2004 Hall of Fame

David G. Park - David Park has been a leader in his community for over thirty years. He and his wife, Mary Jane, and family moved to Bluffton, Indiana in 1971 when he purchased the Carnell & Sons Independent Insurance Agency and John W. Carnell Title Co. Prior to returning to Bluffton, he served as a Boy Scout Executive with the Boy Scouts of America in Indiana, Michigan, Illinois and Wisconsin from 1958 to 1971. Park graduated from Bluffton High School in 1950 and enrolled at Indiana University in January 1951. He transferred to Ball State in September, 1952 and completed his degree in December, 1954. He pledged Indiana Gamma as a member of the first pledge class after the chapter was installed in 1953. Following graduation he was married and was immediately drafted into the U.S. Army for two years, of which 18 months were served in Korea. In 1977 Park was awarded the Outstanding Citizen’s Award by the Bluffton Chamber of Commerce in recognition of his three decades of community involvement. He served on the Chamber’s Board of Directors in two different decades and served a term as president. He served as chairman of the Bluffton Economic Development Committee for 12 years and was instrumental in bringing five new industries to the community. Other community activities have included eight years on the Wells County Hospital board including four years s president; treasurer of Bluffton Cemeteries, Inc. from 1973 to 2003; several years of involvement with the Wells County Historical Society including a term as president and many years as County Historian. He has also been active with the Bluffton Street Fair and United Church of Christ. In addition to community activities, Park has been professionally active with the Indiana Land Title Company and served as president in 1981. The Adams, Jay and Wells County Board of Realtors has selected him as Realtor of the Year three times. He was an organizing and charter member of the Martin Riverside Society in 1994 and served two terms on its board. Dave and Mary Jane have a daughter, Mrs. Don (Karen) Karwoski, a son, Kent Park, who resides with his wife, Penny, in Vera Cruz, IN, and four grandchildren. Since his retirement, he and Kent have become collectors of antique steam engines and tractors and show their collection at shows throughout the Midwest.

John B. Conley - John Conley started every day, initiated every project and entered into every activity with an enthusiasm and drive that defined his lifetime. He grew up in Portland, Indiana and was not sure about college until Bill Lantz, a friend and Sig Ep at Ball State convinced him to come to Muncie and enroll at the university in 1953. That friendship lasted over five decades. Conley was a member of the first pledge class after Indiana Gamma was chartered in 1953. Activities in the chapter included intramurals with the highlight being a member of the Sig Ep steins basketball team that won the all-university championship in 1956. He also influenced the future of the chapter as Pledge Master to the largest pledge class in Indiana Gamma history. John was always proud that he was able to correct the deficiencies in 52 of the 55 pledges. Following graduation in 1956, he taught one year before serving two years in the U.S. Army. From 1958 to 1962 Conley taught and coached at Lafayette (IN) Jefferson High School. In 1962 he started his career in real estate development and home building with Price and Price in Lafayette. He joined National Homes Construction Corporation (NHCC) in 1966, a Lafayette based corporation, as an operations analyst. He became a regional manager in 1967; Director of Marketing in 1969; Executive Vice President of Corporate Development in 1970; and was elected President of NHCC in 1974. John resigned from NHCC to begin his own companies in Winter Park, FL. He formed Today Homes, Inc. and C&S Homes, Inc. While he continued to operate his two corporations, Conley accepted a position as president of a subsidiary of Lifetime Communities which developed golf course communities and resorts. In 1982 he returned to his own companies in 1984. From 1984 until 2004 he operated Today Homes, Inc. with emphasis on building custom homes in the Greater Orlando area. The company received several local, regional and national awards for design, innovation and quality. Any conversation with John would eventually turn to his “memorable moments.” They included being a Sig Ep pledge, being initiated into the chapter in 1953 and having fraternity brothers as great friends for over 40 years. He loved Sig Ep gatherings and was a driving force in the organization of the Genesis Project to build a new chapter house. John’s untimely passing on April 26, 2004 left a void of enthusiasm, dedication and commitment to Sigma Phi Epsilon that will never be replaced. John is survived by his wife Evaline (Effie), a 1958 graduate; daughter, Chris; son, Steve; daughter-in-law Tari as well as two grandchildren.

James Horein - Jim Horein retired from Lincoln National Life Insurance Company in 1997 following a thirty-three and a half year career with the company. At the time of his retirement his primary position was Senior Vice President/Reinsurance. However, he also held several secondary positions in several of Lincoln’s divisions and subsidiaries, including President and Director, Lincoln National Management Service, Inc.; Vice President and Director, Security-Connecticut Life Insurance Co.; and Senior Vice President and Director, Lincoln National Health & Casualty Co. He became a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries in 1965. Ten years later he became a member of the American Academy of Actuaries. During his career with Lincoln National he was also active in community with United Way and Junior Achievement. Following graduation from Wakarusa (IN) High School in 1955, Jim enrolled at Ball State. He was active in numerous campus activities including vice president of his freshman and junior class, Blue Key Men’s Honorary and the science and mathematics honorary–Sigma Zeta. Activities in the fraternity included Alumni Relations Chair, Historian, Vice President and delegate to the Biennial National Conclave. In addition, he participated on numerous intramural teams. He was a member of the Sig Ep All-University Basketball Championship team in 1958. Jim married Jody Cox, a fellow student at Ball State and a member of Chi Omega sorority, between his junior and senior year–a partnership that has thrived for forty-six years. After graduation in 1959, Jim and Jody moved to the Detroit, Michigan area where he taught mathematics and coached at Walled Lake High School. During his four year stint at the school he continued to pursue work toward becoming an actuary at Western Michigan University. He joined Lincoln National in 1963 as a systems analyst. Jim has been active as an alumnus of Indiana Gamma. In addition to being a charter member of the Martin Riverside Society in 1994 and a member each year since, he has organized Sig Ep alumni groups and activities to bring alumni together. He has also been active in the development and organization of the Genesis Project. The university has also been a beneficiary of Horein through the years. He was a member of the Campaign Committee for the Wings to the Future Campaign, 1988-1992 and was instrumental in helping establish the Lincoln National Distinguished Professorship for Actuarial Science at Ball State. Jim is an avid and competitive sailor, good tennis player and his golf has improved dramatically since his retirement. The Horeins have two children, Jeff and Susan, and split their time between Pretty Lake (Fremont, IN) and Bonita Bay, FL.