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The Hall of Honor tributes those members whose distinguished service to Sigma Nu has brought enduring strength and vitality to their Fraternity. Membership in the Hall of Honor is Sigma Nu's highest distinction.
Selected by a special committee, each new member of the Hall of Honor is announced at Grand Chapter. He receives a certificate, a medallion to be worn on significant fraternal occasions, and the enduring acclaim of his Fraternity.
Charles F. Cook (Georgia/Jacksonville)
Charles “Charlie” Cook began his Sigma Nu journey in 1951 at the University of Georgia where he was initiated in Mu Chapter. In 1963, he earned a M.A. in Education at Columbia University where he served the Delta Gamma Chapter as Chapter Advisor and House Corporation Vice President.
For the majority of Cook’s professional career, he was a United States Navy aviation officer. His assignments included Commander of U.S. Navy forces in the Azores, Deputy Commander of the Anti-Submarine Warfare Patrol forces for the Atlantic Fleet, Squadron Commanding Officer for the Naval Air Station in Jacksonville, Fla., and Branch Head of the Bureau of Naval Personnel.
During his time in the military he served two deployments in Vietnam and was awarded the Legion of Merit Medal, Distinguished Service Medal, Air Medal for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight, the Navy Commendation Medal, and numerous unit and Vietnam War citations. Following his military retirement, Charlie continued to make an impact for the Legion of Honor and involved himself in a variety of civilian positions. Some of these included Director of the Executive M.B.A Program at Jacksonville University, Executive Vice-President of Watson Realty Corporation, Director of Corporate Outreach at New Hampshire Technical College, and finally as Associate Headmaster for Development of Frederica Academy in St. Simons Island, Georgia.
Cook’s commitment to the Fraternity extended into his numerous volunteer roles, beginning with his acceptance of a four-year appointment as Division Commander. In that role he helped found the Kappa Theta Chapter at Jacksonville University, serving loyally as their advisor for many years. During the 1980’s he participated regularly in the Divisional College of Chapters, interfraternity conclaves, and Grand Chapters; serving on the Nominating Committee twice and as the Grand Marshal.
In 1988, Cook was elected to the Fraternity’s High Council as Vice Regent, a position he was elected to again in 1990. Following his tenure on the High Council he was appointed as Grand Chaplain from 1992-1994, only to be elected to the High Council for a third time as Vice Regent in 1994.
In 1996, an illness prevented him from seeking another term or higher office. In 1996, the 57th Grand Chapter, held in San Antonio, Texas, chose to honor Cook’s distinguished professional and fraternal career by dedicating that Grand Chapter in his honor.
Charlie Cook entered the Chapter Eternal in September of 1996 following that summer’s Grand Chapter.
Daniel Rodriguez (Arizona State)
Daniel “Dan” Rodriguez transferred from Foothill Community College to Arizona State University in where he became a member of the Zeta Upsilon Chapter during his sophomore year. He moved into the chapter house shortly after joining and was initiated in 1969. He took no time to become involved, securing his first fraternal position as the chapter’s Recorder. At the time a fellow brother told Rodriguez, “Don’t let this go to your head Rodriguez, this is just Recorder.” It would be an interesting piece of understated foreshadowing for his commitment to the Fraternity.
Following his graduation from Arizona State University in 1971 with a B.S. in Marketing, he returned home to the San Francisco Bay Area to work for Hewlett Packard. While at Hewlett Packard, he received permission to use the phone system after hours to run calling campaigns for the Arizona State Alumni Association. Due to his success with the calling campaigns, ASU recruited Dan to return to Tempe as Director of Annual Funds for the Development Office, a role he held for four years and coincided with his tenure as Zeta Upsilon’s Chapter Advisor.
After his time at ASU, he took a position to work with the General Fraternity’s headquarters staff in Lexington, Va. for three years under then-Executive Director Mo Littlefield (Maine). “The only reason I left was because I was a west coast kid, but I loved every minute of it.
Brother Rodriguez (second from left) recieves his Hall of Honor certificate from fellow Past Regents E.G. White (indiana), Mike Long (Drury/Missouri State), and Howard Pickett (North Carolina State) at the 68th Grand Chapter.
Following his work with the Fraternity’s staff, Dan joined the staff at UC San Diego working as the Executive Director of the UC San Diego Alumni Association. It was also during this time that he continued his volunteer work with the Fraternity as Division Commander, a role he held from 1984-1987. At UC San Diego he also served on the committee that brought fraternities and sororities back to campus, including Sigma Nu. Following five years in San Diego, Dan was hired by the University of Oregon Alumni Association as its Executive Director, which he would hold for the following 23 years until his retirement.
At the 54th Grand Chapter in 1990 in Chicago, a position opened on the Fraternity’s High Council and Rodriguez submitted his application to the nominating committee. Unfortunately, the timing of Grand Chapter also conflicted with a retreat at UC San Diego, and Dan informed the nominating committee that should anyone run from the floor he would not be present for the election. No other candidates ran from the floor and thus began Rodriguez’s impressive tenure on the Fraternity’s High Council starting in 1990 and culminating with his term as Regent from 1998-2000.
Rodriguez, who still resides in Eugene, Ore. with his wife Carol, orchestrated and directed the successful return of both the Gamma Zeta (Oregon) Chapter in 2009 and the Zeta Upsilon Chapter in 2017. He has continuously served on the Sigma Nu Educational Foundation as a Director and now Life-Director since 1995 and is still very much involved today with his local chapter, serving as Commander for the Zeta Upsilon Alumni Chapter and Secretary for the Zeta Upsilon House Corporation.