In their neighborhoods and across the world, efforts of Geneseo alumni transform individuals, communities and generations. We recently shared the stories in the Scene magazine of several alumni who demonstrate the power we each have to make a difference, in large or small ways. We will highlight these stories in the coming weeks. Know someone who is having an impact? Tell us at scene@geneseo.edu.
On a spring morning in 2012, four old friends piled into a car and drove up the East Coast to New Hampshire. It was the first time they had seen each other since graduating from Geneseo 30 years before.
They were going to say goodbye to their friend, Don Litzelman ’82.
As they rolled toward Stratham, N.H., Dave Craig ’82, Mark Congdon ’83, Andy Hyman ’82 and Brian Kinel ’80 remembered their years together. They all met living in Ontario Hall, and together they founded the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity. At every lacrosse game, they gathered to cheer on Don, who was a two-time All-American athlete.
“Whenever he got praise, he would redirect the conversation to his teammates,” says Dave.
That was who Don always was — humble, kind, a natural leader and “the epitome of the guy voted most likely to succeed,” says Brian.
They were devastated when they found out that he had brain cancer. They wanted to see him.
“With the steroids and the chemo, he didn’t look like what we remembered,” Brian says. “It was kind of shocking at first. In the same token, we laughed, we teased. It was surprising how quickly we were transported back.”
Five minutes into the car ride home, they were ordering Geneseo lacrosse shirts stenciled with Don’s number for his family. Within the next two weeks, a larger group of Sig Ep brothers and friends started a foundation in his honor. The idea started as a fundraiser for Don’s three children, but it became much more.
“I reached out to the other guys, and we started talking about something to honor his name,” says Brian. “More and more ideas started growing.”
They established the Don Litzelman Foundation in 2012. It preserves Don’s legacy by funding cancer research, providing awards to lacrosse players at Geneseo, supporting youth lacrosse in Don’s hometown of Camillus, N.Y., and donating a $500 scholarship to an athlete at Don’s high school.
Brian is ever thankful that he was able to visit Don five days before his death to tell him about their mission. “It was supporting youth lacrosse that really got the biggest reaction,” Brian says. “I am forever grateful that he knew.”
The friends have accomplished a lot in four years in Don’s name, through donations and fundraisers.
One of them is an annual golf tournament, this year held in Geneseo and preceded with a bonfire among friends at Mark’s house. More than 45 Sig Ep brothers, lacrosse players and friends attended the tournament, raising $6,000. The 2017 tournament is already planned for June 2 at the Farview Golf Club in Avon.
This year, the group was proud to make a special gift of three incubators to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, where Don received treatment. Dr. Keith Ligon uses the incubators to grow cancer cells to test potential patient treatments. The friends hope to donate seven more incubators — 10 total — in the next five years, each worth about $10,000.
To these fraternity brothers, teammates and friends, Don’s legacy extends far beyond his lacrosse record. To honor Don, his friends have strengthened their bonds and established a legacy in Don’s memory that will benefit future generations of patients battling cancer, as well as aspiring lacrosse players and students.
“The foundation has absolutely brought us together,” Brian says. “We never dreamed it would come this far.”
— By Chelsea Butkowski '15
– Portrait is of Don Litzelman '82