2005 Hall of Fame

James A. Turner - Jim Turner purchased a Louisville based company in 1966. The purchase came after seven years experience that included two sales training positions and district manager for The Gray Company of Minneapolis, MN. The Louisville company, now called Air Systems Inc. is the distributor and installer for Ingersoll-Rand Company in Northern Kentucky and Southern Indiana. Ingersoll Rand is the worlds largest air compressor manufacturer.

Jim graduated from Connersville High School in 1954 and enrolled at Purdue University the following fall. After two years at the West Lafayette campus he transferred to Ball State. He completed his Bachelor of Science degree in 1959 in Business Administration.

While at Ball State he met Frankie Bly from Converse, IN. They have now been married for 45 years and have two daughters and three granddaughters. They have lived in Louisville since 1961 and have a vacation home on Hilton Head Island, SC.

Turner is the most highly trained pledge to ever to become an active member of Indiana Gamma. He had pledged Sig Ep at Purdue and completed his pledgeship before transferring, but did not go through initiation. His story is that he enjoyed the pledge experiences so much that he immediately pledged Indiana Gamma at Ball State so he could do it again. Jim was an active member of the chapter and participated in numerous activities during his three years. His alumni activities include the Martin Riverside Society, Old Farts Club, a member of the Genesis Project campaign committee and the Summer Sig Ep PGA Tour. Since his graduation in 1959 he has maintained relationships with several brothers.

He has been active in his church and with numerous charities in the Louisville area. His interests include golf, fishing and boating. He is an active member of the Valhalla Golf Club where he has assisted with two PGA Championships and one Senior Championship. He looks forward to involvement with the 2008 Ryder Cup which will be held at Valhalla. He is a member of the International Game Fish Association and Recreational Fishing Alliance. Jim is an avid boater and uses his custom sport fishing boat to deep sea fish in tournaments in South Carolina, Florida and the Bahama Islands.

Donald K. Fields - Don Fields enrolled at Ball State in 1961 following his graduation from Connersville High School. He completed his Bachelor of Science degree in May, 1965, followed by a Master of Arts degree in 1967 and his Educational Administration certification degree in 1989.

Following graduation in 1965, Don began a 36 year career in public education with the Muncie Community Schools. Twenty-two years as a classroom teacher led to fourteen years as a secondary school administrator at Muncie Northside High School and Muncie Northside Middle School.

His experiences with the Muncie schools also included eleven years as assistant varsity football coach and fourteen years as head varsity baseball coach. Two of his baseball teams reached the IHSAA Baseball Finals in 1980 and 1983.

Fields served as an officer of Indiana Gamma for three years, including chapter president in 1964-65. His leadership was instrumental in Indiana Gamma being recognized as the outstanding chapter in the country in 1965. He was awarded the Sig Ep Outstanding Senior Award in 1965 and listed in Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities.

Community and professional involvement have been important to Don. He serves as Deacon of First Presbyterian Church in Muncie and has been an active member of the Yorktown Kiwanis Club and the BSU chapter of Phi Delta Kappa, having served as president of both organizations. His honors include induction into the Delaware County Athletic Hall of Fame in 1990, Delaware County Outstanding Young Educator in 1975, A. Garland Handy Phi Delta Kappa Distinguished Service Award in 1990 and head coach in the Indiana Baseball All-Star Game in 1980.

Don was a member of the Sig Ep Housing Committee when the 1964 addition was added to the original 1926 structure. He has continued his involvement as an alumnus and has been active in the planning process for a new fraternity house. He has also been an annual member of the Martin Riverside Society.

Don is married to Jeanne Horein, who he met at Ball State. In addition to the BSU degrees earned by Don and Jeanne, their three children - Jim, Jennifer and Bob - all earned degrees from the university. Don and Jeanne are retired and enjoy their three grandchildren.

Paul E. Snyder - Paul Snyder has forty-one years of service to public education. The past 34 years he has served as Superintendent of the Coastline Regional Occupation Program (ROP) in Orange County, California. Paul took the helm of the program that serves five school districts in 1972, which served 92 students that year. This past year the program served over 13,000 students. In 2002, the Board of Trustees renamed the ROP facilities the “Paul E. Snyder Administrative Center of Coastline ROP” in recognition of his outstanding service.

Snyder enrolled at Ball State in 1956 following his graduation from Mill Creek High School in the farmlands of Northern Indiana where he excelled in baseball and basketball. He pledged Sigma Phi Epsilon in 1956-57 and was an active member of the chapter. Since his graduation he has remained an active alumnus by attending numerous alumni gatherings, participating in the Martin Riverside Society and involvement with the Genesis Project.

Known for his extraordinary ability to read and grow people, Paul infuses humor in his workplace and daily life. He serves on Boards of Directors of community-based organizations that serve homeless families, cancer survivors, youth in distress and developmentally disabled individuals. He has led statewide professional organizations, is a motivational speaker, and presents workshops on creating high staff morale. He founded the Irvine Community Police Academy Alumni Association and has been honored and recognized for his community service.

Paul has a wide array of interests. As an entrepreneur, he was co-owner and president of Ball Park Pizza Team, Inc. from 1987-2000, a company that supported local youth teams. Presently he is co-owner of Amicus Cellars: X-Winery in Napa Valley, CA. He played baseball with the Chicago Cubs at a fantasy baseball camp, which was a gift from his wife. Annually he bicycles 100 miles for Multiple Sclerosis in addition to serving on the planning committee for the event.

Paul married Sally Smiley, also a 1960 graduate of Ball State and have a son, Jeff, and three grandchildren. They reside in Irvine, CA.