For more than 25 years, Harris Palmer '62, a True Gentleman and a stalwart of New York Alpha, has been on the front lines in saving and then building SAE at Cornell University into what it has become today. There is no better evidence of this than the New York Alpha Alumni Association winning the coveted first place as the Outstanding Chapter Alumni Association at the National Convention this past summer.

When Hillcrest ownership was taken over by Cornell, Harris was the first volunteer to step to the challenges that were ahead. We were faced with dwindling membership, financial issues, and weak alumni support. Together we assembled a team to communicate with alumni for the purpose of fund-raising to eliminate a huge debt generated during the prior decade or more. Fund-raising among alumni had been unsuccessful to date. It was a slow start, but after just a couple of years the program was bearing fruit and generating $30-50k per year quite consistently. This money was being used to fund maintenance and repair of the tired 75-year-old Hillcrest, which had seen better days and larger membership. The situation was dire, to say the least.

Harris was the man on the scene dealing with and negotiating terms with Cornell to ensure that our active chapter would continue to occupy Hillcrest as its home while at Cornell in good standing.

Read more about Harris in his full tribute here.

A tribute to Brother Eamon McEneaney '77

Eamon McEneaney, hero, father, poet, and athlete, was killed in the September 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. He was one of the world's greatest lacrosse players and an All-Ivy football wide receiver for the Big Red.

In lacrosse, he was first team All-America from 1975 thru 1977. He led Cornell to undefeated seasons and national championships in 1976 and 1977, and represented the United States in the 1978 World Lacrosse Championship. Eamon is in the Cornell Athletic Hall of Fame and the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame, and was named to the NCAA's Silver Anniversary Lacrosse Team.

An attackman, he weighed less than 160 pounds, and was called the toughest athlete, "pound for pound," that ever wore a Cornell jersey. His number 10 was retired by Cornell in April, 2002, at a tribute attended by 27 former teammates and hundreds of family and friends.

Read more about Eamon in his full tribute here.