Beta Phi’s Terry Valeski, ’68 continues to rack up the honors. He was named the Outstanding Alumnus at the annual awards ceremony by the Eller College of Management on May 2. It was third straight year the Eller College has honored a Beta Phi Sig. Last year Lisle Payne, ’64, and the year before Jon Underwood, ’64, were selected as Alumnus of the year.
The honor came on the heels of Valeski being named a Significant Sig, the 21st member of Beta Phi to achieve one of the Sigma Chi International Fraternity’s highest honors.
He is chairman of the National Board of Advisors to the dean of The Eller College, and an executive in residence for Eller.
Valeski, who is also a member of the Beta Phi Hall of Honor, began his career after serving as an officer in the Army with J. Walter Thompson as an advertising executive. He rose to the level of senior vice president.
He is currently vice chairman of the board of T-Mobile International in the Czech Republic and a board director of Ceske Radiokomunicaze, the Czech broadcast transmission business. He also is an advisor to Ernst and Young M&A Group in London, private equity firms Advent International, Montagu and General Atlantic. He is an operating partner of Advent International.
Valeski has been executive chairman of Aircom International and a board director of MACH. He has served on the board of Intellisync and Sonim Technologies. Over the course of his operating career he has launched and operated five different wireless operations in as many countries. Companies he has worked for include Eurotel; British Telecom Wireless, Blu in Italy, Telfort in Holland, British Telecom, Pacific Bell Mobile Services as regional president, Atari Corporation (consultant), Mattel Inc., INTV Corporation, and Teledyne Water Pik.
He also is on the executive board of the Tucson Alumni Chapter of Sigma Chi, where he leads the Mentoring and Career Development Program for Beta Phi undergraduates. He also is a member of the Arizona Daily Wildcat Hall of Fame and Arizona Letterman.
The Significant Sig Award recognizes “those alumni members whose achievements in their fields of endeavor have brought honor and prestige to the name of Sigma Chi.” The Sigma Chi Fraternity has recognized 1,500 brothers since the award’s inception at the 1935 Grand Chapter. Alumni in any profession, occupation, or service work are eligible for consideration.
Each Significant Sig receives a personalized medal, certificate and lapel pin.
The other Beta Phis who have been honored as Significant Sigs are: Donald E. Breckenridge ’53, Donald C. Buckley ’78, Earl H. Carroll Beta ’48, Peter J. Corpstein ’52, James E. Durbin ’47, Lloyd E. Eisele ’61, Barry M. Goldwater ’62, George Gregson ’24, Luther S. Helms ’66, Marvin D. Johnson ’50, David M. Jones ’36, Burton Kinerk ’57, Edwin C. Lynch, ’57, S. Jack McDuff ’51, Lewis C. Murphy ’55, Jerry M. Patterson ’56, Frank Sancet ’31, Morris K. Udall ’49, Rufus VonKleinsmid ’25 and Gordon R. Willey ’35
