My Brother, you have made a huge mark on our Fraternity on both a local and national level. You have contributed to some of the biggest innovations in our SigEp history. Without you, there is no doubt that SigEp would be a much different organization.

Above all, you are a brother who lives the Ritual every single day. You never volunteered to check a box or to pad your résumé. You volunteered to leave Sigma Phi Epsilon even better than you found it. And you have.

You’ve chaired boards and led retreats. You’ve mentored brothers as an advisor and AVC volunteer for multiple chapters. And while you’re no stranger to facilitating at events and speaking before large groups, you truly relish opportunities to connect with and get to know brothers individually.

As a district governor, you didn’t just oversee volunteer recruitment for chapters — you challenged, encouraged and empowered volunteers and undergraduates to aim higher. Under your leadership, earning Buchanan Cups wasn’t just a goal, it was a standard that brothers were eager to meet. And your friendly rivalries with fellow district governors? They were about so much more than bragging rights: Your service was the blueprint for how impactful a district governor can be. Your fire for guiding volunteers who support the undergrad experience was an inspiration to others in the role. Your reach has gone far beyond just your district. You influenced chapter excellence nationwide.

Yes, you’ve launched new chapters. And yes, you’re proud of them. But most of all you will always cherish the experience of restarting your home chapter. You did it as a labor of love … in honor of the mentor who played such a pivotal role in your development as an undergraduate.

Considering all that you’ve given to SigEp undergrads over the decades, it is ironic that you credit the Fraternity for making you the person you are today. You knew hardship and loss at a young age. And although you managed to get into college on your own, you struggled without anyone to guide you. When you found SigEp in your junior year, you found the friendship, guidance and mentorship you’d been searching for. As you’ve said, “SigEp raised me.”

You were there in the early days of the Balanced Man Program because you wanted to give more young men the type of experience you had. As our very first balanced man steward, you personally presented the BMP to chapters and you convinced them to become early adopters of that signature program.

Your involvement in the SigEp National Advancement Council has been nothing short of phenomenal. You helped reimagine the way our Fraternity approaches fundraising… with humor … and passion … gentle arm twisting … and stupid poems. And with your personal contributions you not only raised the bar … you helped set the bar.

Of course, we cannot talk about your impact on the national Fraternity without speaking about one of the most significant and long-lasting initiatives within SigEp history. Almost 20 years ago, you and a small group of volunteers joined together to form the NUTS! McAuliffe Society. You all pooled your energies and your resources to make sure that as many undergraduates as possible could experience the power of Conclave and strengthen their bond in our brotherhood. So far … more than 213 undergraduates have attended Conclave …. because of you … three brothers … a hot tub … and the NUTS! scholarships. Talk about a game changer!

Often we have heard you say, “I can’t imagine my life without SigEp and the incredible brothers, role models and mentors in the Fraternity.” Well, my Brother … we can’t imagine our lives without you. We can’t imagine Sigma Phi Epsilon without you.

And so, tonight we are both honored and excited to present the Order of the Golden Heart to you, our Brother … Tom Barton!

For decades, you have been a driving force in maintaining our brotherhood. Early leadership roles as an undergraduate set the stage for your alumni involvement. When you joined SigEp, your chapter was small, and you were quickly thrust into leadership. Although you had enjoyed your chapter experience up to this point, you were not prepared for the amazing experience of your first Conclave. That first time experiencing the depth of our brotherhood is something you’ve never forgotten.

You’ve been there for chapters as a trusted advisor, helping them build the skills they need to achieve success. Not only have you helped our brothers develop as leaders by mentoring officers and providing guidance on recruitment best practices, you’ve also kept them safe by helping them navigate risk management issues. Your vigilant stance against hazing and unwavering belief in the power of healthy chapter cultures are part of what have made your district stronger and safer. A brother in the truest sense, you are also widely respected for the care you take to not only guide undergrads regarding the Fraternity, but in life as well.

It doesn’t matter to you whether a brother just joined his chapter or is a national leader who’s been part of SigEp for decades — you are always there to listen, encourage and motivate. Your insight is sought by national leaders, but your heart belongs to the undergraduate trying to find his way, be it in times of growth or in times of crisis.

When you served as a district governor, you were known for your never-give-up mindset. There were times when it took years to recruit a core group of volunteers for AVCs in your district. It’s because of your patience and focus on finding the right volunteers to fill those roles that we now have dedicated, intergenerational alumni boards in place that are providing the critical support our young brothers need.

Perhaps no other situation exemplifies your spirit so much as years ago, when others believed a major facility project was impossible. But you thought otherwise. You helped lead the charge — rallying alumni, raising over $2 million and turning what once seemed unlikely into a home that will shelter our undergraduates for generations to come. That home stands today not only as a physical space, but as a symbol of what vision and persistence can achieve.

While serious about volunteering and serving as a mentor, you always inject a sense of fun and levity into everything you do. One of your most treasured SigEp traditions is returning to your home chapter each year to teach the Fraternity’s songs to undergraduate brothers so they can sing to sororities. Your love of song and passion for passing on this tradition has been far-reaching. When a brother from your chapter gets married, it’s almost a certainty that he will serenade his spouse. Countless brothers have started the most significant partnership of their lives with this beautiful memory, thanks to you.

To know you is to know someone who truly lives our values — who communicates not just frequently, but meaningfully. You diffuse conflict with care and see the potential within each and every brother.

Without a doubt, you are a connector. You have been highly invested in service since your undergraduate days when you served two terms as chapter president and were elected to the National Board of Directors as a student director. Today, you continue to be the glue that holds so many chapters and volunteers together. Our gratitude for your unmatched dedication, boundless heart and decades of service to Sigma Phi Epsilon is beyond measure.

It is our great honor tonight to present the Order of the Golden Heart to our brother, Jeff Gates.

It’s often said that the true measure of a person’s life can’t be found in the titles they’ve earned or the accolades they’ve received. It’s in the lives they’ve touched and the legacy they’ve built. You, dear brother, are the epitome of that statement, because your service to Sigma Phi Epsilon has not only changed chapters and shaped policies, it has profoundly impacted people — one conversation, one handshake, one selfless act at a time.

Your journey began like many of ours: You were a young man in search of purpose and belonging. You found that in a fraternity that not only offered you brotherhood, but also challenged you to become your best self. It is a challenge that you met not just during college, but that you’ve carried out ever since.

Your legacy is one that was not built in a single role or with a single accomplishment. It’s been built over decades of heartfelt service. As a mentor and volunteer, you spent 15 years strengthening the alumni and volunteer support for your home chapter, helping lead it to national prominence with multiple Buchanan Cup awards. Later, as a district governor, you worked tirelessly to recruit volunteers, established an annual districtwide retreat and visited every AVC in your district multiple times, setting a standard for engagement and accountability that became a model for others.

You have always shown up. Whether it was as a faculty member at the Ruck Leadership Institute, an emcee at Carlson Leadership Academy, a mentor on the Tragos Quest to Greece or a guest speaker at a chapter retreat, you have poured yourself into our young men. Over 250 Ruck scholars and thousands of brothers have felt the impact of your insight, wit, humility and steady hand.

The leadership you demonstrate can be found in quiet, personal moments: At national and chapter events, you always make time to speak one on one with undergraduate brothers. If a young volunteer is seeking direction, he can count on you to offer advice given without an agenda or expectations.

You understand that Greek life goes beyond SigEp and have demonstrated tremendous care for others in fraternity and sorority life. The presentations you’ve made to the Greek community at your alma mater about risk management best practices and the dangers of hazing have been life-changing as well as potentially life-saving.

Your tenure as a member of our National Board of Directors and, ultimately, as Grand President, has been just as impactful. Because of your incredible belief in the power of the SigEp experience ... not just to change individual lives but to transform the lives of a generation of young men ... SigEp is rallying around your leadership and your call to reclaim our title as the largest and best fraternity.

A successful attorney and founder of a top litigation firm, all while volunteering tirelessly for SigEp and your alma mater, you have been a dedicated trustee, a mentor to pre-law students, and a philanthropic force behind leadership programming and housing initiatives. In all of this, you have led with compassion, integrity and a deep belief in the power of brotherhood to change lives. And in your son, a former chapter president and regional director, your example of servant leadership clearly lives on.

Most of all, you’ve lived and served by the ideal that if this Fraternity can help shape one young man, it can shape generations.

For a lifetime of humble, exceptional service to Sigma Phi Epsilon, it is my great honor to present our Fraternity’s highest volunteer recognition, the Order of the Golden Heart, to you, Brother Brad Nahrstadt.

Your tenure as a volunteer is embedded into the very foundation of how SigEp leads today.

For over three decades, you have been there whenever a brother has reached out — not once, not every now and then, but consistently and with compassion, wisdom and determination to offer solutions.

When chapters have needed help navigating complex regulations, you’ve been there to assist them. When national committees have sought guidance on governance, compliance and strategy, you have volunteered your time, your expertise and, often, your own financial resources to ensure that chapters become sustainable. And when AVCs have needed leadership, you’ve stepped up as an officer and mentor to undergraduates.

Beyond policies and procedures, your way with people sets you apart. You have mentored countless undergraduates and are fondly remembered for calling your chapter house (back in the days of landlines), addressing whichever brother answered with an upbeat greeting ... then proceeding to ask him how recruitment was going. It’s no wonder that the way you skillfully balance dry humor and deep empathy has enabled you to forge broad connections across generations.

You’re also known as a “volunteer whisperer” — not because you command attention, but because of the way you support fellow volunteers. You listen. You care. And in doing so, you inspire those around you to serve with an elevated sense of purpose, increased patience and more heart.

You perform the type of deep-in-the-trenches work that tends to go unnoticed … well, usually. Although you have specialized expertise that enables you to comprehend and establish complex legal structures, you carry out these tasks in a collaborative and supportive manner that empowers and encourages others to learn and grow. In any setting, whether providing training on recruitment, facilitating at a leadership event or just speaking with a brother one on one, you don’t hoard your knowledge, but share it happily and freely.

From leading training for the chapter success team to facilitating at Ruck, from serving as a Buchanan Cup reviewer to serving on the property management committee and as president of SigEp National Housing — no request has been too big or too small. Yet you’ve done some very big things, in leading SENH to a place where it is the undisputed leader in fraternity housing, giving so many chapters the resource to provide high-quality living and learning environments. You’ve been a steady, calming presence in challenging times and a humble, joyful partner in times of growth. You lead with diligence, conduct your life with virtue and do it all while displaying a brotherly love that is as unwavering as it is genuine.

As one of your many supporters for this award stated, your commitment “reminds us of the significant individual impact we can make through our kindness, care and attention.” Another said of you, “He prefers to work away from the limelight. But his legacy will shine for generations.”

My brother, though I know you’re feeling awkward to hear your accomplishments read aloud in front of this Conclave … tonight, it is our turn to shine a light on you — not because you asked for it, but because you have earned it a hundred times over.

It is my profound honor to present Sigma Phi Epsilon’s highest honor, the Order of the Golden Heart, to our brother … Steve Young.