Dr. Eric P. Wenaas has a unique affiliation to the Chi Chapter; he is not technically a member.
As a freshman at DePauw University, Wenaas was initiated into another fraternity, barring him “official membership” to the Kappa Sigma fraternity. This technicality should never deter the image of Eric as a true brother of the Chi Chapter.
Eric’s relationship with Chi really begins with his older brother David (David Wenass ’59). It was through David that Eric was introduced to the Chapter. Starting his sophomore year, Eric transferred to Purdue University to pursue studies in Electrical Engineering, and was immediately absorbed into the house, literally!
Eric moved into the chapter house and assumed the unique designation as “Cousin Eric.” Even though he never attended a “chapter meeting”, in the view of his fellow brothers, Eric is remember as someone who contributed as much or more, as any other member of Chi.
After continuing on to receive a Masters Degree, Eric attended The State University of New York at Buffalo where he earned his PHD for applied physics in 1969. His background in electrical engineering and physics paved the way for the start of a successful career in the defense-contracting industry.
Eric’s career reached a point of pinnacle success when he joined Jaycor; a company primarily focused within the strategic nuclear defense industry. He was instrumental in diversifying the company away from the defense industry into more commercially favorable markets. His successes showed as he was eventually promoted to CEO.
Eric’s career achievements do not stop there; through his innovative thinking he saw Jaycor spin off the business unit JNI, a subsidiary focused on large-volume data-transfer. The 1999 IPO for JNI Corp. is remembered as one of the most successful in San Diego history.
Following Eric’s ascension to Chairmen of JNI Corp. he opted for retirement, which ended quickly when he was brought back to lead the company through a difficult leadership change. Following this, his retirement was once again cut short as he currently heads-up another Jaycor spin off, Pepperball Technologies, a leader provider of non-lethal law enforcement systems. It has been said of Eric that he has an amazing “foresight” for how the market changes. It is this foresight that has kept such a remarkable man in high demand.
Although Jaycor wasn’t just a place of work for Eric, it’s also where he met his loving wife of seventeen years. (Eric and Karen will be celebrating their seventeenth wedding anniversary next Sunday). And to top it all off, it’s also worthy of note that Eric is a published author. While most of his written work has been confined to technical and industry focused papers, he is currently penning a book dedicated to his hobby and collection of classic and crystal set radios.
Of course this brief background into 2004’s Man of the Year wouldn’t be complete with out explaining Eric’s own proud Chi legacy. His son Christopher (Christopher Wenaas ’89), who attended Purdue University, also choose the Chi Chapter, and even served as Grand Master. He studied Environmental Engineering and currently resides in Dallas, TX
