THE CALIFORNIA ALPHA GAMMA CHAPTER of Tau Beta Pi was installed at San Francisco State University on March 10, 2007. Vice President Solange C. Dao, P.E., was official installing deputy of the Society’s 239th collegiate chapter, assisted by Executive Director James D. Froula, P.E., and District 15 Director Scott E. Fable.

The 2006 Convention granted a chapter to the local Tau Beta Kappa Engineering Honor Society, represented in Denver, CO, by Matthew T. Willman, president, and Dr. A.S. Ed Cheng, CA E ’91, advisor.

The Rosa Parks Room of the Student Center on the campus was the site of the formal ceremonies of initiation and chapter installation, witnessed by Leland Chen, CA H ’07, Yu-Han Chen, CA T ’93, Michael Toulouse, CA A ’07, Chapter President Sahand Rabbani, CA G ’07, Mozziyar Etemadi, CA G ’07, and Dr. G. Norman Owen, NC A’60. The initiation team comprised: Dr. Cheng; Alison L. Hu, CA G ’96; Dr. Sung C. Hu, CA G ’65; Nicholas J. Hwang, CA A ’07; Michael E. Strange, CA X ’84; and the three national officials listed above. Eighteen students and seven alumni comprise California Alpha Gamma’s charter members.

Immediately after the formal initiation, the new members were constituted a new chapter in the ceremony of installation conducted by Vice President Dao. The ceremony included the formal election and installation of the chapter’s charter officers and advisors

A reception in the Nob Hill Room in the Seven Hills Conference Center preceded the banquet. Parents, spouses, and friends joined the historic festivities.

Dr. Cheng served as master of ceremonies and welcomed all initiates, visitors, and faculty and spoke of the pride of SFSU in California Alpha Gamma. He, President Willman, and Dr. Hu presented membership certificates to the initiates.

Alumni Rochelle Underwood, Zachary Nosker, and Matthew Richards spoke in memory of former Tau Beta Kappa member Joshua Lowery, who had excelled in service to others and had died recently of leukemia.

Mr. Froula reviewed the history of the petitioning process and challenged the initiates to pursue excellence in all of their activities, to support the engineering profession, maintain impeccable ethics, and serve their alma mater, their nation, and fellow students.

Ms. Dao welcomed California Alpha Gamma into the Association and challenged the initiates to use their engineering powers wisely in their professional careers and to “pay it forward” and serve others whenever possible.

Mr. Fable, who had assisted members of the local society in the chapter-formation process for several years, congratulated the new members, asked them to consider Tau Beta Pi as a means to give back, encouraged them to participate in chapter and District 15 activities, and introduced the visiting chapter representatives and local alumni.

Dr. Hu, professor and associate dean of science and engineering, congratulated the initiates, welcomed the visitors, stated his pride in having the new chapter on campus, encouraged the initiates to contribute to society, and noted that Tau Beta Pi is prestigious because of the achievements of its members. He recognized the strong support of the former student leaders of the local society, especially Nelly Lau and Rochelle Underwood, and the excellent early leadership toward the establishment of California Alpha Gamma from Advisors Dr. G. Norman Owen, Dr. A. S. Ed Cheng, and Michael E. Strange and from Dr. ShyShenq P. Liou, TX A ’85, director of the school of engineering.