THE ALPHA PHIJI NEWS Alpha Phi Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta ANN ARBOR, MICH., APRIL, 1955 PIG DINNER TIME by Dave Smith It's Pig Dinner time at Fiji land'. The end of this month, April 30, has been set as the date of this year's banquet, to be held at the Allenel Hotel in downtown Ann Arbor. Preparations are underway to make this Pig Dinner rank with the best given by Alpha Phi Chapter. Toast- master this year will be George Qua, '52 LSA, now an Army Second Lieu tenant stationed in Massachuesetts. At the time of printing our top candi date for main speaker could not as sure us he would be available, so we regret to say we cannot give advance notices on him. Although the dinner itself is Satur day night, the chapter hopes to see many alums back Friday night, and will make room in old '707' for all present. You'll find more time for a "bull session" with old friends if you come Friday evening and enjoy the "off-season" advantages before the Saturday rush. Saturday morning is a good time to look over the additions to the physical plant around the chapter and the Uni versity. Just in case you missed last year's dinner, you'll be surprised at the size of the chapter house living room and dining hall since the com pletion of the main-floor addition in the fall of '53. Both new North Campus across the Huron, where work on many Phoenix projects will be carried out. Pledges.. .left to right, Tom Toft, "Tom Kngle, Larry Houghton; (seated) Gene Honeyman, George Sherman, and John McFatridg^ Ufhi'fo Ctorc ffllllw vldlw .y ve Prey After taking a large fall pledge class. Alpha Phi has added a compact spring rushing group of six pledges: Ann Arborite THOMAS FRANK, ENGLE is a second semester freshman in Engineering School. While attending Ann Arbor High, Tom showed a diversity of interests and activities, including being on the student council, President's committee, and the distinction of acting as principal on student's day. Tom's major hobbies are riflery, boating, and water skiing. graduation from Alma High, where he was particularly active in athletics, Larry earned a total of seven letters in football, basketbaU, and baseball. He was captain of the basketball team, aHi-Y Club member,and Class VicePresident in his senior year, JOHN J. McFATRIDGE is the only sophomore of the "immortal six." A graduate of Southeastern High School, Detroit, in January of 1954, John served two semesters as Treasurer of his senior class. Transferring from Engineering this fall, John now EUGENE EARL HONEYMAN, following in a great line of Ottawa, 111. Alpha Phi Fijis, is also a welcome addition to this spring's pledge class. An All-State basketballer and eight letter winner at Ottawa High, Gene is rated as one of the outstanding prospectsfrom this year's freshman team, ^ Pre-Dent major. He was recently elected president of his pledge class. .., GEORGE WILSON SHERMAN,from East Lansing, who goes under the of Joe, is a pre-med freshPresident of his sophomore class at East Lansing, was By Saturday afternoon things will be well underway with another great picnic at Northrup Farm. (This is the same location as in the past two years, but to make sure everyone finds it, mimeographed maps will be on hand.) The highlight of the picnic, ( Gene is in Lit School and intends to of course,is the active vs. alum soft- go g into business. ball game, but for those who don't make the team, liquid consolation will be available. The picnic is also a good time to talk to your undergrad brothers about the chapter's present activities. Pig Dinner is one of many events making June a solid month for Michigan Fijis. Evening brings the dinner itself, and what more can you say? From the traditional pig-kissing ceremony LARRY richard houghton, though a second semester Engineering freshman, is new to campus. went a term to Alma CollegeLarry after - on the student council, and gained three Varsity track letters. Besides managing a high B average here, Joe is also on the Union tryout staff. Sixth man is THOMAS VICTOR 1be le a warm and inspiring one. Qua is iwell-qualified ?ell-qualified for the toastmaster's job—he job—he was very active as an officer i u his class, and his congenial manner in iwill fill make him good for the job. TOFT from Omaha, Nebr., who is also aiming for Med School. He was active in high school ROTC, dramat- ics, choir, and Hi-Y club, while being a member of the National Honor Soci- In the final analysis, however, how -ety. Tom's interests up to now this g ood Pig Dinner is depends upon how year have included work as an Ensian good rmany lany "Joe Purples" show up on The to the Chapter awards, the night will IBig lig Day; April 30. Need I say more? salesman and pulling a fine first semester average of 3.8. \r\nPage 2 THE ALPHA PHIJI NEWS S'Ae APRIL ^Aatn I cannot rationalize telling on this has since been its home. Within a few page a few things I remember, save years of the purchase of "707 Ox by an allusion to St. Luke*s record of ford", the Spooner addition was built the unjust Judge who finally redressed under the leadership of Charley the wrongs of a widow for fear that Spooner. It was promptly fully occu by her much speaking she should pied, and has so continued, with em weary him. And I have to admit that phasis on "fully." I cannot let my mind dwell on the per It is perhaps natural that many of sonalities whose lives have made my memories should cling round Alpha Phi Chapter, without feeling a some of the older men v/ho got in like nostalgic glow. So I shall enjoy writ myself through the back window,so to ing a little about some of them even if speak, but whose interest and devo nobody else is edified by the product. tion lost nothing there^. Easily chief I never lived in the Chapter House, of these was Henry Rigg^, who^^came to build up its division of engineering. He left Michigan in 1920 to become Dean of Engineering at Minnesota, he headed a great national research project in Pittsburgh, till his death. About the time of his coming home from Turkey, there appeared in the singing sessions following meals, a senseless but engaging ditty beginning: O, da veeda vol, da veeda var-la ka sar-la ka sol da veeda vol da veed vitch, vitch, vitch, vitch. It was generally accepted that John R. had brought this pleasing example as I was not initiated until two or from Kansas,and who fd^ s6nie years of Turkish lyric home with him. But three years after I graduated at had practiced engineering in Toledo. I was assured that Freddie Solms, Michigan in 1897. I was very much Henry's father before him had been a '06, had the best of reasons for be he wrote it. pleased to be invited to membership, deyotedFiji in old Alpha Chapter, and lieving otherwise and wondered how much I owed the Henry had a wide circle of friends Another faculty member was a shy bid to the fact that my brother,Donald prominent nationally in the fraternity. little Polish professor of mathemat D., was one of the engineers who, as He knew Phi Gamma Delta History. ics,-Alexander Ziwet, "Zippy", who, Frank Goodrich recorded, made up so His advice and guidance in picking the in spite of his shyness always seemed large a fraction of the reorganized members of the reorganized Chapter happy when he was in the chapter Chapter. house. His face and figure bore so The rented Chapter House was an marked a resemblance to Napoleon undistinguished building down on INITIATED: the following Bonaparte as to convince members of Packard street, west of State. There brothers were initiated into Alpha his faculty colleagues that he was an was no Chapter Room, and for the Phi chapter this spring: Thomas ultimate product of one of the Emp ceremony we all went down in the Pearce Anderle, Port Huron, eror's adventures in Poland. basement and drew up chairs and Mich., Michael Alexander Baity, We were hit hard a little later by boxes around the furnace. Harry SlyWilmette, 111.; John Philip Hurt, the deaths of three of our faculty field was head master. I have not Muncie, Ind.; John McChord members in quick succession: Mor seen much of Harry in recent years, Christie, Evanston, 111.; Dale ris Tilley, Ralston Hayden, and Stone yet in memories of that evening he Luther Eldred, Minneapolis, Yoakum. Reverend Lloyd C. Douglas has always seemed close to me. Minn.; Gordon Keach Emery, was "one of us" whom we often men The only thing that distinguished Bedford, Ind.; Ross David Flet tioned in talking to visitors. that Chapter House, save for the fact cher, Birmingham; Frederick I did not intend to go beyond faculty that I was initiated in it, was the William Heath, Detroit; James ranks. But I must not pass over spirited adventure of Jerry, the Merrill Hardy, Ann Arbor; Rob Elmer Gedeon, Alpha Phi's quiet, al Chapter's bulldog who once jumped ert Alan Meyers, Detroit; Ross ways modest "three letter" man. out a second story window in his haste E.Smith,Detroit; Robert Leonard Gedeon was in every sense"A gentle to get at another fraternity dog care Stahl, Park Ridge, 111.; Jack man" at his ease with faculty or lessly passing by, all heedless of Carl Wheeler, Ann Arbor; freshman. He went into the Air whose territory he was invading. Clinton Cyril Wagner, Wyoming, Force and in the fall of 1943, he Jerry made a four-point landing on O.; Donald Soutar Young,H, East crashed, while yet in America, and our cement sidewalk, breaking one of Lansing, Mich. was badly injured. In spite of his his front legs. The boys nursed him broken ribs and arm he went to the back to health (in a spot from which rescue, successful, of a fellow crew he could not look out the window),and was invaluable. He was an enthusi man, caught in the burning wreckage. Jerry lost nothing in the respect and ast affection of the brothers. worked tirelessly and happily for the fraternity and Alpha Phi in particu lar. His lack of a soft palate gave him a speech impediment, of which he was totally unconscious and which endeared him to the rest of us, young and old alike. Any chapter is fortu nate that has through the years a member like Henry Riggs, if there While I was living in Philadelphia from 1904 to 1908, Alpha Phi acquired the handsome house on the hill, which Send News ... Once again the call goes out to all loyal cannibals of the "707" clan to relay by tom tom, telegraph, letter or phone call any news about thems