Steve Rubell was born in New York City on Dec. 2, 1943. He was raised in a Jewish household in Brooklyn, and he went on to study finance at Syracuse University. There, he met Ian Schrager, a fellow member of the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity. In the mid-1970s, he teamed up with his old friend Schrager and entered the burgeoning disco market. "We just decided, ‘Hey, let’s try and do a nightclub.'” While the club only operated for a few short years in its original form, Studio 54 h

NEW YORK CITY, MAR 31 2026 — Held by links of friendship together , the Sammy Tri-State Business Networking Dinner Group just convened our second meeting of the year. Thirteen Sammies broke bread and built business bonds at Royal 35 Steakhouse . Pre-game cocktails and cigars started outside on the patio at 5pm on this balmy 73 degree day. We took the party upstairs to our private room at 6:08pm for extended schmoozing before sitting for dinner. Dessert was plated at 8:45 bef

Our next Sammy Tri-State Business Networking Dinner is the last Tuesday of the month, 6pm March 31st, 2026. Venue is our usual private room at Royal 35 Steakhouse ,  conveniently located near Penn Station and Grand Central. Non-members: kindly RSVP to SammyTriState (at) Gmail(dot)com to request an invitation and pay your guest fee. What is the business dinner group? Click a linked blog article below for details. ###

Thirty Sammies and guests converged on the Liberty NYC for happy hour. Lots of familiar faces, some first timers and a few blasts from the past joined us. Amy Buchheit from the SAM Foundation made a special stop on her Northeast tour to thank donors for their gifts to the Foundation. The SAM Foundation awards more than $450,000 each year in scholarships to Sammies and children of. Brothers interested in donating can email SammyTriState at Gmail dot com for an introduction t

NEW YORK, NY , March 17, 2026 — Fra Jake Krassner (Sigma Zeta, Indiana University) of LEFT LANE Development presented at this month's Commercial RE and Finance Roundtable, an intimate industry forum. The event was well-received by an eclectic mix of industry professionals. The case study presented was LEFT LANE'S Hotel Bardo in Pittsburgh . This adaptive reuse project converts the existing 40-story Gulf Tower – an Art Deco architectural icon. This luxury, mixed-use urban de

Hosted by Fra Gabe Sakellaridis (Stony Brook) of Noble Wealth Advisors, " AI + Future Generations " is an interactive workshop focused on exploring the broad, complicated impact of AI. Presented by Fra Dr. Eric Abrams  (Stony Brook), author of Teaching Literature with Artificial Intelligence and Clinical Lecturer at Iona University, this session will provide attendees with an overview of the capabilities and limitations of AI technologies, while exploring what AI could (or w

QUEENS, NY , March 16, 2026 — Sigma Alpha Mu Alumni Club congratulates Sammy Tri-Stater Fra Ira Goldstein for being named to the Queens Power 100 List, for the second year in a row. Clocking in at # 73, Ira is in good company among NYC's movers, shakers and deal-makers. Ira is Executive Director for the Black Car Fund. He re-founded Nu Chapter (one of 17 re-founding fathers) in 1982 at the University at Buffalo and served as the first Prior. Complete list of the Queens Power

NEW YORK, NY , March 11, 2026 — Fra Jake Krassner (Sigma Zeta, Indiana University) will be the distinguished guest speaker at this month's Commercial RE and Finance Series, hosted by Kenneth Volandes, Esq. of Washington George Volandes PLLC. The event is a roundtable format with a case study presentation. Jake volunteers on the SAM National Properties Board and is a Sammy Tri-State Business Dinner Club member. This speaking engagement was secured through the Sammy Tri-State

Member Appreciation Manhattan March Madness Happy Hour 3/18/26 6pm The Liberty NYC 29 W 35th, NYC, between 5th & 6th Ave https://www.thelibertynyc.com/about All Sammies welcome to join us. Cash bar per our insurance policy. But we'll get the party started with bar snacks. As a special thank you to our valued dues-paying members, Sammy Tri-State Alumni Club members in good standing will be invited to submit a bracket for a chance to win one of eight juicy prizes: $188 $88 $58

Past Supreme Prior Hanno Mott (Omicron/Cincinnati, ‘52) entered Chapter Eternal on Friday, February 6th. Hanno was born in Berlin, Germany in 1933. His family was forced to leave Germany and settled in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1938. Hanno attended the University of Cincinnati where he joined the Omicron Chapter of Sigma Alpha Mu and earned both his B.A and J.D. After earning his law degree he moved to New York and called the ΣΑΜ Headquarters - located in New York at the time - to

A local memorial service for Fra William "Cracker" Lavery (Nu) has been announced for Saturday 2/21/26 11am at St Stan's in Maspeth (not to be confused with the nearby church of the same name in Greenpoint Brooklyn). Details below. Gathering to follow afterwards. ###

PARKLAND FL , February 5 2026 — At the end of February, Lonny Anger (Nu) will return to Israel on his Third Annual Brotherhood Mission with Jewish National Fund–USA (JNF-USA), continuing a hands-on commitment to helping communities affected by the tragic events of October 7 and the ongoing recovery that followed. The Brotherhood Mission brings together men from across the country to volunteer directly in rebuilding, humanitarian aid, and community support efforts. Participan

Joshua Phillip Smith, 54, of New City, NY, passed away on January 31, 2026. He was raised in Syracuse, NY, and graduated from Nottingham High School. He earned his BA in Psychology from SUNY Buffalo in 1993, where he was active in the Sigma Alpha Mu fraternity, serving as Social Committee Chair. He maintained strong, lifelong friendships with his fraternity brothers, who visited him frequently during his long battle with ALS. After college, Josh worked as a stockbroker and la

The 2026 Sammy Tri-State Business Networking Dinner Group is off to an auspicious start.

DERRY IRELAND, JAN 10 2026 — In a chapter house full of characters, William "Cracker" Lavery still stood out. He was known for his intelligence, wit and warmth. WILLIAM LAVERY, 10th January 2026, peacefully but unexpectedly whilst on holiday in Derry, (Billy, from Queens, New York), beloved son of May and the late Geordie, loving brother of David, Donna and Patricia, a devoted uncle to his nephews Ryan and Shaun, his nieces Kayla and Erin and his grandnieces Callie and Ella

Our next Sammy Tri-State Business Networking Dinner is the last Tuesday of the month, 6pm January 27th, 2026. Venue is our usual private room at Royal 35 Steakhouse , conveniently located near Penn Station and Grand Central. Non-members: kindly RSVP to SammyTriState (at) Gmail(dot)com to request an invitation and pay your guest fee. What is the business dinner group? Click a linked blog article below for details. ###

The Lambda Alpha International land economics society held their new member induction dinner on January 15th, 2026 at the Penn Club. Among the new members inducted to the NYC chapter was Sammy Tri-State member Fra Michael Kawochka. He joins other long-time LAI members and Sammy Tri-Staters Jeff Beal (Past President), Scott Bloom (Board member), Anthony "Tony Trans-Am" Berti (Treasurer) and Derek Tynen. By no means was this a Sammy Tri-State event, but Sammies do figure pro

Some Sammy Tri-Staters will be gathering informally last minute to start the year off by breaking (rye) bread at world-famous  Katz's Deli  8pm Friday 1/2/26.  All Sammies are welcome to join us. RSVP to SammyTriState at gmail dot com so we know how big a table to grab. No registration necessary. Separate checks.  Katz's is located at 205 East Houston Street (corner of Ludlow St), New York City, 10002. JM and F trains all stop nearby.  An institution since 1888, Katz's Delica

Babylon Lion Fra Matt Morse and Fra Brian Burke of Delta Theta and Fra Mark Agovino (photo credit) of Mu Eta, recently joined forces with the Babylon Lions Club for a commendable initiative. Together, they collected non-perishable food items for local food pantries, including the Beacon House, which provides vital support to the veterans community across Long Island. "We are proud to support such important local efforts," said Fra Morse. ###

The Sammy TriState Business Networking Dinner Group wrapped up the 2025 program strong on 11/25, celebrating successes both personal and collective. Several members arrived early to pre-game in the sidewalk cafe outside with whiskeys and cigars. Friends and cousins were in town early for Thanksgiving, and got to hang with the boys and meet their brothers during "the meeting before the meeting." At 6:08pm we took the party upstairs to our usual private room in the mezzanine t