For over 30 years, Steven Saltzman ‘85 served as Chapter Advisor to the Pennsylvania Theta Chapter of Sigma Alpha Epsilon, fueled by his desire to maintain the legacy of the chapter. “I like to believe that my presence helped to ensure that ΣAE was never kicked off campus,” he explained.
“When alumni return to campus for their reunions, I want ΣAE to still exist,” Steve said, “ so when brothers grow tired of the official reunion activities, they can head over to ΣAE, drink a cheap beer with the actives, and reminisce with other alumni.”
Noting that the structure might be changed from his time as an undergraduate brother, Steve said “Many memories are associated with the Chapter House.” He loved to hang out downstairs at Smoke’s and recalled the time “Brett ‘Fluff’ Aron `86 got pissed off at his girlfriend and took a sledgehammer to the bricked-in front gate.” Steve said it “turned out to be one of the best improvements anyone ever made to the Chapter House.”
Steve served as the President of the House Corporation in addition to his time as Chapter Advisor. In 2020, he was recognized by the ΣAE National Office as an Outstanding Chapter Advisor. He said, “Brother Dick Sawyer `61 was instrumental in pushing ΣAE National to formally recognize my decades of service to the Penn Theta chapter of ΣAE.”
While he enjoyed his efforts as Chapter Advisor, Steve felt it was eventually time to pass the torch – “I stepped down when I realized that I was older than the fathers of most of the actives.”
All of Steve’s good times were not confined to the chapter house, however. Road trips featured in his memories – at least to some degree. “We drove to Princeton to watch Penn men’s basketball play at Jadwin Gym,” he recalled. “Certain brothers prepared ‘rollouts’ which were unfurled during the game. The only rollout I can share: ‘Who are the good, the bad, and the ugly? Penn, Princeton, and Pete Carril.’”
Another trip was noteworthy in another way. “We drove out to Bryn Mawr College to pick up some girls for a party at ΣAE,” Steve began. “ I don’t recall very much from that night.”
Steve described his friendships in the chapter as “enduring and maturing. I have vacationed with Bill Lohr `85 and his wife. I have attended the weddings of children of my fraternity brothers. I have also attended the funerals of my fraternity brothers. Circle of life.”
Steve participates in the SAE Penn Theta Football Pool (20 years old and counting!); over 40 alumni from the early `60’s thru the early `10’s participate. Brother Harry Fisher `89 serves as Eminent Commissioner. Also, the annual SAE Hoops Weekend brings alumni from 1988 thru 1992 back to Penn to watch Penn men’s basketball one weekend each season.
When Steve went through Rush, he said the chapter was filled with soccer players. “When I joined the actives for dinner during Rush, I was really impressed that there were four gallon jugs of milk on each table – all were fully consumed by the end of dinner.”
As a brother, Steve was impressed by those in the classes preceding and following him. “The `84 brothers were my mentors, especially Ken Athaide,” he said. “[My wife Mara and I] see Ken and his wife Cathi every time we visit Atlanta. I lived with Eric Marsh my senior year when he was in dental school. Ed Mulé has been of critical assistance to my post-sale networking.
“The `86 brothers were an impressive bunch,” Steve continued. “They all maintained 4.0 GPAs, had the hottest girlfriends, and partied the hardest. They have all continued to be very successful in life.”
Steve has been quite successful himself. He graduated from the Wharton School of Business in 1985, worked at Price Waterhouse for three years, spent another three years in manufacturing, three years in telecommunications, and then moved into real estate for the rest of his career. He served as the Chief Financial Officer for three multifamily real estate investment trusts (REITs) before merging the three REITs into one and selling the company to Blackstone in 2022.
“I am now networking to secure a seat on the Audit Committee of the Board of Directors of an equity REIT or REOC,” he said.
Penn Theta also played a significant role in Steve’s love life. “I met my wife at SAE,” he said. “However, I did not make any impression on her. When we met again after graduation, she had no memory of me. I brought her as my date to Ken Athaide’s wedding in Richmond, VA, and the brothers serving as ushers all said ‘Hi, Mara!’ as we walked into the church. She was very impressed.”
Steve and Mara enjoy travel and supporting both live theatre and Philadelphia. “Mara and I have season tickets to the Philadelphia 76ers, and we Amtrak to New York City every month to see Broadway shows,” he said.
“My daughter, Elena, lives and works in DC, so we take Amtrak down to see her. We are planning trips next year to Montana, then to London (to see the Phillies beat the Mets), then to Italy in the Fall.”
