Timothy M. Englehardt loved being a Sigma Chi brother, almost as much as he loved studying meteorology.

“His absolute dream was to be a weatherman in Boston,” says Jarrett Starbuck, president of the Sigma Chi Fraternity, Eta Iota chapter at Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach Campus. “He was very passionate about what he did and about the fraternity in general.”

Energetic and upbeat, Englehardt (pictured above at far right; photo courtesy of WCVB-TV), a 22-year-old Boston native, was the go-to guy for any weather-related questions and a senior who was actively involved in the fraternity, recalls Starbuck. He had just completed a summer internship with WCVB Channel 5 in Boston, when he died tragically in a shooting incident in Holly Hill, Fla., on Sept. 13, 2014. Englehardt’s sudden death hit his Sigma Chi brothers hard and left them wanting to do something to remember him.

“We wanted to do something for Tim related to what he was passionate about,” Starbuck says.

The result: the Timothy M. Englehardt Memorial Scholarship for Meteorology. Established by family, friends and fellow Sigma Chi Fraternity Eta Iota chapter members, the scholarship will provide financial support on an annual basis for a meteorology student attending Embry-Riddle’s Daytona Beach Campus.

Family Support

“We appreciate Embry-Riddle helping create this scholarship with the support of the Eta Iota chapter of the Sigma Chi brotherhood to allow students’ dreams to live on,” say Englehardt’s parents, Therese and Bill Englehardt. “Having Timmy’s legacy continue through this memorial scholarship shapes his very dream of becoming a meteorologist since grade school.” Family and friends also established a scholarship in Englehardt’s name for a graduating senior at Haverhill High School in Massachusetts, where he was a member of the varsity football team and the National Honor Society.

The Englehardt scholarship at Embry-Riddle was announced at the fraternity’s 45th anniversary held March 31-April 3, 2016, at the Daytona Beach Campus. More than 325 Sigma Chi alumni and their guests attended the event, including honorees Therese and Bill Englehardt. Bill was given an honorary pledge pin and lifelong Sigma Chi pin during the dinner.

“It was not only about remembering Tim, but also to be there in support of his family,” Starbuck says. “We look out for each other.”

Lyndse Costabile, director of development at Embry-Riddle, says many Sigma Chi alumni give back to support the chapter, its scholarships and the university. A total of $50,000 in gifts from 67 Sigma Chi alumni was donated in the past fiscal year alone, she says.

“It’s a brotherhood—they support their family,” Costabile says. “This is the first time our development team has witnessed such a combined philanthropic effort from a Greek organization to support student scholarships, build legacies for fallen Eagles and engage more Embry-Riddle alumni.”

Memorial Tradition

Sigma Chi Fraternity alumni lead John Wrightington (’79, DB) says there is a tradition of honoring the memory of chapter brothers who have passed away. Sigma Chi scholarships were also created in memory of Charles “Chuck” Torrisi (’94, DB) and Ryan Donley (’00, DB).

Additionally, in 2014, the John R. Delafosse Memorial Scholarship was established to honor a founding member of the Eta Iota chapter. Delafosse (’72, DB) was a pilot for 40 years. He died at the age of 64 from pancreatic cancer. His wife, Teresa Delafosse, created the scholarship to help aviation students pay for flight training costs at Embry-Riddle.

“We wanted to do something for Tim related to what he was passionate about.”

James Wasef (’16, DB) was the latest recipient of the John R. Delafosse Memorial Scholarship. He says the scholarship helped him financially, plus he was honored to be the first Sigma Chi recipient. “It was something I was truly proud of,” he says. “Everything I learned about leadership I learned from Sigma Chi. You are always striving to make yourself better.”

Wrightington agrees. Community service, leadership and brotherhood are hallmarks of the fraternity, he says.

Starbuck says it’s the shared sense of brotherhood that sparked the creation of Englehardt’s scholarship. “It is really hard to describe the connection we have as Sigma Chi brothers,” he says. “Tim was here and we really want to remember and appreciate who he was.”