plaque inside the AGR room.
“When you look at the floor plan of the building as it’s visualized, what a dramatic improvement the facility will be over the way things are now,” said Gary Clark, 1969 AGR alumnus and contributor to the AGR room.
New Frontiers Agricultural Hall will feature multiple spaces for the college’s 60-plus student clubs and organizations, said Christy Henley, constituent relations associate for the OSU Foundation.
“It will be a good place where AGRs and other students can gather between classes, spend time there to have a separate meeting place, or study between classes,” White said.
Those who enter the room will be reminded of the fraternity that has been at OSU for a century, he said.
“To have a study room named after the AGR fraternity is an honor,” said Seth Jackson, 2021-2022 OSU AGR president. “It isn’t every day that you can have an opportunity like this.”
Jackson is grateful to have been part of the project and hopes to bring his future family to see it someday, he said.
“The main idea behind the fundraising was to support the Ferguson College of Agriculture,” Elsener said. “That’s our whole reason for being — to promote agriculture and develop leaders in agriculture.”
The AGR room will help in recruiting prospective students, Elsener said.
This will help them see AGR is a supporter of academics and agriculture, he said.
Everyone can understand AGR members are willing to do their part for any endeavor, he added.
White said this contribution is a cumulative effort of people getting together to accomplish a worthy goal.
“We’ve been blessed in many ways over the past few years,” White said. “We like to give to worthwhile causes, and we certainly feel like it’s a worthwhile cause.”
Jackson said he hopes the AGR men can gain a comfortable and reliable place to go study within the college.
“Having a study room in the new building leads me to believe that we can become more successful in the classroom,” Jackson said.
Another goal of the room is for the AGRs and agricultural students to meet other young people who are preparing to go into the professional world, Clark said.
“This room has the potential to introduce students to others who are extremely sharp with great futures,” Clark said. “Having that opportunity is something we want to encourage.”
Even though current members of AGR may not get to experience classes in the new building, the hope for this project is the future men of AGR will see the importance of supporting the local community, Marchy added.
“Our chapter members, both alumni and undergraduates, know the value of giving back to those who invested in their futures,” Marchy said.
Alpha Gamma Rho Room Donors
Lou & Jeff Bode
Jane & Gary Clark
Desta & John Crawford
Leah & Brad Gungoll
Lynn & Jeff Hilst
Beth & Doug Jackson
Susan & A.J. Jacques
Pam & Clint Roush
Eloise Schultz
D. Eileen Smith
Mary & Curtis Vap
Michelle & Jerry White
Melodee & Richard Wuerflein
Story By: Jaylinn Pfeifer | Cowboy Journal