On Friday evening of Conclave, brothers and friends of the SigEp Educational Foundation gathered at Tampa’s renowned Armature Works to celebrate the life-changing impact they’re making on the SigEp experience.

SigEp Citation recipient Jay Hurt, Davidson ’88, welcomed attendees to the beautiful space. After shouting out new and current members of the Board of Governors, SigEp National Advancement Council chairman Matt Parrish, Georgia ’07, recognized the 13 living SigEp donors with lifetime giving of more than $1 million.

With Past Grand President Bill Tragos, Washington-St. Louis ’56 in attendance, Past Grand President Garry Kief, Southern California ’70, shared stories of Bill’s impact on generations of Tragos Quest to Greece Scholars. As photos from over two decades of Tragos Quests played on the screens, Kief announced that Brother Tragos has given SigEp’s largest gift ever — a $2.5 million gift that fulfills his Legacy Society commitment to fully fund the Quest in perpetuity.

To further honor Bill and his wife Lilli, who passed away in late 2024, Kief and Hurt made a generous commitment to endow the Tragos Quest closing dinner and name it for Lilli.

Brother Tragos’ generosity had clearly played a huge role in the lives of the 60 Tragos Quest scholars who attended the gala in person. These Past Quest scholars presented Bill with dozens of notes of heartfelt appreciation they’d brought to Conclave for him.

The evening became a celebration of Lilli and Bill’s impact on the Fraternity as every person whose life has been touched by the Quest delivered a note to Brother Tragos, thanking him and Lilli for their transformational investment throughout their lives. Thanks to their endowment, they will continue to impact generations of young men in perpetuity.

Honoring a Class of Remarkable SigEp Citation Recipients

For the first time in recent memory, the SigEp Citation, the Fraternity’s highest honor for career achievement, was presented to an exceptional class of recipients by emcee Jay Hurt. Read more here.

A Tradition of Giving Continues

After dessert, the celebration turned back to the impact these alumni and friends make on our undergraduate brothers with a long-standing Conclave tradition led by auctioneer Tom Barton, Loras ’89: the SigEp National Advancement Council-led auction. The price of every item sold was a gift to the SigEp Educational Foundation Annual Fund, totaling $73,500 in cash gifts and pledges.

Thank you to all the winners for your generosity. Your support makes the SigEp experience possible for every undergraduate brother this year.