Three brothers were recognized at the annual meeting of the Association of Fraternity/Sorority Advisors (AFA) on December 5, 2015, in Fort Worth, Texas.

“We had the pleasure of honoring three icons in the field of fraternity and sorority life, each leaving their own significant legacy on the profession. Their impact provides inspiration for other aspiring professionals to work towards,” said Veronica Moore, president of AFA and associate director of student engagement at Temple University.

Thomas B. Jelke Florida International ’90

SigEp National Director Jelke was honored with the Jack L. Anson Award, the association’s highest honor. The award celebrated his career’s work in developing interfraternal and higher education partnerships, fostering positive change for the fraternal movement, and serving as a role model for students and professionals. Jelke is the president and CEO of T. Jelke Solutions, a consulting firm that has worked with hundreds of Greek-letter organizations and higher education institutions. He has served on SigEp’s National Board of Directors since 2009, has volunteered for Kappa Delta and Alpha Xi Delta sororities, and has held significant volunteer positions for the AFA Foundation and the Center for the Study of the College Fraternity. Jelke was formerly director of Greek life at Florida State University and has taught courses on higher education and fraternal organizations. He received his doctorate in higher education from Indiana University, where he was the school’s Panhellenic advisor.

Timothy S. Wilkinson West Chester ’96

Wilkinson was one of five higher education professionals honored with the 2015 Sue Kraft Fussell Distinguished Service Award. The award recognizes outstanding service to AFA, as well as to fraternity and sorority communities. Wilkinson has volunteered as a regional director for AFA and served on the Northeast Greek Leadership Association’s board of directors, including a term as executive director. As senior assistant dean and director of fraternity and sorority affairs at Lehigh University, he helped lead efforts celebrated by AFA’s Change Initiative and Diversity Initiative Awards. He is currently the associate dean of student engagement at Wake Forest University.

Charles G. Eberly Bowling Green State ’63

The association’s 2015 meeting served as the backdrop for the unveiling of the Dr. Charles Eberly Oracle Award, named in honor of Order of the Golden Heart recipient Charles G. “Doc” Eberly. The award was created to honor Eberly’s yearsof service to Oracle, AFA’s peer-reviewed research journal. Eberly, a renowned scholar on the study of fraternities and sororities, helped create the publication and currently serves on its review board. The new award will recognize outstanding contributions to the publication and provide recipients with funding to conduct research on Greek-letter organizations. The annual award is endowed through the AFA and Sigma Phi Epsilon Educational Foundations. “No one has done more to advance research in the fraternal industry than Dr. Eberly,” said Gentry McCreary, an inaugural Oracle Award recipient. Eberly is a professor emeritus at Eastern Illinois University, where he served actively for 24 years beginning in 1987. He was the lead professor of a master of science program in college student affairs and continues to counsel graduate students preparing their dissertations. Today, more than 100,000 undergraduates are advised by higher education professionals who earned master’s degrees under Eberly’s direction. Eberly has been a SigEp volunteer for decades and received the Order of the Golden Heart in 2003.