THEPI CRUST ffi '1r 7 PUBLISHED BY PI CHAPTER OF PHI GAMMA DELTA, ALLEGHENY COLLEGE House Corporation Meeting The House Corporation held a meeting on Saturday, April 7, during the house reception on the afternoon of the Frank Norris Pig Dinner. The main order of business was the major fund raiser being planned for the spring and summer of this year. The House Corporation unanimously passed the second of five plans drawn up by Brother Charles Rimer '50. The plans call for completely remodelling the existing house as well as a two-and-a-half story addition to the west that will sleep twenty more brothers. The plan was accepted in view of the fact that the Phi Garn house has taken over twenty pledges for the second year in a row; and the brotherhood has now grown to a total of forty -five for next year. The plan was presented to the House Corporation by the chairman of the fund raiser, Brother Donald McArdle '56. Brother McArdle also presented the rest of the fund raiser's schedule, which included the printing of a brochure in May containing complete details of the house renovation and the fund raiser plans. Recruitment of solicitors from each class is planned for June as well as the actual mailings to each alumnus. Area luncheons are also being planned to give further in- FIJI Standouts In Wlnter Sports EDITOR: Ken Cramer CONTRIBUTORS: Tim Corchran '80 Tim Dougan '81 John Lesko '81 Mark Spina '81 ROBERT McARDLE NEW OFFICERS PRESIDENT Bob McArdle TREASURER Eric Lindburg RECORDING SECRETARY Tim Corcoran CORRESPONDING SECRETARY Rich Brown HISTORIAN Timothy Dougan TIMOTHY CORCORAN 1 ERIC LINDBERG RICHARD BROWN TIMOTHY DOUGAN formation to graduates. The areas involved are Pittsburgh, Erie, Philadelphia, and possibly Cleveland. To finish up the meeting, the presidency of the House Corporation passed from Brother William Armstrong '16 to Brother Norman King '60. Also , the House Corporation decided to set the example for the fund raiser, so the entire group pledged a total of thirteen thousand dollars. Each graduate brother will be contacted sometime in June by one of their classmates. Team captain (and house Treasurer) Eric Lindberg led the Gator hoop team to a Conference crown and an N.C.A.A. playoff berth with his outstanding shooting and rebounding. Eric averaged 15.6 points per game, while ending up fifteenth in the nation with 12.8 rebounds per game. He was the team's MVP for the third year in a row and was All-Conference for the third year too. Brother Lindberg will be back in action next year as ,a senior for his final debut. There were also standouts on the Gator third place finish in the P/\C. Dave Sedmak, 9-5-2, finished third in the conference qualifying him for the National tournament. Dave was named All-Conference for his second year. Jack Daneri gained his first All-Conference honors by placing third in the PAC. Another ;brother, Tim Dougan, placed fourth in the Lebanon Valley Invitational at 190, but suffered a chest injury which knocked him out for \r\nthe remainder of the season. Pledges Mike Edmunds and Bill Paterson also contributed to the Gator efforts, both earning their first letter. Also, pledge Mike Barr suffered a preseason knee injury preventing his participation this year. Of the group, Sedmak, Daneri, Dougan, and Edmunds are sophomores; the rest are freshmen. So, the Gators will be in good shape in the years to come. Pl Chapter Celebrates Frank Norris Pig Dinner The Pi Chapter of Phi Gamma Delta celebrated the Frank Norris Pig Dinner on April 7, 1979. One of the many Fijis attending the dinner was our Field Secretary, Michael E. Morris. Michael is a 1977 graduate of Chi Deutron Chapter at Kansas State. During the time he was an active brother, he was chairman of many committees and involved with I.F .C. a great deal. As a sophomore, Michael held the position of Recording Secretary. The following year, due to leadership qualities, he was elected President of Chi Deutron Chapter. He feels his involvement in his own chapter had a gre-a-rinfhrence- on-t1is-decisiorr-topursue the job of Field Secretary. Michael thinks his Field Secretary Post is very interesting because he is able to travel and meet all types of people. He also said the job has given him a better understanding of the fraternity. At the 1978 EKKLESIA Michael was one of two new Field Secretaries elected. When he took the post, he went through a short training period. This training period started on June 15, 1978 and by August 22, he was on the road visiting his assigned chapters. Michael was assigned to oversee thirty undergraduate chapters. The boundaries in which these chapters lie are: Canada to the north, Maryland to the south, Ohio to the west and Rhode Island to the east. When speaking of the thirty chapters, he siad all of them have different characters or reputations, but in all of them the core beliefs of the fraternity have a noticeable influence on the chapter's activities. When he visits a chapter, (he usually visits ea~h chapter twice a year), he sets up appointments with the administration of the College, the chapter's Section Chief, and the Purple Legionaire. Within the chapter itself, he meets with the officers and committee chairmen. By meeting and working with these different people, he is able to get a complete picture of the chapter. When working with the chapters, Michael uses his own common sense and judgm~nt mixed with the policies of the fraternity. In his opinion, each chapter should make its brothers responsible to the chapter. When the brothers sign the constitution, they are signing a commitment; everyone should be made to live up to that commitment. The fraternity should prepare a person for life after college. Everyone in the fraternity has to carry his own weight so that the chapter can function properly; this gives the individual the opportunity to take on responsibility and learn to live and work with others on a day to day basis. With regard to our own Pi Chapter, Michael was pleased with our graduate relations. He feels it is improving and will continue to do so in the future . He also thinks we are trying to improve the Chapter in all other areas. We here crt Pi Chapter are happy to have Michael E. Morris as our new Field Secretary, and wish him luck for the remainder of his term as Field Secretary, and any other future endeavors. The co-chairmen from the Fiji house were Mike Veon '79, Pete Pietrandrea '80 and James Thompson '81. Pi Chapter's involvement in the Walkathon did not begin on April 29th however, during the month of April, the brothers went to eleven high schools in the Crawford . County area handing out over 1,800 sponsor sheets. They also walked the route of the walk informing residents that the Walkathon would pass their homes. On the day of the walk the brothers set up a mini-walk for the smaller children as well as manning checkpoints and making sure the walk went on as smoothly as possible. __ Two _brQthers of _Pi Chapter participated in the walk. They were Rick McLeary '79 and Tim Dougan '81. Their feat was particularly amazing, Rich and Tim pushed a boy in a wheelchair the entire 15 miles. The brothers of Pi Chapter also got sponsor sheets signed for the boy, amounting to over $480. After the walk the Crawford County Chapter had a picnic for the brothers and the County Chairman expressed her thanks in an article which appeared on the front page of the Meadville Tribune the next day. She stated that "the walk could not have been such a success without the brothers of Phi Gamma Delta". Walkathon Is Success At 1: 30 on April 29, the Crawford County Chapter of the March of Dimes kicked off their annual Walkathon for the prevention of birth defects. As was the case last year, this year's walk would not have been the success that it was if it were not for the work of the brothers of Pi Chapter. Over $4,900 in pledges were collected. Brothers Tim Dougan '81 and Rick McLeary as the picture appeared on the front page of The Meadville Tribune. \r\nGrads, Actives, And Pledges Enjoy Pig Dinner Brother McArdle '56 presents house renovation plans to House Corporation. Words of Wisdom to pledges from T. Dudley Ballinger '11 . T. Dudley Ballinger '11, the oldest member in attendance. Bob Sobol '82, the youngest member in attendance. Bruce Bivert '76 presents the Guy E. Snavely Scholarship Award to Pete Pietrandrea '80. The graduate brothers of Pi Chapter are noted as always having a good time when they "come back" and this year's Frank Norris Pig Dinner proved to be no different. Forty-five of our grads returned to make the celebration, which served to kick-off our major fund drive, a huge success. The day's festivities commenced with a happy hour at the Phi Garn House. This gave Donald P. McA~dle '56, chairman of the fund drive, a chance to show the plans for the proposed edition, and reveal his plans to achieve it. The well-drawn plans were designed by Charles Rimer '50 of Collins & Rimer Architects, Inc. in Cleveland. Pi Chapter will be forever in debt to these two brothers for the seemingly endless effort they have put forth. The Happy Hour also gave the graduate brothers a chance to meet the pledges and get reacquainted with the activities as well as each other. The second phase of the celebration was the buffet-style banquet at The David Mead Inn. The dinner, headed by chapter president, Robert McArdle (Donald's son), commenced with the traditional "presentation of the pigll. Led by Pat Cappiello and Mike Wild, the pledge class brought in "Gigi, the Pig" on a silver platter. Before the meal, three of our traditions took place. The Doxology was sung, followed by James Thompson '81, who served the brotherhood with an Exiles Toast that was written by Frank Norris himself. Still another tradition took place. Thomas ''Dudley'' Ballinger '11, being the oldest brother in attendance, kissed the snout of the pig. Robert Sobol, kissing the tail, held up his end of the bargain as the youngest pledge. Dr. William Armstrong '16 was also present. His frequent visits to 454 North Main have been a key factor to the chapter's many years of success. He is truly a model brother. Directly after the dinner some awards were given. Ken Cramer '79 presented the Distinguished Service Awards to Donald P. McArdle and Charles Rimer for their outstanding demonstration of devotion and brotherhood. Mr. Rimer could not attend the dinner, so the following week a dinner at the Fiji House was given in his honor at which his daughter, Kristin, received the award for her father. Golden Owl Certificates were presented to Thomas "Dudle}'."' Ballinger '11 and Dr. William Armstrong '16. This certificate is given to brothers of 50 years. Bruce Bivert '76 presented two scholarship awards to Robert McArdle and Pete Pietrandrea. These are given in the name of Guy E. Snavely. Our guest speaker was next to take the floor. Allegheny College Trustee, James P. Ryan '54, a warm and personal type of man addressed the brotherhood on his ideas about success. His attitude on work and success imposed the idea that very often the man who succeeds is the fell ow who refuses not to succeed. However, he also said not to take oneself too seriously. Mr. Ryan, who interrupted a Florida vacation to attend the dinner, also revealed an historical flagpole-sitting escapade to the delight of all in attendance. As the early evening drew to a close, "I Would Rather Be A Fiji" filled the atmosphere of The David Mead Inn . Following the dinner, the brotherhood retired to the Fiji House for a party, that seemed to be the perfect end to a perfect day. - T. Joseph Dougan Pledges bringing in the pig. Pat Cappiello '82 Mike Wild '82 \r\nFIJI Intramural Basketball The Fiji intramural basketball team successfully defended their title to remain champs for yet another season. Not only did the Phi Garns place first, but , with many new brothers, the Fijis had a "B" team that also made it into the play-offs. The Fiji championship team was basically the same as last year's team. Veterans on the team included Rick " Rodent" McCleary and Bill "Sparky" Law, t he Fijis' two talented guards. Not many teams could stop the outside shooting of these two as they could consistently score from 20 feet or more away. -If the shooting of Rodent and Sparky wasn't enough - then the Fijis could rely on the hustling and aggressive play of the men underneath the boards. With no really tall ballplayers, the Fijis were often outsized by their opponents, but the Purple ballplayers continued to get most of the rebounds. Mike " Mick " Veon, Scott "Skippy" Nixon and Chuck "Uncle Chuck" Lazar were the Fijis mainly responsible for the Fijis' rebounds and steals. Of course, you could always expect the leaping Uncle Chuck to try and dunk the ball at least once a game . The Fijis hustled so much because they were undoubtedly the best conditioned team in the league . The Fijis had to hustle and play with desire though, or they would be sub stituted for one of the other Fiji ballplayers on the Bench by Coach Eric Lindberg. Coach Lindberg and his assistants, Max "A" Dudzic and Nick "Buck" Sacco, had a wealth of talent on the bench which they used regularly to keep a fresh Fiji five in the game constantly. The other Fijis on the team included Nick "Noodles" Nardone, Fred "Monkey" Seguiti, Tim "The Hound Corcoran, and three rookies: Randy "Ringworm" Reimold , Danny "D.D." DeDionisio, and Mike Miller. The Phi Garns also had so much basketball talent this year that the Fiji "B" team was created . The "B " team went on to keep the winning Fiji ways by advancing into the play -offs only to lose to one of II the better teams in the league. The Fiji "B" team had the likes of the following athletes on it: Ernie DiPlacido (a very consistant outside shooter and allaround athlete), Mark ''G.O. 11 Spina, Greg "Pappy" Popovich, Mike "Funny" Giangiordano, Ken "Meryle" Cramer, Pete "The Wo-ton" Pietrandrea, Bobby "Lil' Hoot" McArdle, Tim "The Rabbit" Dougan, Paul "P.J. 11 Blythe, and Dave "Sed Sedmak. With so much basketball talent in the Fiji house the Purple teams should be intramural champs for the next few years. II Recent Award Recipients During the Frank Norris Pig Dinner held on April 7, 1979, the Scholarship awards from the National Education Foundation for outstanding junior and sophomore brothers were presented. This year's junior recipient was Peter Pietrandrea '80 from Koppel, Pennsylvania. The sophomore recipient was Bob McArdle, Bluffton, Indiana. These scholarships are presented in honor of Brother Guy E. Snavely, a former member of Allegheny College Faculty. Golden Owl Awards were also presented at the Pig Dinner. They were awarded to Brothers of Phi Gamma Delta who have been active members in the fraternity for fifty years or more. The recipients of the Golden Owl Awards are Brother Dudley Ballinger '11, Meadville, Pa.; and Brother Dr. William Armstrong '16, Butler, Pa. Brother Armstrong- has just resigned after spending many years on the House Corporation. These two men exemplify the idea that brotherhood is not for college days alone and have shown that they are 'Fiji's for Life'. Citations for service to the fraternity were also presented at the Pig Dinner. Two of our graduate Brothers have shown the undergraduates their genuine concern for the functions and condition of the undergraduate chapter and the chpater house. Brother Donald McArdle '54 organized a major fund raiser to attain revenues for the renovation and expansion of the existing Chapter House . Brother McArdle is the present President of The House Corporation for Pi Chapter. The plans for the renovation were drawn up and donated by Brother Charles Rimer '50. As an architect, Brother Rimer . carefully surveyed and constructed many possible expansion alternatives that will be constructed once the fund raiser has been completed. The Brothers of 454 N. Main Street would like to congratulate all award recipients and thank each one for a job well done. -Kenneth Cramer '79 Letter To Brothers Dear Brothers, In 1977, Phil Spina '78 took over as President of Pi Chapter and initiated a transformation of the personality of the brotherhood. In 1978, Mike Veon '79 took office and completed the transition. Through Mike's tenure of office, the brotherhood developed an overall personality that is genuinely concerned with the present state of the house, as well as the present standing of Phi Gamma Delta on the campus of Allegheny College. Now, in 1979, Pi Chapter has reached the keystone of its survival: a complete return of the high standing Fijis once had, or eventual elimination of Pi Chapter. With this in mind, the undergraduate brothers have been working, and making great progress, in re-establishing Phi Gamma Delta as the number one fraternity on campus. Referring back to the objectives of the 1978 year, our rush program has improved to the piont of a second straight year of over twenty pledges taken in. Our ritual, national history, and chapter history have been incorporated into the training program. We have successfully completed running the March of Dimes walkathon again this year, which brought in about five thousand dollars for that organization. Also, we have worked with the Newman Club on visitations to the county homes, as well as collecting for the Heart Fund. We have made major improvements in our mailing system, which helped us to greatly improve the Frank Norris Pig Dinner. The Dinner this year not only brought in more graduate brothers than there have been in quite some time, but was also a total success as \r\nLetter cont. far as revival of tradition and renewal of old ties of brotherhood. Now, the most important problem facing the brothers in the next couple of years is the physical structure of the house. The undergraduate brothers have been working steadily to make the appearance of the house respectable. However, the situation is that there are several major structural problems with the house that have to be corrected. We are still struggling with shadows from our past, but we are making headway. The key point is that, if the house is not renovated, it will fall apart and, with it, Pi Chapter will die. There are several graduate brothers that have been out of contact with the house for over fifteen years who have taken a renewed interest and done a lot of work so far. There is a major fund raiser in progress right now that is being run by graduates. Our ties with the graduate brothers have increased through a doubling in the size of the House Corporation and the formation of a Board of Chapter Advisers manned by graduates living in the area. The brotherhood, much through the efforts of my predecessor Mike Veon, has turned over and is redeeming the status of Phi Gamma Delta to match our pride and togetherness as a fraternity. The entire brotherhood, undergraduate and graduate alike, is pulling together. With your help, the ~ndergraduate brothers with the outstanding leadership of the cabinet that is behind me will be able to complete the transition; and Pi Chapter will resume its spot at the head of the Allegheny campus. Fraternally yours, Robert M. McArdle '81 President Pi Chapter Cannon Update In the last issue of the Pi Crust, I mentioned an interest about the origins, traditions and history of the Phi Gamm Cannon. Over the past few months, I received a couple of letters and with talking to alumni, I have drawn together the following facts concerning the cannon. I would like to extend a special thanks to Mr. Richard Darling '36 and Mr. Herb Baum '52 who wrote to me personally and contributed what they knew. In speaking with Mr. Ballinger '11, he thought that the cannon was an old civil war morter. In the letter I received from Brother Baum, he confirmed that it was. I found out from Brother Darling that the cannon was used on two types of occasions : formal initiations of new brothers and to alert the girl's dormitory that they were about to be serenaded by tpe FIJis. I also learned that there was a gun crew of 4 or 5 of the biggest active brothers whose job it was to transport, load and hide the cannon. Mr. Baum also noted that around 1950, the cannon was overloaded and blew up. Shortly afterward, the brothers had a new one milled and was in use in 1952. Two days after this year's Norris Pig Dinner, Mr. Lamar Light '58 stopped in to talk with us. He told U:s a story about loading the cannon in the basement and accidentally the cannon went off with the ram rod still in the barrel. Brother Light said that the rod, a weight-lifting bar, was forced up through the ceiling and through the living-room floor. As far as we can find out, the cannon was still in existence till then. It seems that it disappeared between 1958 and today. If any alumni who graduated in -----------·----------------------------------------------------------------- (Can't. on back) Dear Graduate Brother, We at Pi Chapter are trying to update our graduate files to improve the relationship between gradu2.tes ~nd undergraduat_es. Because, as we all know, Phi Gamma Delta is not for college days alone. We would appreciate it if you would fill out the followmg information and return it to us as soon as possible. 'Thank you very much. CLIP HERE - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Name _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Address _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Phone _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _....:__ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ Year of G r a d u a t i o n - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Married or single _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ ___..ife's N a m e - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Children's Names _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _-:-Occupation----------------------------------------------Other Activities _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ 1 Suggestions _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __ I I I I I I I------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- \r\nthis time period knows anything about the cannon , please dorp us a line. As for you older alumni, any bit of information that you could furnish in regards to the cannon would be appreciated. We think that the Pi Chapter Cannon served a special purpose and tradition here at Allegheny and we would like to know more about the cannon's history and traditions. Thank you to all who have contributed so far, you 've given us a good base from which to start. Now we need more re sponses from others; any little bit of information would be helpful. - John Lesko '81 We were honored this year to have present at our Norris Pig Dinner, among others, Mr. Thomas D. Ballinger, Class of 1911. Brother Ballinger attended the cocktail hour at our house in the afternoon and related many stories of his to the distinguished alumni, brothers, and pledges. We would specially like to thank Brother Ballinger for attending this year's dinner and expect him to be at next years as well. We would also like to announce the awarding of the Golden Owl to Brother Ballinger, who has been a member of Phi Gamma Delta for over fifty years. He will receive a certificate · dated and signed by William S. Zerman, the Executive Secretary of Phi Gamrria Delta. Congratulations and thank you Brother Ballinger for your service. PI CHAJ;>TER of Phi Gamma Delta 454 North Main Street Meadville, Pennsylvania 16335 Calendar Of Events Parents' Day . . . . . . . . . . . . . . May 12 Fiji Island ..... .. ... . ... May 23-27 Last Day of School. . . . . . . . . . June 5 Special Thanks Pi Chapter wishes to extend a special thanks to Brother James P. Ryan '54 for addressing the Frank Norris Pig Dinner as its guest .speaker. New BCA The newly formed Board of Chapter Advisers, a group of graduates who live in the area and advise the actives in areas of Chapter Finances, Pledge Education, Ad ministration, Graduate Relations, Public Relations, Ritual, Scholarship, and Rush are as follows: Donald E. Wigton '58 Robert A. Stanton '46 David D. First '42 Lynn A. Walker - Pittsburgh '76 David L. Vogel '74 Norm D. King '60 was elected President of the House Corporation at the retirement of Dr. William Armstrong '16. Brother King is organizing the Board of Chapter Advisors into a functioning unit that is the link between the Actives and the House Corporation. Norm has just retired from Purple Legionaire, because of a transfer in job locations from Meadville to Greenville. Pi Chapter wishes to thank Norm for his service to us as Purple Legionaire and our gratitude for his continuing service to the Chapter. Dr. William Armstrong '16 has resigned from his position of House Corporation President. He will remain a member of the Corporation, continuing his active involvement in Pi Chapter matters. It seems that Dr. Armstrong is thanked in every Pi Crust and this is no exception. He is revered by every Brother in this Chapter; a model of a "Fiji for Life". The Chapter owes a lot to his leadership participation, insight, advice and self-sacrifice for the Brothers. We thank you Brother Armstrong. Non-Profit Org. U.S. POSTAGE PAID Permit No. 428 Meadville, Pennsylvania 16335