1. Kappa Crescent Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity
Fall 2009 www.agrunl.org University of Nebraska
Noble Ruler Report
With it being November, this letter visited the house in September. He was very impressed
will most likely find you in a busy with the organization we have here. He was excited
time. With as wet as it has been re- about our achievements in scholarship, recruitment,
cently, I am sure many of you are brotherhood and our strong alumni base.
trying to finish harvest. This let- Much has happened since we started in August, but there
ter may also find you in the midst is also much left to do. Our annual Barn Party Philanthro-
of keeping a close eye on college py took place on Nov. 4 at Uncle Ron’s.
football. It will be interesting to see The chapter is also planning to engage in our annual high-
how the Huskers finish their roller way cleanup later on this fall. Brothers will pick up trash
David Painter coaster season. Whatever the case on a designated stretch of highway outside of Lincoln.
may be, I hope this letter finds you well. Finally, AGR’s traditional Woodsie bonfire party will be
The year started off great by initiating 24 new mem- held next week. It promises to be a fun time with great
bers. Much time this year has been spent getting the memories to be made. The fall semester is always a great
new members involved in the house and teaching them time of the year. With Husker games every Saturday and
the expectations and opportunities that come along with the new freshman in the house, this year has been very
being an AGR. They have already contributed a lot to eventful. Feel free to stop by if you are ever in town.
Kappa since arriving in August. It will be exciting to
see what they will contribute in the years to come. Fraternally,
Andy Barricklow, chapter consultant from the Home David Painter
Office and alumnus from Beta Chapter at Ohio State, Noble Ruler
Freshman Class President Report
Many members of the Kappa corn. Everyone was proud to
Chapter of Alpha Gamma Rho have raised money for a new
used the weekend of Sept. 19- house while enjoying their
20 to raise money for a new weekend.
chapter house. These mem- The Kimmel Foundation re-
bers volunteered at the Kim- warded the workers by gener-
mel Orchard in Nebraska City ously donating $10,000 to the
during the town's AppleJack fund for a new chapter house.
Festival. The undergraduate members
Erik Olson, an Alpha Gam- of Kappa Chapter would like
ma Rho alumnus and current to sincerely thank the Kimmel
Kimmel Orchard manager, Foundation for its support and
Kappa Brothers Jamison Jensen and Adam Mass volun-
requested the additional help teered to work the concession stand at Kimmel Orchards. generosity.
during the festival.
The members who worked at the orchard served in Fraternally,
many capacities from selling apples, to re-stocking Ross Jensen
shelves, to running the cash register, to making kettle Freshman Class President
More Inside...

2. Recruitment Report
This summer proved to be a successful recruitment year Duane Miller, Doug Brand, Rick Walters, Derek Betka
for Kappa Chapter. We were fortunate enough to find and Ryan Betka.
24 quality young men to Of the freshman class,
join Alpha Gamma Rho. four members have had
These 24 new brothers fathers in AGR. These are
represent diverse agricul- Will Anderjaska, Dane
tural backgrounds from Knudsen, Kalby Weh-
different areas around the rbein and Ross Jensen.
state of Nebraska. There are also other fresh-
Our brothers in the house men that have had older
made a large effort to at- brothers in AGR.
tend recruitment events We are continually striv-
this summer, which had ing to improve Kappa
a positive impact on our Chapter through the re-
recruitment efforts. We cruitment of new quality
also had support from Kappa Brothers are proud to welcome the 24 new men of the 2009 Freshman Class. young men. If any alumni
our alumni. We would like to thank the Alumni Board have recommendations for next summer’s recruitment,
for providing a large portion of our recruitment bud- please fill out the slip at the end of the Crescent.
get. Their support makes it easier to fund our recruit-
ment efforts. We would like to send a special thanks Fraternally,
to these brothers who took it upon themselves to rec- Scott Sorensen, ssoren10@huskser.unl.edu
ommend names for this year’s class: Chuck Beermann, Jamison Jensen, jamisonajensen@gmail.com
Lee Potts, Joey Large, Fred Bruning, Robert Moreland, VNR Recruitment Co-Chairs
Calf Show Chair Report
The Winter Preview will be held Dec. 18-20. Kirk Sti- It is also a good recruiting tool for 4-H and FFA kids
erwalt will be judging. It is a prospect steer and heifer that show cattle and become familiar with the AGR
show. name. We would like to extend our invitation to you to
The Winter Preview has gained a lot of recognition enjoy the fun!
over the past couple of years. People from as far away
as California have come to exhibit their animals at the Fraternally,
Winter Preview. It has been successful in the past and Corey Cable
takes a lot help out of the entire house. Calf Show Chair
Philanthropy Report
The 2009 Alpha Gamma Rho Barn Flames”, “Feet Don’t Touch the Ground” and many
Party was held on Wednesday Nov. 4, more. This year’s Barn Party benefitted Omaha Chil-
2009 at Uncle Ron’s Wild West Sa- dren’s Hospital. It was another exciting, fun and profit-
loon in Lincoln, Neb. It featured Texas able night!
Country performer Stoney LaRue and
the Arsenals. Fraternally,
Stoney LaRue performs hits such as Tyson Narjes
Stoney LaRue “Oklahoma Breakdown”, “Down in VNR Philanthropy

3. Mentor Reports
The following are mentor reports written by Kappa Chapter undergraduates. linois. The instant connection that the AGR alums had
was extremely helpful in acclimating Justin to Illinois.
William K. Houlobek (‘89)
After two years in Illinois, Justin and wife relocated to
William K. Houlobek joined AGR in 1983, follow-
St. Paul, Neb. The built a house in St. Paul about five
ing in the footsteps of other Houlobeks before him. He
years ago. Justin and his wife relocated due to an op-
majored in Ag Engineering and in 1988 was granted
portunity for his wife to work as the Hall County Exten-
an internship in West Germany working on water tur-
sion Educator. Justin works with his brother and father
bines. After returning to the States, he finished his Ag
in farming, outfitting, and a ranching operation.
Engineering degree and graduated from the University
As mentioned, Justin works with his brother (Jay) and
in 1989. He then attained a job with Ingersoll Rand as
father in Central Nebraska. The trio farm approximate-
an Ag Engineer.
ly 3,000 acres of farmland. They also have about 4,000
After three years of that, he had the calling from God
acres of ranchland. The ranchland is leased out during
to go down a different path in life and so he joined the
the winter to fellow ranchers. Furthermore, the trio
seminary. He spent one year in Toronto and then four
recently formed an outfitting company. The outfitting
years in Philadelphia and was ordained a priest in 1997.
company provides hunting engagements along portions
His first assignment was teaching high school religion
of the family’s land. Beyond a heavy work schedule,
at St. Michael’s in Hastings.
Justin tries to find time for his family.
After two years there, he became the pastor of Co-
Justin’s immediate family includes his wife, Cammy,
lon and Cedar Bluffs as well as teaching in the Wahoo
and their two sons, Jacob and Sam. Jacob is 7 years old,
Bishop Newman School System. Three years later, he
and Sam is 3 years old.
was reassigned to his current position as pastor of the
Lastly, Justin best described AGR as an everlasting
Sutton and Harvard parishes and has recently switched
friendship that’ll always be beneficial in every faucet
the parish at Harvard for Grafton. Since he is no lon-
of life.
ger in a teaching position he has taken on the role of
Written by Zach Badura, St. Paul, Neb.
Mission Director for the Diocese of Lincoln where he
heads the Missionary Assistance Program.
Roger Wahlgren (‘66)
Written by Will Anderjaska, Palisade, Neb.
I interviewed Roger Wahlgren of Gothenburg, Neb.
Roger was initiated into AGR in 1966, his sophomore
Justin Wells (‘93)
year in college. Roger has a family of four, including
Justin Wells was a 1993 initiate of Alpha Gamma Rho
his wife, Carol, his son, Joe and his daughter, Kristy.
fraternity. He is originally from Elba, Neb. Justin men-
Roger was an active member in AGR, as he was the
tioned that he thoroughly enjoyed AGR. While in the
Social Chair for two years. His major was Animal Sci-
house, Justin served as the Crescent Editor and Recruit-
ence and also Business. In 1969, Roger graduated from
ment Chair. He met his wife, Tammy, while in college
UNL with a degree in Animal Science and Business.
at Nebraska-Lincoln. In fact, Cammy was a Pink Rose
After graduating, Roger went to Iowa and worked for
Sweetheart. Although Justin stayed busy with class and
a feed company for two years. Once he was done work-
other activities, he found time to help lead his freshman
ing at the feed company, he got drafted into the Army.
intramural team to a second place finish. Justin regarded
As Roger finished serving in the Army, he went back
the strong friendships that he developed in AGR as the
to his hometown to farm with his dad and now runs
best part about the fraternity. Also, Justin encouraged
his own farming operation. He farms over 5,000 acres
that one always give consideration to all members of
of farm ground near Gothenburg, Neb., where he calls
the house. Accordingly, he mentioned that work ethic
home. For crops, he grows a little bit of every kind of
is one of the strongest assets that a person can have.
corn, including white, yellow, popcorn and blue. Most
Upon graduating, Justin moved to northern Illinois so
of his corn is taken and sold to Frito Lay. Along with
that his wife could finish her master’s program. While
corn, Roger also grows soybeans.
in Illinois, Justin worked for an Ag retailer. In fact, he
Written by Ty Schurr, Farnam, Neb.
said that he instantly met other AGR alums while in Il-

4. Mentor Reports Cont.
David Schroeder (‘00) is a resident in O’Neill, Neb., and a graduate from West
For my mentor report, I chose David Schroeder from Holt. James was initiated in 1982. While he was in the
Wisner, Neb. David is the son of Mark and Debra Schro- house, his major was animal science. In 1986 he gradu-
eder and has one brother, Jeff. As David was growing up, ated with a bachelor’s degree. The next year he rented
he was very involved in agriculture. He was very active an apartment across the street from the AGS house and
in 4-H, FFA and Livestock Judging. attended the University of Nebraska Law
After high school, David didn’t have any College. After three years, he graduated
trouble deciding to join AGR since he has and worked at a law firm in Omaha. While
several family members who have been apart working for the law firm for six years, his
of the AGR Fraternity. Some of those fam- area of specialization was litigation and
ily members include his uncles Todd, Jay real estate. In 1994, he moved to O’Neill,
and Tim and his father, Mark. David was re- Neb. James works at a law firm and runs
cruited by Jon Schram and Bryce Anderson a small cow-calf operation of 200 head.
as one of the 21 members of the 2000 pledge He is married with four children. James
class. His major at UNL was Food Science said he currently talks to his best friend
and Technology. As a freshman, David was from AGR a few times a week and says
elected as the Computer Chair and helped set his AGR buddies introduced him to his
up the Internet in the house. In the follow- wife. He tells me the best part of AGR was
ing years, he held the office of Alumni Rela- building friendships that last forever.
tions. Also, in David’s final year in the house Written by Greg Rentschler, Atkinson, Neb.
he was won the Senior of the Year Award.
He then attended graduate school at Purdue Douglas Wehrbein (‘80)
where he obtained his master’s in Food Sci- I am proud to say that my mentor is my
ence and Enzyme Kinetics. For his doctorate, father, Douglas Wehrbein. Doug was in
he focused on the Detection of Inorganic Ar- the pledge class of 1980 and graduated
senic in Food. After his many years of work, with a degree in general agriculture. Doug
David graduated in August 2009. is one of many members of the Wehrbein
Currently, David lives in Chicago where he family that have been through Kappa
is a chemist for the Chicago Environmen- Chapter. Just in his immediate family,
tal Protection Agency. The area they cover includes six his father was in the pledge class of 1956, and his son,
states ranging from Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kalby is currently a freshman in the house.
Wisconsin and Minnesota. He is also engaged Jessica After he graduated, he went back home to the family
Ousterling from Greensburg, Penn. Their wedding date farm for five years. Then from 1989 to 1991, he left
is set for Sept. 25. home and headed west to work at the Benedict and Darr
David’s favorite parts of being in the Kappa Chapter feedlots as an office manager and vet tech. For the past
has been the Pink Rose which he attended every year 19 years, Doug has managed a sod farm operation near
when he was in the house and every year since then. He Plattsmouth and currently raises show pigs at their farm.
enjoys the Pink Rose because he is able to be with his Douglas and his wife, Karelene, have two kids, Kalby
uncles and father as well as all the other alumni. David and Abigal. His wife, Kari works as a reading tutor to
also likes to keep in touch with his brothers he knew elementary students at Plattsmouth Elementary School.
while he was in the house. Doug has been active in the community for many years.
Written by Micah Agler, Wayne, Neb. He has served on the Cass County Extension Board, in
Nebraska Cattlemen and as a Triple-B 4-H club leader.
James Gotchal (‘86) Doug says that the best part of AGR is the friendships
James Gotchal was the person I picked to interview you build that last a lifetime.
for my mentor report. I decided to pick him because he Written by Kalby Wehrbein, Plattsmouth, Neb.

5. Mentor Report Cont.
Chuck Beerman (‘61) be able to do something that he loved and said the farm
For my mentor report, I interviewed Chuck Beer- was a great place to raise a family.
man from Dakota City, Neb. Chuck and his wife, San- Chuck said he really enjoyed his time at AGR and that
dra, have three daughters, Tera, Patty and Shelly. Tera his favorite part about being a member was the good
works at the University of Nebraska Publishing Com- times and fellowship he shared with men who truly
pany. Patty is married and has two kids: Collin, who is a cared about agriculture and farming.
seventh grader and Krysten, who is a fifth grader. They Written by Taylor Nelson, Jackson, Neb.
are from Kansas City, Kan. Shelly is married with three
kids: Grant who is a second grader, Cory, who is a kin- Ron Vollmer (‘67)
dergartner and Tanner, who is 3 years old. They live in Ron Vollmer graduated from Wisner High School in
Stromsburg, Neb. All of Chuck’s daughters graduated 1966 and decided to head to college. In 1967, he was initi-
from Nebraska Wesleyan. ated into Kappa Chapter. He says he remembers the great
Chuck graduated from South Sioux City High School friendships he and his fellow brothers created.
and attended UNL and was initiated into AGR in ‘58. After graduating, Ron went on to work for John Deere,
While in college, he majored in animal husbandry and but found a calling for the National Guard. After his ser-
graduated in 1961. Immediately after, Chuck came vice, he went back to work for John Deere. He soon went
home and started farming with his dad for 12 years, and back to farming in 1973. Ron has expanded his operation
then bought his dad’s share in the operation and contin- over the years and now has a large feedlot and farming
ued farming with his wife. operation north of Howells.
Chuck started farming with his dad, but after that he had Ron says the biggest challenge over his years has been
no other partners. By the time he retired he had 800 acres the expansion. He says it has just incredibly increased
of irrigated ground and 1,200 acres of dry land where he from small farmers to large operations. You either get
raised corn and soybeans. The first 10 years he farmed bigger or risk losing it. Even though he said operations
he had cattle and hogs but got out of the business in ‘72. have gotten bigger, he still says the small town atmo-
Currently, he rents his ground to my dad, Doug and his sphere is the best part. He says the fact that you can
brother, Jim (Nelson Farms) and to his cousin, Scott count on people and most people help each other out is
Beerman. Chuck spent several years on the Board of irreplaceable.
Producers Livestock Marketing and the Nebraska Farm Ron now lives on his farm with his wife, Agnes.
Bureau Board at both the state and local levels. He also They have had two daughters: Kristi and Stacy. Kristi
sold Dekalb seed for 34 years, was on the Homer School is married. Stacy is still in school pursuing a pharma-
Board for 22 years and was very involved with church ceutical degree. Even though Ron has been out of the
activities. Some of his biggest challenges with farming AGR house many years, he still says the friendships he
over the years has been marketing and keeping up with formed are still present today.
technology. Overall, he thought that it was a blessing to Written by Steven Heermann, Pilger, Neb.
Crescent Publishing Service
This issue of the Kappa Chapter Crescent was published through the
Crescent Publishing Service (CPS). This is a special project of the Alpha
Gamma Rho Home Office to assist chapters in improving communications
with alumni. Chapters pay a small fee for the service below the actual
production cost to encourage regular contact. This project is made pos-
sible by donations from alumni like you.
Please consider contributing.

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Kappa Chapter Crescent
Alumni News Wanted
The next issue of the Kappa Chapter Crescent should be full of news about alumni brothers. Please send us your
updated contact information and the latest on your accomplishments (marriage, family, jobs, etc.) to: Kappa
Chapter, Alpha Gamma Rho, Attn: Alumni Relations, 1430 Idylwild Dr. Lincoln, NE 68503
Recruitment Recommendation
Please help us recruit the best of men. If you know someone who would make a good addition to our Fraternity,
please let us know so we can contact him and enhance our brotherhood.
Name: Age:
Address:
E-mail address:
Phone - home: School:
Classification/Major:
Comments:
Your name and address:
Please Mail to: Alpha Gamma Rho – Kappa Chapter,
Attn: Recruitment, 1430 Idylwild Dr. Lincoln, NE 68503