Houston Sigs host 64th Annual Wild Game Dinner
The Houston Sigma Chi Alumni Chapter hosted its signature event, the Wild Game Dinner, on Feb. 9 at the Houston Racquet Club. A coat-and-tie affair, the 64th annual Wild Game Dinner was attended by 188 brothers ranging from past Grand Consuls to Significant Sigs to undergraduates.
The Wild Game Dinner’s roots trace back to the late 1930s and Dr. W.M. “Red” Stevenson, Ohio State 1922. Brother Stevenson, a successful physician and big game hunter, began the tradition of annually inviting a few brothers to his home to enjoy a feast of wild game that he had brought back from around the world. It became an official Sigma Chi Alumni Chapter function in 1945.
This year’s event began with a cocktail hour followed by dinner, with a menu that featured venison fajitas, breaded flounder, alligator bisque, pheasant with mushroom gravy and venison sausage links. In true Wild Game Dinner fashion, all food items were either caught or donated by brothers.
During dinner in the Racquet Club ballroom, keynote speaker and former NASA astronaut Greg Harbaugh, Purdue 1978, imparted “Lessons Learned While in Space” in a speech to the audience. A veteran of four space flights, Brother Harbaugh has logged a total of 818 hours in space, including 18 hours, 29 minutes of extra-vehicular activity, also known as spacewalking.
Grand Pro Consul Wayne Tucker, Baylor 1985, gave a State of the Fraternity address, outlining the current and future direction of Sigma Chi. Brother John O'Dell, Houston 1970, presided as the master of ceremonies for the evening.
A raffle and live auction concluded the night, drawing lively participation from the crowd. Among the raffled items were restaurant gift certificates, rounds of golf and a shotgun. Auction items included a New England getaway, a weekend in Las Vegas and a Delta Airlines flight simulator package.
From this year's Wild Game Dinner proceeds, the Houston Sigma Chi Alumni Chapter presented a $1000 check to the Sigma Chi Foundation and donated $500 to the February Sigma Chi Tri-Province Workshop held at Texas Christian University. The dinner also raised money for the Children’s Miracle Network, Huntsman Cancer Foundation and the undergraduate chapters in the Houston province.
For more information on the Wild Game Dinner and the Houston Sigma Chi Alumni Chapter, visit www.houstonsigs.org.
