Beechwood Educational Foundation – Donor Profile
Brother Fettig arrived in Bloomington and at Zeta Chapter in the fall of 1975 from his hometown in Tipton, IN. His two older sisters told him the only place to consider pledging was at 631 E. Third Street, and his connection to fellow Tipton native Whit Grayson (Zeta Class of 1977) was another factor. He played several intramural sports as a member of Zeta Chapter, and once his pledge brothers saw him “boom” a punt during a preseason practice, the nickname was established. Brother Fettig also was elected as President of Zeta Chapter in 1978. “Boomer” also served in several leadership roles on campus, including as a member of the IU Foundation.
He graduated from IU with a degree in Finance and followed that up with earning an MBA in Bloomington. Boomer and his wife Marcia (Alpha Phi) raised their two children Jay and Anne Elise in the Midwest, and Jay also earned his MBA from IU.
Boomer joined the Whirpool Corporation in 1981 and had a long and successful business career with that organization. He retired after serving as Chairman and CEO from 2004 to 2018. He now lives in St. Joseph, MI and enjoys time on the golf course and chasing his seven grandchildren. His connection to Zeta Chapter has never ended. For over 45 years he’s participated in the “Dick the Dog” Memorial golf outing in Bloomington, and for 21 consecutive years Boomer and Marcia have hosted 16 Zeta FIJIs for the “Big Dog” golf weekend in Michigan. Additionally, for each of the past 25 years they have participated in an “Adults Spring Break” in Florida and Boomer has spearheaded an annual golf trip to Scotland with fellow Zeta FIJIs Craig Colville, MD (Zeta 1979), Tom Backoff (Zeta 1981) and Nick Willett (Zeta 2010).
Brother Fettig also served as Honorary Co-Chairman of the Beechwood Second Century Campaign beginning in 2014, which led to the creation of the new Chapter House at 431 N. Woodlawn. When asked what drives him to support to the Beechwood Educational Foundation to this day, Jeff commented “Zeta Chapter had been in existence for over 100 years before I pledged, and when I thought about what the Zeta FIJIs before me had done to provide me with the opportunity to experience true brotherhood and keep the right focus on academics in addition to campus involvement, I wanted to make sure to ‘pass it on’ and ‘pay it forward’ to support future Zeta FIJIs.”
Brothers can connect with Jeff via email at jmmfettig@gmail.com.
January 2023
Jeff “Fender” Akers, Class of 1997
Brother Akers arrived in Bloomington and at Zeta Chapter in the fall of 1993 from his hometown in Wilton, CT. During his time at Beechwood, he played intramural flag football, volleyball, soccer and softball, and also served on the cabinet as Corresponding Secretary. “Fender” also served in several leadership roles on campus as President of the Student Recreational Sports Association (SRSA) and as a member of the Dean of Students Advisory Council.
Jeff graduated from IU with a degree in Finance, and shortly after beginning his professional career as an investment banker in Nashville, TN, he married his IU sweetheart Julie (Alpha Chi Omega). He and Julie are proud parents of three daughters, and their oldest daughter has followed in her parents’ footsteps and is currently an IU student (and member of Kappa Alpha Theta) in Bloomington.
After moving to the Chicago area Brother Akers earned his MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern and has worked at Adams Street Partners, a global private equity manager, for over 15 years. His current position is Partner and Head of Secondary Investments, and he serves on the firm’s Executive Committee. He enjoys golf, and occasionally hits the links in Hinsdale with Brothers Howard “Zach” Bergdoll (Zeta, 1984) and Doug “Chumley” Elmore (Zeta, 1984). Brother Akers also is connected personally and professionally with other Zeta FIJI graduate brothers living in the metro Chicago area.
Reflecting on his days at Beechwood, in addition to the brotherhood and unity that was established immediately within his pledge class and that continues to this day, one of Fender’s most indelible memories was supporting the 1995 Little 500 championship bike team and meeting Lance Armstrong when he stopped by the Chapter house at 631 East Third Street. When asked what compelled him to contribute to the Beechwood Educational Foundation in 2022 to help support the establishment of a videoconferencing system, Jeff commented “I saw it as an opportunity to give back, as Zeta was a big part of my college experience, shaped my character, and I am still connected to many Zeta FIJIs today. I am also proud of the fact that there are several Brothers currently in the house that hail from Hinsdale!”
Brothers can look to connect with Jeff on LinkedIn.
