Award Winning Wine Maker and Brother, Bob Dabrowski.

Chi Chapter Brother Bob Dabrowski wins a gold medal for his Wine.

Brother Dabrowski gladly opens his doors to alumni for wine tasting, but you'll have to set up an appointment to sample his highly sought after grapes. 

From The New Hampshire Union Leader;

A local made red wine went “gold" this past month when it garnered high marks at an international wine show.

“There’s a certain amount of satisfaction when someone like me goes into a competition like thing one and takes a gold medal because there are a lot of very big wineries taking part,” said wine maker Bob Dabrowski.

Dabrowski, who owns the 3-acre Candia Vineyards on High Street, said he was recently one of scores of commercial wine makers who sent a sample for judging at the 2008 Florida State Fair International Wine and Grape Exposition. Dabrowski’s entry was his Noiret, a relatively recent vintage that was awarded a gold medal for its class, the hybrid red varietal.

According to the event sponsor, the Florida Grape Growers Association, the event attracted more 1,578 wines from more than 100 wine makers, but Dabrowski’s Noiret was one of only 154 gold medalists. Dabrowski’s high grade at the event gave Candia Vineyards a ranking that placed in the league with wineries from across the world, including competitors from the well-known wine countries of Italy, France and California’s renowned Napa Valley.

Dabrowski, who began as a “home brewer” about 10 years ago, said the award was not a strict “first-place” finish, as in an Olympic event. The gold medal designation instead indicates the wine achieved the highest level of standards such as flavor, aroma and aftertaste that a Noiret can attain.

“It has what I call a ‘mythical’ aroma to it, like pepper,” he said.

The Noiret is a relatively recent addition to the Candia Vineyards wines, and Dabrowski said it is among his most sought-after of his brews. Although the 2006 Noiret is sold out, Dabrowski said, he is now at work in a new 2007 vintage that could hit the store shelves within days.

News of the vineyards’ success came as no big shock to resident Bill Proulox, an amateur wine connoisseur who has tasted the Noiret on several occasions.

“It’s a fantastic wine,” he said. “I’m really just a novice myself, but I was really blown away at how my taste buds reacted. I recommend it for any red-wine drinker out there, and even if you are stuck on a particular flavor, you should really venture out and try it.”

Kappa Delta Phi Brother and Police Office, Keven St. Peter.

This Month’s Spotlight on a Kappa is on Kevin St. Peter, alumni of the Eta Chapter. He is 40 years old and he calls home Limestone, Maine. He has been married to his wife, Claudia, for 14 years and has 2 beautiful daughters, Alyssa age 12 and Kelsey age 9. Kevin went to school at the University of Maine, Machias and later joined Kappa Delta Phi in the spring of 1987. He was only there for one semester, but soon traveled up to the University of Maine, Presque Isle. He was a commuter student there and was also involved with the Mu Chapter for a little bit, but did not hold any positions at either chapter. The ideals and the men of Kappa Delta Phi really appealed to Kevin. He had many friends in the other fraternities on campus, but he never really felt chemistry with the others ones due to their different styles of being a fraternity.

Soon after college was over for him, he went to the academy to become a police officer. He spent 12 weeks in the academy and he reflected on Kappa while he was there and used it to get through the academy. Being up at 5am and having every second of the day planned for him until 10pm was a change for him. It was military based and where as other men were in some type of military beforehand, Kevin was coming right out of college. Kappa was a big help as a core foundation for him through the academy because it reminded him of the pledging process that he did with Kappa. Some things that were different for Kevin was the attention to detail, marching, PT in the early morning, breakfast at 7am, room inspections. A lot of physical training was not something Kevin was used to like running three days a week, doing a circuit, and sometimes having classes after supper. The only time he would have free time was when him and some of the guys would play volleyball and that was it.

Kevin has recently had an interest in the outdoors and has started camping with his family. He is a very outgoing person and enjoys concerts every now and then. A game of paintball is another thing that is one of his hobbies. Some of his favorite Kappa past times as an active was going to Kappa Kamp. As an alumni, his new past times are the Greek Games at Eta that he’s attended and Mu Reunion the past few years. Whenever he’s gone on a trip, he’s gotten in touch with brothers in the area and got a bite to eat to catch up.

Being a full time patrolman is a tough and strenuous job. He works all the small departments but is never involved with murders. Most of Kevin’s job enquires him to work on computer crimes, white collar crimes, and financial crimes. Two of Kevin’s most memorable incidents are very touching. On October 8th, 2004 in Caribou, ME, a 13-year-old girl was getting off a school bus right in front of her house. A truck lost control on the road and as soon as the girl got off the bus, she was hit and killed instantly by the truck. At the very same time, Kevin was having a fight with his oldest daughter Alyssa, age 9 at the time, because she had a splinter. The call finally got to Kevin and he was the first on the scene. The second most memorable incident happened with winning a court case. In 2005, a 46-year-old man tried to solicit a 13-year-old girl over the internet and told her parents and they contacted the police about it. At the time, they had a small female police officer and they used her to resemble the girl and caught him when he pulled up at the meeting spot. The case went to a 2-day trial and the jury was out in 7 minutes and found him guilty. He went to jail and was later released and tried to grab a young girl in Fort Fairfield, ME the next day and is in jail now.

Kevin lost touch with a lot of people when he moved back home to Limestone/Caribou, but the Kappa Talk has gotten him connected with people he lost contact with. He plans on going to convention this year for the first time in a long time.

Congratulations Kevin on being this month’s Spotlight on a Kappa!

Brother Bill Tirone, Principal of the Year.

Kappa Delta Phi Brother Bill Tirone of Sigma Chapter at Plymouth State University has been honored as the Principal of the Year by N.H. Association of School Principals.

Brother Ken Holman, right and Goetz Brandau

The first Spotlight on a Kappa is our own Kappa Talk website creator Kenneth Holman. Ken is 34 years old and lives in Clifton Park, NY, just 15 miles from Saratoga Springs. He lives with his lovely wife, Stacey, of 6 years and their 2 dogs, Kelsey and Chowduh. Two of the things that are very important to Ken are politics and his faith,. He is also a major fan of the New York Rangers!

Ken went to New Paltz State and joined Kappa Delta Phi in the Fall of 1995. He felt Greek life was not for him until he found Kappa Delta Phi, they were established for only a year at the time, otherwise he would have pledged for them sooner. He liked what Kappa Delta Phi was presenting to him. They had a very good group of core values and they weren’t a huge national fraternity where he’d be lost in the shuffle. What attracted him the most was that Kappa showed a great blue collar New England work ethic. He believes that in the end he chose Kappa and that Kappa chose him.

Thank you Brother Scott Cranston, Nu Alumni Association chapter for another edition of the Nu Alumni Newsletter. for discussion - http://forums.kappatalk.com/showthread.php?t=55163

Brother John Dakin will be inducted into the UMPI Hall of Fame on saturday at UMPI. Dakin became a Brother of Kappa Delta Phi, Mu Chapter at UMaine Presque Isle in 1959.

Dakin, a member of the Class of 1962, lettered in basketball and baseball at the former Aroostook State Teachers College. He was among the school’s first graduates with a degree in health, physical education and recreation.

From the Daily Bangor News.

Brown memorial scholarship golf tourney on tap

Fraternity brothers and friends of the late Thomas Hayes Brown, who was 39 when he died in March 2005 in Bar Harbor invite you to join them and take part in a golf tournament in Brown’s honor and memory, the Thomas H. Brown Memorial Scholarship Tourney.

The Omicron Alumni Association of Kappa Delta Phi National Fraternity at Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts needs your help! If you know any Omicron Brothers please have them go to Omicron forum in Kappa Talk Forums and read the information that has been posted there concerning the reactivation of the Omicron Alumni Association.