Purdue University

The Purdusires is an honorary of individuals whose purpose is to provide guidance and support for the service and scholarship of the Purdusirs. The original Sires were assembled in 1956 as a collection of mentors for the Sirs. To this day, the Sires serve as a model for achievement and success by way of their inspiration as a mentor and friend.

The Sires graciously volunteer to act as advisors and counselors to the Sirs and committees within the Glee Club. They play an integral role in aligning the mission of Purdue Musical Organizations with that of Purdue University. The Sires have stood as a cornerstone of leadership and a source of integrity for the Purdue Varsity Glee Club for more than 50 years. Their service and dedication to Purdue Musical Organizations is evident in their continued support.

Front Row: Peter Carroll, Caleb Larsen, Steven Sanders, Mark Knight, Simon May, Tim Harris, Michael Blakley, Chris Soverns, John Foerster and Matt Lancaster. Back Row: George Van Scoyoc, David Bowker, David Huhnke, Bill Griffel, Paul Ziemer, Chad Laux, Martin Sickafoose, Larry Campbell and Gerry McCartney. Not Pictured: Kirk Cerny.

Purdusires:

• David Bowker

  David Bowker

  

  Sire of Recruitment

  Undergraduate Recruitment Director, College of Engineering, Purdue University

  David Bowker returned to Purdue as Director of Undergraduate Engineering Recruitment in July of 2001. David is responsible for directing and implementing recruitment activities targeted at high school students for the College of Engineering. Prior to being at Purdue, David spent three years as Recruitment Coordinator at Ivy Tech State College-Lafayette and a year advising in the School of Education at Purdue. David received his bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership and Supervision in 1994 and his master’s degree in Higher Education Administration in 1997 from Purdue University. David was a proud member of the Purdue Varsity Glee Club from 1989- 1994.

  David has been the advisor to the Purdue Student Engineering Foundation for the past nine years. He has also been fortunate to travel internationally numerous times on behalf Purdue University. In 2002, David was selected as one of the inaugural recipients of the Schools of Engineering New Employee “Award of Excellence” and followed that with the “Leadership Award” in 2008. In 2003, David was the first individual from an academic unit to be nominated to participate in the Council for Manager Development. A self- professed “Townie” and “Cardio Junky” David lives in Lafayette and teaches spin classes at Club Newtone.

• Kirk Cerny

  Kirk Cerny

  

  Sire of Advancement

  Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Purdue Alumni Association, Purdue University

  Throughout his career, Cerny has been recognized as an alumni manager focused on bringing technology and innovation to alumni association operations and programming. The Council of Alumni Association Executives honored Cerny with a Forman Fellowship for Research in Alumni Programming in 2000-2001.

  Cerny earned a bachelor's degree in human biology in 1992 and a master's degree in higher education administration in 1998, both from the University of Kansas. He served as an admissions representative for KU from 1992-1994 and as director of chapters and constituent programs for the alumni association from 1994 until he was named senior vice president in 1999. In 2004 he was recruited to the University of Nebraska as Associate Executive Director in charge of membership and development.

  "Kirk brings with him a wealth of experience in membership development, strategic planning and working with volunteers and donors at two of the premier independent alumni associations in the country," said Ed Paquette, executive director of the Nebraska Alumni Association. "The Purdue Alumni Association will excel under Kirk’s leadership. He is savvy, inspires change and understands needs of a major, modern alumni association. The Purdue family will enjoy Kirk and his lovely wife Kelly Cerny in West Lafayette."

  A native of Nebraska, Cerny is an avid enthusiast of golf, shooting sports and aviation.

• Larry Campbell

  Larry Campbell

  

  Sire of Professional Development

  Campbell obtained his bachelor’s degree from Purdue University and is a proud former member of the Purdue Varsity Glee Club, having sung under the direction of PMO founder, Dr. Albert P. Stewart, from 1959 through 1962. In addition, he has known personally and served in some capacity under every director since, including current director, Bill Griffel. Larry was also a Purdusir and sung with a specialty group known as the Collegiate Singers, performing for/with notables such as the Honorable Richard M. Nixon, Princess Margaret, Red Skelton, Mitch Miller, Florence Henderson and Eddie Fisher, among others.

  Now semi-retired, Campbell served as senior manager of various retail and wholesale organizations such as Chase Bank, M & I Bank, Heartland Industries, Inc. and the Federal Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis. In addition to doing some consulting now, Larry enjoys time spent with wife, Sherri, their two adult sons and their grandchildren in Arizona. Other interests include baseball, golf, reading and following traditional jazz music artists in Indianapolis.

  Since 1992, Campbell has treasured the opportunity to reconnect with Purdue and PMO. He has served on the Alumni Board and the Strategic Planning Committee of the College of Liberal Arts. At PMO, he has served on the Advisory Board, was Facilitator of the first-ever PMO Strategic Plan and was named Alumnus of the Year for 2004-2005. In addition, he chaired a committee to send the Varsity Glee Club to Washington, D.C. during the Presidential Inauguration in 2005, working with Senator Lugar and Representative Burton.

• David Huhnke

  David Huhnke

  

  Sire of Rehearsal Room, Lounge & Transportation (RRLT)

  Vice President, Director of Marketing, Lafayette Savings Bank

  A 1983 graduate of Purdue University, Huhnke has a BS degree in Agricultural Economics. He currently is Vice President, Director of Marketing at Lafayette Savings Bank, a $375 million asset community bank in Lafayette, IN. He also serves as Assistant House Manager for the Elliott Hall of Music for various shows and events. Prior to coming to the bank, he was a contract employee with Purdue University doing corporate development and marketing for Purdue Musical Organizations through Strategic Marketing Affiliates. Huhnke worked three years as Marketing Director at Greater Lafayette United Way and was at Purdue Employees Federal Credit Union for seven years as Market Development Manager.

  Huhnke currently serves on the Board of Directors for YWCA; member of Purdue Community Resource Advisory Committee; Professional Advisor for American Advertising Federation (AAF) - Purdue University Chapter; Purdusire for the Purdue Varsity Glee Club; and serves on the Greater Lafayette Commerce’s Small Business Committee, Grand Marquis de Lafayette Award Committee, and Greater Lafayette Christmas Parade. He has served on the Board of Directors for Leadership Lafayette, Board of Directors for Purdue Student Publishing Foundation; Board of Directors and Vice President of Alumni Relations for Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity; Past District Governor for Sigma Phi Epsilon National Fraternity; and Past President of the American Advertising Federation – North Central Indiana Chapter. In 2008 he was named AAF’s National President of the Year for division four. Over his career, Huhnke has won numerous local, district, national and international marketing awards including Best of Show for ADDYs, Indiana Banker’s Association Maxi Awards and CUES’s Golden Mirror Awards.

  Huhnke is originally from Hamlet, IN and a 1979 graduate of Oregon-Davis High School.

• Martin Sickafoose

  Martin Sickafoose

  Photo coming soon.

  Sire of Digital Media

  Director of Digital Marketing, Office of Marketing and Media, Purdue University

  A 1990 graduate of Purdue's Visual Communication Design program, Martin Sickafoose is the Director of Digital Marketing for Purdue University. Martin's group oversees the online strategy for the Purdue website, as well as Purdue's social media and mobile presences. Prior to joining the Office of Marketing and Media, Martin has been the Web Development Manager for the College of Engineering at Purdue from 2005 to 2009, a Partner/Creative Director at the design firm imagewordsound and a Creative Director at Fore Systems/Marconi in Pittsburgh, PA.

  Living on campus with his wife Karen, Martin has the benefit of being in the community and seeing the interaction of students, alumni and staff each day.

• Gerry McCartney

  Gerry McCartney

  

  Sire of Merchandise

  Vice President for Information Technology and CIO, Purdue University

  Gerry McCartney was appointed Purdue's vice president for information technology and CIO in July 2007 after having served in an interim capacity since July 2006. He was named the Olga Oesterle England Professor of Information Technology in June 2009.

  As CIO, McCartney is responsible for overseeing Information Technology and is responsible for the planning and coordination of central computing and telecommunications systems on the West Lafayette campus, along with media production and distance-learning services. The organization has more than 450 staff members and an annual budget of more than $63 million.

  Prior to his interim appointment, McCartney served two years as assistant dean for technology at Purdue's Krannert School of Management where he taught in the Krannert MBA, executive programs and engineering management program.

  McCartney was associate dean and chief information officer at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School. He has also held managerial positions in the computing centers at both the University of Notre Dame and Maynooth College in Ireland. He holds a patent, was awarded the CIO Enterprise Value Award in 2003, and is a member of the CIO Executive Council. He speaks and comments frequently on the entrepreneurial management of technology.

• Dr. George Van Scoyoc

  Dr. George Van Scoyoc

  

  Sire of Properties

  Professor of Agronomy, Purdue University

  George Van Scoyoc grew up on a small farm in Northwest Ohio and attended The Ohio State University for his Bachelors and Masters Degrees. He completed his Ph.D. at Purdue in 1976 and then joined the faculty of Agronomy as a soil chemist/mineralogist. He has taught and conducted research in the areas of soil science and environmental science. Along with being a faculty member at Purdue, he served from 1991 to 2001 as the Associate Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs. His responsibilities included matters of personnel, budget, academic planning, program evaluation, and general academic policy development and implementation.

  Some of the recognitions received by Dr. Van Scoyoc include the Agriculture Distinguished Alumni Award from The Ohio State University and the Purdue University Outstanding Undergraduate Teacher and Counselor Awards. Dr. Van Scoyoc has been named a Fellow and an Outstanding Educator in both the American Society of Agronomy and the Soil Science Society of America. He and his wife, Jane, enjoy travel, golf, and spending time with their grandchildren.

• Dr. Paul L. Ziemer

  Dr. Paul L. Ziemer

  

  Sire of Campus Relations

  Professor Emeritus, Former Head of the School of Health Science, Purdue University

  Dr. Paul L. Ziemer is Professor Emeritus and former Head of the School of Health Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana.

  From August 1990, to January 1993, Dr. Ziemer took a leave of absence from Purdue to accept an appointment by President George Bush as the Assistant Secretary of Energy for Environment, Safety, and Health. He was responsible for overseeing all radiological, safety, and health activities for the Department of Energy.

• Dr. Chad Laux

  Dr. Chad Laux

  

  Sire of Public Relations

  As a former member of the Purdue Varsity Glee Club (1991-1995), Chad Laux graduated with his bachelor’s degree in 1995. He continued on to receive his Master’s degree from Purdue’s College of Technology in 1999 before moving to Iowa in 2004 to complete his Ph.D. in Industrial and Agriculture Technology from Iowa State University in 2007.

  Joining the Purdue family again in 2007, Chad Laux is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor in the College of Technology Statewide location of Anderson, Indiana. As a faculty member of the Industrial Technology Department, Chad has taught and conducted research in the areas of quality management systems and agriculture biotechnology. Additionally, Chad is coordinator of the Six Sigma certificate program for the College of Technology at Purdue. He is certified in the Six Sigma quality methodology from General Electric Co, Caterpillar Inc., and the American Society for Quality. He is also a Senior Certified Industrial Technologist.

  Some of the recent recognitions Dr. Laux has received include the Silvius-Wolansky Award for Outstanding Dissertation at Iowa State University in Industrial Technology. Chad is also a member of Gamma Sigma Delta Honor Society of Agriculture and Epsilon Pi Tau Honor Society in Technology. Chad is also an active leader in the international arena. Dr. Laux serves as a delegate for the United States for the creation for agriculture and food quality management standards.

  Chad and his wife, Dawn, have three children and live in the Indianapolis area.

• William E. Griffel

  William E. Griffel

  

  Chairman, Purdusires

  Director, Purdue Musical Organizations, Purdue University

  William E. Griffel is thrilled to be starting another year as the Director of Purdue Musical Organizations at Purdue University. He directs the internationally recognized Purdue Varsity Glee Club and the University Choir as a part of the stable of ensembles offered as a part of Purdue Musical Organizations. Prior to this appointment, William was the Visual and Performing Arts Chairman and Director of Choral Music at Franklin Central High School in Indianapolis, IN. He directed the nationally recognized show choir “F.C. Singers” and his internationally recognized Concert Choir. William has traveled internationally both as a director and as a performer. While at Franklin Central, William was also an assistant football coach for six years with the Franklin Central Varsity Football program.

  As a performer, William has sung with many of the world’s finest concert and operatic programs. He has performed with the Lyric Opera of Chicago, the Civic Opera of Chicago, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Grant Park Symphony Orchestra, Chatauqua Opera, Indianapolis Opera, Cathedral Singers, Oriana Singers, Blue Skies Vocal Jazz Ensemble and the Caroling Party.

  William has served as a guest conductor and collaborator with the Purdue University Bands in 2009 and the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra in 2010 with his ensembles at Purdue Musical Organizations.

  His voice can be heard on many commercial and professional recordings by some of the most recognizable publishing companies in the United States such as Warner Brothers, GIA Publications, Hal Leonard Publications, G. Shirmer and Hinshaw Press.

  He is also an avid member of the Barbershop Harmony Society. He has won an Illinois District Quartet Championship with “Chicago Swing” in 2000, an International Chorus Championship with the Northbrook New Tradition Chorus in 2001, a Cardinal District Quartet Championship with “The Chase” in 2001 and was the Cardinal District International Quartet qualifier for that year. William currently sings with and is a vocal coach for the Kentucky Vocal Union Barbershop Chorus in Elizabethtown, KY.

  William received his bachelor’s degrees in music education and vocal performance from Viterbo University in LaCrosse, WI in 1991. He went on to receive a master’s degree in vocal performance in 1994 and a performance certificate in vocal performance in 1996 from DePaul University in Chicago, IL.

  He is sought after annually as an adjudicator, clinician, guest conductor and vocal coach for vocal music programs across the United States.