1. Introduction
2. Delta Mu and Delta Sigma Lambda: 1928 to 1937
3. Lambda Chi Arrives: 1937 to 1941
4. World War II: 1941 to 1945
5. Growth after the War: 1946 to 1950
6. Becoming the Best: 1950 to 1954
7. Campus Politics & the Issue of Hazing at Rensselaer: 1954 to 1965
8. The Last Years of the First Charter: 1963 to 1972
9. The Second Charter: 1972 to 1989
10. Epslion-Eta Chapter History: 1990 to 1999
11. Footnotes

History: Introduction

The research that was required to produce this document started in July 1988. I spent many hours talking to various alumni, reviewing and reading over 60 years of Polytechnic student newspapers, and searching the records of the House Corporation and the Rensselaer Archives. I have found and presented a great deal of information concerning the “public” face of the fraternity – athletic awards, academic standings, house locations, etc. Discovering the “private” side of the fraternity has proved to be a great deal more difficult, but this information is needed to understand the full story of Epsilon-Eta Zeta. My greatest resource on the “private” side of the fraternity is clearly the memories of Epsilon-Eta’s many alumni and active brothers. Please contact me through the chapter if you feel that you have any knowledge or insights that will enrich this account of the history of Epsilon-Eta. I especially welcome the correction of any factual errors or misinterpretations.

I would like to thank the people who have assisted me during this project. Jay Hawthrone, Paul Raymond, Dave Krashes, Al Bibb, and John Szczesniak are alumni who have provided especially interesting or informative bits of information about the fraternity. Jeff Driscoll provided useful editing and feedback during the preparation of this account. Too many active members for me to name have listened to me expound upon the information that I managed to uncover; their reactions helped me to figure out what should be presented and what should be left out.

Walt Gibbs ’89
EH-819

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Delta Mu and Delta Sigma Lambda: 1928 to 1937

The origin of the Epsilon-Eta Zeta of Lambda Chi Alpha can be traced back to the DeMoley Club formed at Rensselaer in 1924. The members of the DeMoley Club were all members of the Order of DeMoley, a young men’s Masonic organization. The stated purpose of the club was to “foster good fellowship.” The club was in existence for several years during which it held initiations and meetings; but by 1928, the club was essentially defunct. (1,2)

In November 1928, five men met in the old Rensselaer Union Clubhouse to discuss the future of DeMoley activities on campus. Most of the men had been members of the DeMoley Club, and all were members of the national Order of DeMoley. It was here that the idea of founding a fraternity based on the principals of DeMoley was proposed and accepted. The five founding members were Albert Palmer, Walter Gybgell, Oscar Tyree, Richard Greiser, and Arnold Schoeder. Much of the impetus for founding a fraternity seems to have come from Al Palmer. Two months before this meeting, he was encouraged to start a DeMoley fraternity on campus by a representative of Delta Sigma Lambda National and began to discuss this idea with other DeMoleys on campus (3).

During the next several months, the brothers of the new fraternity actively recruited new members. The existence of the fraternity on campus was kept secret during this time. Membership in Delta Mu numbered 15 by March 1929, and the charter was closed. The existence of the fraternity was formally announced that month with the purpose listed as “the promotion of good fellowship and social comradeship.” (4)

The next two years saw Delta Mu move to progressively larger quarters and grow in strength. The first home of Delta Mu was a rented cottage on Massachusetts Avenue; in September 1930, this was vacated to move to a larger house at 88 First Street.

By the beginning of 1931, the possibility of affiliation with a national fraternity seemed desirable. Of the many national fraternities of this time, only one was formed specifically for DeMoleys. In 1924, several local fraternities that were based on the principles of the Order of DeMoley met to create a national DeMoley college fraternity. The name Delta Sigma Lambda (DSL) was taken from the oldest organization, and the national began to grow; there were nine chapters by 1931. In 1933, the fraternity was officially sanctioned as the DeMoley college fraternity by the Grand Council of the Order of DeMoley. Delta Mu petitioned DSL in 1931 for a charter and was installed as Kappa Chapter on May 17, 1931. Several months later, the fraternity rented a larger house located on the corner of Hoosick Street and 15th Street. (5)

National affiliation granted a certain amount of respectability to DSL, but the chapter was still not officially recognized on the Rensselaer campus by the Interfraternity Council (IFC). DSL’s first petition for membership was rejected in February 1932 because “…it was decided that (DSL) has not as yet completed the necessary requirements for admission and therefor must wait at least another year.” The second petition in December 1932 was successful, and DSL entered the ranks of the IFC. (6)

The success of the fraternity was steady in the early 1930s, but the effects of the Depression soon began to be felt. By June 1936, DSL was in financial trouble and its membership was declining. The assistance of alumni members and a reorganization allowed the chapter to recover by October 1936. The chapter moved to a smaller, more economical house at 1519 Bouton Road during this time. (7)

Unfortunately, DSL National was not as successful as Kappa Chapter in weathering these hard times. The Depression and the handicap of only being allowed to admit members of DeMoley forced many of the other DSL chapters to become inactive between 1933 and 1936. During the 1936 National Interfraternity Conference meeting, the liquidation of DSL National was announced.

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Lambda Chi Arrives: 1937 to 1941

Lambda Chi Alpha (ΛXA) National noticed Kappa Chapter, and Rho Zeta of ΛXA at nearby Union College was instructed to investigate the organization. Over Thanksgiving Break 1936, John Walker and Jay Hawthorne were contacted at the chapter house by representatives of ΛXA National. Both of the men were impressed by ΛXA and actively pushed to arrange the affiliation as quickly as possible. The chapter was solicited by several other national fraternities, but ΛXA was chosen by the brotherhood after full consideration was give to the other offers. (9)

The constitution of ΛXA as this time contained a passage which restricted membership to male, Caucasian, and non-Semitic Christians. Both Delta Mu and Delta Sigma Lambda only accepted men who were of the Protestant faith. The written discrimination clauses were common between fraternities and were repealed in slow steps. By joining ΛXA, Kappa Chapter had to open its membership to Catholics and ceased to be an all-Protestant fraternity. (10)

Kappa Chapter of DSL became Epsilon-Eta Zeta of ΛXA on April 17, 1937; the chapter went straight to full active status and was never a colony. The installation Ritual was performed in the Rensselaer Union Clubhouse by a degree team from Rho Zeta at Union College, and 42 active and alumni members of DSL were initiated into Lambda Chi Alpha. Jay Hawthorne was chosen to be the honor initiate and was given the first Zeta number (EH1) of the new chapter. There were over thirty visitors present including E.J.C. Fischer (Special Service Secretary of ΛXA), L.F. Robbins (past editor of the Cross and Crescent), and Dr. Elridge Bonham (the oldest living initiate of the fraternity). Zetas at Union, Hamilton, Brown, Cornell, Colby, Massachusetts State, Rhode Island State, Syracuse, and Knox College sent representatives. (11)

The next several years saw the fraternity prosper. ΛXA ranked at the top of the fraternities on campus in academic standing, well above the all-student average; this was a strong plus as most students, both fraternity and unaffiliated, came to Rensselaer to learn a profession. Cliff Martinez became, in April 1940, the first ΛXA member to be elected President of the Rensselaer IFC. Several members were elected to important editorships on the Polytechnic student newspaper; Leonard Kohlhofer became Editor-in-Chief in February 1941. Several DSL alumni were initiated into ΛXA during the Rituals of this period. (12)

This period of growth by ΛXA rapidly led to the need for larger quarters. A suitable house was eventually located at 243 Hoosick Street and financing for the $4000 downpayment was started. About $2500 of the money was raised within four days by asking the active members to pay their bills in advance. It is a tribute to the faith of these members in the future of the fraternity that the house was able to be purchased. This also indicates that the average member was not poor and possessed a fairly sizable amount of disposable income. (13)

On August 17, 1940, the fraternity moved into 243 Hoosick Street. The house was in good condition so no major reconstruction was required, but renovation took up most of the remainder of the Summer. The official house warming occurred on October 12, 1940. Over 100 friends, alumni, and parents were present to enjoy the festivities. (14)

The fraternity continued its growth after it moved into its new house in August 1940; the 1940-1941 school year saw ΛXA emerging as a major fraternity on campus. The fraternity was barely nudged into the #2 position in scholastics and was a contender to win the interfraternity sports contest, the Barker Race. The initiation of 15 members that winter brought the total number of Rensselaer initiates to over 100. (15)

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World War II: 1941 to 1945

America’s entry into World War two in December 1941 brought incredible changes to Rensselaer, its students, and its fraternities. The first major change occurred in March 1942 when it was announced that the academic pace of the junior class would be accelerated so that they could graduate six months early. In September 1942, Rensslear opened registration in its degree giving courses to women for the first time. Later that month, Thanksgiving Break was abolished and Christmas Break shortened. January 1943 saw a new Freshman Class admitted to the Institute. The Navy started to send 600 enlisted men to the campus for flight school training in December 1942. At the end of 1942, two-thirds of the student body was associated with the armed forces. Curtis Wright Aircraft sent 100 women to Rensslear to train as engineering assistants in February 1943. The third Freshman class of the year was admitted in May 1943. (16)

Surprisingly, many of the student activities continued in the first year of the war; dances, sports, and campus activitites were still occurring. ΛXA weathered the first couple years very well. Various members joined the military, but recruitment, initiation, and social events continued. In fact, ΛXA ran Paul Raymond as its first ever candidate for the coveted position of President of the Union in March 1942; in April 1942, Leonard Kohlhofer was the president of the senior honorary society, Phalanx. By the middle of 1943, many of the normal fraternity activities, such as IFC sports, were being curtailed. (17)

In May 1943, W.L. Houston, Secretary-Treasurer of Rensselaer and later its President sent a letter to all of the fraternities informing them that their houses would have to be used to accommodate the Navy students. Because the number of students who would normally be interested in joining fraternities were relatively small at this point, the leasing of the houses may actually have been a great financial benefit to the fraternities. By 1944, the worst years of the war were passing. The IFC was reactivated at the beginning of the year. By the end of 1944 and beginning of 1945, Rensselaer was planning ahead for the postwar years and had worked out a plan for financing a “Fraternity Row” for upperclass housing. Rensselaer President Houston emphasized to the IFC in March 1945 that “…the Institute has been and will be very favorable toward fraternities, and consideres them an integral part of college life.” (18)

The ΛXA house was turned over to Rensselaer in the middle of 1943 in compliance with President Houston’s request. Fraternity meetings were held regularly that year at various local establishments; and at the end of 1943, there were still over 40 members on campus, some originally from other schools. ΛXA remained an active organization even during these years. The fraternity had shrunk to 25 members and 6 pledges by May 1944, but July saw the return of the house. (19)

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Growth after the War: 1946 to 1950

The Second World War ended in August 1945, but its effect were felt for a great deal of time afterwards. The veterans returned in great numbers to Rensselaer, indeed to campuses all over America, and profoundly affected college life. There were 1500 students registered for classes in Spring 1946, close to the previous all time high of 1700 set in 1930-1931, but 3400 registered for classes in Fall 1946. To handle housing problems for the previous year, the administration had asked the fraternities to house non-members. In January 1946, Rensselaer requested prefabricated houses from the Federal Government. The first of these houses began to arrive in 1946, and these houses were all in place in 1949; “Tin Town” would house close to 1000 students until it was demolished in 1959 after the first freshman dormitories were built. (20)

ΛXA rebuilt rapidly after the war. In response to Rensselaer’s short term housing problem, the fraternity took 16 non-members into the house as boarders, only 2 of which were not veterans. Most of the borders that were taken into the house at this time became members within a year. The veterans were predominant in the house during these years, and they changed the way things were done. For example, the fraternity possessed very strong rules restricting the consumption of alcohol within the house. These rules reflected the founding of the fraternity during the Prohibition Eta. The veterans loosened these rules to allow beer at parties in the house, but alcohol was still not allowed in the private rooms. All alcohol was kept firmly under the control of the social chairman, and drinking was confined to the weekend parties. The interests of the veterans tended towards “…getting an education, social life including some great beer parties and then getting out of school fast.” They did not seem to possess much of an interest in the various campus activities. (21)

The late 1940s witnessed ΛXA emerging as a “big house on campus.” The prestige of a fraternity at Rensselaer was measured in much the same was as elsewhere, specifically success in the areas of campus politics, sports competition, and social affairs were all very important. All of these factors are related to the fraternity’s manpower and prestige of the fraternity is believed to be its most powerful recruitment tool. Since the members are the life blood of an organization, competition between fraternities is often keen in order to gain any advantage during Rush.

May 1946 saw Paul McLaughlin, President of ΛXA, winning the position of Grand Marshal at Rensselaer. The student government offices were elected on Grand Marshal Night after a week of campaigning. Since 1934, the fraternities had been divided into two major “political parties,” the Upper and Lower Combine, which selected candidates for the posts and then financed the expensive campaigns. The independents who made up over half the campus were effectively excluded. The party names had become the Combine and the Alliance by 1946, but the practices were the same. ΛXA was one of the more influential houses that belonged to the Alliance. The election in May 1946 saw loud speaker advertisements, a drum and bugle corps, many beer parties, a plane bombarding the campus with campaign literature, and huge bonfires. The independents at Rensselaer would have to wait for well over a decade before the fraternity political machines would begin to show signs of weakening. (22)

The interfraternity athletic program at Rensselaer is named the Barker Race after Rensselaer trustee Tillinghurst Barker who donated the trophy in 1925 to be given to the winner of the annual athletic competition. The first fraternity to win three annual competitions retains permanent possession of the trophy, and the competition for a new trophy begins. Athletic prowess has always been a part of the prestige of the fraternity man, and the possession of the Barker Trophy as well as the number of athletes in the fraternity (these two items often go hand in hand of course) is the ultimate expression of the athletic prowess at Rensselaer. ΛXA started building an athletic tradition in the late 1940s that would continue for 20 years. The fraternity went to the softball playoffs in October 1946, the football and horseshoe playoffs in October 1947, won the volleyball championship in November 1947, and went to the playoffs in handball in March 1948 and March 1949. In all these years, ΛXA was a strong contender to win the Barker Trophy but usually placed third. Curiously, the only varsity athlete in the house during this period was Dave Krashes, a varsity football center. (23)

Social affairs at Rensselaer revolved around the three big Rensselaer dance weekends (the Sophomore Soiree, Junior Prom, and the Interfraternity Ball) and the fraternity parties during the semester. The festivities for these dances usually extended over an entire weekend and included pre- and post-dance fraternity parties and activities. The fraternities set up booths during the big weekends and competed for best decorated or most beautiful booth awards. ΛXA was well represented at these events, and the date of one of the members was chosen Interfraternity Ball Queen in 1946. The ΛXA parties of this time were very well attended and had such themes as “French Cabaret” and “Screwball.” (24)

The annual Grand Marshal Parade Float contest deserves special mention. Spring 1947 saw the start of the a dynasty with ΛXA winning first place for its entry. The float was built around the theme “What a difference a Year Makes;” it consisted of the Iwo Jima flag raising at the front of the float and football players at the rear. This design was taken from an ΛXA National magazine two days before the contest and practically built on the way to the parade. In 1948, the fraternity won again with a design built around comic strip characters. ΛXA took permanent possession of the Colby Trophy, a miniature silver beer keg, when it was won again with the theme “Courageous Carl the Human Cannonball,” a dummy blown out of a cannon. An ΛXA mechanized man won in 1950, but the fraternity stopped in 1951 in its attempt to win five consecutive years. (25)

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Becoming the Best: 1950 to 1954

During the early 1950s, ΛXA built itself into one of the most influential fraternities of the 28 fraternities on campus. Fraternity operations were strong in all areas; the brotherhood was spirited and involved. The national fraternity gave Epsilon-Eta Zeta a Class 1 rating in 1954 to signify that it was a strong chapter without any major problems. (26)

The early 1950s witnessed an influx of both athletes and “Big Men on Campus” into the chapter. For a time during the late 1940s, Dave Krashes was the only member playing on a Rensselaer varsity sports team. By 1954, members were important players on most of the Rensselaer teams. Bill Payne on the 1950 hockey team, Bill Northrop and Rich Schoenhart on the 1950 lacrosse team, Fran Paradise and Jim Shildneck on the 1954 NCAA Championship hockey team, and Don Beard co-captain of the 1952 football team are just some of the prominent examples. Concurrently with this, the house truly excelled in interfraternity sports. A strong contender to win in the late 1940s, ΛXA won the Barker Race in the 1951-1952 school year. The fraternity started a dynasty by winning the football championships from Fall 1951 to Fall 1953, finally being defeated by Delta Tau Delta in the Fall 1954 playoffs after 34 consecutive wins. (27)

Along with the athletes came the “Big Men on Campus”; they were very often the same thing at Rensselaer and elsewhere. Bill Payne as the Alliance Party candidate became Grand Marshal in Spring 1951. Rich Schoenhart became President of the Union in Spring 1952. Also that year, Jim Shildneck became Junior Class Vice-President, Fran Paradise became a Junior Class Representative, and Don Beard a Senior Class Representative. In Spring 1953, Paradise was elected Senior Class President, Shildneck the Senior Class Secretary, Sly Roucco and John Dugan became Senior Class Representatives, and Lou DuBois the Sophomore Class President. Dugan became IFC President at this time also. Among the dozen tapped each year into the senior honorary, Phalanx, were Payne, Paradise, Shildneck, and Sal Adams. Adams, DuBois, and Norris Olsen were also each tapped for the Junior honorary, White Key. (28)

ΛXA still maintained a strong academic tradition during the early 1950s. ΛXA was ranked first among the fraternities scholastically for 1950-1951, third for 1951-1952, #13 (still above the all-students average) in 1952-1953, and ninth for 1953-1954. In 1953, the chapter received one of only four awards for scholastic merit given by the national fraternity that year. The importance placed on good grades has always been accepted by Rensselaer students and the coupling of this with the prestige of the fraternity’s athletics and campus leaders led to several years of good recruitment. (29)

The membership quickly outgrew the physical house, and a 3-year renovation program was instituted in 1952. By November 1955, the chapter was large enough to plan for a large addition to be added to the house. The $57,000, 32 bed addition was finished and occupied by October 1956. The design of this addition was dictated to a degree by the bank that financed the mortgage; the addition was made in such a way that it could be easily converted into offices if the fraternity defaulted on the mortgage. (30)

ΛXA was also conscious of its responsibilities to the surrounding community during these years. In March of 1953, over 50 brothers turned out to help paint the interior of Vanderhayden Hall, a Troy orphanage. ΛXA had for many years sponsored annual Christmas parties, complete with dinners and gifts, for local orphans. Another 50 brothers volunteered to help paint St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Remertown in October 1953. This project was supervised by an alumnus, Larry Ward, who was High Pi for a great many years. (31)

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Campus Politics & the Issue of Hazing at Rensselaer: 1954 to 1965

By 1954, the fraternity was arguably the top fraternity on campus, and much of its efforts in the next decade centered on keeping its prestigious campus image. This year also marked the start of the fraternity’s decline in academics to a position consistently below both the all-fraternity and all-school averages. ΛXA would remain very influential in the areas of athletics and campus politics during these years. ΛXA social events were large and popular. Recruitment continued to be good for the next several years with the chapter’s size typically around 65 men. (32)

The arena of campus politics drew the efforts of the fraternities at Rensselaer every Spring. The elections were obvious competitions for campus prestige that the fraternities could not overlook. Having a member of one’s fraternity seen as a man who can accomplish things on campus helps insure that the fraternity’s image on campus is good. For the next decade, ΛXA’s successes in this competition supported the fraternity’s image as a top house on campus even though the chapter’s operations were declining in other areas.

The two fraternity political parties, the Alliance and the Combine, had controlled the campus political scene for the past five years. The independents were effectively excluded from participation, but the situation was fairly stable. This began to change in March 1954 when two fraternities quit the Alliance because they felt that it cost the small fraternities too much to support the candidates from the other, larger fraternities. On March 23, the system disintegrated when ΛXA, Pi Kappa Alpha (ΠKA), and the Rensselaer Society for Engineers (RSE) walked out of the Alliance caucus. ΛXA delegates were dissatisfied with the previous night’s selection of Grand Marshal and President of the Union candidates and believed that political deals were being made without their knowledge. ΛXA contacted the other four fraternities and arrangements were made to form a third party, subsequently called the Coalition. Frantic shuffling occurred the night of March 23 with many fraternities sending representatives to the meetings of all three parties to determine which offered the best position. Two attempts at mergers between the Alliance and Combine parties were tried but failed. In the end, the Coalition stood at six members, the Alliance lost four houses and picked up only one from the Combine, and the Combine lost two more to the new party. Sly Roucco, ΛXA, was elected President of the Coalition. The election had the largest voter turnout in the school’s history up to that time and resulted in the Combine Party taking both Grand Marshal and President of the Union, but the Coalition took 16 out of the remaining 28 student government positions. Lou DuBois, ΛXA, became President of the Junior Class. (33)

In December 1954, a merger was arranged between the Alliance and Combine Parties which resulted in 14 fraternities joining the new Federation Party. The reason for the formation of the new party was a realization that the three party system was not working. March 1955 saw the 14 Federation fraternities opposed by the eight Coalition members with six fraternities independent. The Coalition candidate for President of the Union that year, Remo D’Ortenzio of ΛXA, won. Both parties assessed each member fraternity $10 annual dues and raised additional campaign funds by sponsoring raffles and gambling parties. (34)

The student government elections for the next few years were uneventful, but a new twist was added in Spring 1959. Editorials and political commentary columns in a the Polytechnic began to picture the student council as useless, primarily because of the influence of the political parties and the general lack of spirit on campus. It was pointed out how the big five fraternities of each party controlled who was nominated. The last eight Grand Marshal and President of the Union candidates came from one of the “Big Five;” ΛXA was listed first among the five and was apparently the main force behind its party’s campaigning. Indeed the influential fraternities were again accused of using the parties to establish favorable recruitment positions. The election of Spring 1959 produced a landslide Coalition victory: 26 of 30 elected positions. Both the Junior and Sophomore Class Presidents were members of ΛXA. (35)

The Spring 1960 election season witnessed ΛXA in a good position with Greg Crozier, former president of the architectural firm that designed the Rensselaer Alumni House, as the Coalition candidate for Grand Marshal. The Coalition was faced with several problems at this point: the very successful campaign of the previous year had seriously drained its financial resources and member fraternities ΠKA and Theta Chi (ΘX) were not happy with the way the party was being run; ΠKA and ΛXA were big recruitment rivals. Finally in March, another political party split occurred when 15 houses left the Coalition and Federation to form the Progressive Party; the remains of the Federation merged with the Coalition. The primary reason for the split in the Coalition seems to have been the dissatisfaction that many of the members had with ΛXA and ΠKA running the show. The big fraternities attempted to appease the smaller houses by making some concessions on the party ticket. The campaign was one of the dirtiest in many years with mudslinging and name calling a common practice. A heavy voter turnout elected Crozier to Grand Marshal, but the Progressive party won 20 of the 30 class officer positions. (36)

The Spring 1961 election lacked political turmoil. Coalition Grand Marshal candidate Joe DiStefano of ΛXA, currently a Rensselaer Trustee, lost by seven votes, and the party only managed to elect six candidates. The Spring 1962 election saw another split of the parties with ΛXA going over to the new United Party. The ease with which the fraternities moved from party to party necessitated ΛXA’s presenting a $100 check to the United Party to ensure its loyalty. (37)

By Spring 1963, the parties appeared to lose all semblance of stability. March 1963 witnessed ΛXA joining Phi Sigma Delta to form the Liberal Party characterized as a “strong large fraternity complex.” The dissatisfaction of the smaller houses was evident from the statements of both party presidents which pushed the involvement of those fraternities. This election also saw the running of some unaffiliated candidates under the newly formed Independent Party. The pressure that year of an organized party of independents threatened to break the hold of the fraternities on campus politics; in the coming years, it did help to loosen fraternity domination of campus elections. The Liberal Party candidate for Grand Marshal, Gary Gulden of ΛXA, lost by under 100 votes. (38)

The now traditional pre-election week realignments occurred again in Spring 1964 with ΛXA supporting the Coalition Party. Dan Rowell of ΛXA, the Coalition candidate for President of the Union, won the election. He would be the last member of ΛXA to win one of the two top student government spots. ΛXA was well placed that year as member Mark Von Woltke was elected IFC President. In the coming years, ΛXA would be influential enough to place members on the ticket for positions but not powerful enough to ensure their election (Bill Dugan ran for President of the Union in Spring 1965 under the United Party and Jeff Roloff ran for President of the Union in Spring 1966 under the United Action Party; they both lost). By this time, ΛXA was experiencing many troubles. (39)

The issue of fraternity hazing on campus began to be addressed more frequently as the 1950s wore on, and public opinion became progressively more critical on the issue. By the early 1960s, it was an issue that fraternities, on both the local and national levels, could not ignore. A pre-World War Two, fictitious “Hell Week” diary article published in the Polytechnic reveals that some of the practices that were probably common at the time; shocks with spark coils, eating raw eggs, painful paddlings, and being dumped many miles outside of Troy were featured. The National Interfraternity Conference in December 1944 officially recommended that its constituency work to outlaw hazing. It took many years for the fraternities at Rensselaer to attempt to deal with the problem. (40)

Many references are made to “rough” initiation at ΛXA in the years after World War Two. In Spring 1950, the IFC and the administration planned for all fraternities to have Hell Week in a single period; the faculty agreed to be less stringent during this period so that the pledges would not fall too far behind. Mention appears in the Polytechnic that year of ΛXA pledges being sent to chapters at other schools and being dumped 30 miles outside of Troy. An ΛXA pledge in 1953 was required tow ear a Scottish uniform that included burlap undershorts, green hats, socks, and kilt during Hell Week. (41)

The death of an M.I.T. fraternity pledge during a “pledge ride” (the dumping of a pledge several miles away from the campus to find his own way back) in February 1956 intensified the national anti-fraternity feeling and began to change some attitudes on the subject of hazing. The Rensselaer IFC banned pledge rides, than a common practice at Rensselaer, as a result and required that all Hell Weeks be held during Grand Marshal Week. Complaints by Troy neighbors in 1957 caused the administration to go to the IFC and get them to attempt to govern the “private” side of the fraternities; the attempt was not successful in its own right, but it set a precedent. By April 1959, the IFC had a set of rules governing Hell Week activity that required that the pledges receive a minimum amount of sleep and study time, but would not nor could not effectively enforce these rules. The major problem appeared to be with a small number of fraternities, but the people of Troy were actively complaining about the antics in their neighborhoods. (42)

In Fall 1959, the Grand Marshal and administration eliminated the traditional institutional hazing of the freshman class. Freshman beanies, sophomore-freshman rushes, and requiring the freshman to sing songs on demand, traditions that were established many years before, were eliminated. It was realized that the freshmen were not interested. Also at this time, the Polytechnic editorial board started to address the Hell Week situation and began a campaign to insure that the IFC enforced the rules which it had set up. The issue of whether the fraternities were able to govern themselves was tied into the Hell Week issue. The IFC, under pressure form the administration, answered by voting a new set of rules; but enforcement procedures were lacking, and the IFC President admitted that the IFC could only catch a small number of violations. The lack of enforcement politics in the areas of both recruitment and Hell Week rules and the general ineffectiveness of the IFC caused a strong criticism to be leveled against it by Sigma Alpha Epsilon and ΛXA in November 1959. (43)

A Polytechnic columnist compiled and printed a list of hazing practices of each fraternity on campus in Spring 1960. ΛXA is mentioned as having required the pledges to carry a load of bricks around campus, but says that this practice was voted out that semester. Other activities on the Rensselaer campus included branding, calisthenics, paddling, and pledge trips. The Hell Week issue waned in importance after this point, but hazing appears to have continued in private. The faculty in Spring 1965 and the athletic coaches in Spring 1967 publicly complained about exhausted pledges. By the end of the 1960s, pressure from local and national sources proved unable to eliminate fraternity hazing at Rensselaer but did manage to diminish the excesses and make it less public. (44)

The fraternity continued to excel in the IFC athletic events. This was a major source of the fraternity’s prestige in these years. The Barker race was won by ΛXA in the 1955-1956 season and again in 1956-1957; these wins when added to the 1951-1952 win granted the fraternity permanent possession of what was the sixth Barker Trophy. A strong contender in all subsequent years, ΛXA won in 1960-1961, 1961-1962, and 1964-1965. (45)

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The Last Years of the First Charter: 1963 to 1972

By the middle of the 1960s, the fraternity was starting to experience some problems. The Class 1 rating from the National fraternity in 1954 has slipped to Class 3 by 1965. This indicated that the chapter was experiencing several major problems or deficiencies in its operations. Some of these problems related to internal difficulties and others to the outside world. The trend was downward from this time on and would turn to disaster by the turn of the decade.

Membership before recruitment during 1962-1963 and 1963-1964 was 39 and 48 men, respectively. This compares to the house capacity of 48 men. By Spring 1965, financial troubles were apparent with the fraternity owing the national fraternity a significant amount of money and the chapter on an austerity budget. A major aspect of the fraternity’s financial difficulties was that the chapter house was not filled to capacity thus making it difficult to meet the mortgage payments. Part of the occupancy problem was caused by the refusal of several seniors to live in the house. This problem reoccurred during most of the following years. (46)

The situation of the fraternity had seriously deteriorated by Fall 1968. Finances were marginal. The chapter’s membership was well below the house capacity and the physical house was in very poor condition. By Spring 1969, the house had a Class 4 rating from the National fraternity, the second lowest possible. The fraternity still held a fairly respectable campus position, but scholarship, discipline, and recruitment were all weak. The chapter was in the process of trying to sell the house and relocate to a smaller house by Spring 1970. Finances were tight, and the quality of chapter operations was poor. The primary focus of the house appears to have been on athletics. (47)

The chapter was on its last legs by Spring 1971. The last ditch efforts of the alumni and representatives of the national fraternity that Spring to save the chapter by restructuring it and expelling the substandard members was not effective. The physical condition of the house was deplorable and selling it was not easy. On September 29, 1971, the few remaining dedicated undergraduates and the Alumni Organization Board of Directors accepted the reversion from full chapter status to colony status. The undergraduates were charged with rebuilding the fraternity back to full chapter status. The house was sold in October 1971 for half of what it was valued at two years before; this was due primarily to the property damage done by both outsiders and the membership. The remaining undergraduates were unable to rebuild the chapter that Fall, and the chapter ended one phase of its history. (48)

The basic problem with the fraternity during these years seems to have been a fundamental change in attitude away from group loyalty and cohesiveness and towards a sense of complete individualism. Since a fraternity is a voluntary association, it requires the dedicated efforts of individual members to keep it functioning. In the last years, many members apparently did not see the need for their active participation and support; and fraternity operations, as well as group activities in general suffered and finally ceased. One of the first indications of this new attitude could be witnessed in the refusal of the seniors to live in the house. The loss of the senior’s experience and the financial hardships caused by not filling the house to capacity drained the resources of the fraternity and hobbled any efforts to improve. It also became difficult to enforce discipline in the chapter because every member was needed to financially support the fraternity; a person’s rent could not be ignored despite his attitude problems. A drug problem grew in the lack of discipline as did a general disregard for the rights of others. In the end, the fraternity became for many of its members just a rooming house. This attitude caused the physical structure of the house to deteriorate, and the fraternity to die. (49)

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The Second Charter: 1972 to 1989

The early 1970s marked a change on the campuses of America. The student rebellions of the 1960s ceased, and students returned to their studies. The economy started to slow down, and the pressure to get good grades increased. The fraternities were deeply affected by the turmoil of the 1960s and were beginning to reexamine some of their practices to adjust to the new climate. (50)

The National fraternity and the alumni of Epsilon-Eta Zeta still believed that ΛXA belonged on the Rensselaer campus. A letter was sent to all unaffiliated freshmen in Spring 1972 to see if there was any interest in forming a new colony of ΛXA on campus. The rebuilding campaign got off to a rocky start as the mailing list provided to ΛXA National by Rensselaer contained the names of all freshman and not just unaffiliated ones. This resulted in some men who were already fraternity pledges receiving a letter which urged them to join ΛXA. The IFC responded to this perceived violation of its recruitment rules by fining ΛXA National $1000 as a form of bail bond. ΛXA would get this money back if it established a chapter at Rensselaer within five years, sent apology letters to all members of other fraternities who received the letter, petitioned the IFC for recognition of the ΛXA colony, and submit lists to the IFC of all men attending ΛXA functions on the Rensselaer campus. ΛXA National was not notified of the charges before the trial and was not even informed that a trial was occurring. The judgment reached ΛXA National Headquarters six weeks after the trial. ΛXA National responded to the judgment in a strongly worded letter from Executive Director George Spasyk which pointed out the unfairness of the decision and ridiculous manner in which it was conceived. The decision was soon reversed when ΛXA National’s Director of Development Gerald Rodinshky personally met with the IFC Judicial Board on May 19, 1972. (51)

The seven men who responded to the ΛXA letter were Randolph Heinzl, William Bock, Russell Bryant, James Cahill, David Champion, Henry Pietras, and Robert Wechsler. The colony was officially formed on May 21, 1972 when these seven men were initiated into ΛXA by the brothers from Iota-Iota Zeta at McGill University. This small group now started to work towards meeting the requirements of full chapter status. New members were recruited, and social and charity events were staged. The house at 137 Hoosick Street was purchased in November 1973. The colony fulfilled all of the requirements of an active chapter and was officially rechartered on May 3, 1975. The new charter was presented to the chapter by Grand High Tau Duane Doty. (52)

The fraternity that grew from the colony was very different from the fraternity that had existed before. The complete break from the past allowed certain traditions and practices to die. The hazing of incoming members had been standard practice in fraternities for many years, but it had become a severe liability to the fraternity system during the 1950s and 1960s. The ΛXA National fraternity responded to these pressures in 1970 by moving to abolish hazing within its chapters. An Associate Member program was implemented to supersede pledgeship, and the Associate Member was granted all of the rights of the full member. This program allows an incoming member to learn what it means to be a member by being a member. The Rensselaer colony adopted this program wholeheartedly and was the first fraternity at Rensselaer to eliminate all forms of hazing from its programming. (53)

Another change from the past that reflects the time that the fraternity was reestablished is the stress that was placed on academics. The founders of the colony were students of the 1970s and realized that grades were important if they were to succeed in the business world. The importance of balancing academics and social activity was very much on the minds of the members of ΛXA. (54)

The small size of the fraternity and its generally more progressive attitude labeled it as a “little” house on campus. Problems developed in Fall 1975 concerning ΛXA and its location on the Rensselaer Hockey Line. The Hockey Line is one of Rensselaer’s newest traditions and involves groups of students camping out on the Student Union patio for several days or weeks in order to get season hockey tickets. The avid hockey fans in the fraternity started the line eight days before the tickets went on sale in 1976. One night soon afterwards, they were attacked with fire extinguishers by men suspected to be members of another fraternity. Further harassment occurred several days later by motorcyclists believed to be members of another fraternity. Other similar incidents involving ΛXA and a few other fraternities led to many years of rivalry and dislike. (55)

The late 1970s and early 1980s saw the new organization growing. The small size of the physical structure served to limit the size of the fraternity to a maximum of a bout 40 members. In 1980, plans to purchase an adjoining structure collapsed; these plans had included a pledge from Rensselaer to assist the fraternity in finding a housing loan. The mortgage on 137 Hoosick Street was paid off on November 21, 1983, and the House Corporation once again began to examine the various housing options. Unfortunately, the attitude within Troy during the middle 1980s regarding the desirability of fraternity houses in its neighborhoods has caused the failure of every attempt by a fraternity to purchase new quarters. The Institute, realizing the importance of the fraternity system to Rensselaer, has been exploring ways that it can assist the fraternities in finding newer quarters. This plan, has come to fruition with Rensselaer’s unprecedented help in building the new chapter house at 1 Sunset Terrace, the current residence of Epsilon-Eta Zeta. (56)

The year 1982 witnessed the first member of the new charter to run for election to one of the two top student government spots. Joe Salo, then ΛXA Vice-President, a Student Senator, and the recently elected IFC President, ran for the position of Grand Marshall. After winning the primary, he narrowly lost the final election. (57)

Over forty years of service to the fraternity came to an end in 1982 when Jay Hawthrone left the House Corporation Board of Directors. Hawthrone was the House Corporation Treasurer during his years on the Board and closely monitored the finances of the chapter on a monthly basis for many years. Among his many contributions to the fraternity is a history of the fraternity from its beginning to the Second World War. In 1954, he received the Order of Merit from the National fraternity for outstanding service to the chapter; he is the only brother of Epsilon-Eta to have received this prestigious honor. (58)

The 1984-1985 school year saw the initiation of 16 new brothers into ΛXA. The recruitment efforts of the several preceding years had not been very successful, and this large influx of new members would sustain the fraternity through the next several years of poor recruitment. Also that year, Epsilon-Eta alumnus Moe Cevallos delivered the keynote address at the annual Alumni Dinner. Cevallos was elected at the 1984 ΛXA General Assembly to serve on the Grand High Zeta as the Grand High Tau. He was reelected in 1988 to a second four-year term as Grand High Tau.

The next several years witnessed a serious decline in membership, but were also several successes. In the Spring of 1986, Scott Sandler was elected IFC Rush Vice-President and attempted to implement several innovative recruitment rules on campus. Academic Excellence Awards were presented by ΛXA International to Epsilon-Eta for the years 1987 and 1988. In April 1988, Epsilon-Eta held its first Leadership Conclave since the new charter. The Conclave attracted over 50 brothers from around the Northeast and was a great success.

At this time, three years of poor recruitments caused ΛXA to start the 1988-1989 school year with only 12 Active, 2 Associate, and 2 Alumni members on campus. Through the concentrated efforts of these members, recruitment was successful. The largest single initiation in almost twenty years was held on January 28, 1989 when 18 new brothers entered the bond of Lambda Chi Alpha. Over 25 Epsilon-Eta alumni and 8 active brothers from Iota-Iota Zeta at McGill University assisted in making this Ritual a complete success.

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Epslion-Eta Chapter History: 1990 to 1999

What the future holds for Epsilon-Eta Zeta can only be guessed at. The history of the chapter demonstrates that the only constant is change. The chapter must prepare to change and adapt in order to survive the challenges of the future. It can be seen how the Depression of the 1930s, World War II during the 1940s, the issues of hazing and discrimination in the 1950s and 1960s, and the emphasis on individualism in the 1960s and 1970s profoundly affected the American fraternity system.

By quickly and effectively dealing with all challenges that arise, Epsilon-Eta Zeta will continue its tradition of being a unique and special organization. As long as one brother is there to help another brother, the purpose of the fraternity will be fulfilled.

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Footnotes

1. Palmer C. Ricketts: The History of Rensselaer (New York: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, 1934), p. 177.
2. Jay W. Hawthorne: “The History of Epsilon-Eta Zeta of Lambda Chi Alpha” (Unpublished, 1941), p. 1; The Rensselaer Polytechnic (Sept. 29, 1927), p.3. The first item covers the history of the fraternity from 1928 to 1940, the second item is the Rensselaer student newspaper.
3. Hawthrone: “The History of Epsilon-Eta Zeta…”, p.1; Albert Palmer: Letter to EHZ Actives (October 11, 1978), p.1.
4. Hawthrone: “The History of Epsilon-Eta Zeta…”, pp.2-2; John Robson, ed:Baird’s Manual of American College Fraternities, 19th Edition (Menasha, WI: Baird’s Manual Foundation, 1977), p. 783.
5. Quote from Polytechnic (Feb. 25, 1932), p.6; Polytechnic (Dec. 1, 1932), p.1.
6. Hawthrone: “The History of Epsilon-Eta Zeta…”, pp.3-4.
7. Robson: Baird’s Manual…, p. 783.
8. Jay Hawthorne: taped conversation with James Gartland and Walter Gibbs. Hawthrone was the Alumni Organization Treasurer for 40 years.
9. Charles S. Peyser: “Duke Flad, Interfraternity Relations, and Membership Selection,” Cross and Crescent (Spring 1985), pp.25-27; Jay Hawthorne: taped conversation; “The selectivity clause,” Polytechnic (March 1953), p.2. The Cross and Crescent is the magazine of the ΛXA International Fraternity.
10. Hawthrone: “The History of Epsilon-Eta Zeta…”, pp.4-5.
11. Polytechnic (Sept. 15, 1938), p.1; Polytechnic (Oct. 3, 1939), p.1; Polytechnic (April 16, 1940), p.1; Polytechnic (Sept. 10, 1940), p.4; Polytechnic (February 6, 1941), p.1; Polytechnic (May 13, 1937); Polytechnic (Feb. 24, 1938), p.4; Polytechnic (Oct. 24, 1939); Polytechnic (Feb. 27, 1940), p.4.
12. Hawthrone: “The History of Epsilon-Eta Zeta…”, p.11.
13. Hawthrone: “The History of Epsilon-Eta Zeta…”, p.12.
14. Kenneth White: “History of ΛXA 1940-41″ (Unpublished, 1941), pp.1-2. This is the report that Epsilon-Eta’s alumni advisor made to the National fraternity that year.
15. “RPI will Graduate Present ’43 Class in Dec, ’42″, Polytechnic (Mar. 10, 1942), p.1,4; “Rensselaer Breaks Long Standing Tradition,” Polytechnic (Sept. 15, 1942), p. 1,4; “Dr. Baker announces Schedule Revision,” Polytechnic (Sept. 29, 1942), p.1; “New Frosh Class will be admitted to RPI in January,” Polytechnic (Oct. 13, 1942), p.1; “Navy sends 600 to Rensselaer,” Polytechnic (Nov. 17, 1942), p.1,4;Polytechnic (Dec. 8, 1942), p.2; “Curtis-Wright sends women to Institute,” Polytechnic (Dec. 8, 1942), p.1,3; Polytechnic (May 25, 1943), p.1.
16. Polytechnic (Mar. 24, 1942), p.2; Polytechnic (Apr. 21, 1942), p.1.
17. “W.L. Houston’s Letter to Fraternities Announces Status of RPI Students,” Polytechnic (May 11, 1943), p.1; Polytechnic (Jan. 25, 1944), p.2; quote from Polytechnic (Mar. 13, 1945), p.1.
18. Polytechnic (Dec. 14, 1943), p.3; Polytechnic (May 20, 1944), p.17; Polytechnic (July 25, 1944), p.2.
19. “3400 Attend Classes; Set Record Enrollment,” Polytechnic (Oct. 1, 1946), p.1,6; “November Freshmen to Have Difficulty Locating Accommodations Next Term,” Polytechnic (Oct. 9, 1945), p.1; Polytechnic (Jan. 8, 1946), p.1; Polytechnic (Mar. 8, 1961), p.3.
20. David Krashes: letter to Walter Gibbs (August 31, 1988), the quote is from here; Hawthrone: taped conversation. Krashes is an alumnus from the Class of ’49.
21. “Politicial Parties-Past and Present,” Polytechnic (Apr. 10, 1963), p.3,13; Polytechnic (May 11, 1946), pp.12-13.
22. Polytechnic (Oct. 9, 1946), p.2; Polytechnic (Oct. 29, 1947), p.2; Polytechnic (Nov. 26, 1947), p.2; Polytechnic (Mar. 17, 1948), p.7; Polytechnic (Mar. 17, 1948), p.7; Krashes: letter.
23. Polytechnic (Nov. 20, 1946), p.3; Polytechnic (Mar. 10, 1948), p.2.
24. Krashes: letter: Polytechnic (Apr. 26, 1950), p.1; Polytechnic (May 5, 1948), p.1.
25. Albert Bibb: phone conversation with Walter Gibbs; The Commentator (May 1, 1954), p.4. Bibb is an alumnus of the Class of ’53. The Commentator is the name of one of the chapter’s newsletters.
26. Polytechnic (Feb. 15, 1950), p.2; Polytechnic (Apr. 26, 1950), p.10; Polytechnic (May 3, 1950), p.2; Polytechnic (Mar. 10, 1954), p.4; Polytechnic (Oct. 15, 1952), p.4; Polytechnic (Oct. 22, 1952), p.6; Polytechnic (Oct. 27, 1954), p.4.
27. Polytechnic (Apr. 18, 1951), p.1; Polytechnic (Apr. 9, 1952), p.1,6; Polytechnic (Apr. 22, 1953), p.1,4.
28. Polytechnic (Sept. 26, 1951), p.1; Polytechnic (Sept. 24, 1952), p.4; Polytechnic (Sept. 30, 1953), p.4; Polytechnic (Sept. 22, 1954), p.4; Polytechnic (Nov. 23, 1955), p.4; Polytechnic (Sept. 23, 1953), p.4.
29. Polytechnic (Nov. 23, 1955), p.4; Polytechnic (Oct. 17, 1956), p.1; Hawthorne; taped conversation.
30. Polytechnic (Mar. 18, 1953), p.4; Polytechnic (Dec. 15, 1948), p.2, Polytechnic (Dec. 17, 1952), p.4; Polytechnic (Dec. 16, 1953), p.1; Polytechnic (Oct. 28, 1953), p.4.
31. Polytechnic (Sept. 19, 1956), p.4.
32. “Two Fraternity Houses Quit Alliance Party,” Polytechnic (Mar. 10, 1954), p.3; “Three Parties Nominate,” Polytechnic (Mar. 24, 1954), p.1,5; The Commentator (May 1, 1954), p.2; “Podium of Politics,” Polytechnic (Mar. 23, 1955), p.2; Polytechnic (Apr. 14, 1954), p.1.
33. “Alliance, Combine Form Joint Party,” Polytechnic (Jan. 12, 1955), p.1; “RPI Student Politics,” Polytechnic (Nov. 23, 1955), p.3.
34. “Campus Caucus,” Polytechnic (Feb. 17, 1960), p.2; Polytechnic (Mar. 23, 1960), p.1; “Political Parties,” Polytechnic (Apr. 10, 1963), p.3,13; Polytechnic (Apr. 6, 1960), p.1.
35. Polytechnic (Apr. 19, 1961), p.1; Polytechnic (Apr. 10, 1961), p.1; “Pansophia,” Polytechnic (Mar. 14, 1962), p.1,2.
36. “Fraternities Organize New Political Parties,” Polytechnic (Mar. 6, 1963), p.1,10; “Undercurrents,” Polytechnic (Mar. 6, 1963), p.2, 8; “New Party, Old Song,”, Polytechnic (Apr. 10, 1963), p.1; Polytechnic (Apr. 24, 1963), p.1.
37. Polytechnic (Apr. 22, 1964), p.1; Polytechnic (Sept. 30, 1964), p.1; Polytechnic (Apr. 28, 1965), p.1; Polytechnic (May 4, 1966), p.1.
38. “Hell Week Diary,” Polytechnic (Mar. 8, 1940), p.4; Polytechnic (Sept. 19, 1944), p.1.
39. Polytechnic (Apr. 7, 1948), p.2; “Greek Week,” Polytechnic (Mar. 29, 1950), p.2; Polytechnic (Apr. 5, 1950), p.2; “Long-Memorable Hell Week Now Over For Many Frosh,” Polytechnic (Apr. 1, 1953), p.8.
40. Polytechnic (Feb. 22, 1956), p.2; Polytechnic (Feb. 29, 1956), p.1; “Campus Caucus,” Polytechnic (Oct. 28, 1959), p.2,5.
41. “GM Explains Changes,” Polytechnic (Sept. 12, 1959), p.1; “Enforcement or Else,” Polytechnic (Oct. 7, 1959), p.2; “Council Vote Passes Rules on Hell Week,” Polytechnic (Oct. 14, 1959), p.1; Polytechnic (Nov. 11, 1959), p.1.
42. “Campus Caucus,” Polytechnic (Mar. 9, 1960), p.2,6; Polytechnic (Apr. 14, 1965), p.6; Polytechnic (Apr. 12, 1967), p.11.
43. Polytechnic (Oct. 31, 1956), p.5; Polytechnic (Sept. 18, 1957), p.7; Polytechnic (Nov. 1, 1961), p.1; Polytechnic (Sept. 26, 1962), p.8; Polytechnic (Oct. 21, 1964), p.11; Polytechnic (Sept. 26, 1965), p.11.
44. Rensselaer Alumni IFC: Questionnaire of Fraternity organization and finances (Sept. 1964), p.4; Jay Hawthorne: letter to ΛXA National (Apr. 20, 1965), p.2; The Inescution (Mar. 4, 1965), p.4. The Inescution was a newsletter sent by the ΛXA National fraternity to alumni.
45. George Spasyk: letter to Jay Hawthorne (Oct. 12, 1971), p.1; Jay Hawthorne: letter to Edward Smith Rensselaer Alumni IFC (Oct. 19, 1971), p.1. Spasyk was an administrator at the National fraternity Headquarters.
46. William Northrup: letter to Epsilon-Eta Zeta Alumni (circa December 1971), p.1; Hawthrone: letter Smith, p.1.
47. Hawthorne: letter to Smith, pp.1-4.
48. Horowitz: Campus Life, pp.245-246.
49. Gerald W. Rodinsky: letter to Rensselaer Freshman (circa February 1972), p.1; Gerald W. Rodinsky: letter to Carl A Westerdahl (March 16, 1972), pp.1-2; Chris Serocke: memo to ΛXA International (March 23, 1972), pp.1-2; George W. Spasyk: letter to Kenneth R. Hoffman (May 11, 1972), pp.1-3; Rensselaer IFC Minutes (May 25, 1972). Rodinsky was the ΛXA International Director of Development, Westerdahl was a Rensselaer Assistant Dean of Students, Serocke was the Chairman of the IFC Judicial Board, and Hoffman was the IFC President.
50. The Lamplighter (January 1973), p.1; Union National Bank: Mortgage Bond (Nov. 13, 1973); Polytechnic (May 8, 1975), p.2; Cross and Crescent (Sept. 1975), pp.28-29. The Lamplighter is a chapter newsletter started after the recolonization.
51. Charles S. Pelser: “Programming for the Centennial,” Cross and Crescent (Fall 1985), pp.23-25.
52. Jesse Eichenlaub: conversation with Walter Gibbs. Eichenlaub is an alumnus of the Class of ’78.
53. Polytechnic (Oct. 23, 1975), p.2; John Szczesniak: conversation with Walter Gibbs (May 18, 1989). Szczesniak is an alumnus of the Class of 1975.
54. Union National Bank: Discharge of Mortgage (November 21, 1983); Polytechnic (Apr. 2, 1980), p.4; Polytechnic (Feb. 25, 1987), p.1.
55. Polytechnic (Dec. 16, 1981), p.1; Polytechnic (Mar. 31, 1982), p.1; Polytechnic (Apr. 28, 1982), p.1.
56. ΛXA House Corporation Meeting Minutes (Dec. 4, 1982), p.1; Polytechnic (Mar. 30, 1955), p.4.