About Charlie

Charlie Burton was an extraordinary brother of Delta Sigma Pi who passed away in December of 2019 following an 8-year battle with Ewing’s Sarcoma. During his time in the fraternity, Charlie touched and inspired all of our brothers with his perseverance, generosity, kindness, and dedication. Always quick witted and positive, Charlie provided our chapter with some of its most humorous moments, yet also its most heartfelt and honest as he was a constant advocate and role model for those battling cancer.

Recognized by his professors for his stellar academic performance, willingness to learn, and thoughtfulness inside and outside of the classroom, Charlie was awarded his degree posthumously in the Spring of 2020. In the words of Vallabh Sambamurthy, the Dean of the Wisconsin School of Business, “Charlie exhibited the best of what it means to be a Badger, and we know he’ll forever be part of our extended Badger family.”

About the Charlie Burton Open

In Spring 2019, two (now-graduated) brothers, Nick Russo and Allan Moutvic, organized the first DSP Open golf event for brothers to connect, compete, and fundraise for an important cause. Since then, the event has grown in meaning and size. 

All proceeds from the golf outing are donated to the MACC Fund for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children’s Wisconsin in honor of Charlie, who asked us to support the foundation that helped him so much throughout his childhood. 

When the event was started in 2019, a portion of the proceeds were donated to the MACC Fund at Charlie’s request. For the 2020 event (which was unfortunately unable to happen due to COVID-19), to honor Charlie’s impact on our organization and continue his legacy of generosity, the golf outing was renamed the Charlie Burton Open and all proceeds were to be donated to the MACC Fund. 

Over the past two years, the event has grown to include a multitude of sponsorship options that strengthen and showcase our corporate partnerships, contests and prizes, and apparel. Nevertheless, we remain mindful of the true purpose and goal of the event, to honor Charlie’s legacy and fundraise for an inspiring foundation. 

We encourage you to:

• Continue to check our event website for updates

• Email thecharlieburtonopen@gmail.com to join the mailing list and automatically receive future updates

• Donate directly to the MACC fund

We are looking forward to the Charlie Burton Open in Spring 2023!

About the Charlie Burton Scholarship

The Charlie Burton Scholarship was started to honor Charlie’s legacy, and awards $500 to one current brother at our annual Charlie Burton Open golf event. The recipient is chosen anonymously by the Executive Board, the Initiation & Scholarship Standards Board representative, and four DSP alumni who were close friends of Charlie. The application questions are centered around Charlie’s passion, persistence, and purpose in everything he did. 

Our chapter is committed to honoring Charlie’s legacy and memory through this scholarship, which will have one fundraiser planned each semester 

We will always remember you, Charlie!